Test of Valor

When Naruto heard the Mizukage explaining about this island, he was sure it was just an exaggeration. Even if the scroll said so, he figured that one creature alone wouldn't be much of a hassle.

However, as soon as the test started, the entire area was suddenly surrounded by a heavy fog, making it impossible for any human being to see the palm of his hand unless it was placed directly in front of his face. Even Ace was having trouble as he tried positioning one paw after another with great difficulty, sometimes he relied on his sense of smell rather than his vision. Naruto's case wasn't any different as he even stumbled onto a steady rock and almost fell on the floor.

Letting go of the mask for a while, Naruto tried focusing chakra to his eyes, but it was just a waste of energy, which he could better use for tougher situations. Together, the two tried finding their path completely blinded, until Naruto had an idea. Going through a series of hand seals, he molded the necessary charka.

Fuuton Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Jutsu)

The wind suddenly increased close to their position, before Naruto ushered the gathered wind forward in order to at least clear this damn fog. However and quite to their surprise, the mist had yet to show any signs of being dispelled. Right now, none of them knew what was going on. It was as if both of them had died and were now walking towards the white fields located above the clouds. Suddenly, as the blond perceived one more step, he realized that the terrain had changed dramatically. It was plain and much different from the place they were before.

Suddenly, the same deep voice echoed on the clearing.

"As of right now, Uzumaki Naruto, you're being tested. It was your mother's wish that she handed you her heirloom, but the fact remains that the Uzumaki Clan was once a name of warriors, born with the will never to surrender even in the utmost dangerous situations. As an Uzumaki, you first must prove to me that you're worthy of receiving Kushina-san's heirloom"

As it stood, Naruto and Ace couldn't see the creature, but its voice echoed throughout the clearing, gathering their entire attention. Naruto, however, was getting irritated at the vague response to his answers. Not one time did the creature give him any hint as to what it meant, instead it kept saying he would be tested. And the irritation was quite evident as Naruto was tapping his finger continuously while crossing his arms in clear annoyance, much to Ace's amusement, since he could read his friend like an open book.

"Okay, whoever you are, I'm done with waiting here. I came here to find a part of my life that I always missed and instead here you are testing my patience." Shouted Naruto to no one, since he couldn't see the damn creature, but he had to vent out his frustrations somehow.

And much to the man's irritation, the only response he got was a mocking laughter that he heard from the damn fox inside his stomach. The worst thing was that Kyuubi's conscience was laughing at him as well, further infuriating the Anbu member as he stopped crossing his arms. However the mocking laughter ceased, before a strong jet of water appeared from the northeast direction. The dragon head materialized out of nowhere and its menacing yellow eyes focused on Naruto. Its elongated teeth were visible as it appeared that the dragon was…amused at this situation.

"You're more like Kushina than I thought. Impatient to the very last breath. As to my name it's irrelevant for the moment. You have yet to pass this test and any information regarding my identity won't really matter if you're six feet under. This test could very well be the end of your life, should you fail to pass it. Now, you noticed that in here your chakra doesn't work. In my world, the only thing you'll be able to depend upon is your skills and your sword. The Uzumaki Clan was feared not because of their chakra techniques, but rather their taijutsu and kenjutsu skills in battle. In order to pass this test, you'll face three opponents from past generations. Members of your now deceased clan that ruled these lands."

Just as the dragon stopped talking, three whirlpools appeared in front of Naruto, before three individuals appeared. The first one from the right was wearing blue armor and his much elegant sword was resting on his waist. Naruto couldn't see their faces because of a presumably black mask that covered the entire face, leaving the sparkling yellow eyes which were fixated on Naruto and Ace the entire time. The one in the middle had a green armor and instead of one, two swords rested on his waist, but one was a clear Katana while other was a small tanto, nothing very threatening to the blond as he now assessed the last one.

That one was different from the other two. The long black hair wasn't what picked Naruto's interest, but it showed that this one definitely was a female. The main difference, though, was that she didn't wear a samurai outfit, just fishnet clothes, a t-shirt and Anbu style pants and a jounin vest. She had two kodashis strapped on her back and a strange headband on her forehead. At least strange in Naruto's eyes, because he had yet to see the old whirlpool head band which was actually the symbol on the back of his orange jacket when he was little. At least the design was similar, as he crossed his arms once more, waiting for the creature to speak again.

"These three before you represent three generations of the Uzumaki Clan. Uzumaki Tenka, founder of the clan that initiated its rule amongst these waters; Uzumaki Tsurugi, Tenka's grandchild and creator of the Two-sword style of fighting. Last but not least, Uzumaki Sango, first leader of the Whirlpool Country in the ninja era. You'll engage them in battle and defeat them or perish under their swords."

Naruto understood perfectly and studied his opponents. These three were his ancestors, he realized. This was the first interaction with his family he had ever had, even if one was trying to kill the other. Looking a bit more closely, Naruto realized who he had to watch out for. Uzumaki Sango was a ninja and apart from the other two, had a different approach in battle. Samurais and ninjas were very similar and only one who knew both of them could spot the differences. Samurais prefer strength where ninjas go for speed and efficiency. The katana is a strong sword and is hard to parry, but its maneuver capabilities are inefficient when compared to a ninja's kodashi.

Plus, a ninja sometimes revert to other forms of attack like poison, illusions and element control. However in this plain, Naruto couldn't use his techniques to their desired effects meaning he can't depend on his chakra. However, Naruto was considering the possibility that Sango could use her chakra to its utmost potential. In other words, Naruto was screwed and that much he knew. He was just hoping that the creature would send only one at a time, but when the three enemies drew their swords at the same time, he knew that was too much to ask for.

Their movements were similar, yet as Naruto predicted, Sango was way more agile hence why she arrived first to deliver a solid swipe from one of the kodashi.

However, Naruto couldn't just use his sword from fear of the other four enemy swords impaling him while he was busy. So, he dodged the attack by rolling on the ground and assuming a taijutsu position in the mean time. Quickly assessing their capabilities was the Anbu style of thinking and he'd learned it very well. Attacking Sango first with a sequence of punches, Naruto was surprised she blocked them all with her wrists. The blond didn't have time to assess her mental wrist plates, before Tenka appeared with a strong vertical assault from behind, forcing Naruto to perform some back flips to avoid the strike. Looking to the right, he saw Tsurugi coming in fast.

Naruto let the attack reach a short distance to his face, before he flipped his body with extreme efficiency and landed a reverse kick to Tsurugi's stomach. He hoped the man would fly a safe distance, but Tsurugi managed to flip his body in mid-air, before landing on the ground and taking his tanto at the same time before attacking Naruto with both swords. The blond was having trouble dodging the attacks. They were both fast and precise. If Naruto had to gauge them, their skills relied on aiming for vital points on the body.

Dodging one swipe from Tsurugi's katana, Naruto jumped high into the air as Senka attacked him with a horizontal slash. At the same time, Sango threw a barrage of senbons at the blond. Feeling the necessity of using his sword, Naruto grabbed it fast and parried Senka's attack, before landing a kick on his face. The senbons were hard to dodge, given his lack of movements in mid-air, but none of them managed to find its mark. When the blond reached the ground, he saw his three opponents closing in on him, as if trying to corner the Anbu member.

Joining his hands in a familiar hand seal, Naruto summoned three kage bunshins to attack them, but soon after being casted, they vanished, quite to Naruto's disappointment.

Crap, chakra can't be used for techniques. I have to think of something else to use against these three...

Thought Naruto as he dodged Sango's incoming kick from hitting his chest, however when he saw the woman making hand seals he cursed his lack of chakra as a sudden lake appeared out of nowhere. A strong jet of water rose up in the air and the blond realized a water attack was on his way. Naruto could hear the woman's voice and it was firm, although gentle at the same time. She was his kind of woman, as he remembered the times where Kurenai kicked his butt with her genjutsu techniques.

Suiton Kyoumou Uzumaki (Water Release: Fierce Whirlpool Jutsu)

The water suddenly transformed into a strong typhoon before it charged against Naruto with all its might. If the blond hadn't needed to dodge the strong technique, he would want to learn it. As the typhoon approached, Naruto tried evading to the right, but he wasn't fast enough hence why he was enveloped. The technique dragged him a couple meters, but as he was spinning like a mad man, he could feel some minor cuts being delivered to his body. He realized with a dread that his damn ninja ancestor also possessed a wind affinity. Landing on the ground hard, he spit blood from his mouth, before getting up and looking at the three opponents with a firm resolve in his mind to cause as much pain as possible to these three.

Testing a theory, Naruto used his chakra just for limb reinforcement. He figured that any technique would be useless outside his body, but inside was a different issue entirely. Plus, the fact that his chakra fused with the Kyuubi made it so that no creature would be able to stop him from using it inside his own body. Suddenly, his speed increased tenfold and a smile appeared on his face. He surprised his opponents then as he appeared on Senka's front and landed a profound slash on his chest, killing the man instantly.

However, whereas blood would normally spill, Senka's body simply vanished.

Naruto stopped a little bit to think about what just happened, when Tsurugi landed a fierce punch on his jaw. When he was about to strike the man back, though, he saw Sango making another series of hand seals.

Suiton Mizu Shuriken (Water Release: Water Shuriken Jutsu)

The attack managed to scratch his arm a bit, but Naruto managed to dodge the barrage of flying weapons. The truth was, though, that Sango was his immediate enemy right now. The woman was a true ninja, in his opinion. Strong, agile, skilled and just like a shinobi, knew to attack the enemy when he was busy with another opponent. Focusing chakra to his limbs, Naruto managed to dodge Tsurugi's sword strike and landed a roundhouse kick to his face, sending him flying as he went to deal with Sango. The woman needed to be dealt with first, that much was obvious.

Ace, for his part, was watching the entire ordeal with a smile on his face. At first, he considered helping his friend because of chakra handicap. But he could see that Naruto had evolved greatly in his absence. Because of his abundance in chakra, Naruto was more suited to chakra related techniques like genjutsu and ninjutsu with taijutsu being his backup call. Now, as he saw Naruto engaging the woman in fierce kenjutsu, Ace realized that Naruto was the best over-all shinobi he ever had the privilege to work with. Suddenly, a kind of telepathic link initiated as the same voice echoed inside his head.

"You seem very attached to him wolf. He does seem strong, but I can sense darkness in his heart"

Animals do know how to read a person just by looking at them and both Ace and the dragon knew about the blonde's constant battle against evil and how sometimes in the past, Naruto wanted revenge on everyone. But, it was his own conscious that prevented the blond from killing everyone with the fox's power. Surely, Naruto had to deal with a lot when growing up.

"Indeed he has a lot of darkness in his heart. But from the things he told me, he's changing little by little, I can feel it. He grew up alone, while at the same time carrying the burden of the Kyuubi no Yoko that now lives inside his body. People ostracized him when he was little and some even dared to attack him without mercy. The village didn't lift as much as a finger to protect him from harm and yet he manages to restrain himself. I know what you will do, though"

The dragon's mocking laughter appeared in Ace's mind.

"Do you now? Please tell me then."

"You intend to make him confront his past by showing the images you can retrieve from his brain. I happen to know about the Uzumaki's Test of Valor from meeting one a hundred years ago. A true warrior has no weaknesses, neither physical nor in mentality. You want to see if by pressing the right buttons, that Naruto will carve to his darkness. However, I can tell you right now that no image will be able to drive him away from his conscious."

"Oh really and why is that? The human mind is fragile by nature. Even in the Uzumaki Clan, there were some bad apples. If what you said is true, then Naruto must be the worst of them all. His mother Uzumaki Kushina was like him, both fierce and impatient. She asked of me to guard her heirloom and give this test to her son, before seeing him worthy of receiving the Ryuu no Heki (dragon's tear). She didn't pass on this test, hence why she left Whirlpool Country and joined Konoha. But in the end, upon passing, she asked of me to perform this test to her son. In my eyes, only Sango was worthy of being a true warrior. Fierce to her enemies and caring to her family, she was the first and only summoner of my clan." Said the creature inside Ace's mind as he watched Naruto receive a deep slash from Sango's swords.

"He will surely pass this test Dragon. And am I to assume that Naruto will be the next summoner of the Dragon Clan?"

"For a wolf, you're quite perceptive. Indeed he will be, granted he pass the test of course…"

When the link was over, Ace saw that Naruto managed to strike Tsurugi once more before taking his sword and impaling him in the chest, killing the man instantly. Now it was ninja against ninja as Naruto and Sango watched each other's movements. Naruto's bruises and cuts were slowly healing because of the fox's chakra as he positioned his sword near his shoulder, while holding it with two hands. His right foot was affront and the left was behind. All in all, it indicated a samurai fighting position. Forcing chakra to his feet, he charged at Sango aiming a strong and precise swipe from his katana, but the woman dodged. Naruto didn't stop the attacks but Sango's evasive capabilities eluded the blond.

Naruto respected women more than men in the field. They were more cunning, faster and in some cases like Tsunade for example, stronger. Hence why he was enjoying this fight immensely. Fighting against his ancestors was something else in his opinion as he understood his clan's history better than most. Both Senga and Tsurugi were respected adversaries. Just by observing their skills, Naruto understood the lives lead by them in the past, a life of honor and commitment to justice. Naruto now saw himself being compared to his ancestors as he always tried to do the right things, despite his life's mishaps and turbulent times.

He remembered how many times he loathed the villagers for how they looked at him…how they wanted him dead like his existence was a curse that needed to be exterminated. Even the times where Kyuubi would send images of humans killing others for petty reasons, he still held his ground controlling his urges to create a blood bath in Konoha. Now, as he had the chance to fight against Senka and Tsurugi, he was feeling the sense of honor and pride that every member of the Uzumaki Clan must have felt. As Sango attacked Naruto, the blond positioned his sword to parry her twin kodashis.

She twisted her body and tried to land a powerful kick to his face, but Naruto was prepared to defend by grabbing her foot with his hand.

Giving it a light push, Naruto tried to take away her balance, but Sango just skidded a bit, before her feet adjusted to the ground. Quickly, she started a long sequence of hand seals as Naruto realized it was similar to a very strong water technique he knew, but some seals were different and he feared the worst.

Fuuton Kazeryuudan no Jutsu (Wind Release: Wind Dragon Projectile Jutsu)

With the gathered wind, Naruto suddenly gasped at the image of a dragon taking shape as it roared towards the blond with great speed. Until now, Naruto wasn't even aware of the possibility of molding wind chakra to different shapes and form. But his ancestor proved him wrong, by doing a technique not even Suna knew existed. Either that or they declared it a kenjutsu, in Naruto's opinion.

Focusing chakra to his limbs, Naruto started running away from the fierce creature that bit by bit, was reaching his position. Looking behind, Naruto realized with a snarl that the dragon would soon strike him and he knew the damn technique would hurt a lot. Suddenly, turning to meet the dragon, Naruto focused as much chakra as he could on his sword to parry the attack, before the dragon opened his mouth to eat him whole.

The impact was enough to drag Naruto a couple meters back, but because of the quantity of chakra being used both for the sword and his legs, he stood his ground. His muscles though, were starting to ache and he knew he couldn't stand the force of the technique for much longer. Therefore, he decided on a rather suicidal attempt by focusing as much chakra as he could muster to stop the dragon's advancement. Because of the energy gathered, it became too volatile, causing a big explosion that sent Naruto flying until he hit what appeared to be the end of this god damn place.

More blood was spilled from his mouth as a couple ribs were broken.

He got up and saw Sango approaching his position fast, carrying both swords. He knew she was about to aim for the kill. Focusing wind chakra on his sword, he saw the sword glowing white as he parried the two swords by positioning it in between the woman's kodashi. Snarling a bit, Naruto used brute force to overcome the woman's surge before landing a fierce kick on her chest which sent her flying. The blond took this opportunity and charged at the flying woman, before landing a fierce vertical slash going from her head to her legs, slicing her in two.

As her body vanished, Naruto landed on the ground panting in exhaustion and pain all over his body.

His body couldn't move much, but it found some energy to flip and let the gravity run its course as he fell on the ground facing the sky. He was having difficulty breathing, because of the broken ribs and the fact that his lungs were filled with blood. Granted that his chakra was working on healing him, but unlike before, it was taking much longer. If Naruto were to be honest he'd never felt this tired and he could easily use a little break. Of course there was a possibility that this damn test wasn't yet over.

Suddenly, the dragon's voice echoed once more and it was clear he was impressed with Naruto's performance.

"Indeed, you have your clan's strength and ability, young Uzumaki. But what remains now is to see whether or not you possess the necessary mentality of a warrior. That, little one will be your second and last test to see if you are worthy of receiving Kushina's heirloom." Said the creature as Naruto grunted a bit, before kneeling on the ground.

He was trying to get up, but failing miserably. He was content with taking a seat for a moment. However, Naruto took his moment to pounder on the second part of test. What could it possibly mean to test someone's mentality he wondered. Surely, every shinobi he knew was either a lunatic or, as his friend Anko said, pure nuts. Well, Anko for one was a maniac, addicted to torturing others. Kakashi was fixed on reading porn in front of others and Naruto focused very hard not to picture the type of things his sensei liked to do with a female partner. A few Anbu members were more sadist than even Orochimaru. Surely, this creature wouldn't consider him like the others, so why the need to test his mentality?

As Ace arrived near Naruto, he looked at the blond and started laughing at the blonde's train of thought.

"I don't think you understand exactly what you're going to be tested in. It's not your mind per se, but how your mind and heart work in stressed situations." said Ace as Naruto nodded dumbly. Surely, it would be comical if Naruto was right. Suddenly, as the blond lifted his body, the sudden appearance of the water dragon surprised the blond. The creature opened its mouth and before he realized it, nothing but blackness consumed his sight as he fell on the ground.

When he opened his eyes, Naruto was shocked to see the very village he grew up. In fact, he was at his apartment's porch as he looked at the village receiving the first rays of sunlight. Looking around a bit, Naruto suddenly gasped upon seeing the Hokage Monument. He saw the Shodaime's face next to his brother the Nidaime Hokage. He also saw the Sandaime's face next to his successor Yondaime.

But where was Tsunade's face?

Naruto had yet to realize that whereas the last time he stood a good one feet taller than the porch height, now he barely passed the grid. What the hell was happening here? The only thing he remembered was the water creature enveloping him with its mouth and he was unconscious the next minute only to awaken at Konoha presumably five years in the past, seeing that Tsunade's head wasn't even placed on the Hokage Monument.

Reaching back to his apartment, he stopped in front of a mirror and took a moment to witness his height. Granted he had the knowledge that somehow he went back in time, but seeing his twelve year old physique was staggering to say the least.

Suddenly, thoughts ran to his mind like was it all a dream? Was everything that happened in his life nothing more than a dream? Ace, Kurenai, his Anbu position…his parents. Taking a look at his closet, Naruto saw the same orange jumpsuit he remembered burning a long time ago. Putting it on, Naruto saw his old headband resting on the kitchen table and strapped on his forehead, before once more taking a look in the mirror. He didn't like what he saw…he didn't like it at all.

In his right mind, having to face the constant stares over and over again was pure torture and worst of all, was that he would be facing them all over again. He didn't know what happened nor did he know if anything he remembered was even real. Looking at the clock on his wall, he started thinking about what really happened and what was about to happen, seeing that his mind was screwed up real bad.

As he left his apartment, he started walking at the empty streets of Konoha. And quite to his sadness, he could feel them once again. There were a few dozen people roaming throughout the streets and, not surprisingly, everyone shot glares of hatred towards him. However, this time he wasn't wearing the Anbu mask, meaning he was once more exposed to the world. Everyone knew Uzumaki Naruto, the loud idiot knucklehead who wore bright orange clothes and shouted to the heavens that he would take the Hokage's hat in no time at all.

Suddenly, a little girl holding a teddy bear appeared in front of Naruto as she looked at his eyes for a moment. The blond tried smiling at her, but the girl suddenly pointed to his face, screaming the word demon repeated times as if Naruto had done something to make her life a living hell. As he tried to calm the girl, Naruto sensed someone charging against him, before he dodged the incoming kick. He saw his attacker skidding a few meters on the ground, before turning to face him. To the blond's shock, it was his old school sensei Umino Iruka and he was looking at Naruto the same way as the others did.

The blond looked at his sensei and wondered what the hell was going on here? He didn't know why he was back, but he sure knew that Iruka didn't look at him like this, at least in front of him.

"You'll pay demon" Iruka said. "You'll pay for every life you took, including what you did to this little girl."

Before Naruto could even reason with his sensei, Iruka charged at Naruto with a kunai in his right hand. The blond managed to evade the attack, even though he kept wondering why Iruka was behaving like this. As far as he knew, they got along fine when Naruto was a genin. The crowd suddenly formed as Iruka charged the little genin with the same kunai attack over and over again. Naruto, however, just kept dodging with ease. Reverting to the past was one thing, but suddenly forgetting his training was totally different.

When Iruka missed the last kunai attack, Naruto landed a quick attack on the man's neck, sending him to unconsciousness instantly. Such an act was immediately frowned upon by the gathering crowd as they started calling him monster and demon, before shouting that he needed to be exterminated because of what he did to Iruka. Naruto knew, though, that with the villagers it wouldn't bode well to reason with them, but when two Anbus appeared within a swirl of leaves, the blond knew that they would vouch for him. How surprised he was when one of them placed a chakra suppressor handcuff on him, before dragging his petite body towards the Anbu HQ.

"Hey, what you're dragging me for? I was attacked, I just defended myself" Shouted Naruto, but the Anbu paid him no mind.

"As far as I'm concerned it was you who initiated the fight and Iruka-san tried to stop you demon. Finally the Sandaime Hokage has enough evidence to place you behind bars you demon"

Frowning in worry, Naruto was wondering what the man said. Surely, Iruka attacking him out of nowhere was a low blow to his conscious, but to imagine the man he respected more than anything doing the same thing was too much. It couldn't be possible that a kind soul like the Sandaime wanted to imprison Naruto like he was the demon himself. Upon getting inside the Anbu HQ, Naruto was hearing the constant screams of thrills by the other Anbu members as he was being taken to the prison yard. Some of them the blond recognized from training together and even spending some time with.

As the cage cells opened, Naruto's body was thrown with force towards the wall, before his back collided. The blond felt an excruciating pain on his already broken ribs.

But how could his ribs hurt, even if what happened in Whirlpool Country never existed? Thinking about it, Naruto remembered how easily he dealt with Iruka and wondered about his skills in the past. Needless to say, he wasn't able to deal with even a genin, let alone a chunnin academy teacher. Something was terribly wrong in this equation and Naruto was about to find out. Genjutsu just wasn't possible, because he would know it even before being caste, no it was something else.

The blond didn't have time to wonder about his current predicament, as the cage bars opened one more time, before Naruto saw the Sandaime Hokage entering the cage followed by two Anbu shinobi. The one on the right had long purple hair and was using a cat like mask. The other one had the lion mask. Naruto knew this two, of course; his Anbu Commander Tenzou and former Anbu comrade Uzuki Yuugao.

"Rise demon…" Ordered the Sandaime, shocking Naruto not because of the words spoken, but rather the source of the voice. The Sandaime Hokage was for a long period of time, the only one who believed that Naruto and Kyuubi were two separate beings and thus, the kind old man did everything he could to guarantee Naruto's safety. Needless to say, those words hurt more than anything else in Naruto's opinion.

Naruto complied with the order without question as he closed his eyes in contemplation. Quite different from this timeline, Naruto is a rather collected individual, hence why he was simply awaiting his orders from the Hokage, like any Anbu is supposed to. After all, he did the binding oath and nothing or no one would convince him otherwise. Sandaime's face, though, was different than Naruto recalled. Hiruzen now was looking at him as if he was looking at a deadly enemy, full of killing intent and also desire to cleanse the village from the almighty Kyuubi no Yoko.

"According to the reports, you assaulted chunnin shinobi Umino Iruka with no reason whatsoever. The man even tried to stop you from committing a deadly mistake, but you didn't hear him, did you? But I don't blame you Naruto…" Said Sarutobi as Naruto lifted his head and watched a somewhat neutral face staring at him, before it transformed once more. "I blame myself from ever believing you could be a shinobi. It was my mistake to let you graduate and for what happened now, it was my mistake to even let you live when everyone voted otherwise."

Naruto, somehow, knew this wasn't real but the emotional pain he was feeling right now was immense. He owed his life to the old Sandaime and to hear these words from him was devastating. He wouldn't budge, though. Whatever he did in the past, must have trigged this feeling from everyone. What if he deserved to be called a demon?

"For your crimes committed, you'll be sentenced to the death penalty Naruto. I just pray that Kami gets lenient on you, because I sure won't. Neko, proceed with the necessary arrangements"

With that, the Hokage left the jail cell with both his hands behind his back. He stopped once more and took a look at Naruto from afar. They looked at each other and Naruto resumed a look of apathy, as if he accepted his current fate. If this was what the Hokage commanded, then it shall happen.

Both Anbu shinobi grabbed Naruto by the arms and dragged him to a secret chamber he knew perfectly about. It was reserved for the death penalties as the prisoner takes position in front of an Anbu, before he or she gets decapitated as a criminal. Just as Naruto was positioned in front of Neko, she unsheathed her kodashi and fell into striking position. The rule states that it has to be a clean cut, a quick death in order to avoid pain as much as possible. A sudden window opened inside the dark room and Naruto could see the Sandaime looking at him with a sick smile on his face. In his eyes, he would be ridding Konoha from the evil there is Kyuubi no Yoko.

Lifting his head to look at the Anbu, Naruto wasn't scared. His heart beat was as normal as it could have been as he saw Yuugao approaching his position while positioning her sword for the strike. For Naruto, the mere seconds for Yuugao to reach his position, felt like minutes. Suddenly, a strong voice echoed inside his mind.

"What are you doing boy? Do you not wish to live? Do you not wish to be acknowledged by everyone?"

Kyuubi's voice reached his subconscious and Naruto just closed his eyes in retrospective. Sure, he wanted to live; sure he wanted nothing more than acknowledgment in his life. Kyuubi must have heard his train of thought, considering he was smiling from ear to ear.

"Then use my chakra boy. Use it and kill everyone that ever dared confront us. Kill everyone that even dares looking at us the wrong way. No one could stand up to us when you use my chakra"

Kyuubi was already laughing in anticipation at the high possibility of Naruto asking his chakra and annihilate the entire village. However, the creature seemed to forget his resolve.

"No…." Naruto said loud enough for both Kyuubi and the shinobis present to hear.

"I made an oath to never go against the Hokage's orders and also I made an oath never to carve to your urges you damn furball"

By this time, Yuugao's sword was only inches from his neck and, then, only light he was able to see was the room light's reflection on his executioner's blade.

Darkness consumed him once more.

When he opened his eyes, he was once more back at the place he remembered. However, it wasn't white like he was dead. No, he could hear the river, he could feel the ground he was seating on and above all, he recognized his fellow comrade Ace and the water dragon looking at him from afar.

"Uzumaki Naruto…" The dragon said getting his attention. "You were tested in both body and mind and you've proven your valor. Your mother asked of me to give you this specific test in order to test your resolve to change this world and revive the Uzumaki Clan, a feat she initiated and left for you to carry out. Now, you proved to me that you are worthy of receiving your heirloom. Proceed to the cave entrance up there and collect what's rightfully yours"

Getting up, albeit barely, Naruto started walking slowly towards the cave where he would find a memory of his long deceased mother. As he entered, he could see a stone surrounded by water. Passing through the water, Naruto saw that there were markings written on the stone. Passing his hand on the kanji, he started reading out loud.

If you're reading this my son then it means my mission is complete. For years, Kirigakure wanted their hands on the Ryuu no Heki (dragon's tear) because of its unprecedented powers. Only a true Uzumaki would be able to wield the sword and I'm glad you'll be the one who carries it. It's my only regret, my son, that I couldn't be here with you, but know that both I and your father will always watch out for you from up there. Take care of the sword Naruto and wield it like a true warrior of the Uzumaki Family.

As Naruto read, a few tears fell from his face. Suddenly, the rock started glowing green illuminating the entire cave as the sword appeared. It was simply a work of beauty. The scabbard was made out of solid steel and it was cerulean blue with a dragon similar to the creature Naruto found crafted to fill the entire surface. The hilt felt comfortable in Naruto's hands as he saw the head of the dragon below the hilt. Quickly strapping on his back next to his Anbu ninjato, Naruto saw that the water was becoming agitated.

Suddenly, the dragon appeared inside and with its long body, filled the entire cave leaving no escape route for the blond Anbu.

"Naruto, as of right now, you're the new wielder of the Ryuu no Heki. Its powers will be revealed to you as you wield it. Also, seeing that you passed the Test of Valor, you will become the summoner of the dragon clan"

The news surprised Naruto as the dragon summoned a big scroll out of nowhere. The blond opened the big scroll and was surprised to see that only one name was written.

Uzumaki Sango

"Please sign your name next to Sango's and you'll be the second summoner of the Dragon Clan"

Who's to say Naruto would think twice before he signed the scroll.