Last Of The Namikaze

Prologue

The Namikaze is a clan on the verge of extinction, only one lives on. Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze is the last Namikaze in the known world. The Namikaze bloodline is an ancient fable passed down generations. It is told that a Namikaze's soul holds a special trait, on the exact second of a Namikaze's seventh birthday they make eye contact with an animal. When eye contact is made the animal and the Namikaze and their chosen animal are bound for life. The bond is said to be tens of times stronger than the relationship between an Inuzuka and their ninken. The great tales of Namikaze of long since past hold very rare occasions, a Namikaze may bond with more then one animal. Naruto Namikaze is one of the few fated to bond with more than one.

October tenth, the date of Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze's birthday. Deeming it a special occasion Naruto decided to go to the Ichiraku ramen stand for his breakfast. Naruto's life held a strange quality, wherever he walked through the streets Naruto always heard the voices, whether or not they were in his head he sometimes couldn't tell. Because no matter where he was, he heard them. Sometimes they were screams and shouts accompanied by rocks, fists or anything else that would hurt him physically. And other times they would be ghostly whispers with glares and silent promises of pain when no one else was looking.

Naruto had once made a vow to himself it was quite simple thinking for a child. 'The other children aren't treated like this, so I'll just be what they want me to be.' Naruto was always respectful to those he didn't know, always being the epitome of acceptance for others, trying so hard  to be  the nicest person he could be. But, it was never enough for those around him. When Naruto reached the ramen shop he called out to two of the three people who he knew cared for him in any way he enjoyed. "Good morning Teuchi_san, Ayame_san" they both turned to Naruto with a playful scowl. Ayame struted forward and bonked Naruto on the head with her open hand. "Naruto, just call me Ayame-chan or Ayame-neeor even just Ayame, enough of this 'san' stuff."

Naruto rubbed his head then bowed deeply "Gomenesai Ayame_sa- I mean Ayame_nee." Teuchi placed a large bowl of ramen in front of Naruto, said bowl had a sparkling candle clipped onto the far edge of the bowl that formed a '7'. "Happy birthday Naruto" sung Ayame in a cheery voice and kissed his forehead, Naruto blushed at the action. Naruto teared up slightly in gratitude and grabbed his wallet from his pocket. Teuchi and Ayame both gave him a look that said 'dont you dare' Naruto gulped down his embarrassment and put his wallet back.

Both ramen master and master-in-training lowered their offensive gaze and smiled viciously in their Victory. "Thank you for the meal." Naruto spouted out before he grabbed his chopsticks and began to eat while he smiled and chatted all the while. When he was done eating Naruto sneakily put down the money needed to pay for the ramen and dashed out of the tiny stand ignoring the shouts from Ayame. When Naruto got onto a main road he was met with, while long expected, much feared glares of various parts of the street.

Naruto could handle the fists, knives, and whips. But those looks drove a stave of fear and hurt deep into his heart every second he got one. Not long after the glares were sent, insults soon followed, then a rock from a chunnin. After Naruto did a sidestep with a slight twist and jump making his body to a twisted frontflip to dodge the rock, he ran as fast as he could. Watching the limber shinobi follow their path across his neighborhood he picked some things up. Naruto made his way to an intersection leading out of the village and saw hostile shinobi on all sides except going out of the village, he didn't think twice about running through the gates and into the great forest beyond. "Fox, get back here NOW" Naruto heard the voice drift closer as he scrambled over the underbrush. The civilians quickly gave up chase and returned to the village, secure in the knowledge that the shinobi would get the job done.

Naruto was hemmed into a cave by the pack of shinobi. The men and women hunting him taunted him by running in close to him and landing devastating slashes on him in a perverted game of tag. Once led into the cave the particularly vengeful shinobi beat the boy into a state of near unconsciousness. When the gathered group of people were done beating, whipping, cutting, and burning the boy, they left. One final shinobi was left. The man couldn't be older than thirty, but looks we're deceiving with shinobi. The man unsheathed the katana at his waist from it's pure white sheath. The fire in the cave made the beautiful black blade gleam an ominous orange. Naruto noticed the blade was old and weathered but still sharp, yet it's age being far older than the one who held it. In an instant the blade was shoved into Naruto's left shoulder and into the rock below, pinning Naruto to his position. Naruto let out a vicious scream that echoed around him. When the blade hit rock under him the hand gaurd seemed to crack and become loose. The hand guard moved around it secured place to hit the blade lightly creating an ironicly beautiful sound of metal against metal similar to a small bell.