A Shine of Gold on the Crimson Tide [Naruto/Exalted]

[Grounders10]

When a solar exaltation breaks free from its imprisonment the shinobi world, and Naruto, will be changed forever.

 

[Grounders10]

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A Naruto/Exalted Crossover

A Shine of Gold in the Crimson Tide

By: Grounders10

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1. Red and Gold

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Kurama watched the glowing golden shard that was just barely visible beneath his fur. It stuck from his hide like some kind of blindingly bright tick. The urge to scratch at it was almost unbearable, but he knew it wouldn't help to do so; just like it failed to help with the dozens of other, much smaller, gold and silver shards that were concealed beneath his fur. He hissed as the Shard quivered and inched a little bit more out of his body.

He had thought the old man had been crazier than normal when he had spoken of this day. Like most things, it seemed he had been correct. The ancient curse upon the world was leaving him, escaping through his very skin in an agony that had been building for over a century. The golden shards burned as they wriggled, but nothing hurt like the glowing semi-circle that was twisting and jerking in the base of his neck.

It jerked again, the flesh around it writhing in agony that he echoed. The great red fox's screams reverberated through the dreary enclosure of its seal. The iron bars of his cell rattled with each scream and shook with every strike of his nine tails against the walls, ceiling, and floor. And all the while voices continued to echo down the long narrow hallway leading out into the soul of his jailer and the world beyond.

"HURRY UP AND DIE!" Metal whirled as a man screamed his battle cry. Feet hammered damp earth and the wet thunk of flesh slapping against flesh echoed down the hallway. The voice from before coughed. "You shouldn't have done that!" he snarled.

"Don't touch Iruka-sensei! OR I'LL KILL YOU!" As the voice of his Jailer blasted down the halls of his soul and reverberated in the chamber Kurama all but blacked out from the pain as the shard in his neck writhed and fought against him. His flesh ripped and tore, rivers of blood running from the wound and matting his fur.

He did blackout when the shard came free, a spray of blood following its path. A wordless howl of pain echoed off the walls as his power surged violently, smashing against the walls and bars as he writhed. Despite his state of agony, he caught the glimmer of light as the shard zipped swiftly towards the bars and he acted. Teeth closed about the shard. He would not fail his task.

For an instant, he thought he had succeeded. He could feel it writhing inside his mouth, cutting his tongue and cheeks. Yet it was stuck. Then golden light flared and blazed out from between his teeth before the shard smashed a path out through one of his canine teeth, the shards of chakra infused enamel splashed into the perpetual layer of water on the floor as he howled in pain once more.

The golden shard punched a hole through the iron bars of the seal just in time to avoid his second lunge. His snout got caught on the bars as his paws attempted to reach through the gaps for the golden shard that had stopped just out of reach in the chamber beyond. It spun there idly, floating in the center of the chamber with deceptively serene grace.

Kurama beat the bars with his tails as he bit and clawed at the seal like he hadn't since his first day in these squalid conditions. He couldn't fail. One duty. One. That was the burden the old man had given him. He couldn't fail it here.

And yet, despite the hole in the bars, the seal was as tight as ever. He lashed out with his chakra, reaching for the shard through the hole it had created. A pulse of golden light slapped aside his efforts contemptuously, blasting him back across the seal into the furthest wall. Small tidal waves of water slapped against the walls as he pulled himself to his feet again. He limped back over to the bars, ignoring the blood trickling down his neck as he stared at the shard in horror.

Golden power poured off the artifact in giant strands of woven light that threaded themselves into the ceiling and floor and walls. From each point of contact bleak stone turned to marble. Iron to gold. Water to dry floors with lavish carpets and marble tiles. It was infecting and twisting, warping his jailer with its power and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

The bars of his cell rang as he struck them again in frustration. "I failed," he growled, snarling at the shard. As if in response, as though to add insult to injury, a new thread of light spun off the artifact and struck the bar of the seal furthest from the hole it had made. Light rippled up and down the length of the bar turning it the same golden shade as the shard itself before light spread to the next bar in line. As the next bar turned gold a fine mesh of gold formed between them.

He stared, horrified, as the artifact reinforced his cage. "No!" He threw himself against the gate again, and again, and again. It was futile, of course, he had tested himself against it so many times now that the futility had been pounded into bruises across his body that had only added to his constant pain. It was trying to cut him off, put him away more thoroughly than even the power of the Shinigami itself could manage. It was trying to prevent him from communicating the evil of this shard to his host. Of trying to mitigate its evil.

He gave up on mauling the bars as yet more of them turned to gold. The shard would grant power, immense world-shattering potential to its host, and it would appear to do so without asking a cost of its wielder. There was always a cost to power though, and this thing demanded one of the soul. It would poison his soul and mind, just as the stories of the old man said. He couldn't let that happen. The boy had to be warned. That stupid human child was the only one who could possibly restrain himself now.

The gold swept over more bars, drawing ever closer to the gap in the gate. The gap that was his best chance to leave a warning, but how? It couldn't be words, the boy would never trust them. It had to be something permanent, lest he forget. Something he saw every day perhaps?

A thought occurred to the great beast and Kurama grinned widely. His previous jailer would have probably appreciated his idea, at least if his intended target was someone other than her son. His chakra rushed the gap in the gate even as the golden wave overran the seal covered lock. Bubbling red chakra rushed past the floating shard and washed down the hallways of the soul, overtaking the golden wave that surged across every surface enforcing change with every inch.

He had little time and so poured as much effort into this last act as he could. Enough chakra to reshape a continent was poured into the effort and once the golden light swept over the gap in the gate, cutting him off he could only grin as he fell to his side, breathing weakly from the effort. He laughed. His mark had been left. There was always a price to be paid for unwanted power and the boy would know it every time he looked into the mirror.

His laughter echoed through the halls of the soul for a long time afterwards.

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Bright light stabbed at Naruto's eyes as he returned to consciousness. The familiar 'beep-beep-beep' of hospital equipment let him know where he was. He groaned. "Stupid hospital," he grumbled. His voice sounded off, higher-pitched like it had cracked again.

"Awake at last, Naruto?" the familiar wizened voice of the Hokage cut into his thoughts. He sat up and turned to the voice. Sarutobi Hiruzen was the Sandaime Hokage, the leader of their village, and despite a lack of blood relations, their relationship was more like grandson and grandfather than leader and subordinate. And now he was sitting by the large window of the hospital room at a folding table, his triangular white and red hat sitting in a chair at his side as the wrinkled old man sorted a small stack of paperwork. He was smiling.

"Hey Jiji," Naruto waved. There it was again, his voice was higher pitched than normal, he was sure of it. He rubbed his throat. Something felt off.

"You've been asleep for the last six hours," old man Sarutobi said as he tapped the stack of papers against the desk to line them up and set them aside.

He grimaced. That explained why his mouth was like chalk. "Can I get some water?" he asked, listening to his voice. Yeah, it was too high pitched and not like it had been cracking either. His throat was still a bit on the dry side.

The Hokage made a small gesture with his left hand that Naruto barely caught. He was probably signalling one of the ANBU that were always following the old man around. "Of course. I'm sure a nurse will be by shortly," he said, standing up with a small groan. "How are you feeling Naruto?" he asked.

"... fine, I guess?" Naruto responded after a moment. Beyond his voice and throat, he actually felt great. The bruises and chakra exhaustion from practicing the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu for hours on end had disappeared, though that wasn't so unusual for him. Training exhaustion tended to disappear after a couple of hours at most. No, what was different was a… He was having issues finding the words. Like things were finally right? That wasn't quite it but… Things were right. Somehow he felt oddly certain of that.

"Hrm, I see," The old man ran his hand through his beard. He walked around the small table and over to Naruto's side. "There is quite a bit you would like to ask me about last night, I imagine."

He shrugged. "The fox isn't that big a deal," he replied with a cheesy grin. One hand drifted over to rest on his stomach on the spot where it always got warm whenever he channelled chakra. His grin slipped a little. The last thing he could remember was Iruka-sensei giving him his hitai-ate, and then… Pain, red light, and everything suddenly turned gold before he blacked out.

"What happened last night?" he asked.

"Before we get into that, have you noticed anything odd about yourself Naruto?" the Hokage asked.

"Um…" Naruto reached for his throat again. As he did his arm brushed across his chest. A bit of it felt like it went 'squish'. He blinked and looked down. There were lumps on his chest. Two of them to be precise. "You mean like this?" he asked, pressing against his chest. It felt weird.

"Yes, like that," Sarutobi sighed, before reaching over to the bedside table and lifting a simple wood-backed hand mirror from it that Naruto hadn't noticed yet. "Take a look in this Naruto-chan."

With a wary glance at the resigned amusement radiating from the old man, and wondering why he had used the 'chan' suffix, he took the hand mirror and looked in it. The first thing that jumped out was the hair. Red hair, a brilliant crimson that easily caught the light despite its short length. It was hanging a bit limply on the head of the person in the mirror. The cute girl in the mirror, who had his whisker markings on her cheeks. He turned his head and watched out of the corner of his eye as the girl mimicked him. He stared.

"Wha-" he swallowed his words as the higher-pitch of his voice met the image in the mirror. He raised a hand to his throat again. The girl mirrored him. Feeling weirded out and almost disembodied he looked down his shirt, then let go of it like he'd been burned. His free hand twitched and the girl in the mirror-

She looked panicked. She was panicked. She was- Naruto was very familiar with the female form from all the time spent perfecting the sexy jutsu. "Why am I a girl?!" the abruptly female Uzumaki demanded in a high-pitched almost strangled voice.

He- she- oh god… The hand mirror fell from her hand as both hands grabbed her collar again and pulled out her shirt so she could look down. She looked up at the Hokage. "How?!"

Hiruzen smiled in the reassuring way he had often done after a particularly rough week for him. "We… I do not have any simple answers for you Naruto-chan. Only supposition," he said.

"Supp… what?" she frowned at the word. Shaking hands let go of her collar and one fell to her lap. A discreet press confirmed her worries. She was a girl. She shivered.

"Only ideas Naruto-chan. Please, look at me." Her head jerked up to the Hokage from where it had fallen to stare at the mirror in her lap. "Iruka-san said you know of the Kyuubi."

"Did-" she scowled as a thought occurred to her, "Did that stupid fox do this? I'll kill it!" Her hands twitched angrily. The Hokage placed a hand on her shoulder and sighed.

"I'm afraid it doesn't appear that way, Naruto," he said, "But it does seem to be related to the seal. According to Iruka, the Kyuubi's chakra surged once you put on the forehead protector. Almost immediately your body began to change and the Kyuubi's chakra was replaced by a golden light. Upon inspecting the seal, I can say that it has changed, significantly."

"Changed?" This wasn't answering her questions. She shook her head. "What does that mean?"

"To cut a long, complicated explanation short, Naruto-chan. It would appear that the Yondaime Hokage disguised the seal containing the Kyuubi with a masterful fake, and in the process concealed your true gender," There was something about the gentle, apologetic delivery that made his words worse to hear. She stared at the old man, gaping like an idiot.

"I- What?" She strangled out through her shock. Girl? Him? Her? Uuh… The idea seemed absurd.

Sarutobi patted her on the shoulder. "I've examined the seal several times, and while the Yondaime's skill was beyond me, I believe that his fake was intended to protect you until you became a shinobi. By putting on the Konoha leaf you proved capable of taking care of yourself. Thus, the seal broke… The Yondaime wanted you to be seen as a hero for holding back the Kyuubi, but it seems that he wasn't willing to take chances. A young boy is safer from certain… people, than a young girl."

Naruto knew enough about the world to understand what he was implying. She shivered at that thought. "I- I'm a girl? Me?" She looked down and patted her chest. It wasn't the chest of a boy… She frowned. Oh Sakura wasn't going to like this. She didn't like girls so her chances with the Pinkette had probably just dried up more than the desert of Suna. Great, so much for romance. She pouted.

"This sucks." She ignored the gentle pat on the shoulder and the old man's chuckle.

"How do you feel?" he asked after she had sat sulking for a few minutes.

"... Weird," she replied.

"Just weird?" he prodded.

"Just weird." There was more to it, but weird summed it up. She felt… conflicted about being a girl, but at the same time,she felt better than she ever had before. Lighter, almost airy in a way. Something had been lifted off her shoulders that she hadn't even realized was there before. Was that this seal that the old man was talking about? Had being a guy actually been weighing her down? She wrinkled her nose at that thought. She didn't want to believe it, but…

"That is better than my concerns at least, Naruto-chan," Sarutobi said with a smile as he straightened up. He ran a hand through his beard again. "Hrm… I think, in light of some of the revelations today that perhaps it is time I told you about your family."

Naruto blinked and looked up in shock. "Family…? You've always said that it wasn't time…" She frowned, "Why now?!" She practically shouted the demand, though the old man seemed unfazed.

"I was planning on waiting another couple of years, or if you made Chunin perhaps. My plans were never exact on the when. Either would have worked, but it seems that the Yondaime has more faith in you than I have had, and for that I am sorry child," he bowed to her, bringing her up short, an angry rant on her lips.

"I- it's fine Jiji…" she scowled at him, "So long as you tell me." She had begged him many times to explain about her family. She'd been refused so many times that she'd eventually given up over a year before and tried to focus on the academy. Not that that had really worked out, but she'd tried!

"The hospital is not the place for it. Once you are let out I'll have one of my ANBU bring you up to my office and we can talk in private," Sarutobi said, "I hope that is soon enough for you?" She nodded. She'd waited years, a few hours would be fine… assuming she got out today.
A sudden pressure in her bladder made her squirm. "Where's the bathroom?" she asked, tossing aside the covers. She hopped out of bed.

"Over there, but you shouldn't-" the old man began as she hopped out of bed. She took two steps and then promptly tripped. Wires popped out of the EKG machine, tugged along by her fall. Alarms blared as the door chose that moment to pop open.

A brunette Chunin in the distinctive flak jacket of Konoha strode into the room. Ruby triangle tattoos marked her cheeks and she had a distinctly feral feel about her despite the neat ponytail hanging down her back. A trio of dogs peered around the corners of the door. Naruto restrained a groan. It was Hana, Kiba's older sister.

She stared down at Naruto for a second before sighing and walking past her to the EKG machine. She flicked a few switches and it ceased screaming its alarm.

"Ah, perfect timing Inuzuka-san," Sarutobi said as he walked around the bed.

"Hokage-sama," the young woman bowed.

Naruto pushed herself up from the floor. "Ow," she groaned, rubbing her forehead. The floor hurt when you accidentally headbutted it.

"Naruto-chan," she looked up as the old man addressed her, "This is Inuzuka Hana-san. She will be in charge of explaining a few things you need to know."

"Eh?" Naruto stared at him uncomprehendingly until Hana reached down and picked her up. "Wha- Let me down!" She squirmed in the older woman's hand.

"Oh stop it. I swear you're worse than Kiba," Hana grumbled as she dumped Naruto on the bed.

"Naruto," Sarutobi sighed as she crossed her arms and glared at the older woman. She hated it when people manhandled her. Just because they were taller didn't give them the right to pick her up like a handbag. "Due to your upbringing, and through no fault of your own I should add, there are certain realities of being a Kunoichi and a girl in general that you are uneducated in. Hana will be responsible for teaching you over the next couple of days."

"Starting now I assume Hokage-sama?" Hana asked politely.

He chuckled. "I had intended you to begin immediately. Once you're done with your checkup and the basics, one of my ANBU will escort her to my office," he said, pausing to retrieve his hat and paperwork.

"But- Jiji!" Naruto protested as she realized what he was saying. She had the talk once, twice actually, she didn't want it a third time. But her protests fell on deaf ears as the old man waved over his shoulder and walked out of the room.

"Well then, let's begin lesson one. Walking apparently," Hana deadpanned. Naruto huffed, but held her tongue, barely. This was going to be unpleasant, and she still had to go to the washroom!

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Being a Jonin meant many things. It meant the person was an Elite Shinobi who could be trusted with the most dangerous missions. It meant that they were skilled in the many shinobi arts. It meant, in theory, that they were punctual.

Whoever believed that had never met Hatake Kakashi.

He was perennially three hours late to seemingly everything, read adult literature in public, and seemingly spent an unhealthy amount of time doing nothing at all. It would, in fact, be a surprise to many that he was, apparently, capable of being on time when the occasion called for it. Like when the Hokage sent one of his ANBU agents to drag him in by his collar if necessary. With force if needed.

It had only taken a half dozen kunai, six death threats, and one complaint from the elderly woman who lived next door, but Kakashi found himself knocking on the door of the Hokage's office five minutes early.

"Enter." He checked the mask over his lower face and that his forehead protector was properly askew over his left eye, then entered.

"Good Morning Hokage-sama," he said, giving his best smile, difficult as it was to see behind his mask, to his superior. The older man gave him a look over and snorted.

"On time. How many complaints will there be this time?" The Hokage asked from behind his desk.

"..." Kakashi coughed into his fist discreetly.

The Sandaime Hokage gave him a judgemental look over before sighing and shaking his head. "Kakashi-kun… You are lucky I don't have much time today. I'm sure you heard of the chaos last night?"

Kakashi stiffened. "Yes, Hokage-sama. Is Naruto…?"

"... Fine. Though he is officially suffering from the effects of an unknown Jutsu," The old Hokage said, leaning back in his chair.

Kakashi walked up to the desk. "And unofficially, sir?"

The Sandaime looked up at him from his seat. He was frowning. "Unofficially a seal concealing the true gender of Uzumaki Naruto broke at five thirty-seven this morning," he said.

"True gender?" Kakashi stared at the old man, for once truly baffled by what he heard. True Gender? His sensei had a son. Tsunade had confirmed the pregnancy herself.

The Sandaime pulled out his pipe and began stuffing it. "It appears that the seal we have been examining for the last twelve years has been nothing more than a fake," he grumbled. A spark of chakra lit the pipe and the old man breathed it in before letting out an explosive sigh and a cloud of smoke.

"A fake? I looked it over, you looked it over- Jiraiya-Sama looked it over," Kakashi all but shouted as he ran a hand through his silver hair. Naruto, not a boy?

"And it would appear that we were all fooled, Kakashi-kun," the Sandaime replied, "The seal has changed. Whatever disguise was in place over it broke this morning when Naruto was presented a Forehead Protector by Iruka."

"This… Hokage-sama, am I correct to say that this changes things in regard to the recent graduates?" Kakashi asked.

The Hokage tapped his pipe against his armrest. "It does. As per your request, you will be allowed to test a team that includes both Uzumaki Naruto-chan and Uchiha Sasuke-kun. However, this does leave us with a dilemma. You know that traditionally the last place graduate is placed with the first place. This is not an issue with Sasuke and Naruto, however, it is also the tradition that there is one Kunoichi per squad."

"Is there a surplus of kunoichi this year?" He asked.

"... More a lack of shinobi who have been deemed likely to pass the second test," Sarutobi sighed, "This year has been abysmal for shinobi. All of the shinobi deemed likely to pass the second round are Clan-raised. I'm sure we'll see a few complaints of favouritism from the civilian population, but that's normal this time of year." He took another pull from his pipe and sighed out a cloud of smoke that washed over Kakashi. The Jounin wrinkled his nose at the acrid stench.

"Well, tradition also dictates that the top Kunoichi be placed with the dead last and the top graduate," Kakashi said, discreetly rubbing his nose at the smell. "I can handle having two kunoichis in my team."

"Teams with multiple kunoichis have proven to have a higher success rate under female Jounin-sensei," the Sandaime replied.

"Marginally." There had been some debate on the methodology of the study in question as well.

"Hrm…" The old Hokage sighed. Kakashi waited as the old man toyed with his pipe, a habit he had long learned was associated with deep thought. "You make a point Kakashi-kun. In the interest of not making more work for the Chunin, and ensuring the best chance of success for our most promising candidates I will allow the traditional format of Team Seven to stand."

"Thank you, Hokage-Sa-"

"However," He paused as the Sandaime continued, "since you will have two Kunoichi, one of whom is still in need of adjusting to being a Kunoichi, I will be assigning an assistant."

"Who?" He was more than capable of teaching his team his way.

"To be determined," Of course it was, "Secondly, Team Seven must pass."

"Hokage-sama, if they can't pass the test-" Kakashi began to protest.

"Kakashi, this is not negotiable," The old Hokage growled, leaning forward in his chair, "Team Seven must pass. Naruto must pass." He reached into his robes and withdrew a scroll. He unrolled it and laid it out on the table. "This mark appeared on Naruto-chan's forehead glowing gold."

On the scroll was a simple pictograph of a starburst. A simple empty circle surrounded by eight lines coming off it. "I feel like I know this," Kakashi said, leaning over the scroll. He had seen this before… But where?

"You saw it in Minato-kun's research," his superior replied tiredly, "I've spent the last few hours going over what I could find. This mark is important and has been important throughout history. And now, here, after Naruto's seal broke we see it again? Kakashi, Minato knew something. I am sure of it. Naruto must pass."

The Jounin stood back from the desk as the Sandaime rolled up the scroll. "... It is as you say, Hokage-sama," he said finally, "Naruto-kun will pass, but I will not go easy on them."

"Make it a learning experience," Hiruzen chuckled.

"Oh, it will be that." And a personal slice of hell if he had anything to say about it. He might not be allowed to fail them, but they wouldn't pass without some pain on their end. Okay, a lot of pain. Never let it be said that he wasn't petty. Besides, they were going to be Genin. They could handle it.

A soft knock on the door interrupted his plans.

"Yes?" the Hokage called.

"Naruto-san to see you, sir," called the Hokage's secretary.

"Already?" The Sandaime muttered before calling, "Send her in. Kakashi-kun, meet your new student."

He had seen Naruto more than a few times over the years. In a way, it was hard not to have seen him at least a time or two. The pranks he had pulled on the village were the stuff of legends and a few nightmares. Like when he had somehow managed to paint the Hokage monument in broad daylight without anyone noticing until he was almost finished. Then there were the times when he would stop and peer in on the boy at the academy or wherever their paths happened to cross, which wasn't too often. Though the year before this one had been… amusing. How no one had noticed what was happening was beyond him.

Naruto was a short blonde boy wearing far too much orange, blue, and white. A boy who kept shouting that he was going to be Hokage to anyone who would listen, willingly or not.

Naruto was not a tiny red-haired girl wearing an older style thigh-length sleeveless yellow yukata with a fishnet undershirt and shorts. Or she hadn't been anyway. The girl who was being escorted into the room by an ANBU agent, who promptly ducked back out and shut the door once she was inside, was looking at the Hokage with a frown that conveyed her irritation with the old man.

"I'll get you back for that Jiji," she grumbled loudly enough for Kakashi to pick up. Even her voice was cute.

The Sandaime chuckled. "It is all for your own good Naruto," he said, waving his pipe at her.

Naruto scowled and huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You left me to have the talk again." Kakashi snorted, drawing the attention of the annoyed Genin. "Who's the scarecrow?" she demanded.

Scarecrow? That almost hurt. Ah well, she'd learn during training.

"This is Hatake Kakashi-san. A Jounin. We just finished our talks," Hiruzen said, "You're quite early." So the Hokage didn't want to fully introduce him yet. Fair enough. He'd have an opportunity next week.

"Yeah, I've heard most of it before so it wasn't that hard to pick up," Naruto grumbled, "But why did you have her stuff me in this old thing?" She plucked at the hem of her yukata.

"Well, you have lost six inches," Hiruzen said. Kakashi blinked. He thought she was shorter than before.

Naruto looked stunned and looked down at herself. Had she not noticed? "Now I'm shorter than everyone!" She wailed, stomping over to the seat in front of the Hokage's desk.

"Not everyone," the Sandaime chuckled, "And those clothes belonged to your Oka-sama. Since yours would no longer fit, I thought perhaps you would appreciate something of your mother's."

That made the redhead jerk her hand away from where it was tugging at a seam on the yukata. She carefully tugged at the material. "This was Ka-san's?" she repeated.

"It was," the Sandaime glanced over to Kakashi, "You can head out Jounin Hatake. We'll speak later on your partner for your project."

"As you wish, Hokage-sama," He said, bowing to the old man before leaving the room. He spared a glance back at Naruto who was examining her outfit with intense scrutiny. If her hair had been a foot or two longer she would have been a miniature clone of Kushina. Hopefully, she wasn't as boisterous… Oh who was he kidding, he knew exactly what kind of prankster she was.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

The yellow yukata was Ka-san's. This outfit belonged to her mother. Something inside Naruto burbled happily at that thought. This was something that belonged to her family. She had, or had at least, a family. And this was proof.

She hugged herself and looked up at the Hokage. "This was my Ka-san's… Who was she?" She winced at the plaintive crack in her voice.

The Hokage leaned back in his chair and took a deep pull from his pipe. The cloud of smoke floated through the mostly empty office, streaks of light cutting through it from the blind-drawn windows. "Uzumaki Kushina was a beautiful woman with a wonderful heart," he said eventually. "She was the last of the Uzumaki's and so desperately wanted to have children. I'm sure if she had survived you would have had many siblings."

"The last… So I don't have any family left?" she asked. She had wondered. On one hand, it hurt that there was no one else, but at least they hadn't abandoned her. That would have hurt a lot more.

"None. The Uzumaki clan was wiped out in an attack by Iwa, Kumo, Kiri, and their associated allies at the start of the third war." Naruto's eyes grew wide as she heard the names of three of the five great villages.

"T-That's half the continent," she said, stunned.

"More than half," Sarutobi replied grimly. He chewed the end of his pipe for a moment. "The bulk of nearly seventy percent of the shinobi forces on the continent descended upon Uzu no Kuni. It was an island nation between Hi no Kuni and Kiri no Kuni, though it was closer to Hi no Kuni. Uzu was ruled by the Uzumaki's who were a close ally of Konoha, Naruto."

She bit her lip. Why did so many shinobi villages band together to attack one small nation? What could have made them do such a thing? She asked the Hokage.

"They were afraid. Terrified, truthfully," Sarutobi admitted, "The Uzumaki Clan, were the foremost experts in Fuinjutsu in Creation. Fuinjutsu was, and is, poorly understood by most. While the feats your family achieved with Fuinjutsu were unheard of by anyone else, it was the potential of what they might have managed to accomplish in the future that spurred the attack."

Fear. She shivered. More than half the continent had feared her family enough to dogpile them.

"It was a mistake they still haven't recovered from." She jerked up from staring at her feet.

"What?"

The old man chuckled grimly then sighed. "Despite their fear they managed to underestimate the Uzumaki Clan. Their assault on Uzushiogakure was a slaughter on both sides. None of their shinobi from minor villages returned home. And from the Major villages, unrecoverable losses approached ninety percent overall with the Iwa contingent entirely erased excluding the Tsuchikage and his personal bodyguards. Virtually overnight Konoha shot from the fourth place village to the first place, a position we've retained since. The three most powerful villages broke themselves in the first three months of what would become the largest war that has been fought in the last seven hundred years."

"All because they were afraid," she scowled and clenched her fists. "Well, they failed. They didn't get Ka-san." And they weren't going to get her if they wanted to come back and finish the job.

The Sandaime smiled. "They've had plenty of time to regret their actions Naruto, in fact only a handful of people involved in that attack are even still alive. Any known survivors were singled out by our forces during the war. These days only a few remain. Those wise enough to keep silent." He tapped out his pipe into the ashtray on his desk. "But your mother was much more than that tragedy. It happened when she was a girl. She had been brought to Konoha to perform a task that would take her entire life… Your task in fact."

Her- "She had the Kyuubi!" Naruto exclaimed as the pieces fell together in her head. "WHY?!"

"Correct, Naruto," the old man sighed. "The Kyuubi was first sealed at the battle of the Valley of the End a hundred years ago when the first Hokage duelled Uchiha Madara. Hashirama's wife, Uzumaki Mito, had sealed the beast into herself. Only an Uzumaki possesses a potent enough Chakra system to seal away the nine tails. As she was getting old she arranged for your mother to come and take her place. Your mother maintained the prison until the day of your birth. Childbirth weakens the seal you see… We had precautions in place. My own wife was to be her nursemaid and the Yondaime Hokage himself was on hand to keep the seal intact…"

The old man shook his head. "To this day we do not know what happened. Something went wrong, clearly, but the day of your birth was the day your Oka-san died. I'm sorry," he said.

She nodded, tears forming in her eyes. "S'kay," she mumbled before grinning through the tears. "She sounds like she was amazing."

"Oh she was. Every bit the equal of the Yondaime Hokage in battle and one of the most beautiful women in the village, inside and out," he shook his head, a fond smile growing as he restocked his pipe. "I wish you could have gotten to know her."

They sat there quietly for a few minutes.

"What… what about my Tou-san, old man?" She asked, wiping the tears away.

He grimaced and for a moment her heart sank. What kind of person had he been to get that reaction? Then he started talking and she found herself getting angry again.

"I want to tell you about your Otou-san, Naruto. I really do, but while the Uzumaki had many enemies they've mostly abandoned their vendettas against your family after the destruction of Uzu. Those who still live at least," he said, "Your father's enemies are far more numerous and have far more… personal reasons to hunt you down."

"But you said you'd tell me, finally!" She shouted, popping to her feet, hands clenching and unclenching angrily at her sides.

"... I did," he nodded after taking a drag from his pipe. He blew a thin ring of smoke that slowly drifted across the room. "But his enemies will try and kill you if they suspect a relationship. You are fortunate that your mother and he kept quiet about their relationship. If they had been more public then there would have been no way to conceal your existence for so long from them."

"And that means not letting me know?" She felt like she was going to cry again. She hated crying over things like this, but for some reason, it seemed to be harder to control than normal.

"..." The Hokage pulled the brim of his hat down as she growled at him. It was his way of trying to tune things out. And it always made her so mad.

She brought a fist down on the old man's desk, knocking a chip off the corner. "YOU PROMISED!"

He sighed. "I'm sorry Naruto-chan. I want to tell you. I have always wanted to tell you. For now, will you accept one last promise from an old man?" he asked gently, his voice sounding suddenly weary and old.

She hesitated. Jiji never sounded… old. He always sounded so confident and strong. "I- what is it?" she asked, letting her hand drop.

"I am trusting the Yondaime's judgement on your Uzumaki heritage," he said, "But your father's enemies still search for any method of revenge. Prove to me that you can rise to the challenge and I will tell you everything about him. Become a chunin or prove your skills some other way and I will tell you everything about your father and his family. Everything. You have my word. On Konoha's Will of Fire, and the position of Hokage I swear it."

She stared at him, then frowned, not realizing she had started to pout. Why did the old man have to be so damned reasonable? "On the position of Hokage. Fine Jiji. I'll make chunin then you're going to tell me everything you hear!" she shouted, pointing at him.

He smiled. "I looked forward to the day, Naruto-chan…" He looked up at the clock and nodded. "There are a few more things we need to talk about." He reached into his robes and pulled out a trio of scrolls and set them down on the desk. Naruto leaned forward in her seat as he unrolled the first scroll.

"Up until now, you have been housed in an apartment away from your Clan's holdings in an effort to further the deception. I see no point in continuing unless you have a particular attachment to your apartment?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nope," she said, popping the word. If anything she'd love to leave it. The place was good, don't get her wrong, but the issue was the neighbours. Tako-ojisan in the apartment next door always shouted at her whenever something went wrong. Mind you, he shouted at everyone. Which was also an issue. Then there was the guy beneath her. He never stopped smoking and whenever he was home she had to close her windows to keep it out because it always seemed to make its way into her apartment otherwise. A home of her own would be a blessing.

And if it had belonged to her family? All the better.

"Excellent," the Hokage smiled, "This is the key to your Family's Estate."

"Estate?" She'd been expecting a house at most.

"Yes." The old man pushed the scroll towards her, "The key. You were paying attention to the lectures on sealing scrolls I assume?"

Naruto sighed as she accepted the scroll. "I know how this works," she grumbled. It was the only part of the school that had actually been interesting, even if it had become too simple for her by the second go-round. She'd run out of books on the subject by the start of her third attempt. The academy only had intermediate level books in the school library. It was the only time she had actually used the library and having it run out had been… really annoying.

She rolled the scroll back up after confirming the seal on the scroll and then tried to figure out where to put it. Her outfit didn't have pockets or pouches. Her mother's or not, she really needed to fix that.

"Here. This was also your Oka-san's," Sarutobi reached behind his desk and passed over a brown messenger bag with the white swirl of her clan on its side. She traced the sign with a finger before nodding once and storing the scroll inside the pouch.

"Thanks, Jiji," she grinned.

"You're welcome, Naruto," he replied, "Now, two more items. This scroll has information on your family's accounts. I've taken the liberty of supplementing your monthly stipend from the village with an equal amount drawn from the account set aside for you. All transactions are recorded in there. I assume you remember my lessons in finance?"

"I remember," she sighed. That had been a painful four weeks. The old man had strictly limited her funds after she had been a bit too spendthrift one month a few years before. She'd had to rapidly learn how to spend better or starve. Nearly anyway. And it had had the nice effect of introducing her to Ichiraku's Ramen.

"Good. And lastly, this was entrusted to me by your mother, the night before she gave birth. It was a scroll that we all hoped I would simply hand back to her afterwards…" He tapped the last scroll against his palm. Twice as thick as the rest with ornate black and gold ends, it was marked with the Uzumaki swirl on orange paper. "I do not know what is in this. She simply said to give it to you when I thought you were ready… Today is that day it seems." He held it out to her and she took it careful-

"Ow," she hissed and dropped the scroll on the table as she stuffed a bleeding thumb into her mouth. The scroll rolled open as the swirl disappeared. "It bit me."

The Hokage leaned over it with a raised eyebrow. "Strange… It's empty," he mused, looking at it.

Naruto blinked. The length of the scroll that was visible was practically saturated in writing so small that the ink made up nearly all of the visible space. "No it's not," she said, carefully picking it up.

"Really? Interesting. Your family was quite capable with Fuinjutsu as I said, so this is not too surprising," Sarutobi mused.

She nodded before reading the first line to herself.

To the Heir(ess) of the Uzumaki Clan. If you are reading this, then the worst has come to pass and there remains no one to pass on our traditions and secrets.

There was a lot more, but… Naruto rolled the scroll up. This wasn't the sort of thing you read in front of others. She would get to it later. "Is there more?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not, Naruto," the Hokage replied. The old man smiled and chuckled at her huff. "I'm sure you will spend quite a bit of time going over what you have." He glanced up at the clock again. "Hrm, you know, since you were so early I believe I have time today to show you to your family's Estate now, rather than tomorrow. Would you like that Naruto-chan?" The knowing smile on the Hokage's face didn't stop her from jumping to her feet and shouting yes. Repeatedly and at high volume.

Once she had stopped bouncing in place the Hokage stood up and motioned for her to follow him. They left the tower and headed out into the streets after the Hokage stopped to ask his secretary to hold his meetings until he came back. "I shouldn't be gone longer than a couple of hours," he said, waving off her concerns.

The streets of Konoha were bustling, but people tended to step aside and let you through when you were walking with the Hokage. It was something Naruto had learned to take for granted whenever she was out and about with Jiji. Of course, whenever they took a walk she tended to either be ignored in favour of the Hokage, or receive the occasional harsh look and imperceptibly muttered comment. The first was normal. She'd seen plenty of others get the same treatment, or near to it, whenever they were around the Hokage. Things were a bit different this time.

From the moment she walked out of the tower with the Hokage eyes started following her and whispers trailed along with them. This was the first time she had gone out since the night before. The trip with the ANBU to the tower via shunshin did not count. She kept close to the Hokage and frowned at the people she caught staring at her.

"Jiji, what's with all the stares?" she asked after she caught another pair of older men staring at her from a cafe window. That seemed to be the pattern as well. Nearly everyone staring at her was older. A few people were her ages, but everyone else had to have been old enough to have lived through the Kyuubi attack and remember it.

The Sandaime sighed. "That is what I was worried about," he said, "Uzumaki's have very distinct hair colour. Anyone old enough to remember your Oka-san is probably wondering who you are." She tugged at her hair and frowned. It was too short to pull into view. Sure it was a striking crimson, but was it that distinctive?

She pondered that as they passed through the shopping district and entered the affluent residential areas near the tower. She couldn't remember the last time she saw someone with red hair. Any red hair, let alone the shade that was now atop her head. If it was, as the old man said, an Uzumaki trait, then no wonder everyone was staring. The rumour mill was probably running out of control behind them right then and there.

"Tell me, Naruto-chan," the Hokage said as they entered the more affluent, yet less developed, Clan lands along the base of the mountain, "Why were you so early? I had expected Chunin Inuzuka to take longer."

Naruto blushed. "Um… Well…" She wilted under the raised eyebrow the Hokage sent their way as they passed the Hyuuga clan's fortified compound.

"Naruto, did you complete your talk with her?" he asked.

"I did! It's just… I didn't really need it," she mumbled, crossing her arms with a huff. That eyebrow went higher as the old Hokage glanced her way.

"And why I wonder, did you not need what Chunin Inuzuka had to teach?" He asked pointedly.

"Because…" Oh this was so embarrassing. She'd done it because she was curious, and bored with her classes at the time. There went the old man's eyebrow again. She sighed. "Because I took the classes in the academy." She didn't imagine the slight stumble in his walk. Well, at least it surprised him. Whoo, sorta a prank then?

After he sorted out his surprise and relit his pipe the Hokage glanced down at her. "I think you realize this raises more questions, Naruto-chan? The how and why in particular."

"I used the Henge Jutsu and I did it because I was bored, and they taught cooking," and sewing, and flower arranging, and other stuff that was probably more useful than going over shinobi history. Again. Though that was probably why her marks had dipped so low during that session.

Sarutobi chuckled. "It would appear that an examination of the standards of our teachers is in order then," he said, shaking his head. "I was planning on asking Inuzuka Hana-san to continue your lessons, but if they aren't needed-"

"I want to continue them," Naruto interrupted. She had questions for Hana. The academy had covered a lot, but at the same time, it wasn't exactly trying to teach a girl how to girl. There were some things you didn't need a lecture on.

"Hmph," he chuckled, "As you wish."

Their walk continued in silence as they followed the road along a riverbank. Naruto recognized the Uchiha Clan Estates off to her left. Was the Uzumaki Estate further out than even the Uchiha? "Is it much further?" she asked.

"We're about to pass onto Uzumaki land now actually," he replied. The road turned, cutting up and over a small embankment and through a copse of trees. "And here we are, the border of the Uzumaki lands," he said, gesturing to a small pillar of stone with intricately carved spirals and trails of minuscule sealing script. "These mark the outer border of the Estate and are, to the best of my knowledge, tied into an early warning system for the Estate."

The Estate grounds were a mix of rolling grassland and small copses of cherry trees. It was beautiful, but there was just one thing she couldn't spot. "Where's the Estate? I don't see anything," she said.

"Oh we're still too far out for that," the old man replied. He pointed to a small hill topped with cherry trees a few hundred meters down the road. "We should have a good view from there."

Naruto stared. This was all her family's land? "And how far is it from there?"

She stumbled against the border marker in shock at the surprise. "Oh… At least another two kilometres."

"Two- That's got to be the largest Estate in Konoha," she practically shouted.

"Close, but both the Nara, and Inuzuka have more land," he replied, walking down the hill. She scrambled to follow. "The Uzumaki were gifted so much land for two reasons. The first is their status as Konoha's closest allies."

"And the second?"

"Fuinjutsu tend to explode during experimentation." Naruto winced at his deadpan tone. She knew quite well that experience. She had nearly burned down her apartment a half-dozen times while trying to work out storage seals. And succeeded in blowing out all of her windows twice while working on exploding seals.

"Yeah… that happens," she grumbled, ignoring the chuckle from the old man.

"I think it would amuse you to know that your Oka-san and Mito-dono have done far more damage than you have so far," he said, "The main building of the estate has been rebuilt six times to my knowledge. All due to Fuinjutsu accidents."

Well, at least she was in good company when it came to blowing herself up.

They crested the hill a few minutes later and came to stop as Naruto got her first look at her family's estates. They were traditionally designed, with wooden structures raised atop an artificial mountain of stone that stood out above the rolling grassland. Behind it rose the forested backside of the Hokage Mountain. The homes and other structures within the estate's walls looked to be in good condition from a distance.

Along the roadway were a few smaller buildings, houses at a guess, that were in much worse condition than the main estate. Dilapidated wooden fencing marked out what must have once been fields. Now they were overgrown with weeds, wildflowers, and tall grass.

"Ah, it looks to be in as good condition as the last time I was here. Excellent," the Hokage said. Placing a hand on her shoulder he pushed her gently down the road. "You have the key?" he asked.

"Yup," she nodded, fishing the scroll out of her mother's bag.

"Good. Have it ready, you'll need it soon."

Naruto gave the small farmsteads a look over as they passed them. It was unusual to see farms in Konoha. The village tended to import its needs from surrounding farming towns and more distant locales. Certainly, she had never heard of one of the clans setting aside land for agriculture before. Other than the Yamanaka, and they grew flowers.

She unrolled the scroll and confirmed the presence of a seal with the kanji for Key as they were walking up the stairs to the entrance. She went to draw a kunai, then winced as she realized she didn't have any on her. Grumbling under her breath she raised her thumb to her mouth and bit it hard enough to draw blood. She hated doing that. The blood tasted horrible and using her teeth always made it take longer to heal for some reason. She smeared the blood across the mark.

With a bamf and a cloud of smoke, an iron six-sided cylinder five inches long with a white painted Uzumaki Spiral as a hook on the end popped out of the scroll. She pocketed the scroll and turned the key over in her hands. That looked like small seals were inscribed along the cylinder. Everything that her family touched seemed to be covered in seals far more complex than any she had learned in the academy.

"Here we go." Naruto looked up as they stopped in front of the large gate of the complex. A complex pattern was set into the center of the gate with bronze around a circle of gold, there was a single six-sided hole in the middle of the gold circle. She reached out with the key and blinked as the Hokage caught her hand gently.

"One more thing before you do that," he said gently before raising a hand in a half seal. "Release." For an instant, the air all around the perimeter of the estate proper shimmered for a hundred feet into the air. Then, with the sound of a divine window breaking, the air shattered. Naruto flinched as small pieces rained down around them, only to blink as they faded from existence inches from the ground.

"I placed a seal on the estate when I made the decision to distance you from the clan," the Hokage explained, "Assuming it has worked as intended, you should find the interior exactly as it was when I left it all those years ago. Go ahead and open the door."

Naruto stepped forward and tried to slide the key into the hole. It got an inch before a force ejected it. "Ow," she said, rubbing her chest where the key had smacked her. "Are you sure this is the right key?" she asked, looking it over again.

"Perhaps you aren't using it right?"

She grumbled and tried again. Five tries later she had learned to stand to the side to avoid having the key chucked back into her chest. "Oh come on!" She scowled, ignoring the chuckling of the Hokage. She gave the key a closer look. It didn't have the teeth of a normal key, just the seals along each side…

Were those its 'teeth'? Which meant there was a right way and a wrong way to put it in. And she'd been doing it wrong. So which way was it supposed to go? She took a closer look at the door. Small marks were engraved into the door by each side of the hole. Seals perhaps? Or just markings to remind the user how the key was supposed to go? It seemed a bit insecure if that was the case, but it was worth a shot.

It took her a good thirty seconds to find the corresponding markings on the key. Once that was done it slid home with a click.

"Ow!" She pulled her hand away from the door, her fingers bleeding where they had been touching the key. Sealing script flowed out from the key and across the door. Something somewhere clunked and the key twisted by itself. A rapid-fire clicking emanated from the door before the key was ejected partway. She carefully pulled it out and stared as the door slid open to reveal a well-maintained stone pathway leading to the front door of a two-story house.

"And here is your home. I would join you to explore it, but I'm afraid business at the Tower can only wait so long," the Hokage sighed, "The single biggest trial of being a Hokage is paperwork Naruto."

"You keep saying that," she grumbled, taking a step inside the estate. Manicured lawns and flower gardens spread out to either side. The path split off to either side and "... So this is mine?"

"That it is."

It seemed like a bit much for one person. But it was her Clan's so… She smiled up at the Hokage, tears creeping into the corners of her eyes. "Thanks for showing me the way, Jiji!" she said, giving him a hug.

He bowed his head, hugging her back with one arm. "I am happy to finally see you here. Oh, on the post to the right is a seal. Apply chakra there to close the door," he said, gesturing to the right, "And if you want to open the door you shouldn't need the key anymore."

"Why not?" It was a key.

"I've been told the wards use the key to identify family members the first time only. You just need to use chakra from now on. Apply it to the center of the door or the seal on the right will open and close it."

"And if I'm leaving?" She leaned out and inspected the outer frame of the gate.

"Here," he pointed to a very faint handprint carved into the wood.

"Ah. Thanks, old man!" She said again grinning at him. He nodded.

"Shall I inform Chunin Inuzuka to come here, or to your apartment tomorrow?" he asked.

"Um…" She glanced back into the house. Was she going to move in right away? It would be nice to get out of the apartment, but there was probably a bunch of stuff she needed to do to get the house ready… She frowned. It was a bit of a jump in maintenance to be sure, but she had her clones. She could get them doing a bunch of the work, assuming it needed it. Oh,why not. It was her family's home and deserved to be used now that she knew it existed.

"I'll be here," she said, looking up at the Hokage, "It's been abandoned too long. I can't just leave it alone."

He chuckled. "I had suspected as much. Make sure to set your alarm then. She'll be here by ten tomorrow morning, enjoy the rest of your day Naruto-chan." With that he promptly disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving her standing alone in the gate of her family's estate.

She walked out to the edge of the stairway and leaned against the stone railing as she looked out over the abandoned farmland. In the distance, she could see the stone markers that denoted the property line. A few anyway. There was a quiet beauty to the area, this far out from the village center. It was just her, the wind, and the swaying grass. Lonely, but…

Her smile grew. This was hers. This place, every leaf, every blade of grass, and every inch, was hers.

She turned away from the sight and looked back through the gate. The doors of the house were shut, but they somehow felt more welcoming than the many like them throughout the village.

She entered the courtyard and tapped the seal the Hokage had pointed out. She jumped as the door closed with a shick of metal gliding passed metal. If she had been blinking she would have missed the scissor-like movement of the closing door. It was probably more than enough to cut a man in half.

"... I'd better not close that on me," she said to the empty air. Otherwise, she was going to be missing at least a limb, possibly more. "Right!" she clapped her hands together and turned to the house with a grin. "Time to explore!"

-0-0-0-0-0-​

A/N: So this is a really old idea. About as old as my fascination with Exalted. Much like some of my other ideas from that era, it got set aside so I could focus on Tangled Fate. I never forgot it however, and I'm interested in seeing what people think of this take. Expect to see updates every two weeks for the next couple of months. After that we should get some With Grace and Elegance, a new chapter of TTP, and possibly some more TF.

I hope you enjoy it and if you want to talk about it with others feel free to click the discord link in my signature. Cheers~

 

[Baran3]

Old idea?

Perhaps, but a genderbend Naruto with a Dawn caste mark...

And still able to use chakra...

Holy shit.

However, what will be amusing is the reaction of the others.

How can you react to that?

Still something fishy about the action of the Kyubi… Very fishy and I don't think Naruto changing gender is it.

Waiting for a new chapter.

 

[deathgeonous]

Watched and Liked on principle. That said, I am really looking forward to more, so good thing it say's your going to focus on this for a bit?

 

[Grounders10]

Perhaps, but a genderbend Naruto with a Dawn caste mark...

And still able to use chakra...

Holy shit.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, combining Chakra and Essence didn't make sense in my head. It isn't like Ki where it's explicitly everywhere and everything. Chakra is there, but it's a mixture of things. So, yeah. Exalted bullshit applied to Shinobi Bullshit.

Watched and Liked on principle. That said, I am really looking forward to more, so good thing it say's your going to focus on this for a bit?

Click to shrink...

I've finished the next 3 chapters already. Just need to finish the fifth chapter then I'm moving onto wGaE

 

[Kotar]

Well, I enjoyed this. Always been a fan of the genderbending stories. I think I'm most looking forward to the rest of Naruto's class's reaction when they see her again. Hinata, too, since she's got a pretty strong crush on Naruto.

I'm also hoping that, with her knowledge of her ancestors, Naruto starts studying Seals a lot more intensely than she did in canon. We just don't see that many Seal Master Naruto fics.

 

[Grounders10]

I'm also hoping that, with her knowledge of her ancestors, Naruto starts studying Seals a lot more intensely than she did in canon. We just don't see that many Seal Master Naruto fics.

Click to shrink...

The things is? Naruto did study seals. It's just before the time skip he only knew how to make things explode. He didn't buy his tags in the series, he made them. Same for those used by Sakura and Sasuke.

 

[Kotar]

The things is? Naruto did study seals. It's just before the time skip he only knew how to make things explode. He didn't buy his tags in the series, he made them. Same for those used by Sakura and Sasuke.

Click to shrink...

I wasn't aware of the part where he made not only his own, but Sakura and Sasuke's tags, but I was talking more about the fact that he didn't seem to use Sealing much outside of a couple of incidents. I know that he managed to get out of Iruka's sealing trap during the 4th Shinobi War with his sealing knowledge, but I didn't really see him do much else with it.

I'm just hoping that this Naruto studies sealing a little more intensely so that she can get a little more out of it than the canon Naruto did.

 

[giodan]

Ok i love exalted, and i loved naruto, just a bit tired of "give naruto more power" one of my favorite was were naruto lost most of his powers and i relly liked the quest were tenten was a solar, but i know you as an autor and i liked how you write so i will trust you on this story!

 

[Grounders10]

Ok i love exalted, and i loved naruto, just a bit tired of "give naruto more power" one of my favorite was were naruto lost most of his powers and i relly liked the quest were tenten was a solar, but i know you as an autor and i liked how you write so i will trust you on this story!

Click to shrink...

I'll try not to let you down~

 

[ExaltedNekoKun]

The one issue with being a Solar Exalted is Naru-chan will now be prone to Excel, or at least should be normally. Perhaps the change the fox made might act as a limiter of some kind or slow things down initially (pre-timeskip?). So you'll have a radical about-face from Dead-Last to potentially near-Uchiha levels of advancement. Then again, the Elemental Nations are in Creation, and Naruto is a Solar Exalted which is pretty much a Neon Sign proclaiming to the world "Come at me, bro!" Given the absurd escalation Naruto suffered even pre-time skip, I can't imagine it's going to be any easier now that she's identifiable as an Uzumaki and a Solar for those who know what it means (or think they do).

Also, Elemental Chakra natures make me think that those who can use Chakra might have been descended from the Dragonblooded (and some terrifying possibilities concerning some bloodlines, like Nara shadow manipulation *shudder*).

With how much the Fox was freaking out, either Hagoromo (Sidereal?) bought into the Abomination Propaganda, sought to propagate the idea, or the Great Curse is/was still in effect which would suggest the Neverborn and the Yozi's might still be in play. And one Exaltation coming free could easily be the Harbinger of further Solars or Abyssal/Infernal Exalts showing up.

Either way, watched and looking forward to where this goes, just like many of your other stories!

 

[DinoHank]

A new fic by Grounders? Don't mind if I do! Happy to hear there will be more chapters coming soon as well. The waiting is always the worst part...

 

[Windborne]

Interesting, it's not bad but I'm hoping you update TTP sooner rather than later. The other Fics just don't have the same level of fluff, literally.

 

[Tisaku]

He did blackout when the

Click to shrink...

black out

was the last of the Uzumaki's and so

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Uzumakis

ruled by the Uzumaki's who

Click to shrink...

Uzumakis

Only an Uzumaki possesses a potent enough Chakra system to

Click to shrink...

robust

Uzumaki's have very

Click to shrink...

Uzumakis

She stumbled against the border marker in shock at the surprise. "Oh… At least another two kilometres."

Click to shrink...

-Seems like the quote should be first.-

 

[Shane_357]

*Solar Naruto*
Boooooo! If anyone deserves a Solar Exaltation it's Rock Lee against Gaara or Choji against Jirobo.

 

[Mechanis]

Still something fishy about the action of the Kyubi… Very fishy and I don't think Naruto changing gender is it.

Waiting for a new chapter.

Click to shrink...

Knowing Grounders, the Kyuubi's contribution is probably going to be Fluffy Tail, possibly with a side of Fluffy ears too; and from the sound of things Haguromo knew a Solar afflicted by the Great Curse-

oh

oh bugger.

that Exaltation used to be Kaguya's, did't it.

 

[kairuf]

Was anyone else expecting a Naruto with tails?

*Solar Naruto*
Boooooo! If anyone deserves a Solar Exaltation it's Rock Lee against Gaara or Choji against Jirobo.

Click to shrink...

There is still more to be unleashed.

 

[Baran3]

There is still more to be unleashed.

Click to shrink...

I forgot about that.

Yes, it's possible to have a full Circle soon… Perhaps, even with all their Lunars spouses.

 

[Allemoc1]

Naruto as a solar suddenly his talk no jutsu makes so much more sense he maxed out his persuasion dots lol

 

[wingnut2292]

Thank you Ms. Grounders, while I seen a couple of girl!Naruto stories, this looks to be one of the best. Just as good if not better than Ozzallos's girl!Naruto story.

A couple of questions: One how long is Naruto-chan's hair. Boy short, pixie cut, Beatles shag, etc. I feel that a trip to the barber to.. adjust the cut and style of Naru-chan's hair may be in order. Both boys and girls can have short hair, but girls wear short hair differently than boys.

Two, Is Naruto going to change her name? A name like Aka/Akane (Madder Red) or Kaede (Maple Leaf) would be more appropriate

Three, What are Naruto's Caste and Favored Abilities? I'm having the h_ll of a time trying to figure it out. All I have is Naruto would have War as Caste for Shadow Clones (she is her own battle group) and Larceny as Favored for pranks, Occult for Sealing and Sorcery.

It occurs to me that with the Shadow Clone Technique, War could be used for defense via using the Substitution Technique on clones. That would not preclude, but deprecate Dodge since War, in this case.

While not worth being Favored, dips in Craft (Air/Water) and Linguistics may be warranted, for super-powered calligraphy. (I presume most seals are stunted as Workings).

Idea: The Jasmine Gems of Mishiko + Raksi's Tutelage + Bargain with Mara = The Mystical Tutelage of the Kyubey-no-Kitsune (Tails 1-3). The Ninetales is wise and not-quite all-powerful (in the same fashion that a google is not quite infinity). This is not to say that it is a good teacher. The Fox is contemptuious, remorseless, cruel, with an appetite for destruction, ideally mass destruction. The Fox communicates in no uncertain terms that it is not a disaster, it is the *Apex of Disasters* (bow and show proper respect, human!), and the only reason it is teaching it's host magic is for the scant limited parole from it's cell that the Fox even bothers teaching it's host in the first place. Largely the Fox dosen't even teach, but asks odd riddle-meditations that the Jailer must solve. Other times the Fox takes a hands-on approach to instruction, giving the Jailer yet another set of mental scars in the process.

 

[Grounders10]

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A Naruto/Exalted Crossover

A Shine of Gold in the Crimson Tide

By: Grounders10

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2. Helpful Flowers

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Positioned well behind the Uchiha and Hyuuga estates, the Uzumaki lands were out of the way by the reckoning of most of Konoha. They were, however, immediately adjacent to the Inuzuka Lands. A fact that Hana doubted had escaped the Hokage when he had assigned her this mission.

Teaching wasn't something she thought she would ever do. She was much more at home helping with her family's veterinary practice or out in the wild tracking whichever poor bastard had thought they could outrun the Inuzuka's hounds. Teaching was something that a poor idiot like Iruka got saddled with. And yet, here she was standing outside the gate of the Uzumaki Estate with the job of teaching a former boy how to be a girl. How ironic.

The Uzumaki estate had a reputation among the Inuzuka. Back before the Kyuubi attacked it had been a source of periodic explosions scaring the dogs. And it was the one area they weren't allowed to take the dogs walking due to the constant scent of fox that seemed to linger over the area.

After the Kyuubi, it became an area that was off-limits for entirely different reasons. The Uzumaki were Fuinjutsu masters and without one of them on hand to manage their many boobytraps it was considered far too dangerous, albeit mostly on one's pride, to wander about their lands. And god forbid you stumbled upon one of their more serious tricks.

It was those warnings that kept her from hopping the gate to go looking for her student. Who knew what sort of grisly or embarrassing fate awaited whoever decided to violate the Uzumaki's privacy.

"NARUTO!" she shouted for the fifth time in a minute. She waited a few more seconds, her ears straining to hear something. By her foot the only one of her three canine companions to follow her here whined, looking up at her plaintively. She knelt down and gave him a scratch behind one ear. "I know, I know. You didn't have to come you know," she reminded him as he continued to whine. He snorted, then jabbed a paw towards the frame of the gate. She followed his paw to a small brown button with a tiny bronze bell in the wood above it.

"Good catch," she slipped him a treat before heading over to the button. She jumped as a gong sounded somewhere inside the estate. A few screams of surprise echoed from different places inside. Did Naruto have guests? Well, it couldn't have been Kiba. Her brat of a brother was still asleep when she left. And late for training. He was probably being run into the ground without breakfast by their mother even as she stood here.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" came the somewhat unfamiliarly high-pitched tone of Naruto.

"NARUTO-CHAN! I'M HERE!" Hana shouted. Silence followed her shout, then after a few moments, she heard a door open and a pair of feet walk up to the door. She nearly jumped when the door retracted into the walls of the estate with the shick of sliding metal.

The redhead girl behind it grinned when she recognized her. "Hana-nee! You're late," she said.

"Only because it took me ten minutes to find the bell button," she grumbled as the younger girl snickered.

"Come in. Let me show you around. Well, what I've found. This place is big!" Naruto tugged her through the door and waited for her partner to follow before hitting something on the post that caused the door to close just as fast as it opened. Getting caught in there was likely to be fatal.

"Over here!" Naruto called from the open front door, "This way Hana-nee!"

The entrance hall was nicely decorated in a traditional style and surprisingly dust-free given how long the buildings had to have sat empty. Once her shoes were off she let the chattering younger girl drag her through the first floor of the main house. The hallway had a decorative table with a few pictures off to the side. The kitchen was just off the entrance hall and inside she found half a dozen Naruto's sorting the cupboards and fridge.

"Did you go shopping?" she asked as they passed through on their way to the living room. The kitchen was fairly large with a half dozen ovens along one wall and plenty of other appliances. Though you could tell how long it had been since anyone lived there from the designs of the appliances.

"Nope. Jiji said that he put the estate under a seal, so everything's still as good as it was when…" Naruto frowned and shook her head before continuing on, "When mom and dad died. I've got my shadow clones sorting things out just in case."

Shadow clones. She boggled at the half a dozen redheads sorting. She could only make, maybe, two herself and still have enough chakra to make it worthwhile. And here was her brother's newly graduated friend tossing a half dozen at her pantry like a Daimyo's spare change at a festival.

Similar sights awaited her. Three clones were sorting and reading paperwork in the living room. Three were unboxing clothes to wash in the laundry room. Books and scrolls were being counted in the library behind the living room by a dozen chattering clones, while an annoyed-looking clone stood with a notepad. The shouting that erupted from the room moments after they continued on made her guide sigh and shake her head.

"It's a very nice home, Naruto-chan," she said as they reached the stairs, "But I am here to teach you, not visit." The redhead pouted. "I had figured that you wouldn't need any training on 'being a girl' since you're apparently so good at it already." And wasn't the thought that a boy had managed to sneak into the Kunoichi classes and not get caught worrying. And impressive. Though if the boy had actually been a girl inside all along…

"Weeellll…. I need help shopping," said what would have been the third-place Kunoichi of two years ago with a blush.

"Shopping? You've lived alone for how long and you need help shopping?" Hana deadpanned, crossing her arms as she stared down at Naruto.

"I can shop just fine, Hana-nee," she grumbled, "But that's boy clothes and food and stuff. I don't know where I can find things like this!" The younger girl tugged at her sleeveless yukata.

"Girls clothing," Hana said, nodding her understanding. That made more sense. Clothes stores in Konoha were usually geared towards one gender or the other. And come to think of it Naruto had probably never had to shop for underwear either. "I'm guessing you'd like me to take you shopping and show you what you should try to avoid?" she asked, getting a nod. "Do you have enough money? Clothing for girls tends to be more expensive."

Naruto nodded vigorously. "Yup! Right here!" she pulled out a frog-shaped wallet from the pouch at her waist. It looked filled to the point of bursting with a few bills sticking out.

"Good. Ready to go then?"

"Yup!" Honestly, this was probably the first time the boy had been excited about shopping. As she watched Naruto run ahead and start loudly searching for her shoes, she turned her mind to the job ahead. So Naruto wanted something like what she was wearing. There were a few places she could think of that might stock something similar. Most were civilian stores that sold 'faux-shinobi' fashions, but there were a few shinobi-focused stores that might have something.

"Come on Hana-nee!" Naruto bounced impatiently on her heels by the door.

"Coming."

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Naruto shifted through the rack of clothes. Clothes shopping as a girl was a bit different than doing so as a boy. She'd expected as much from eavesdropping on her classmates. About half of the girls in her class, all three years, had chattered about clothing almost as often as they spent their time mooning over Sasuke.

God what was wrong with them. She shook her head at the thought of mooning over the duck-haired arrogant bastard and paused to examine the red shirt in her hands. If it was up to her she'd have everything in orange, but Hana-nee had insisted that a girl needed more than just one colour. She'd tried to protest, but the older girl had leveraged her position as her tutor in 'how to be a girl'. Eh, at least she could afford it. From the small glance over the paperwork the night before she had plenty for at least one shopping trip.

And what a shopping trip this was becoming. The first shop Hana had taken her to was a specialized boutique for Kunoichi undergarments. Two hours, more money than it was really worth, and several very embarrassing moments later they'd moved onto a civilian store for some day to day wear that wasn't fifty-percent chain mesh by volume.

She'd learned a few things from that embarrassing trip. Bras were annoying. Latches were a pain and getting measured up for the first was an even bigger pain. Girls underwear had a bizarre tendency to put cutesy things in places no one was ever going to see, if she had her way, and it all cost an arm and a leg more than what she'd worn as a boy.

The civilian store had been much less embarrassing, though again she'd learned that Hana-nee hadn't been joking when she'd said that things were more expensive. She'd gone into sticker shock a few times. The second time she'd tried to refuse to buy any of the dresses that her teacher had hoisted on her, and wasn't the sight of her wearing a dress weird? Seriously, her. Dresses. She shivered. It felt just a bit wrong at times, but she'd admit the girl in the mirror looked cute in them. She looked cute in them.

Getting used to being a girl was annoying.

After Hana-nee had picked out several dresses, only two in orange to her despair, the older girl had dragged her off to this place in Konoha's 'Shinobi Center'. It was named for the many Shinobi focused stores that congregated in the area. Weapons stores, clothing stores, even stores with chakra powered gadgets and toys that cost a lot more than she'd ever have considered spending.

Miki's Measurements was a Kunoichi focused clothing store that advertised 'Stylish Clothing for All Environments Including Desert, Glacier, and Combat'. A fact supported by the amount of protective materials used in the underlayers of each outfit. The shirt she'd just rejected was nearly eighty percent ninja mesh by weight, and covered far too little with actual cloth. Seriously, she was a Kunoichi now (and yes, that was a strange feeling) not a model.

Though Ino would have probably liked it.

She held up the next shirt she pulled off the rack and held it up. Again, very Ino-like in style. It seemed to be the popular thing at the moment if the sheer quantity on the racks was anything to go by.

Rolling her eyes at the impracticality of it she was in the process of hanging it back up when she winced as one of her clones back at the Estate popped. "Not that one," she grumbled, setting the shirt back on the rack harder than she needed to. It had been the clone doing the paperwork. She'd planned to have it do the work, then tell her everything there when she got back and now it had gone and popped after getting a papercut from a paper airplane it had made after finishing up. She'd have to make another and send it back to start…. Again…?

Naruto blinked as her eyes stared off into the distance of the store, incidentally fixing themselves on a sign advertising 30% off jeans. She could remember everything the clone had done like she had done it. "I can remember everything," she muttered. This was big. She could remember what a clone did, as though it were her. She could recall everything. Every amount, in every account, that her family had ever owned. As though she had just spent the last twelve hours reading a stack of papers higher than she was tall.

She grinned. This was amazing. She could recall everything a clone did, how she hadn't noticed that before was- well, no it wasn't a mystery. She'd used them to beat up Mizuki for six hours straight and dismissed the rest instantly while practicing. There really hadn't been anything to remember before.

Just thinking about it she could have clones doing all kinds of things for her. Practicing Ninjutsu, going over history books, learning Fuinjutsu from her family's libraries. Anything that didn't require her to be there herself. She giggled and pumped a fist. "Score one for being amazing, dattebayo!" She was one step closer to Jiji's hat!

"Find something interesting Naruto-chan?" She jumped slightly as Hana leaned the rack.

"Eh, not here. One of my clones popped back home and get this: I remember everything!" she said excitedly. To her disappointment, the older girl just blinked.

"You didn't know that?" Hana-nee asked.

"Nope. It wasn't in the scroll," she replied.

"Scroll? You learned Kage Bunshin from a scroll?" Naruto laughed nervously at the angry look Hana-nee had. "Who gives a genin a scroll with that on it?"

"Um… No one? I… Kinda stole the forbidden scroll because Mizuki-teme said it was a different way to graduate…?" she trailed off as the older girl palmed her face.

"So no one told you anything about it?" her Inuzuka teacher asked. She nodded. "Ugh… Yes, the Kage Bunshin can share memories. One of their original purposes was as disposable scouts, but since it's so expensive for most people they're rarely used for that."

"Huh…" Naruto tilted her head at that. Then that probably meant most people weren't able to use it for training either, though even one or two other 'yous' could probably do wonders for a person's multitasking.

"Anyway, I found you something I think you'll like," Hana-nee said, stepping out from behind the rack to hold up an orange short-sleeved yukata that was nearly identical to her mother's old clothes. Naruto snatched it from the older girl instantly and held it against herself. It was right in her size too. "Eager. But that's what you were looking for, right?"

"It's close enough, dattebayo," Naruto replied excitedly. The length was about right too.

"Good. You're in luck you know," her teacher continued, pointing back across the store. "It doesn't seem to be the in style at the moment. There's a rack back there with a bunch of these from your size to mine, and even a couple bigger than that. And it's all discounted severely."

"How severely?" Naruto asked, looking up.

"Seventy percent. I'm guessing they're really not moving. And, I'll even let you buy just them, and these," she held up a few items they had agreed on earlier, "because they're in all sorts of colours. Orange, purple, green, I saw a few in pink even."

"I'll take'em!" she practically shouted, earning a chuckle and a pat on the head from her teacher. She pouted, but quickly broke into a grin as she followed her teacher across the store. She'd make her mother proud!

As they were packing the clothes into a purpose-made scroll Naruto had found in her mother's things the night before, she asked her teacher a question. "Hana-nee, tomorrow's registration and I want to do something for it, but I need a few things. Can you help me?"

"Depends. What do you need?" Hana-nee asked. Naruto recognized the sidelong look. She'd seen the older girl send it her, and Kiba's way a few times when she suspected they were making trouble. Well, she was wrong this time, she wasn't making trouble. So she told her. The older Kunoichi smiled.

"I think I can help," she said, "but do you want something just for tomorrow, or would you like something you can use again? I know a store that does rush orders of very good quality. Assuming you're willing to pay their price." Naruto winced. That sort of service usually commanded a steep cost, but…

"I'm good for it Hana-nee." The words 'I think' were left unsaid. She couldn't really be sure until she heard the price.

"Then we'll head over there after this. Anything else you need while we're in the area?" Hana-nee asked.

"I'm good," she said with a shake of her head. If she hadn't come into her family's estate she would have needed kunai and shuriken, but there was a well-stocked armoury in the estate that she could draw on for now.

"Excellent," her teacher grinned as the last of her clothes disappeared into the scroll with a puff of smoke. "This way Naruto-chan."

This was going to be fun.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Naruto watched her clones stand still. For her this would normally be a bit odd because each of them was, after all, a clone of her and standing still wasn't something she liked to do. Right now, however, things were a bit different since each clone was standing on a branch in a tree in various gravity-defying methods. Like playing go fish while sitting on the bottom side of a branch.

She checked the scroll, then the watch. Nine minutes and fourteen seconds. Her family's scroll indicated that mastery of the tree-climbing technique required the user to be able to stand on the branch without paying close attention or at least ten minutes. This was her clone's third try and they seemed to be handling it well enough. Running out of chakra wasn't a risk, but bored clones tended to do dumb stuff. It seemed the pack of cards had been a good idea, and using chakra to keep the cards from obeying gravity was a nice twist for an added challenge.

The Uzumaki Family scroll was not what she had expected. Family secrets, techniques, and secret techniques it had in spades, but it wasn't so simple as to apply blood, get info. Her family was, as she was rapidly learning, obsessed with Fuinjutsu. Other than a very basic introduction and public family history the rest of the scroll was concealed behind tests. Fuinjutsu tests. She had managed to pass two of them before her knowledge of sealing had reached its end. She was the best sealing expert in her class at the academy and she'd barely managed the second level. It had earned her more information on the family's holdings in Uzu no Kuni and a trio of scrolls on chakra exercises and basic, by Uzumaki standards, Fuinjutsu theory.

'Holdings in Uzu no Kuni' was a deceptive statement. Uzu no Kuni, Uzushiogakure, and the Uzumaki Clan were, at the end of the day, intrinsically one and the same. The Uzumaki had made up the bulk of Uzushiogakure's forces. Their clan leader was the leader of the village, and their clan held the title of Daimyo of Uzu no Kuni. Technically she was the heir of Uzu no Kuni, which made her a Princess (and that was probably the weirdest realization she'd had the entire day. She'd joined up to save princesses, not become one!), even though there wasn't exactly a nation in Uzu anymore. A side effect of tens of thousands of Shinobi engaging in the closest thing to an apocalypse that they could imagine across a small archipelago for three straight months. Konoha still held the official stance of recognizing the existence of Uzu no Kuni and the Uzumaki claim to it. A fact that probably went a ways to explaining some of the animosity between Konoha and Kiri.

The chakra exercises were proving useful and her clones back at the estate were going over the Fuinjutsu theory and history. The first scroll on exercises was literally the same as the list taught to them at the academy. According to the scrolls she should have been trying to learn them when she was three years old because of her family's immense chakra reserves. That at least explained why she couldn't use the normal Bunshin. The fragile construct would disintegrate under the massive wave of chakra she tossed at it like a sandcastle before a tidal wave.

The second scroll was lying in her lap as she watched the clock tick over ten minutes. Filled with more advanced and utilitarian chakra control exercises she was nearly a quarter of the way through the list. Sure the leaf exercise, which Iruka had shown every back in the academy, didn't have the greatest use, but the tree climbing technique? Water walking? Both of those were so useful.

"Okay!" she shouted at her clones, "You!" she pointed to the one on the left, "Disperse first, then one at a time moving away from her. GO!" The clone in question dispersed itself with a punch to the gut that made her wince as the memory entered her mind. By the time the last clone slit its own throat with a wink and a grin she was grumbling about sadistic clones. She rubbed her throat at the phantom sensation and sighed. "Stupid. Clones," she grumbled, rolling up the scroll before standing up.

She took the tree at a run, sprinting up the side. She came to a stop on the side of the tree and looked around. Looking at the world from the side of a tree took some getting used to. She idly tapped the tree with a toe. Tree climbing was simple now, and after only a few hours of work too. If only Bunshin was this simple she'd have graduated years ago.

She walked sedately to the top of the tree and stepped out into the highest branch. It was a flimsy little thing, barely a foot long and with only a few twigs sticking out. It swayed in the breeze that rolled across the mountainside behind her home. And yet, if she placed her weight like so it would hold her weight just fine. One hand gripped the tip-top of the tree to aid her balance as she gazed out over the valley.

The estate was directly ahead of her, and she could just see the silhouettes of her clones practicing in the yard as well as those cleaning up the surrounding land. The Estate's grounds had gone untended for over a decade and a lot of work needed to be done, even accounting for Jiji's seal.

The wind ruffled her hair as she looked towards the village. It was more of a city really, a fact made more evident from a distance. It sprawled across the horizon, the occasional seven-storey building sticking up from the city centre.

She was used to living in the city with easy access to stores and her favourite food. Ramen, she could feel her mouth watering at the thought. She really needed to make a stop at Ichiraku Ramen. It had been days since she had last had her favourite meal and they hadn't seen the new her yet either.

Naruto laughed at the thought of their reaction. Her, a girl. Oh, they were going to be so surprised.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden memories of one of her clones that was practicing throwing kunai in the yard. She frowned. One moment it had been lining up another throw and then a sharp pain in the back of its head was the last thing it remembered. She was in the middle of raising her hands to create more clones to go investigate when the memories of yet another clone came to her. She let her hands drop with a sigh. Stupid. Clones.

One of the clones had gotten so frustrated that she had thrown her brush out a nearby window and pegged the other clone in the head. The one responsible had been punched out of existence by a study partner shortly thereafter.

Shaking off the idiocy of her clones she created two more to go and replace the fallen clones. As they dashed across the treetops she stretched. She had basic tree climbing down, now it was time to do the advanced practice with it. Her hands came together in the crossed seal of the Kage Bunshin and every treetop in a hundred meters exploded into smoke.

The advanced training was simple. Use the tree climbing technique during a fight. Luckily she could just make her own sparring partners now, otherwise, this would have been a lot harder to do. She took a step forward, balancing on the very end of the thin stick that called itself a branch and pointed at one of the clones.

"Let's get this started, dattebayo!" she shouted, getting a loud cheer from her clones in response as the six closest to her threw themselves at her. The first came in too high and she caught it in the stomach with a straight punch. Twisting on the twig without breaking it, she slammed the sole of her sandals into the face of the second clone that had for some reason led with its face.

A trio of kunai from another clone forced her to move, bouncing over a third clone and catching a fourth in the face. She landed lightly on the tip-top of another tree and promptly deflected several kunai with the open palms of her hands. She caught another clone's kunai on one she quickly drew before popping it with a jab to the stomach.

Then one of them snapped the top six feet off the tree with a kick and the fight fell into the branches of the trees below. Naruto's fingers caught the thick branch of a tree and she spun up on top of the limb in a handstand. Doing a perfect split while balanced on her hand her feet caught two more clones. She followed through, translating the momentum of the movement into a leap that just narrowly carried her between the wild strikes of a pair of kunai wielding clones. They exploded as her own blades cut through their sides.

The bout continued like that, the forest ringing with a neverending rumble of explosions as clones popped one after another. Eventually, she came to a halt breathing hard on the limb of a tree. On all of the tree branches around her stood yet hundreds more of her clones. One of them landed on the far end of her branch and stumbled slightly as the branch swayed. The clone pointed a kunai at her.

"Give up! We've got you surrounded!" It declared, earning a sigh from Naruto.

"You know, for being clones of me you aren't very observant, dattebayo," Naruto complained, before forming a ram seal. The clone's eyes widened as hissing filled the air.

"SCATT-" Explosions rocked the forest as many of the trees around her exploded, the explosive tags she had left behind tearing gaping holes in the ranks of her shadows.

Laughing, she backflipped over the wave of kunai that slipped out of the smoke and bounced off the trunk of the tree, leaping straight for another clone.

Some hours later, as the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, the last clone popped. Naruto slumped against the trunk of the tree she was on with a groan. "Haaaa, finally," she complained, wiping her sweat-soaked brow with her dust hands. That had taken a lot longer than she'd thought it would and she was absolutely exhausted. She started walking down the tree trunk slowly. She needed a bath. And food. Food and bath, in that order.

As she reached the ground the memories of her last few clones filtered properly through her mind, causing her to pause. She raised one hand and stared. "Since when did I glow?!"

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Naruto brushed the bangs of her hair down and scowled at the glowing golden starburst on her forehead as it simply appeared in front of her hair. She brushed her hair back to its normal disorderly shape. The full-body glow had disappeared during her shower, but this stupid mark hadn't left. All attempts to rub it out with her fingers had simply gone through it without effect. Water did nothing, and the soap was pointless. It wasn't made from chakra, though she could sense… something from it. It felt warm both to the touch and to her will.

Re-examining her clone's memories during her shower had revealed that the mark had appeared around thirty minutes into her spar. The full-body glow had appeared an hour later and grown until it had washed out the natural light of the forest. A few of the clones had tried to tell her, but she'd been too busy massacring them to notice.

She gave up on getting rid of the mark and started combing her hair. There were a few other things that stood out as she examined the fight. One, her clones had no idea how to work together and half the time actually got in each other's way. Two, her clones weren't able to track her as well as she could track them. Third, they didn't have her sense of balance or the apparent ability to skillfully balance on twigs and other objects that wouldn't normally support her weight. Which was just weird. The scroll had said that the clones were perfect copies of the user, just as capable in every way except their ability to take a hit.

She tossed the comb on the counter and left the bathroom. The bedroom she had claimed was a spare bedroom, though a large one. The master bedroom had been her mother's and she hadn't even started going through her things yet. That was something she wanted to do herself rather than pawn off on a clone. Even if the clone was, technically, her.

The bed was soft as she leapt on it, sinking deep into the mattress. She sighed and hugged a pillow. Clearly she hadn't mastered the Kage Bunshin as well as she thought she had. There were issues with her clones. Ones she was going to need to work on. Still, they'd do their job well enough. She just had to remember that they weren't her.

The next morning Naruto got up early and headed into town. She needed to be there for ten to get her picture taken for registration. Before that, she would need to get ready, and she wanted to get some Ichiraku before that.

Set on the main avenue, Ramen Ichiraku was a popular Ramen shop within a couple of minute's walk from the Hokage's Tower. A single story with bar stools for five people. A simple series of curtains hanging from the roof and stopping half-way down divided the Ramen bar from the street.

Naruto discovered to her dismay that she didn't even have to brush aside the curtains to enter the shop anymore. She was barely inches shorter than the bottom of the weighted cloth. "Hey, Ojisan!" Naruto called as she entered the shop. The middle-aged chef turned from where he was filling up a bowl of Ramen for an impatient chunin. To Naruto's shock, the ramen bowl tumbled out of his hands the moment he laid eyes on her.

"OI! That's my lunch old man!"

"Kushina?" Teuchi breathed, making Naruto blink.

"You knew my mom?" she asked.

"OI!" Teuchi glanced over at the Chunin just as Ayame came out from the back.

"Otou-san, what's going on?" she asked, sparing a glance for Naruto.

"I- Ayame, fill his order. Beef Ramen with negi and menma," Teuchi said, leaning over the counter. "You said Kushina was your mother? Uzumaki Kushina?" he asked Naruto intently as the Chunin in the corner fumed silently.

"Um… yeah?" Naruto glanced from Teuchi to Ayame.

"Who are you?"

Oh. In hindsight, she didn't have a clue why she expected him to recognize her. "I'm Naruto Oji-san," she said. There was a second crash as Ayame dropped the bowl in her hands.

"OH COME ON! Fuck this, I'll go get something else," the Chunin stormed out of the shop. Neither Teuchi nor Ayame paid him any attention.

"Naruto…-chan?" Ayame said slowly.

"Ello, Ayame-nee. Sorry about this. That bastard Mizuki hit me with some kind of Jutsu or something," Naruto said, repeating the cover story the Hokage had told her when they were walking to the Estate.

"I- Of course. Of course, I see now," Teuchi shook his head chuckling, "You have her face, I should have realized before. You're her spitting image, except the eyes. She had green eyes." Naruto touched her face near her right eye and grinned.

"The Hokage decided to tell me about her now that I'm a Genin," she said

"Naruto-chan, are you… a girl?" Ayame asked, as she was staring at him intently.

"Mizuki was a bastard," Naruto grumbled, "yeah I'm a girl now, Ayame-nee."

"Oh you are so adorable!" she blinked as her older sister-like figure squeed.

"Oi! I am not!" she shouted when it registered what Ayame had said. She was not adorable! She refused to be adorable!

"I don't know," Teuchi rubbed his chin with a thoughtful grin that made Naruto's stomach sink. "You are rather short and adorable now." She shot him a deathglare, earning only a chuckle from the old man. "So, what'll it be Naruto?"

She perked up. "Miso Ramen, with narutomaki and some eggs please," she said.

"As you wish," Teuchi said, turning around to get to work. There was a wet squelch mixed with crunching. The owner and his daughter both looked down and sighed. "After we clean up," he amended as she snickered.

She'd gotten a better reaction than she'd expected.

Twenty minutes later, and on her second bowl, the curtain parted to admit a very familiar scarred Chunin. "Hey Teuchi, Ayame- Naruto!" her academy teacher Iruka grinned at her.

"Heya Iruka-sensei," she said through a mouth full of noodles. She ignored the disappointed sigh.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," he sighed as he took the seat next to her, "Shoyu with nori, Teuchi."

"Coming right up. And don't bother Iruka. Her mother was the same way," Teuchi chuckled.

"You knew her Naruto's mother?" Iruka asked.

"You're old enough. Can you honestly say you don't recognize that hair colour?" the old ramen chef chided as he filled a bowl.

Naruto blinked as Iruka turned his attention to her. "Wrt?" she asked through a mouth full of noodles.

"Naruto!" Ayame chided. She went ignored by the rest of the shop.

"... Kushina-sama?" Iruka said questioningly after a few minutes.

"Sama?" Naruto repeated.

"Right in one," Teuchi said.

Iruka shook his head. "Teuchi I barely remember her. I was in the academy at the time. I think I laid eyes on Kushina-sama like… four times."

"Sama?" Naruto repeated again.

"Your mother was a big-shot Kunoichi Naruto," Teuchi said, "the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. For both her hair and her temper."

Temper? She slurped her noodles loudly as she thought. Hopefully, it hadn't been anything like Sakura's temper. "Hey, Ojisan," Naruto said after she swallowed. "What can you tell me about mom?"

Teuchi paused and tapped the lip of his pot with his ladle. "Well, let's see… Have you heard about the time she was kidnapped by Kumo?" he asked, chuckling as Naruto's head snapped up from her food. "Now I wasn't there, but she told me how it went. It started here in the village actually…"

Teuchi's story continued for quite some time. It was interesting to hear about how the boy who would go on to become the Yondaime Hokage had saved her mother when they had both been Genin. A few other, less exciting, stories followed. Eventually, though, time ran out as the curtain of the stand was pushed aside and Hana-nee entered.

"Inuzuka-san, welcome. Can I get you anything?" Teuchi asked.

"Just a Genin student of mine," she replied, nodding a greeting to Iruka.

"Student of yours?" Iruka asked pointedly as Naruto spun around in her seat.

"Wrkcom,Hnneee," she said through a mouthful of noodles.

Hana bopped her on the head, making her cough and nearly choke on her Ramen. "This idiot got turned into a girl. Who do you think got roped into showing this brat the ropes?" She asked.

"Ah, Hana-nee," Naruto pouted, not fazed in the least by the light tap on her head, "You're being mean."

"You snuck a pink dress into my purchases you brat," Hana deadpanned in reply. Naruto shrugged. She didn't see what the problem was. If she had to buy a pink dress then the older girl could handle it too.

Iruka snorted and winced at the annoyed glance Hana sent his way. "Be happy. He's done worse to me," he said.

"Kiba saw it. He wouldn't stop teasing me until I set the Haimaru Brothers on him," Hana sighed. Naruto giggled at the thought of Kiba being chased around by the trio of large dogs.

"Anyway, we need to get moving. Your registration is soon," Hana reminded her. She slurped down the last of her Ramen and pulled out her wallet.

"Let's go, dattebayo!" she said, dropping the money, and a generous tip, on the counter.

"See you at graduation Naruto," Iruka said, patting her on the head.

"Have a good day, Naruto-chan," Ayame called from the back room.

"Come back soon," Teuchi added with a grin.

"I will! See you later!" Naruto replied, following her temporary sensei out of the bar.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

Registering to become a shinobi, or kunoichi, of Konohagakure was a serious business. As Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen would have thought that much was obvious. Over his decades-long reign as the Sandaime Hokage he had seen more than a few who took it as a personal challenge to come up with the most bizarre pictures to submit. Like the time that Jiraiya had tried to turn in a picture of him in Kabuki make-up, or the following time he had tried to turn in a picture of himself in a toad costume. Or that thing Gai had done.

Knowing Naruto's prankster nature he had been preparing himself to send Naruto back to retake her photo. He had expected something strange and over the top. Maybe more Kabuki make-up, Naruto was rather similar to Jiraiya at times. This… He had to wonder if this had been Naruto's plan all along, or if this was a spur of the moment decision brought about by her change in gender.

The worst part was that it wasn't far enough off base to send it back.

He took a puff from his pipe as he examined the full-body ID picture of Naruto. The girl herself was fidgeting in her seat more the longer he took to look it over.

"SO! Do you like it Jiji?" Naruto finally asked loudly, trying to disguise her nervousness beneath eagerness.

Exhaling a puff of smoke he looked up at Naruto and then down at the picture. He could forgive others for not recognizing the girl in the photo as Naruto. Brash, dressed exactly like her mother was at her age (ignoring the bright orange yukata), with short punkish red hair, and sitting like a boy. It was the exact opposite of the girl in the picture. She was dressed in a fine pink and sky-blue kimono with doves patterned across the fabric and sitting in the chair provided by the photographer. Her hair was somehow longer than it should have been… No, he could just catch the hint of hair extensions, and up in a complicated formal hairstyle, he couldn't possibly name. Though it had probably last been popular sometime in his youth. White makeup covered her face, making the red lipstick she was wearing stand out all the more.

If it had ended there he would have already approved the photo. The girl had a shamisen across her lap, held expertly like only someone with long experience could do so. The instrument partnered with her posture and the lazy/bored half-lidded look she was giving the camera reminded him far too much of certain women he had seen in his younger and more virile years among the red lights districts.

It was, in short, not the first impression he wanted anyone looking at Naruto's records to get of the girl who may as well have been his own granddaughter.

He pulled out the pipe from his lips. "Denied Naruto-chan," he said.

"Eh! But we spent an hour getting ready for that!" Naruto complained, crossing her arms with a huff.

Hiruzen sighed. "Your ID photo is the first thing prospective clients and your fellow shinobi will see. It is a serious matter that-"

"You're just annoyed about the instrument, aren't you?" She interrupted sullenly, though he caught the corner of her lip twitching ever so slightly.

"This is not the first impression a Kunoichi should be giving," he replied, setting the picture down on the desk.

"I've seen kunoichi wearing worse than that! Ino's practically half-naked! In-class even!" she protested.

Inoichi's daughter? He hadn't looked in on the school recently, but perhaps he should have since it seemed to be setting poor standards for Naruto to follow. "A girl not yet graduated is not the best example to follow for professional Kunoichi conduct Naruto-chan," he countered.

Naruto grumbled before perking up. "What about that Jounin I see around town? The woman with red eyes? She's wearing like half a dress and a bunch of bandages!"

That brought a twitch to his eye. He wondered how Kurenai would feel about being used as a point in favour of dressing provocatively? It was always hard to tell with her. If anything he would have expected Anko. "My decision is final, Naruto-chan. You will retake the picture tomorrow. Come dressed in your normal attire. Understood?"

"Spoilsport," she mumbled. He coughed. "I understand Jiji." And now she was pouting at him. It looked even more adorable than it did when she was a boy.

"Good, now," he leaned back in his chair, relaxing now that one issue was off the table. "Why don't you tell me how Chunin Inuzuka Hana's lessons have been going?"

Naruto brightened up. "Great! She's been a big help, both yesterday and today!" She blanched a moment later when he raised an eyebrow.

"Today? I take it, she helped you with this?" he asked, tapping the picture with his pipe.

"Erm… A bit? She helped me buy the Kimono and get into it today. And the makeup. She was a big help with that," Naruto said.

"Hmmm, I see. Anything else before you head off for now?" he asked.

She shifted in her seat. "Well…" She looked very nervous.

"Naruto-chan, did something happen?"

She coughed into a fist. "I was practicing last night in the forest behind the estate. The one on the mountain," she said, fidgeting, "After I was done I realized I'd started glowing gold."

"Gold?" he leaned forward. Like the gold that Iruka had reported following the Mizuki incident? In a way, it was a pity that Mizuki was still in a coma from his injuries. He would have loved to have a second source to plunder about what had happened in that forest.

"Yep," Naruto nodded, "And there was this glowing symbol floating in front of my forehead." she fished out a scrap of paper and set it on his desk. As she walked back to her seat he picked up the scrap of paper and examined it. A sunburst, just like before.

He puffed out another cloud of smoke. Yes, that was the mark that Minato was studying. Interesting. He tapped the arm of his chair in thought.

"You know something, Jiji," Naruto said knowingly.

How much to say? Not that he had much to say at the moment. He hadn't had a chance to go back over Minato's research yet. Perhaps a bit of honesty was in the cards then. "The truth, Naruto-chan, is that we know next to nothing. It has appeared before throughout history. The Yondaime Hokage was researching it before his death but died before much progress could be made. I would tell you more if I knew of it, but-" his explanation was cut off as the door banged open.

"FIGHT ME JIJI!" Hiruzen stifled a sigh as his grandson crashed through the doorway, a shuriken, held improperly, in hand. Then he tripped and slid across the room, sliding to a spot a few feet in front of Naruto.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Naruto staring at his grandson. With a rush of panicked footsteps, the boy's tutor appeared in the doorway. Special Jounin Ebisu.

"Damn it! Who set a trap!" Konohamaru shouted, clutching his head where he had smacked against the floor.

The black bandana-wearing man pushed up his sunglasses with a finger and huffed. "Are you alright? And there isn't a trap anywhere!" The Jounin declared. Despite his sunglasses, the old Hokage caught the inquisitive glance the Jounin sent Naruto's way.

Konohamaru shook off his disorientation and leapt to his feet upon spotting Naruto staring at him. He pointed dramatically at the confused redhead. "Hey! I know you're the one who set the trap!"

Hiruzen sighed and tugged the brim of his hat down as he watched Naruto shift from confused to indignantly angry. "YOU TRIPPED OVER YOUR OWN FEET YOU IDIOT!" she snapped, hauling his grandson up by his shirt. This wasn't going to end well for the boy. Oh well, he needed to learn restraint.

Ebisu, apparently, did not share his thoughts on the matter. He exploded indignantly. "Girl! Let him go! That's the Hokage's Grandson!" Naruto paused and looked down at his grandson before looking up at him with a disbelieving look. He tugged the brim of his hat down a little more as he calmly lit his pipe again.

For a moment it looked like Naruto was about to let the boy go, her rage having apparently been sidetracked for an instant. Then the boy opened his mouth again and promptly swallowed his own foot. "Come on then! Go ahead and punch me!" the young boy taunted. Naruto's expression promptly flashed back to indignation.

"Like I give a damn!" she yelled, bringing her fist down on his head hard enough to bounce him off the ground.

"Ow…" groaned his grandson.

"Later old man!" Naruto growled, heading for the door.

"Remember to retake your photo tomorrow!" Hiruzen called after her as she stalked passed the stunned Ebisu. He sighed as the door slammed shut after her.

"That- That- The disrespect! Hokage-sama," Ebisu turned to him, "Who is that girl? She needs to be punished for her behaviour!"

"Hrm…?" Hiruzen glanced up from watching his grandson stumbled back to his feet. "Her? That is Uzumaki Naruto."

"Naruto? The- That brat? Hokage-sama, the rumours were true? The brat has become a girl?" The prim Jounin asked. Behind him, Konohamaru tiptoed towards the door. Hiruzen nodded, gaining a conflicted grimace from the rank-obsessed Jounin. "She looked just like Kushina-sama."

"That would make sense, seeing as Kushina was her mother," he replied, smirking around his pipe at the sudden flinch from the other man. Ah, how reputations lingered. "Also, your student appears to be missing," he added, having watched as Konohamaru slipped out of the room and ran off after Naruto.

"Eh?" He sighed as the Jounin took one hurried look around the room, panicked, and promptly ran off, nearly running down the Chunin that the Hokage had sent off for a lunch break when Naruto arrived.

Once the Chunin shook off the collision he glanced around the room and spotted the cracks in the floor where Konohamaru had bounced off the planks. "Did I miss anything?" he asked.

"Nothing much," he replied, taking one last looked at the drawing of the sunburst that Naruto had handed him before incinerating it and her registration photo with a spark of fire chakra.

"What was that?" the curious Chunin asked.

The Hokage pushed the brim of his hat up and raised an eyebrow. "What was what?"

"... So who's next?" The Chunin asked, wisely dropping the topic.

The Hokage consulted the list in front of him. "... Uchiha Sasuke." At least that registration was less likely to drive his blood pressure up. His doctor would be happy at least.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

It wasn't hard to spot the Hokage's grandson following her. The little brat couldn't even seem to get the most basic Jutsu right. His Kakuremino no Jutsu was so shoddy that a blind man could have spotted him. He wasn't even holding the sheet the right way!

At first, she tried to ignore the brat as he bounced from hiding place to hiding place behind her. Only… Really there was only so long she could stand being followed by someone that incompetent before she snapped.

"STOP FOLLOWING ME!" her shout echoed in the quiet street she had turned down. Her finger was pointed at a sheet painted like the fence behind it, only it was being held sideways, loosely, and with the user's fingers poking out from behind the cloth.

There was a quiet moment during which the sheet twitched, then she added, "Your technique sucks."

The boy dropped the sheet, smirking like an idiot at her. "You're really impressive to see through my cover, Nee-san. It seems that the rumours were true!" he declared as though he hadn't been so obvious an untrained civilian would have spotted him.

Was he serious? She rolled her eyes. "Shoo, go practice not sucking or something," she said. And being called 'Nee' rather than 'Nii' felt rather strange to her ears. Of all the things, why were honorifics the ones bugging her?

"You beat Jiji! Please teach me how to do it!" He shouted, "Teach me the Sexy Jutsu!" She stared at him for a long moment in disbelief. He wanted to learn… the Sexy Jutsu? Seriously? Sure it worked wonders on perverts, but really all it was was her turning into a sexy naked girl.

"Please!Please!Please!" he begged looking up at her with wide eager eyes.

Oh, what the hell. It wasn't like she had anything better to do that day anyway. Everything else was being done by her clones. "Sure, why not," she sighed, "I know a place not that far from here we can train."

An hour and a half later she sighed as the kid, Sarutobi Konohamaru he had said his name was, turned into a fat brunette girl in a bikini. "No, thinner!" she snapped gesturing at the waist. The boy tried it again, somehow managing to move the fat from her waist to her thighs. He somehow managed to look both overweight and anorexic at the same time. "No! Ugh…"

Konohamaru popped back to normal. "I'm trying!"

"I know. Keep trying! More slender, and balance it out this time! Picture it in your head. You can't get it right if you don't have a clear picture!" Naruto instructed. His next attempt was better. The Henge wasn't misbalanced, but the brunette's figure was still too large. "Clearer! Skinnier!"

Attempt after attempt passed and an hour later she decided he'd done enough. Between tips, hints, and constant shouting the kid had gone from 'indistinctly human blob' to 'attractive brunette'. After raiding a couple of vending machines along the small trail that rarely saw more people than the occasional Inuzuka on a walk, she led him over to the log in the clearing and sat down with her drink.

"So," she said after taking a sip of her drink, "Why are you going after Hokage-Jiji all the time?" She frowned as the boy seemed to deflate, leaning forwards against his knees.

"Grandpa gave me the name Konohamaru. I'm named after the village," he said quietly, "And even though everyone knows my name, nobody ever calls me that." She nodded, letting her drink rest against her leg as she leaned towards him. "When somebody is talking about me or calling me all they ever see is the Hokage's grandson. No one sees me as me. I'm sick of it. That's why I want the title of Hokage."

That sounded familiar, but off. She sighed. "You're an idiot," she said bluntly. He looked up indignantly. "People aren't going to acknowledge a brat like you. It's not a title a kid can just take. You don't beat up the Hokage and become the Hokage, that's not how it works. Besides," she grinned widely at him, leaned down to smirk at him, "if you want it so bad, you'll have to beat me first."

The brat bristled. "I'll-"

"I found you," a man's voice loudly announced from above. Startled, since she'd been focused on Konohamaru she joined the brat in looking up. Standing on a branch above them was the Jounin dressed in black that she recognized from earlier. He was glaring at her with condescension that she was far too familiar with. He had those eyes, the eyes of someone who refused to see her even when she was standing right before him. He adjusted his sunglasses then leapt down from the branch.

"Now young master, let's go home," he said, adjusting his uniform as he stalked forwards.

"NO! I'm going to defeat Jiji and get the Hokage title!" he screamed as he slammed his hands together in a ram seal. For a moment she felt like rolling her eyes. He hadn't heard a word she'd said. "So don't get in my way!"

She couldn't blame the Jounin for scoffing at that, even if it did annoy her since it was exactly how people mocked her own dream of being Hokage. "A Hokage must be well taught," he said, walking forward with spread out arms. His tone was patronizing as he recited what had to be a memorized speech, "in every aspect of being a shinobi. You must master thousands of jutsu before finally- What are you doing?"

With a surge of blue chakra, Konohamaru transformed in an explosion of white smoke. As it cleared to reveal a beautiful, and naked, buxom brunette woman. Smoke hung about covering just what needed to be covered.

Naruto facepalmed as the Jounin stared disbelievingly at Konohamaru who popped back to normal a moment later as he released the Henge. "What?! Why didn't it work?" he demanded loudly.

"W-What a perverted skill! You- I am a gentleman, such a dirty skill won't work on me!" the Jounin growled, grabbing Konohamaru by his long trailing scarf. His next words hammered the button for her temper. "If you hang out with trash like this girl you'll become stupid like her! I am your short-cut to becoming Hokage! Now let's go home!"

Konohamaru struggled, fumbling at his scarf. "Let me go!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," Naruto growled, leaving her half-finished drink on the stump. Smoke explosions encircled the clearing, startling the Jounin into letting Konohamaru go. The boy scrambled away, hiding behind Naruto.

"You're amazing Naruto-nee!" Konohamaru exclaimed as he stared around at Naruto.

"You think there's a shortcut to being Hokage?!" She and her clones snapped, "That's not how this works." It took time and effort to become Hokage. Years of trials and blood and tears. You couldn't just jump ahead because of who your grandfather was or who you taught you.

Panic flitted across the Jounin's face for a moment before he suddenly grinned and adjusted his glasses as he slid into a fighting stance. "Tell me you're joking. I'm hardly that fool Mizuki. It'll take more than a few clones to beat me," he declared with confidence that was belied by the slight twitch in his eyes as he glanced around at the crowd of Narutos.

She smirked and slammed her hands together in a Ram sign, an action echoed by every Naruto in the clearing. "HENGE!" They chorused. The man tensed, then his expression sagged as from the smoke clouds came a wave of tall, blonde, bombshells that threw themselves at him with cries of "Ninja-san~"

She had enough pride to not shout it herself, but as her clones entangled his limply hanging limbs with their bodies she slipped disguised through the crowd. Once she was close enough she brought one foot back and kicked out. The crowd went silent as thirty blonde clones stared at her with horror and the Jounin let out a high pitched noise no human should have been capable of.

"Why do that?" The clone closest to her asked dimly before Naruto released her henge and slammed a kick into the Jounin's jaw. She felt it break as the man went down in a heap. He didn't get up.

"Seriously, why?" A group of them chorus before she dispelled them. She winced as the memory of the look of eagerness on her own face as she kicked a man in the balls entered her mind.

"Ow," she muttered, thinking about the times Sakura had done that to her over the years. "Sorry pervert-guy," she whispered before turning back to Konohamaru. "And that," she declared with more confidence, "Is Harem No Jutsu!"

"That was awesome Naruto-nee! You defeated my tutor," he cheered. She glanced over her shoulder at the Jounin. He was clearly out cold with a twitch to his jaw that could not have been comfortable with his injuries. Honestly, he didn't seem like what she would have expected from a Jounin.

Konohamaru had continued rambling as she examined the Jounin. "... I really want a name people will acknowledge me by and yet…" he gave a frustrated growl.

She rolled her eyes and smacked him over the back of the head. "Didn't you hear a word I said? It isn't that easy. The title of Hokage is the title of the greatest shinobi or kunoichi in the village. You get acknowledged for having it, you get it by being acknowledged!" She huffed and crossed her arms. "I made that mistake for a while and I almost lost myself in it. If you want to be Hokage, be ready to work for it! It'll take a lot of hard work and there won't be any shortcuts! Got it!"

"I- Humph!" Konohamaru scowled and huffed. He pointed a finger at her. "Fine! I'll do it! I'll beat you to Hokage! Though…" A weird expression crossed his face. "Nee-san, is that what you'll look like when you grow up? Big and... " he made gestures over his chest and bounced.

She stared at him for a moment. Then she felt a blush rise from her neck, turning her as red as her hair. That was right, she was a girl now, and she just… "Idiot!" she smacked him over the head and spun on her heel, stalking out of the clearing. Behind her lay her unconscious student and the Jounin whose name she still hadn't gotten.

It took a few hundred meters of walking before the blush faded a bit. Her Sexy Jutsu henge wasn't her. It had been her idea when she'd created it of what she might look like as an older girl, but it wasn't her. Not now anyway, but… "And I just dogpiled a pervert…" she shivered. Oh gods, what bizarre and creepy things was he going to do now?

"Not the smartest move you've ever made." Naruto stumbled to a stop as Hana-nee's voice spoke up from above her. She slowly looked up to find the older girl standing on a limb with her three dogs on the other limbs of the tree.

"Um, hi Hana-nee. How are you?" she asked, feeling the blush rising. Please, please let her have not seen-

"Frustrated at the show you just put on back there. Honestly, is there a brain in between those ears Naruto-chan?" she demanded scowling.

"I-"

"Obviously not," the older girl continued, "Here I was thinking you'd adapted fine. Apparently modesty is something you need a refresher on." She looked almost feral as she grinned down at her.

Naruto took a step back, nervously. "Um, hehehe, uh, you seem a bit… On edge Hana-nee?" she said, glancing about for an escape. If she could just get a head start it wouldn't be the first time that she outran Inuzuka hounds.

"Apparently, Hokage-sama was wondering what I was teaching you after a certain photo of yours today," Hana said, "Now. Lesson one: Why creating stupid perverted jutsu isn't something young ladies do. Haimaru Brothers, get her!"

"Eep!" Slamming her hands into a familiar cross-shaped seal, a dozen Naruto's scattered in all directions as the three wolf-like dogs leaped forwards howling. As she took to the trees she added a quick note to the back of her mind: Hana-nee was scary when angry.

-0-0-0-0-0-​

A/N: Ello~ *Fluffy Kitsune Greeting* Chapter Two is here~ Whoo~ Writing Naruto is just weird I have to admit. It feels Odd writing Naruto and company. I'm just not used to writing Naruto anymore. At the same time I'm struggling to not make Naruto feel sueish. It isn't an issue with Ranma and company oddly enough, but writing Exalted with Naruto seems to be causing a few issues. *kitsune sigh* We'll see how I manage.

Discord and Patreon links are in their usual places~ A thanks to everyone who has supported me thus far~

 

[jwolfe_beta]

"Apparently, Hokage-sama was wondering what I was teaching you after a certain photo of yours today," Hana said, "Now. Lesson one: Why creating stupid perverted jutsu isn't something young ladies do. Haimaru Brothers, get her!"

"Eep!" Slamming her hands into a familiar cross-shaped seal, a dozen Naruto's scattered in all directions as the three wolf-like dogs leaped forwards howling. As she took to the trees she added a quick note to the back of her mind: Hana-nee was scary when angry.

Click to shrink...

Hey it could be worse Naruto. You could have drawn Anko's ire.

 

[Spectrum]

"This is not the first impression a Kunoichi should be giving," he replied, setting the picture down on the desk.

Click to shrink...

I assure you that I have not read countless fanfics that indicate otherwise.

Er. Wait. Hold on...

Exalted with Naruto seems to be causing a few issues

Click to shrink...

Obligatory: Just give up and go full Sue to your heart's content.

*cackles*

 

[Kotar]

I actually forgot how enjoyable Naruto Fanfiction can be. I'll have to go back and see if I can't find anything.

Poor Naru-chan, just now realizing that she basically dogpiled a pervert naked. Looks like she's still getting used to being a girl, now.

I like that you're trying to limit exactly how powerful Naruto is right now. Her clones lacking the charms and abilities of an exalted actually makes sense, since the source of power for an exalted is limited to an artificial divine construct. She can't create a copy of the Exaltation itself, which is why her clones don't have some of Naruto's new abilities.

By the way, is Kurama still alive, or is that something we'll find out later?

 

[Tisaku]

teacher had hoisted on her,

Click to shrink...

foisted

"I'll take'em!" she

Click to shrink...

take 'em

Iruka had shown every back in the

Click to shrink...

everyone

She needed to be there for ten to get her picture taken

Click to shrink...

before

Wrkcom,Hnneee,

Click to shrink...

, Hnneee