Orochimaru pulled a thick scroll out from no-where, and presented it to Naruto. "This, is a summoning scroll! Specifically for snakes. I have signed it and Anko-chan has signed it, and now it is your turn! You can be a summoner of snakes!"

--------------------

Naruto blinked, the tight feeling of regret and happiness at the same time gripping his heart and not letting go. He opened his mouth to say something but no words formed.

"Naruto?" Orochimaru paused, looking at him with a concerned expression. "Are you oka-"

"But, Orochi-oji," Naruto stared weakly, struggling with his emotions. "W-Who would ever want me as a summoner?"

And so Orochimaru pulled the brunette into a hug. "The snake summoning scroll is waiting. Sign your name in blood and print your fingers in it too.

Naruto decided not to question any further and nodded, and pulling away from his uncle's warm grasp and opening the scroll. Casually slitting his finger with a kunai, he wrote his name and printed his fingers below it. He felt nothing though.

"Do you know how to do the handsigns?" Orochimaru asked. Naruto nodded. "Then you can go right ahead and do the jutsu."

Naruto flew threw a series of handsigns at an incredible speed before slamming his hand on the ground and yelling "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu)!" and erupting in a puff of smoke.

(Somewhere, inside of him, the Kyūbi smirked. "You need more chakra than that, brat," it grumbled, before pushing his own life essence through the seal. If the raven was going to do something that spectacular, he might as well do it right.)

Unlike most puffs of smoke, it grew larger and larger until it was the size of a cloud. Naruto yelped as red, boiling hot chakra seeped through the pores of his arms and into the seal on the ground as it pushed out hot steam. His hair flew back, but the gravity evened out very suddenly. The smoke dispersed, to show Naruto trembling lightly and standing on the head of Manda: The snake boss.

"Orochimaru-kun. I don't see a battle, why have you summoned me?" the snake's voice was booming and held authority. Naruto didn't seem to notice.

"Oi! Orochi-oji didn't summon you, I did!" Naruto yapped, momentarily forgetting his fear and smacking the snake on the head twice. The snake sighed.

"Get off of my head so that I can see you, boy," Manda said, now suddenly sounding like he needed a throat pill or something.

Naruto jumped down, facing Manda. He (and just to impress) had his Sharingan spinning slowly at the reptile. Manda flicked his tail in interest. "An Uchiha? Interesting. Orochimaru-kun, you let this boy sign the contract?"

"Correct, Manda-dono," Orochimaru nodded, picking at his nails. "He seemed ready for the responsibility. I had asked Kakashi-kun if he had been willing to give Naruto the dog summoning contract, but he had explained how the boy would often clash with the pups on different occasions. I decided that snakes were the most reasonable contract, and the easiest one to get on-hand."

Manda nodded, and in a completely serious voice spoke once more. "He may summon me and or my snakes if  he gifts me with a human sacrifice."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, before unbridled rage bloomed in his chest. His face twisted in anger as he balled his hands into tight fists. "No! That's so-" he took a breath to try to calm himself, but he only ended up cutting himself off. "So wrong! Sorry, but I think you need to go. I'm not doing shit for some stupid fucking snake." Is what he cursed, grinding his teeth and a moment away from turning his heel and running.

Manda stayed silent for a moment, the only thing giving away his excitement was the flickering of his tail. Was this really him? The child of the prophecy?

"Very well! I like this boy, Orochimaru-kun!" Manda said excitedly. "You may summon my snakes on command. I must discuss something with an elder of mine now; but, I assure you that I will meet you in battle very soon, Naruto-chibi," Manda batted his tail on the ground one last time before erupting in a puff of smoke that filled the area. As soon as it cleared, the snake was gone, and the wind resumed in its flowing.

Naruto felt his mood swing again, though now his anger seeped away and his stomach felt lighter. There was a clap on his shoulder, and he looked up to see his uncle smiling at him kindly. He grinned back. Everything was at peace for just a moment.

Slow, sarcastic claps. Like when he was-

Naruto saw red. Just like (when he was seven, when he-), it was like his soul was being ripped from his body. Though his mind shut down, his trained body continued to be productive and moved on its own.

Before anyone knew it (not even himself), a spear of wood had shot from the ground and towards the source of the horrible sound. Naruto's footwork shifted so he could turn around, and when he came to, his hand was fully outstretched. He blinked away the hammering heart in his chest and the rushing blood in his ears. Mildly embarrassed, he tried putting the pillar back, but nothing happened, even when he cut his chakra flow.

Orochimaru looked concerned. They had been a good thirty feet away. The pillar had seemed to move with the boy's hand, less like he was doing a jutsu and more like he had been... manipulating the wood? He snapped out of his stupor to glare at whatever the source of the boy's distress had been.

His gaze met long, spiky white hair and an old, scowling face. Jiraiya.

The sannin was fuming, a glowing green hand pressed against the cut in his cheek. "My my. Such ferocity. It's very refreshing to see such a straight-forwards snake summoner."

Naruto stood tall, feeling guilt bubble up his throat. He tried ignoring it. "Sorry," he growled. He wondered how obvious it was that he wasn't actually apologetic. "You're trespassing on Uchiha-owned grounds. What do you want?"

"I came to see how my student's son was growing, that's all," Jiraiya said, shrugging. Suddenly, a gruesome smirk was plastered onto his face as he started walking closer to Naruto. "But, maybe I should get you back for this painful gash you put on me. Put you in your place-"

"By hurting him? Are you jealous that my pupil is better than both of yours combined?" Orochimaru bared his teeth back, but gave Naruto a look (back off, let me handle this).

"Oh please, Orochi-jisan. Menma and Naruko are both much stronger than this brat," Jiraiya boasted, putting his now unoccupied hands on his hips. The cut was healed, but there was a thin white line where it had been. Seemed like not all three sannin were efficient in basic chakra-pharmaceuticals.

"If that's true, why did neither the Toads or Slugs accept them as their summoners? Hm? I think that they weren't worthy. Naruto was accepted by Manda-dono instantly, and we both know he is the hardest to impress," Orochimaru said smugly. "The genin also managed to gash your cheek! You're softening," he said, earning a glare from Jiraiya and a bashful look from Naruto.

"Fine then! We'll have a spar between the three. Menma and Naruko Vs. Naruto," Orochimaru was about to protest.

A chance to get my tails, brat, Kurama snarled in the back of his mind. Don't let that snake ruin it for us.

The maelstrom, after hearing his own personal demon loud and clear, cut off his uncle. "Deal. How about we raise the stakes though?" Punishment, he thought, for those brats especially, but he kept his confident demeanour solid. "If I win, I get rest of the tails of the Kyūbi! If I lose, I come back to the family," he growled, now rubbing his wrists like you would if they had been tied up.

The toad summoner's eyes widened. "But that could kill them! How abou-"

"I thought you were a master sealer?" Naruto hissed through his smirk, knowing he had already won. The man's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Fine. I'll inform Minato and the kids, though, I doubt they'll refuse. Conditions are no killing or permanent damage. Meet us in Training Ground Seven tomorrow by 1500 hours, or you'll be immediately disqualified."

Naruto nodded sullenly, eyes dark. The older man disappeared.

...

There had been major tension between the team during their daily D-Ranks. Naruko and Menma had barely talked to their brother or themselves, leaving a dark cloud over the group.

Naruto wiped away the sweat on his brow with the back of his hand. Kakashi held him in a blank stare, before giving into his instincts and ruffling the boy's soft locks. They were just about done painting the roof of a house an obnoxious blue, as per request by the owner.

The entire town had heard about the upcoming spar and had slowly gathered around the edge of Training Ground Seven.

"You'll be fine," Kakashi murmured, eye-smiling. It must've been hard for the man to watch his family be ripped apart. Naruto felt a pang of sympathy for him, though it didn't quell his own nervousness at all.

"I'm just kind of scared," he whispered, rubbing his arm. Kakashi's hand moved down to plant on his shoulder firmly, as he had always done. It made Naruto relax instantly. "What if I underestimated them? Will they even survive without the Kyūbi tails? I don't really want to hurt them... I just wanna scare them away..."

The silver-haired man hummed, gently taking the paintbrush from Naruto's hand and placing it back into the bucket. His eyes flitted towards the twins for a moment, before glancing downwards to take a quick look at the watch under his sleeve. One more hour left.

...

Standing in front of them now, he realized that the three of them really were just... kids.

If you want to win, I suggest you let me take over, Kurama growled. Naruto's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly.

Why?

I have the best chance when going against myself, he explained. Let me help you. I have a trump card.

Naruto almost hummed, but shook himself ever so slightly. His family and Kakashi were behind him, eerily quiet. Naruko and Menma had a few of their civilian friends and fanboys/girls sitting in the field with Minato, who was coaching.

I want to start by myself. Jump in whenever you feel it'll be best.

The fox said nothing, so Naruto took that in as conformation.

"I will set a timer for ten minutes," Minato explained, holding an alarm clock up to the sky for emphasis. "There will be no killing or maiming. Start on my count!"

"Ready to forfeit your Clan, brother?" Naruko hissed, dropping down into a taijutsu stance and letting the Kyūbi's cloak surround her.

"I won't be losing anything, Naruko-chan," the raven snarked back. "I won't even have to use my Sharingan. This'll be too easy."

"You take that back!" his sister snarled, though Menma had pulled her back into her previous position. She glanced backwards towards the brunette, eyes flashing. "I'm going to destroy you."

The redheaded jinchūriki beside her had been silent, though his eyes were clouded over in mischief and his trembling fists promised pain. A bubbly red cloak surrounded him as well, emitting from the base of his neck and snaking around his limbs with practiced control. To the maelstrom, it just looked like all their years away were finally being put to good use.

Momentarily, Naruto turned his head to gauge the reactions of his wards. His mother and father looked mildly taken aback, holding each other and palming the grass. Itachi and Kakashi seemed unfazed, though the latter met his eyes with unspoken advice.

Rip them apart.

Naruto nodded back, finally looking over at Satsuki. Her lips were parted slightly, moving back and forth. He realized she was speaking.

"Naruto. Be careful."

"I will."

His attention was faced towards the twins once more. He swept his right leg backwards and leaned into his taijutsu stance, hands lowering in preparation for his first move.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Start!"

Everything happened all at once. The twins ran forwards, footsteps far from the silence a regular ninja's should be. Naruto braced himself, drawing chakra from his seal and racing through a set f handsigns that was engraved into his brain. Only Kakashi recognized them, though the shinobi said nothing.

"Nido Raikiri!" Naruto whispered, both his hands sparkling with lightning. It was an extension of Raikiri that Kakashi had come up with a few weeks into his training, though it required extensive chakra reserves and the Sharingan. Luckily, Naruto wouldn't be moving, so he wouldn't have any problem with tunnel vision.

Menma attacked first. He swung hard, shifting his weight and making Naruto duck under the arm. The raven flattened his hand out and sliced at his brother's neck, though the younger had already pulled away. He couldn't avoid it completely though, and now there was blood spewing from his chin. Naruto was having a bit of trouble keeping a steady flow of lightning running to his hands, but after a moment, his body ducked a speedy kick from Naruko without him telling it to.

Kurama had taken him over.

Now, it was like he was backseat driving. Nobody in the crowd noticed the newly developed fluid motions or the flash in the brunettes eyes every time he landed a hit.

Kit. I think it's about time I told you about your Mokuton.

What about it? You should focus on your fight.

There could've been two reasons as to why it had formed, but I think it's a combination of both. Your Wood-Style is different from others, such as your Hashirama or your ANBU Guardian. While theirs is like a jutsu; infused and controlled by chakra, yours is part of nature itself. It has nothing to do with chakra, but everything to do with the root of chakra. Energy.

But why are you telling me this? Naruto forcefully twisted his hips to dodge another attack. The Kyūbi wasn't a very good multitasker. What does this have to do with anything at all?

Because it is the reason you have such a hard time controlling it, or even summoning it at all. You humans think inside a very limited box to work with; it would be amusing if you weren't my host. Only elderly beings remember a time when chakra was a subcategory of energy. Elderly beings like me. Only I can teach you how to use your ability. I suspect is it caused by your mingling heritage.

My what?

You are part Uchiha and part Senju. Your genes together create energy in its purest, even if you aren't pure-blooded. My energy doesn't help your case, either; at first, I thought that had been the only reason. One tail or not, both my Yin and Yang halves create pure energy. It is quite the misconception that we Bijū are chakra beasts when in reality, we are so much more. You have an entire reserve of energy that you can use to its fullest, because of your selective heritage. Your wood manipulation came to light because of the extra seal on your palm.

My palm? What do you mean? Instinctively, he looked down at his hands, but they were alight with lightning and his drawn attention helped Menma land a solid knee to his temple.

The Kyūbi did not elaborate and instead fully took over. Before, when Naruto felt like he was backseat driving, he thought that would have been the extent of it. Now, it felt like his soul was in an empty movie theatre, eyes forcefully glued to the screen.

In one swift motion, two pillars of wood had sprouted from the ground and into the twins' sides. They crashed together, both gasping in pain. Beads of sweat flew into the air as time seemed to stop. Naruto, or Kurama, let the Nido Raikiri spark to its fullest before sprinting forwards. Naruto wondered why the fox didn't get tunnel vision, as he knew his Sharingan hadn't been activated. If it was, the world would have been dyed in light red.

The Kyūbi, completely unfazed, grabbed the children by their throats. They started screaming bloody murder. Naruto himself could almost feel their skin burning and falling away like flakes under his fingers. Steadily, even while they thrashed, Kurama smashed their heads into the ground. They both went limp just as the timer went off. Naruto felt himself being given control again.

Carefully not to jostle them too much, he pulled himself up. Blood dripped down the balled of his wrists to his fingertips and stray dirt from his previous finisher cascaded down his arms.

Eyes watering, he turned to face his father. Rage twisted in his chest. This man was his father.

"You listen here," he hissed. Oh wow. He got really close. As soon as Naruto realized how many steps he had taken to reach the Hokage, he was already pulling back. "You have no idea the pain and suffering I've been through because of your little on-a-whim decision. You will reseal the tails into me, and because I am so kind, we can restart our little relationship. One misstep; one bad thought; breathe even slightly in an offensive way to me or my family which includes my mentor, we are done. Do not boss me around."

Minato, who had still barely snapped out of his stupor, could only nod numbly.

...

The next day, the Kyūbi was whole, and Naruto was alive.

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edited as of 10/07/2020

Nido Raikiri: Double Raikiri

I realised that I have never went into full detail on Naruto's appearance. Here goes.

Naruto is about 5"10, tall for his age of thirteen (for ref, minato is 5"11, kushina is 5"6, menma is 5"7, naruko is 4"9 and Kakashi is 6"5). His roots are blond and red, but are unnoticeable unless you look closely. His skin is tan, tanner than other Uchihas but still pale compared to the rest of his biological family. He normally wears a grey hoodie with an uchiwa and black shinobi-standard pants. His pant are tied at their hems with training grip. His hitai-ate (headband) and sandals are black, like his pants. He had regular black eyes. After this chapter, he will wear Kakashi's old Tanto sheath re-fitted to the size of his sword. His hair is about as long as it is in Shippuden.

Whew! Done! I made the fight quicker than it should have been but whatever. Anyways, I have a great plan for the massacre. So evil.

Other than that, there's no other notes. So, ja ne!