I don't own Naruto or Rurouni Kenshin.

"Talk"

'Think'

"Talk"

'Think'

Authors Note: See the bottom for why the hell I did this.

"He will be pleased. I know he will be pleased." A deep, enlightened voice muttered to himself. Quiet as a mouse a heavily muscular man wearing a torn up green haoi combined with a torn white shirt, and baggy white pants hurried out of the infirmary. Wearing fresh white medical tape that covered his hands, arms, legs, and feet, he tightened the white bandanna that covered his bald head.

It took him several long minutes until the muscular man arrived at a decorative mahogany door. He raised his beefy fist and quickly rapped on it three times. While there were a light as he could make them, the man still saw the noticeable dents within the dragon carvings. After a moment of silence the doors slowly swung open.

"What have you brought for me this time Anji?" A raspy voice echoed throughout a pitch black room.

"Something very special, something that I know you can use for your ambitions." The man now known as Anji replied to the raspy speaker.

"What exactly did you find? Cannon fodder, exploding tags, crates of shuriken, or maybe kunai for the volley guns?" The first man questioned.

When the questions flowed into Anji's ears, the moon shown through the windows to reveal a beautiful chestnut-haired woman sleeping in a crimson sheeted queen size bed. But instead of focusing on her, Anji focused his gaze upon the man sitting on a plush chair staring at the moonlight. He wasn't a very tall man; in fact he looked extremely weak. His entire wiry body was completely bandaged from his skull banded head to toe to cover body ruined by burns, and a purple yukata with its right sleeve and shoulder draped around his waist. Placed in his right hand was a still smoking kiseru pipe.

After all the years he served under this man, Anji was still unnerved by his gaze. His eyes, his red eyes held great authority and ambition. They showed the horrors he faced within his past, and the atrocities he committed without batting an eyelash. But most of all they showed power and the will to fulfill any man's dreams should he deem worthy of him, Anji knew this for certain for the man granted him his most inner desires. "Not exactly, my lord I bring you a child." He said to him.

"A child?" The man seethed angrily. "You fool! What on earth would I need a brat for, especially when there is so much more work to be done! Don't tell me you're falling back into your pitiful monkish ways."

"Please hear me out." The monk begged. "It may seem irrational I know but please, I have never failed you, not even once. I promise to you that this find will be utmost beneficial."

"Speak Anji; it may very well save your life."

"Thank you. Now I know you sent me to find anything worthwhile in Fire Country, I spent the last six months combing the major cities, but unfortunately I turned up nothing...until I came to Konohagakure." Before the monk could continue the air seemed to thicken with extreme heat, he felt himself sweating profusely, and even his lover; Yumi Komagata awoke from her peaceful slumber clutching her throat.

It was only thanks to her that the man's brutal killing intent ceased. It was thanks to her bounding out if the bed, naked as the day she was born that his anger didn't set the entire room aflame. "Shishio, my darling. Please calm yourself." She begged him. Yumi placed her hands on his burning shoulders, and with a decent amount of chakra control, the former Oiran courtesan used one of her several pleasure techniques to calm him.

It wasn't for the first time that Anji thanked Acalanatha for Shishio finding that woman. While he never agreed to what she did before she met him, the fallen monk was glad that she was around.

"Anji..." Shishio spoke after a few minutes, "You know how I feel about that place. About what they did to me, to my team. How they fucked so many lives over!"

"Shishio hear him out." Yumi cooed into his ear. "Anji is not the impulsive type, remember love he is the one who has brought morale and much needed supplies. So please, hear the man out."

"Damn it, Yumi...fine. Anji please explain why you thought it necessary to sneak into my old home."

Taking several seconds to compose himself, Anji took a deep breath and told them his reasoning's. "Trust me going there was the last thought on my mind, but it wasn't until I hit Tanzaku that I heard several rumors of Konoha creating a super weapon." When he saw Shishio's eyes fully trained on him the monk continued. "I snuck in nearly two months ago; I observed the various shinobi and learned what I needed to know."

"And what did you learn?" Shishio questioned.

Without any warning Anji's aura darkened, and his dark eyes almost literally shone under the permanent ash underneath them. "I learned that Konoha was filled with demons. The child I told you about, I dug into his files, both medical and confidential. I learned that he was the weapon they were "training", more like taming if you ask me."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"The boy is the Kyuubi's jinchuriki." The monk answered. "From birth he was set up to be the village's pariah. From his medical reports he has been admitted to the hospital more than five-hundred times from broken bones, mutilations, lacerations...burns."

"So you brought me the beat up super weapon of the Leaf. Interesting, very interesting Anji, if we train him now he will become our chosen one. The one who will bring my ambition to life." Shishio congratulated his subordinate.

"That is not all. During my search I found out his exact lineage."

"That shouldn't matter, for all we know his parents abandoned him when he was sealed with that demon." Yumi spoke out her thought on the boy's situation.

"That is where you are wrong Yumi. The boy came from some of the strongest shinobi that village ever produced. That boy is the son of 'The Yellow Flash of Konoha' Minato Namikaze their Yondaime Hokage, and 'The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero' Kushina Uzumaki."

Hearing their names, Shishio reeled back in surprise. His right hand clenched over his chest, his eyes widening, his pulse racing. Yumi and Anji were in complete shock at his unusual behavior. "Their status? Are they alive or-"

"They're both dead." Anji said.

"I see. Leave me...both of you, leave me be for now. I need to think." It was more of a command than anything. And from the look on Shishio's face, he looked absolutely murderous. Both Anji and Yumi (the latter dressing into a white robe) left, it was better to let their leader be by himself for the time being. When they left Shishio let his emotions out.

The murderous look on his face fell, and tears fell from his eyes. The cold personality he built up over the years shattered, his ambition was put on hold for the time being, the only feelings inside him were sadness and relief. How long had it been since he heard their names? How long had it been since he let the memories of them flash through his red eyes?

Not many people knew about his past, and that was the way he like it. But Shishio had the blood of the Uzumaki Clan flowing through his veins on his mother's side of the family. During his childhood he was caught-up in a constant state of war, it was something he relished in his youth, and just the mere thought of seeing the life leave his enemies eyes excited him to no end. When both his parents were killed during a mission at the age of ten, he was sent to Konoha as a bodyguard for a full-blooded Uzumaki named Kushina.

At that time Shishio didn't think much of her. She was a talkative tomboy, but she had a special quality about her. Once they reached Konoha, they were both immediately sent to the academy by the Sandaime. Dear Kami, Shishio hated that place. The brats there were insufferable, especially those who came from civilian families, most of them didn't have a clue what the life of a shinobi was about; but the worst part was they poked fun of his swordsmanship! Well many of them didn't poke again when he broke their bones in a fight.

He made few friends in that place. In fact even to this day he could count exactly who he trusted with his life on one hand. Shibi Aburame was one of them; while he never trusted the silent types, he was one of the few that proved his loyalty. The second was Tsume Inuzuka, like the dogs of her clan she was loyal for life...once you gained her trust that is. The third being Kushina, dear sweet Kushina, she was so innocent in his eyes, completely blind to his horrific actions he did behind her back to keep her safe. And finally was one Minato Namikaze, Kami that man earned his trust and respect ten times over. It was him alone who rescued his charge when he failed to protect her from Kumogakure.

When they all graduated Shishio didn't see much of them at all. By the orders of the Sandaime Hokage he was partnered with with Kushina and another woman named Rei, he was assigned to protect her; the second jinchuriki and nothing else. The latter was expendable, and she died during a skirmish with Hot Springs shinobi. Afterwards they were granted another teammate named Fugaku Uchiha; a man he didn't trust worth his life. And he proved it during one of the most important missions of his entire life.

It was during The Third Great Shinobi War, during an important mission to assassinate 'Onoki of Both Scales', or better known as the Sandaime Tsuchikage. Kushina was left behind with Minato for another mission, leaving him, Fugaku, and several other Leaf shinobi to carry it out...until he was betrayed.

-Nearly ten years ago-

Earth Country, what an inhospitable hellhole. How their enemies could even bare to live where there was nothing but miles of rock was far beyond Shishio's understanding. Currently both he and Fugaku were scouting the area, the situation wasn't even remotely good. The entrance to Iwakagure was more secured than a Daimyo's daughters' virginity; they both saw more men on patrol than normal.

"This is going to be difficult." Shishio muttered to himself.

"Not as difficult as you may believe swordsman. I doubt your inferior mind can comprehend anything other than a suicidal charge, but for us shinobi it will be easy." Fugaku quipped at his companion.

"For your information jackass I am a shinobi. Just because you can't use sense something foul about this entire operation does not make me anything-"

"Shh!" The Uchiha hissed. Pushing his binoculars over to his companion, he urged him to look over to the left.

Slightly grumbling he peered through the glass only to see...nothing? "Fugaku, what the hell-Gah!" he hollered when he felt a sharp pain hit the back of his head before falling unconscious.

Shishio didn't know exactly how long he was unconscious, but when he found himself in the realm of the living he found himself tied to a thick log with a bunch of timber piled around him. He smelled something, his eyes widened in alarm. It was oil, the ones his teammates were using to signal each other for the mission. The swordsman tried to focus his chakra into his limbs to break the ninja wire bounding him. Only to find out to his horror he found that he couldn't feel his chakra, in fact he couldn't feel anything.

"So this is my teammate, how pathetic for you to fall for a simple ruse. Truly, I am disappointed Shishio Makoto." Shishio heard Fugaku's voice sneering at him.

"Fujku." He slurred angrily.

"Relax my old teammate what you're feeling is the special poison I've had cultivated just for you. Don't worry it's not fatal, your entire body will just be numb. But of course that won't really matter in the next few minutes."

"Mum me eh? Soups like a aspbug lik yous!"

Fugaku barely managed to hold in a chuckle, the rest however didn't. And it was to the half-blooded Uzumaki's horror that the entire team was behind this. He was set up right from the beginning, how foolish was he! To let his guard down for a mere second was going to lead to his death. "Wha is you relson, whay? I hated yous, nevr trused yus, but neva provoked you, wha now? Especily on a imotant mission!"

"Foolish Shishio there are two reasons why I'm doing this." Fugaku snarled at his former teammate. "The first: You're the Sandaime's dog. It took a while and a lot of digging, but I now know exactly what you have done Hitokiri. I know why you came to Konoha; I know what you've done under the orders of the Sandaime. With you dead the Uchiha will be one step closer to taking over Konoha." Shishio took notice of four members of his group activating their Sharingan eyes, showing him exactly how bad he was set up. "And the second..." Fugaku leaned in to whisper into the swordsman's ear, "With you gone, Kushina's power will finally belong to me."

Fury, pure primal fury surged through Shishio's drugged body. Whatever energy the man had left, he used it all to sharply twist his head towards Fugaku's neck. Unfortunately for him the Uchiha was in the process of removing his head from his teammate's ear. So instead Shishio clamped his teeth onto the Sharingan-user's ear. Fugaku immediately screeched in agony as the swordsman tore his ear off.

In sudden alarm the Uchiha members of Fugaku's squad blurred through seven hand seals, and brought their dominant hands to their mouths. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" four of them bellowed and expelled from their mouths massive orbs of roaring flames. Each of them hit Shishio square on, igniting the lantern oil and setting him on fire.

"Burn in hell Shishio Makoto! I'll make sure to comfort Kushina when I tell her of your noble sacrifice!" Fugaku yelled at the dying man before he ordered his men to move out.

"This is your biggest mistake Fugaku Uchiha!" Shishio furiously roared over the sound of his flesh bubbling, and the crackling of flames. "I will have my revenge! Whether in this life or the next, you and your entire clan will die! Your plans will fail, the power of the Nine-Tails will never fall into your power hungry clan, Kushina will be free! You will never get your hands on her you stupid bastard!" He then went into a maniacal laugh. The burning man fully knew that the woman he was protecting didn't need him anymore, she could take care of himself, and long ago he made those he trusted look out for her should anything ever happen to him.

He died laughing at his murders.

-Present time-

Or he should have died that night. But to his amazement, Shishio found himself alive and kicking. Granted he was extremely limited to his full fighting potential, but he was alive.

From then on he dedicated his life to destroying the Uchiha Clan; one of his many life goals. But before he butchered them he would have thanked them first, after all they taught; no, enforced his beliefs that permanently sunk into his soul. "If you trust, you will be betrayed.", "If you are careless, you will die.", "Kill, or be killed.", and if he was honest with himself "A good man is never far from a woman". That was when he was alone with Yumi of course.

Sighing to himself Shishio exited the master bedroom and headed where Anji brought every recruit. Honestly they man was predictable as he was loyal, he was never worried about the condition of the new recruits, but it honestly didn't matter to him. While he was heading that way the bandaged man couldn't help but fall back into memory lane.

The man thought about the recruits he gathered throughout the years...his Juppongatana (Ten Swords). The first person he recruited was eight year old Seta Soujiro, his now right-hand man. Shishio remembered several weeks after his near death experience he met the boy after he murdered a police officer in Earth Country. He threatened the boy, but seeing his fake smile awoke a small feeling of pity, so he spared the boy as long as he kept his mouth shut. It was during his brief stay that he learned that Seta was a bastard son of his father's mistress, that he was overworked to keep on living, that he was starved, beaten to the point where he killed off his emotions. In gratitude Shishio gave the boy his wakizashi; one of the last possessions that survived the fire as a thank you gift, and on that same stormy night Seta used that same weapon to kill his drunk of a father, his shrewd grandmother and stepmother, his hot-headed half-brother who always claimed that he would kill a man with his katana, his other half-brother who always caused him trouble, and even his six year old half-brother that did nothing for him. From then on he took the boy as his first subordinate, brainwashing the rules he now lived by "In this world, the flesh of the weak is food for the strong. "The strong live, the weak die." That was Soujiro's life's creed.

The second was Hoji Sadojima his second in command. He used to be an official in the Earth Daimyo but lost faith in it during The Third Great Shinobi War when he saw no one in it was worthy of controlling the country after its defeat. He abandoned his position in the Daimyo's court and eventually met Shishio. Hōji envisioned a mighty country lead by Shishio, ruling with the principles of basic animal survival. The man was...unique; although he was not proficient in any fighting style, he was a cunning organizer and possessed formidable leadership qualities. He had skills as a staff officer figure; but most of all the man had connections with many underworld figures to purchase vast weapons of destruction.

The third person (and the only one not of the Juppongatana) was of course Yumi Komagata, an Oiran, a high ranking courtesan. He spent a single night with her in a private room in Yugakure, and during that single passion filled night he learned about the prejudices against her kind. Call it cliché, but she came to love Shishio with an utmost passion, which he returned. Thus, she joined him on his quest to achieve his goals. She was the voice of the courtesans and kept an ear out for any information regarding valuable secrets, and blackmail material. She was also his nurse of all things, always constantly concerned about Shishio's medical state, but then he honestly didn't mind being "treated" by a beautiful, intelligent, dignified, and well-cultured woman.

The fourth and fifth were people that came to his doorstep. Saizuachi, a withered old man from Kumogakure was the first half of the duo, the man held no skill for battle anymore but his proficient use of words were legendary. He was their man who had a tongue of silver, an absolute genius in diplomacy, battle tactics, and world knowledge. The second half was none other than Fuji, a literal giant of a man. From Saizuachi's own mouth he found the gigantic man in Water Country, near death from various wounds thanks to the shinobi who thought he held a bloodline. Those fools practically handed him over to the old imp, who molded and manipulated him into an unbelievable fighter; add to the fact that he now wielded the world's biggest sword, and the Mist's Kubikiribocho made him an almost unstoppable warrior.

The sixth and seventh showed up a day separate from each other. The first was a former samurai from Iron Country named Cho Sawagejo, a fanatic sword collector whose dream was to wield every sword in the world. It was an admirable dream, but that broom-haired idiot was never going to lay his hands upon his Mugenjin (Unlimited Blade), it was the second thing that survived the fire, and the last remembrance of his old life. It was not a challenge for Shishio to defeat the man, but he did show incredible mastery towards several rare swords he had in his possession, so he gave him a choice. Follow him, or die, thankfully Cho chose the latter.

It was the next day that an assassin from Kirigakure tried to kill him, he killed several dozen of his own men and fought with him in a fair head to head fight. In the end Shishio triumphed in the end by blinding the guy and leaving him for dead. But to his surprise a couple of years later the same assassin, who introduced himself as Usui Uonuma, asked to join him on the condition that he could try to kill Shishio anytime he got the chance. So the swordsman humored the blind fool and allowed him to join, so far there were thirty failed assassination attempts on him by the now second strongest member of the Juppongatana.

The eighth was a former Sand Jounin by the name of Henya Kariwa, a man who had the best wind affinity not seen since the age of the Shodaime Kazekage that allowed him to fly without the aid of that annoying jutsu the Tsuchikage used. He was their spy, reconnaissance man, explosives expert, and of course assassin. Unlike the other members that he happened to meet, or came to him, Shishio actually bought the man's loyalty. It was a hefty sum, but if he was honest with himself, completely worth it.

The ninth and his most unnerving member was a former mercenary by the name of Kamatari Honjo. He was a feminine-looking crossdressing homosexual that was deeply in love with him. Now he had absolutely nothing against homosexuals. Sexuality, gender, preferred fighting styles, background, it didn't matter. What Shishio desired was the strongest of the strong, and Kamatari was strong with that heavy scythe of his that seemed to be lighter than a feather to him, he was clearly one of the strongest men he had ever met in his life. But it didn't change that fact that his deal with him was...well as long as he beat the man in their once a year fights, he would be fine with their working relationship.

The tenth was Iwanbo. He was something of a mystery; literally, there were no known facts about him. The pinkish oaf was found by Henya several miles away from their base, he was brought in and examined. The man was, how could he put it? He wasn't all there, it was like he had a half-assed lobotomy where he could still move his limbs, eat and conduct moral hygiene, but the rest like talking or thinking properly was completely out of the question. He was strong though; his skin was so thick that even blades couldn't stab through. So he was kept as Shishio's personal bodyguard.

When the swordsman arrived at the infirmary he saw his final member Anji Yukyuzan. The man was a fallen monk, one of the last followers of the Buddha religion. From what he learned, Anji was a monk from Claw Country, and due to...well he didn't remember exactly the cause, but the Daimyo outlawed his religion and forced both him and a bunch of kids at his temple to leave. At that time the monk was a timid, scrawny young man, and he was going to do it without a fuss. But a member in the Daimyo's court using some underhanded politics logic convinced the man to kill them off. The temple was set aflame, killing the five children under Anji's care, but it turned out fatal for them. Anji returned to the land five years later, but the scrawny man was replaced with a muscular juggernaut that massacred the Daimyo's court, and nearly killed the Daimyo himself. He was unable to accomplish his goal before a squadron of samurai halted his actions, and that lead to the fallen monk to work under him until he accomplished his goal to avenge those dead children.

"Anji, don't you have anything better to do than check on the kid?"

"He was in bad shape Shishio. Really bad shape."Anji gritted his teeth is an absolute show of anger. That wasn't a good sign; whatever happened to this kid must have been bad to even get a spark of anger going through his level-headed subordinate.

"Explain this to me Anji. What exactly happened to the boy, don't you dare hold back on me." The bandaged man demanded.

"When I learned the truth I knew time was of the essence, the Sandaime, while a good man is only human and cannot keep watch on the boy forever. I know how jinchuriki are treated in certain villages, and went to take him away, so he could have a relatively normal life under your rule." The man's hands clenched at his sides, and the primal fury within him slowly pooled out of his body. "Unfortunately I arrived far too late. The boy was surrounded by a mob of ten civilians and five shinobi ranging from Chuunin to Jounin-level behind a place called the Higarashi Weapons Shop. I saw the boy already blooded by several knife wounds from one civilian attacker, I must say though the boy was holding his own...at least until one of the shinobi reached into what I suspect was a scrap dumpster. I saw him pull out a broken katana, and he chucked it at the boy.

"I saw it pierce his shoulder, but instead of screaming in pain, I saw the boy pulled it out and used it to defend himself." Anji stopped for a small moment of time to look his leader right in the eyes. "He was sloppy, but the boy managed to wound the civilian a few times. But like last time one of the shinobi interfered by throwing shuriken at his legs. They laughed as he bled, they cheered when the civilian plunged his kitchen knife into the boys stomach, then they gasped out in horror as the boy speared the civilian through the chest. I saw the boy using whatever strength he had in his body to push the civilian into the scrap dumpster, and like wolves they attacked the boy."

"Let me guess. After they started to maul him you intervened, and brutally destroyed them with the Futae no Kiwami (Double Layer Limit) you recently mastered?" Shishio smirked in response, despite the anger bubbling within him.

"I assure you their deaths were quick, but not that quick." Anji replied with malice. But then his mood switched to something more solemn, almost like he was pitying them. "I don't feel any regret for killing them." Wait he didn't pity their deaths? The swordsman thought that was a little odd. "I feel pity for the boy. After I killed them, I went to finish the civilian within the dumpster off, but alas I already found him dead. The boy killed him, his innocence is no longer his own."

Shishio did not hide his smile. The boy could not have been older than five or six and already he killed his first man. Already he broke his own record by one full year, now all he needed to do was push the boy...no he needed to push Naruto in the right direction to become his ultimate weapon. "I'm going to see the boy. He deserves to know everything that has happened until this point in life."

"He's still in bad condition Shishio. Many of his wounds were so severe that I feared that he died during the many hours it too to bring him here."

"Do not be foolish Anji. The monster inside him would never allow its vessel to die." The bandaged man chided the former monk before he entered the room.

Once he entered Shishio saw that Anji wasn't exaggerating. Naruto was in rough shape, he saw that he was hooked up to two machines, one to support his breathing, and another to allow vital nutrients to flow into his emancipated body. Dear Kami the boy was abused all right, he saw that his wounds were still healing, slowly, but not almost instantaneous like Kushina's had been.

Looking past his rough exterior the half-blooded Uzumaki couldn't help but marvel his appearance. His spiky hair was blond as the sun, it was disappointing that it wasn't the Uzumaki red, but it suited him. Carefully placing his right hand on the boys closed eyelids, Shishio carefully parted them open to see eyes that were as blue as sapphires. The boy definitely gained his father's looks, but he had the shape of both his eyes and face of his mother.

That was good, he knew that bastard Fugaku wouldn't get his hands on Kushina. He was glad that she got with a good man like Minato, and he was glad they both produced a son that had their blood running through his veins. All that was left was for the boy to heal, get a good meal or fifty within him, every vitamin in existence would be used to recover his strength. And then once he fully recovered he would start training him to be the ultimate weapon. Shishio grinned at the thought, finally his revenge would be complete against the Uchiha's, his lifetime goals would come to fruition, and it would be thanks to Naruto, his chosen one.

Armageddon: Hey everybody today is 5-16-12, this special date commemorates the long overdue piece of literature you all deserve.

Pvt. Killjoy: What brought on the change?

Armageddon: Well to tell you the truth I've hated Naruto of the Ten Swords for a very, very, very long time. I started out in 2008 when I was in nothing but a wet behind the ears high schooler, but now that I have been doing this for several years now, and reading over the old story from chapter one to the present...I felt the need to punch my past self in the face.

Lt. RasenganFin: You hated your earlier chapters? No wait the entire story?

Armageddon: Damn right I did, they were amateurish at best. And I'm anything but that, granted I'm no professional, but I know I'm better than this. So after having a chat with Reign A.G.E, a long time fan who told me to just redo all the chapters in my other story would be easier...well that would take too much work in my opinion. We both agreed that chapters one through six needed to be redone and chapter seven is when the story gets much more interesting. So here I am doing something that's putting me at ease.

Pvt. Superninja: What happens now?

Armageddon: Everyone I assure you This fic will remain the same, except for this it will show the background that shows how Naruto became the man he is today, it will be much more gory, dramatic, and actually not suck for me to write. The later chapters will be more or less the same, except with some major differences that will be easy for me to write out. So please review this, and tell me your honest opinion about this first chapter. I already have several more lined up (Along with chapter eighteen for the original series), but I want to hear from all of you, and dammit please have it ten words or more and that one word review crap. So until the next update, later.