Naruto: The Birth Of Fenrir and his Keeper

Time continued on and a few weeks had passed since the Keitaro and Kentaro had been to the clan. Whether for good or for bad, there had been no complication between them and the clan and Kentaro had already started to incorporate ninken training in his day to day routine. Keitaro still wasn't considered old enough to begin any true form of shinobi training and spent most of his time either at home or in a corner of the playground playing around with his chakra but other wise nothing much changed in his day to day activities.

One change that did occur during this time however, was the news that they would be moving from their current home into a clan residence.

It had been a regular morning where they had just finished breakfast when Kuma had dropped the news on the two boys much to their surprise. Both of them had been quite uneasy about the new arrangements, mainly attributed to how much they'd been warned about the clan and seen first hand just how secular the clan seemed to be, which only made their unease about moving into the belly of the beast grow.

Thankfully though after living in their new home for several weeks without anyone coming to find problem with them they'd relaxed and truly started to integrate themselves into the clan.

Whether this was due to Kentaro having a ninken of his own and was no able to train amongst the other kids of the clan or not was anyone’s guess.

The only real difference the move had made on their lives was the fact that the amount of time it took to get to the centre of the village had increased compared to before, but over all it was a acceptable change.

With Kentaro spending more and more time at the academy and focusing on his ninken training at the clan, Keitaro found himself truly alone for the first time since he was reborn.

Whether it was because children seemed to mature at a much faster rate than he was accustomed to or whether it was just the cultural differences, most of his short life had been spent with his father taking care of him till he as able to walk after which he brother took over as his chaperone.

There was never a baby sitter or an older aunt or uncle in the picture to look after him and in all honesty he wasn’t sure whether to be happy that he didn’t have to interact with random people or be concerned at how little interaction his family seemed to have with other villagers.

Even his education seemed to be facilitated by either his father or older brother or at least what could pass for an education in the village. Learning to read and write were framed as games and fun activities but there was no formal teaching at all and with the only formal school in the village seemingly being reserved for ninja it was a wonder how civilians managed to do much of anything.

Even then he’d now found himself with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company and he’d finally taken the time to really coming to terms with his reality.

He thought about just how much he had changed from his previous life and how much things had still seemingly remained the same. Still stuck in situations that he couldn’t control, and yet this time he at least had a loving family to keep him going.

 It would be a lie to say that he wasn't every so slightly jealous that he hadn't been born into one of the more promising bloodlines of the Naruto world, but after thinking things through he was truly grateful that he had been born into a relatively minor clan overall.

He had a loving father who ensured that his family wanted for nothing, a kind older brother who he could rely on no matter what, and though it had been weird at first he was now a recognized member of the Inuzuka Clan.

While it might have been better to have been born within the Uchiha or maybe even the Hyuga due to their prestigious position in the village and quit frankly, over powered yet amazingly versatile and potent powers, Keitaro much preferred being apart of a middling clan that didn't have many too many major problems in it.

Had he been born a Uchiha then the threat of death in the form of a young Itachi who was bound to be breathing down his neck in a few years was bound to be a very real threat to his life, leaving him with very little hope for the future.

Sure, he could most likely survive if he was lucky enough to be born as Itachi's younger brother, but the likely hood of that happening was practically none.

Being a Hyuga was just as bad in his opinion if not worse. Knowing his luck Keitaro was certain that he would have been born into the branch family and been branded with the caged bird seal, cursed to live forever as a slave to the main family regardless of how strong he might have become not to mention that he was fairly certain that said seal acted as a limiter on the potential of the branch family even if he couldn’t recall it ever being stated outright.

Of course he could spend a lot of time learning and mastering Fūinjutsu to hopefully unravel the seal, but it was most likely a pipe dream. Either Fūinjutsu was not something that the Hyuga were proficient at, unlikely since they had the cage bird seal in the first place, or that the seal was so complex that side branch members would need formal training in order to begin unraveling it. Something that the main branch wouldn’t allow in the first place.

Not to mention how lacklustre the Hyuga clans strength actually was when compared to their supposed importance and heritage. All of that coupled with the constant internal strife and overt hostility that most clan members seemed to have for each other was more than enough reason to avoid that clan at all cost.

In comparison, the Inuzuka clan may not have been the holders of an amazingly powerful Kekkei Genkai, and they may not be taken too seriously in the grand scheme of things by some of the more powerful clans, but at least from what he had seen so far they were a pretty laid back clan that spent most of their days raising their ninken and being as unproblematic as possible.

As long as you didn't do anything to challenge the ‘dignity’ of the clan then you could live a pretty good life, whether as a shinobi or as regular a civilian as a member of the clan.

Today though, Keitaro found himself and his family walking through the market place as they had finally managed to have some family time together as everyone's busy schedules had been cleared for today. They had decided to have a large feast that evening in order to celebrate the news that Kuma was being promoted to Jōnin, a great achievement that was going to improve their way of life for years to come.

"What do you guys think about grilling some meat to add to the spread for tonight? I'll even let you chose what ever meats you want." Kuma asked his two sons as they made their way deeper into the marketplace looking for some fresh fish to make a side dish for tonight.

He was happily swaying from side to side as Keitaro laughed from his spot on his shoulder and Kentaro held his hand with his ninken pup sitting at the top of his own head.

"I want beef!" Keitaro giddily patted his fathers head while swinging his legs. He was enjoying being able to look down at everyone as the walked on by and the fleeting hope that he would at least inherit his fathers height crossed his mind.

"Beef is good for me too." Kentaro said trying his best not to bump into any of the other people walking by. 

"We'll have as much beef as you guys want then." Kuma chuckled to himself as he picked up the fish he was looking for before heading back towards home.

He was happy to spend some extra time with his boys, especially now that both of them had warmed up to him. He was especially happy about how close he and Keitaro had become over the pass few weeks after their emotional talk.

He still couldn’t believe that all this time his youngest son had been blaming himself for the passing of his wife and every time he recalled his sons tear filled face a wave of guilt threatened to swallow him. How could he as a father not have noticed it sooner?

Still, he was just grateful that he’d managed to address it before it became a form of trauma that affected his son for the rest of his life. The two of them had become closer now and his youngest had finally started to enjoy his childhood. He couldn’t wait till both of his boys were old enough for him to pass on his Jutsu and techniques to them but he was grateful that they at least wouldn’t be robbed of their childhood due to war or anything like that.

He was just glad to have a peaceful happy moment that all three of them where more than happy to enjoy. The three of them drifted around the shopping district, occasionally picking up a random item or toy that caught one of the boys eyes simply enjoying each others company until the sun began to set in the west, signalling it was time to head on home. 

It didn't take long for the four of them to make it back home and they quickly got to work preparing the meal. The three of them busied themselves setting the table, preparing the dishes and having a blast all the while. Even Shiromaru, the new ninken addition to the family was barking happily as he helped out in any way that he could, though he usually ended up just eating all the scraps thrown to him as the boys cooked.

In to time at all they were all seated around the dinner table eating and laughing amongst themselves. The two brothers were dressed casually while Kuma was wearing his new Jōnin vest, showing it off for his sons to see.

Keitaro had been surprised at how heavy and robust the deceivingly simple jacket actually was. It was reinforced with small chainmail sewn into the underside with removable clay slates placed on the front and back to protect the torso as best as it could. That coupled with its many visible and hidden pockets made the jacket the perfect piece of clothing for any competent shinobi.

With a cup of sake in his hand and his two sons occasionally passing a few pieces of meat once more to the ninken on the floor, Kuma decided to ask about how they had been dealing with thier new reality of being clan members. 

"So boys, how have the two of you been adjusting to life in the clan?" Kuma placed his chopsticks to the side making sure to give his children his undivided attention.

"It's been a little weird but at the same time its been great. I still have a lot of stuff to learn when it comes to raising ninken but I'll get there eventually." Said Keitaro

"The only real problem I guess is that I can't really make friends my age in the clan. Since I already have my ninken and they don't, I'm actually training with the older kids who. It's been tough trying to keep up with them sometimes but I still enjoy it. I'm ahead of the other kids my age at the academy and was worried I wouldn’t get a chance to push myself but now I am, so it's a welcomed challenge."

"That’s good to hear, just don't let it get to your head that you’re ahead of the others just yet. What about you Keitaro, still haven’t made any friends from the clan yet?"

"No not yet, I still hang out with the civilian kids though so it's not that big of a deal. I'm sure when I start training I'll be able to made more friends in the clan."

"Well as long as the two of you are certain that everything's going alright. I hate to admit it but when I take this promotion I'm going to end up taking more missions that might take me out of the village for long periods of time. I'll ask a few friends of mine to check in on you two but I'll still prefer for you two to look out for each other."

"No worries dad the two of us will always stick together."

"I know i just-"

Kuma was interrupted when the lights of the house suddenly flickered. The three of them all looked at the bulb until the sounds of Shiromaru's whimpering sounded through the house.

If they hadn't realized that something very wrong was happing before, the sudden quaking that hit them and threw some of the dishes unto the floor was more that enough to wake them up.

Kuma quickly flickered to the side of his two boys and grabbed them before flickering to the outside of the house. he wasn't the only one as several other houses had been evacuated and the occupants where standing on the outside.

As they looked around in confusion an ear splitting roar resounded through the village followed shortly by a blood curdling bloodlust that seemed to blanket everything. Many of the people on the street fell shakily to their knees covering their ears in pain as the Inuzuka clan's enhanced senses caused many to suffer.

Keitaro would have also been amongst those curling up on the floor if not for the fact that he was petrified by the sight before him. He wasn't the only one though, as screams and shouts of terror soon tore through the night. 

Towering over the village, visible even to those who where far away, the giant apparition of the nine tailed fox was clear for all to see. It tilted back its head before once more roaring towards the sky and spreading its bloodlust throughout the village. 

Keitaro felt his blood run cold at the sight unfolding before him. In the back of his head he couldn't help but chastise himself for not realizing sooner that this was going to happen. He'd literally ran into a pregnant Kushina a few weeks ago and he knew it was important but had still brushed it aside. Now he could only watch as the dreaded beast tore into Konoha.

It was much more tragic than he could have ever imagined. Reading about it and watching it go down in reality were as different as night and day. Even though they were on the safer side of the village, Keitaro could still see and feel the effects of the Kyūbi’s rampage. Constantly being assaulted by turbulent winds when ever a tail whipped through the air, trying to dodge the occasional piece of wood, stone and debris  that had been flung into the air, trying and failing to find purchase and stand upright as the ground shook violently below him from time to time, and doing all this while being bathed in a blood lust so thick it made his skin crawl. He could only imagine how dangerous it was for those who had the unfortunate experience of being closer to the destruction.

Keitaro didn't get a chance to watch for too long though as the sound of his fathers frantic yelling as he kneeling in front of him and his brother stole away his attention.

"You boys need to get to the shelter! Do you under stand? Do you remember where it its!?"

Keitaro just kept staring at his father in bewilderment, confused as to why he was even asking them about the shelter in the first place. Why wouldn't they just all go together?

That when his eyes strayed to the Jōnin vest that his father was still wearing from their earlier celebration. It took his mind a second to realize what was about to happen but the conclusion he came to only made his head spin even more. 

His father was just promoted to Jōnin a few days ago.

He was now considered one of the top combatants of the village which meant that in the event of a threat to the village he had to move to protect it.

His dad was telling him and his brother to get to safety, while he was going to run right toward the thing that threated their safety. 

Keitaro recalled his spotty memories of reading those faded pages long ago in his past life, the devastation that he knew was about to befall Konoha flashed through his mind, including the very important fact that there were going to be many lives that were about to be lost, the amount of shinobi that were bound to die even more so. 

He didn't let himself think any further and instead reached out a trembling hand and clutched onto his fathers arm with a vice like grip intent on never letting his father hand go.

He held onto the hand of the father that he had been wary and cautious of, the father that he had finally recognized, the father that he was only just beginning to bond with, the father that he was just celebrating with a few minutes ago.

He held onto his hand and decided then and there that he wasn't going to let him go.

He felt it in his gut. If he let go of his father hand, if his father left him and his brother tonight... then they'd never see him again.

So he stood there, holding onto his fathers hand as he ignoring everything else around him focused only on not letting go.

"Don't go."

Keitaro didn't even realize what he had said until it was already out of his mouth, but he didn't care anymore. This was supposed to be his second chance and he'd be damned if he allowed his happiness to be tramped anymore whiteout doing something about it.

He could feel as the tears began to fall from his eyes but he didn't try to hold them back. He needed to keep Kuma away from the conflict and if his tears could do it then he could afford to let them flow.

He kept choking back the sobs that threatened to impede his voice and instead focused on repeating his plea over and over again even as his rational mind kept screaming at him that it was all going to be futile.

His father was an excellent shinobi, a kind man who refused to shirk his duties. No matter how much he pleaded and begged, he already knew deep down that his father was still going to go. He was still going to fight for his village even if he knew the odds weren't in his favour. Still Keitaro kept up the water works as even if he couldn't stop him entirely,  he could at least stall him for a time.

If he could just hold him back long enough so that the other shinobi and the Hokage could deal with the damn fox then maybe his dad could survive.

He watched as Kuma smiled at him, he heard as Kuma tried to explain why he had to go, but Keitaro didn't want to hear it. He didn't care about the village right now, it was going to be saved anyway so why should he? He just wanted his dad to stay with him. 

Unfortunately he didn’t have much of say as his older brother soon held onto him and hefted him over his should. He didn’t say anything and started running off towards the direction of the shelter and Keitaro couldn’t find it in himself to keep fighting anymore. He simply watched teary eyed as his father gave them a final smile before flickering away.