"What is THAT doing here?" asked Hiashi Hyuga.
"He is actually the topic of discussion," said the Hokage. "The Kyubi was sealed inside a newborn. Minato's own newborn child. I would have preferred both to be completely secret, but too many people saw the sealing of the Kyubi, and the bloodlimit of his mother makes keeping the other factor secret difficult without your active cooperation."
There were several unsettled looks in the gathered adults as they looked at each other and then at the woman with the child.
"Who is she then?" asked Nara. "She isn't of the village."
"I am Jeanne," said the silver-haired woman. "I am a scholar of kekkei genkai. This child is the last heir of the Uzumaki blood limit."
"Uzumaki? Oh, yes, one of the survivors from Whirlpool," mused Shikaku Nara. "I take it that it is something displayed while still a child?"
"Yes, it displayed once shortly after birth," said the Hokage.
"Which indicates it may be quite powerful when the child is older," added Jeanne.
Shikaku Nara considered something briefly, finally snapping his fingers. "The beast-ninja."
"'Beast-ninja'?" asked Fugaku Uchida.
"They were one of the major reasons that the Land Of Stone decided to strike hard at Whirlpool and utterly destroy it," said the Nara representitive. "I take it that Minato's child is of the main bloodline?"
"He is," said Jeanne.
"Damn," said Shikaku Nara. "We'll definitely have to keep it secret somehow. The child of the Yellow Flash being of that line? They'll either send assassins or prepare to surrender. Maybe both."
"I'm unfamiliar with it," said the frowning Uchiha clan head and head of the Konoha police.
"They're not all-powerful by any means," said the Nara clan head. "All of the main family have increased strength, speed, and stamina to some extent. It's -"
"Please," said Jeanne, interrupting. "I'm sorry, but can you avoid bringing up too much detail? Right now, Naruto is still a baby and he may not manifest anything more."
"Right," said Shikaku, interpreting that as not entirely trusting everyone present. Okay, that was actually understandable. "They're able to shapeshift. Similar to the beast form of the Inuzuka Clan. They have their own version of the beast drill, in fact."
"Oh?" asked Tsume Inuzuka.
Jeanne reached into a pack near the crib and pulled out a statue that was entirely smooth and featureless, only having a vaguely human appearance. Making a set of quick seals, she touched it and the statue's appearance shifted. "This is a typical hybrid form. The Uzumaki clan unlock this when someone they care about is hurt, or when they themselves are cornered or greatly injured. This is one who has a wolf-aspect."
There were some uncomfortable movements as the various assembled clan-heads looked at the image that had replaced the statue. Bipedal, with clawed hands, a wolf's head. The ears flicked and tail swished as it crouched in place, giving the impression of barely-leashed destructive power.
"Aspect?" asked Shikaku, catching that. "So it's not different bloodlines, just a single bloodline that manifests different animals?"
"Each member of the Uzumaki clan that manifests the kemono bloodline has an aspect," said Jeanne, "each beast reveals some core element of the person who manifests it."
"So what does this boy have? A fox?" asked Fugaku Uchida.
"No, and it revealed something of what he'll be like when he's older," said Jeanne.
"The fox is SEALED," said Jiraiya, breaking into the discussion. "The reason all of you are here is not only to tell you about this and help to cover it, but one family for Naruto to associate with and assist with his training. I'll leave an emergency method of contacting me if you suspect a problem with the seal on the fox."
"Why don't YOU just take the boy?" asked Fugaku.
"Because I'm just a wandering old pervert researching my writing career," said Jiraiya.
"That you're spying for the village is beside the point," said Tsume with a fanged grin.
Jiraiya just handwaved it off. "I've gone over the seal three times after finding out about his bloodline. Mixing the two anywhere early on would likely be a bad idea. Later on he might be able to handle it."
"So what's this animal aspect and what does it say about Naruto?" asked Shibi Aburame, representing his own clan.
"Ah," said Jeanne, "Naruto's aspect is:"
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(Posted Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:17)
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