A Storm of Change comes to shake the Leaves
Nestled within the Land of Fire the Ninja Village Hidden in the Leaves, Konoha, was experiencing the worst storm in years, winds whipped and lashed at anything on the streets and the rain fell hard in chilling sheets.
There was only one figure walking the village streets, a woman. Long blood red hair reached her lower back and her yukata was a beautiful greenish blue tinged with indigo, despite the rain it was mostly dry, likely from the decorative umbrella she held in one hand, the orange canopy broken up only by a red spiral tightly spilling out from the center. Her feet, though bare, went unmarred by the mud of the wet road.
She paused at the entrance of the alley before entering, swaying out of the way of trash cans until she found him at the back, half laying and half hidden with in a mound of black trash bags. The boy was so small, his blond hair was browned with filth and grime, sticking to his scalp by garbage scraps, the boys cheeks were adorned with whisker like lines, old dried blood staining beneath each line, yet no open wounds or scars. His clothes were raggedy and dirty with mud and food scraps.
‘My Prince, I have found you’ she thought, standing over him, her umbrella shielding him from the rain, she smiled.
The storm winds that previously were blocked by the building on either sides of the alley began to swirl around the pair, rattling the trash cans and gently lifting the blond into the air. Overhead, the grey clouds darkened to black and crackled with lightning.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz-PANG!!!
Lightning strikes the alley, splitting across the paper umbrella and enveloping woman and child in a sphere of crackling power ‘I, as the kami of Uzushio, give my strength to you, o child of my daughter, may you live long and prosper. I will be with you always, my little maelstrom’ Umbrella dropping from between her fingers, the woman smiles as lightning spears her from back to chest, crackling energy rushing to the blond as the she dissolves into motes of light.
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Inside Naruto’s Seal
Kurama, eldest child of the Sage of Six Paths, God of Shinobi, is awoken from the sleep of being halved and sealed with a jolt, his nine blood orange tails whipping in frenzy to shield the fox before he realizes there is no attack.
‘What is this? Divine power!? Impossible!’
Outside of the Nine Tail’s seal jail cell, in the inner world of his current whelp host, lightning impossibly strikes within the sewer from the unseen ceiling. The fouled water is vaporized into a cloud of steam by the lightning, quickly subsiding to reveal a figure. The figure wore layered kimono robes of blue and green, with sleeves and hem long enough to conceal their extremities. Its barely visible skin was pale, and had no visible hair, hidden as it was by its kanmuri hat. Secured by a non standard ink brush, the traditional spiral adornment of the headdress was instead a scroll, unfurled and tucked underneath the hat to overflow over the face and coming to rest at the being’s chest, completely obscuring its features.
Kurama growled, the sound and his annoyance stirring waves in the sewer’s water like storm winds, ‘Who Dares Disturb my Slumber? A Puny Tool for the Gods? Speak up Lest I Feast Upon Your Bones!’
The figure stood tall throughout the onslaught of malice and chakra from the great fox before bringing together its sleeves in front of its chest
And bowed.
Kurama barely began to question the action before the figure continued.
“This One Greets the Mighty Kyubi-Sama, O Lord of the Foxes, He of the Nine Tails, Eldest Child of the Sage of Six Paths. This One was newly created and was gifted the name of System from my Divine Mother, the Noble Uzushio-Kami. I have imposed upon you, Great Lord Kyubi-Sama, as by her directive, this one shall inhabit the young Uzumaki heir to aid his growth and life path.”
As he spoke, for it was a he with a male voice, the System’s blank scroll face covering formed the vertical letters of
S
Y
S
T
E
M
It remained bowed, even as Kurama sputtered. At first, Kurama’s tails whipped around in his pleasure at being recognized as a powerful being and respected. Before they stilled and tips sharpened from anger.
“So, you seek to help the pathetic whelp whom I was imprisoned within? Hmmph, even though you know my titles and speak with respect, you still stand in the way of my freedom, protecting my jailor! Tell your Kami mother her precious heir will die like all my hosts and I will be free of this troublesome line!”
“Respectfully, Lord Kyubi-Sama, her Grace may not rescind her order, for upon my creation she has bestowed upon me all her great power that I might protect the Heir. Perhaps a demonstration of this power shall change your mind Lord Kyubi.”
Before Kurama could more than growl, the System had raised one of its hands to its chest, the sleeve falling back to reveal a simple hand sign.
Immediately, the tailed beast noticed he was being lifted! Then it registered why, now below the perpetually soaked dirty orange fur of the Kyubi was… a cushion?
A large flat plump pillow of red silk was now separating the bijuu from the filthy water representation of all the negative emotions surrounding his fleshy cage.
Kurama kneaded his clawed paws into the cushion as he thought, ‘He really does have a Kami’s powers, to be able to tinker with the inside of the reaper seal. If only he wasn’t concerned with the brat, I might be able to persuade him to free me.’
Laying on his new, and admittedly comfy bed, Kurama kept one eye on the System, only to see its back as it walked away.
“It is this one’s hope that such a gift shall ease the way to peace and cooperation, though this one is under no illusion that the mighty Lord Nine Tails would be so cheap to bribe.”
System made his way to the far wall of the great chamber containing the bijuu's seal, noting the various sized pipes pumping water that made up the wall.
Then, he raised another hand sign to his chest.
With a flex of power, Kurama was able to witness the pipes making up the wall creak and bend into a room sized alcove in the wall, where the System began to work in making its home in the Jinchuriki’s inner world.
‘Such power, all to help the pathetic whelp, what a waste. It could be used to do so much, even-‘
Kurama’s eye widened in realization
“You Know.”
The System paused in its work, before turning to face the great fox, “Know what, Lord Kyubi-Sama?”
“You Knew my titles, you know my Father, you know my name. Why do you not call me such.”
System tilted its head in a human like fashion…and bowed again.
“Lord Kyubi-Sama, this one would not be so presumptuous as to callously speak the name of such a being worthy of respect, without your direct permission.”
And that was that.
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The Next Morning
Naruto groaned as he floated to wakefulness, not even opening his eyes; he rolled off his makeshift bed of garbage filled bags onto the dirty alley floor before opening his eyes.
Greetings Naruto-Oji, and Good Morning
You have slept for eight hours on a Poor Quality Bed, Your Health and Chakra have Fully Recovered and you managed to resist suffering from Bed Soreness* due to your Youthful Vigor*
Naruto’s jaw had opened in awe as he read the small square floating in front of him. He was reading! No one had taught him yet somehow he was able to understand the symbols in front of his eyes and somehow turn them into words
Congrats! You have found the understanding feature of the System.
“Sys-teme? Is that what you are?” Naruto stood up, brushing dirt off of his dirty clothes.
Yes Oji-sama. The System has been given to you, Naruto, by the grace of Kami. The system will do everything it can to help you grow into best and greatest you can be!
“Oji? Like Jiji? Why did you call me that? I’m just Naruto.” The blond sat with his back to the alley wall, one of the big trash cans blocking him from sight.
Oh Naruto-Oji~ You are so much more than that. I’m sorry to say that I cannot give you every answer, but I will give you all I can. For my purpose is all to be of help to you.
Naruto’s eyes started to water as the words meaning flowed into him, his cheeks hurt as he smiled wide at the phantom feeling of a hand petting his head “Thank you. Thank you!”