Curse of the zodiac

Chapter 1



Namikaze Naruto, the Rokudaime of Konoha, sighed as he signed off his name with a flourish. Paperwork was always boring, even more so when one had to tend to it everyday. Naruto knew that most Hokages, the Sandaime and Godaime most notably, liked to stash their paperwork in various hiding spots and hope that no one ever discovers the daunting stack of papers. However, Naruto took his job very seriously. He had to live up to his father’s name after all. His father, Namikaze Minato, the legendary fourth Hokage was undoubtedly the best Hokage ever. He, together with his 12 ANBU guards, had managed to turn the tides of WII and lead Konoha to victory. In fact, Namikaze Minato was said to have single-handedly decimated an entire squadron of Iwa troops which added up to at least 200 soldiers. This victory alone had greatly intimidated the rest of the Iwa army and had considerably raised the morale in the Konoha barracks. His father was a legend, a hero. How was one to live up to that? Naruto raised his hand to slide it through his unruly blond bangs as he looked over yet another proposal. Konoha was currently experiencing an economic boom and investors were pouring in. Unfortunately, while Konoha does benefit from all these investors, it also meant more paperwork for him. Indeed, his usually empty desk now had a small stack of paperwork in one side, awaiting his appraisal. Thankfully, though, the stack of paperwork on his desk never did reach the impossible heights at which the Sandaime and Godaime had complained of in the journals they left behind.



A few hours later, a tired blond finally stood up from his Hokage seat and stretched. Honestly, with all the kinks in his joints, one would think he was a 50 year old man, rather than a 16 year old teenager. He would have to look into getting a more comfortable chair. Oh well, now that he was done with his paperwork, he could go and check up on his ANBU. The 12 guards that were assigned to him by fate, marked by the birthmarks they all had on their left shoulders. They were his most trusted advisors, his friends, and, even though they didn’t know it, they were also his family. They were his precious people, and he would do anything for them. Sadly, the one thing that they wanted most, he was unable to accomplish. His ANBU, like all the ANBU before them, were gifted with powers. They were all nin-users with considerable strength. However, with this power also came a curse. Every single one of his ANBU would turn into an animal of the zodiac should they be hugged by someone of the opposite sex. Because of this, the ANBU were never able to make friends with anyone outside of the Royal and Noble Families as they would not know their secret. To make things worse, being separated from their parents at birth and being brought up with harsh training to teach them how to control and properly wield their powers had resulted in the ANBU having very poor social skills. Most of them were completely unable to interact with anyone outside of the ANBU or him, and all of them decided to simply stay and train in the Namikaze manor (where only he and his ANBU could live in) and keep away from people. Besides, they had to avoid crowded places lest an accidental bump into someone of the opposite gender changed them into their animal forms.



However, despite their anti-social character, Naruto knew that his ANBU were starved for affection. Being unable to interact with anyone outside their small circle of friends (which basically constituted of the 13 of them) has left them feeling rather insecure and lonely. Naruto knew this, and thus he took it upon himself to look after his knights the best he could. He would always lavish his affection on them, hugging them and spending time with them. He would sit quietly with them and offer them whatever moral support he could whenever he sensed that they were down and he would do the best he could to prevent them from being lonely. But despite everything, he knew that his actions weren’t enough. His elite guards needed to come out of seclusion. They needed to be able to integrate into society. However, for them to be able to do that, Naruto had to first find a way to lift the curse. Ever since the curse was placed, all the Hokages had done their best to research and try to counteract the curse. They compiled all their findings in the customary journal that every Hokage kept. This way, the next Hokage would be that much closer to accomplishing their common goal. Naruto was determined to end the curse. He, for one, would not stand for his precious people continuing to suffer. As such, whenever Naruto was not with his ANBU or in his study completing paperwork, one could usually find the blond king in the Namikaze library, pouring over ancient texts and learning what he could about the curse.



Naruto stopped outside the Namikaze’s dojo before pushing open the doors. It appears that his elite were all training in the gym. A cursory glance informed him of what the ANBU had been up to that morning. The Uchiha brothers, Sasuke and Itachi were sparring in the center of the gym. The two raven haired boys were practicing their hand-to-hand combat, and judging from the state they were in; they had probably been at it for awhile. Though, despite Sasuke’s best efforts, he was still unable to match up to his older brother, who was, in all aspects, a genius. Uchiha Itachi had gained mastery over his elements (Light and Dark) at the age of six. Most ANBU only achieved such a level of mastery around the age of ten. Itachi had also shined in other areas such as academics and physical training. He was always at the top of the class, despite having skipped a few grades. His combat skills were also that of a first-rate fighter. In fact, the only one who could hold his own in a fight against Itachi would be Naruto, who was a prodigy in his own right. Despite the happy-go-lucky aura that Naruto constantly put up, he was actually a highly intelligent boy. After all, it was under his rule that Konoha’s economy had flourished so wonderfully. Naruto’s insight was very accurate and he was able to pin-point his opponent’s weaknesses with ease. Even though Naruto would still lose in a hand-to-hand battle, everything changed when their powers were brought into play. Naruto was even more of a genius when it came to controlling his powers than Itachi was, if that is at all possible. Naruto had managed to control his telepathy at the age of four, and has since then further developed his powers so that he can now gain full control of someone’s mind. He didn’t often use his powers, but when he did, it was impossible for anyone to win against him. When it came to telepathy, Naruto had surpassed all the the previous Hokages, including his father.



Haruno Sakura, born from a civilian clan, was watching the two Uchihas, drooling whenever their scuffling caused Sasuke’s shirt to ride up or when Sasuke’s sweat-soaked shirt stuck to him like a second skin. Naruto sighed at this; it seemed that Sakura was still as much of a fangirl as ever. Speaking of fangirls, Naruto’s own fangirl should be pouncing on him in 5, 4, 3, 2, and... “Naruto-kun!” Yamanaki Ino squealed as she glomped her idol. Ino was also born to a civilian family and had never spoken to her parents before. She knew who they were, and she had seen them a few times when she ventured out of the Namikaze Manor, but she couldn’t bring herself to talk to them. After all, their memories of her had been wiped and thus, to them, she was just an elite ANBU. Judging from the fatigue Naruto could see in her eyes, Ino must have been practicing her Sprit Projection. She wanted to increase the speed and accuracy of her spirit projection, as well as work on possessing the more headstrong individuals. Naruto smirked as he saw Shikamaru slumped against the wall at the other side of the gym. It appears Ino had been using Shikamaru as her training dummy. Nara Shikamaru, also a civilian, came from a family who was close to Ino’s family. Thus, they often went to spy on their families together. And despite Shikamaru’s frequent grumblings of “troublesome”, Naruto knew that he valued Ino’s friendship above all else. In fact, Naruto was betting on the two of them hooking up in the near future. Well, as long as Ino got over her crush on him. Shikamaru was also a genius in terms of IQ and he was Konoha’s strategist – the one who Naruto consulted if he needed help in analysing a deal and deciding whether or not to accept it. Despite his inherent laziness, he was also one of Naruto’s most loyal knights and one of his closest confidants.



After greeting Ino with a polite “Ohayo” and a smile, he turned to the corner with training dummies. Hyuuga Neji was there, practicing his Jyuuken, a combat style that Neji had invented to factor in his ability to see pressure points. Neji’s ability allowed him to disable his opponents with one touch. He was also hailed as a prodigy, as was Sasuke, though Itachi and Naruto were in a whole new league. Neji’s cousin, Hyuuga Hinata was seated, leaning against the wall as she kept an eye on all the training nin-users. Hinata was blessed with the ability to heal and she took her job as the resident healer very seriously. She would blow up whenever someone got hurt due to their own foolishness, transforming from her usual shy self into a stern healer with an unflinching glare giving long lectures that would make even the most innocent of people feel guilty. Naruto had to suppress a shudder when he remembered the last time he had overworked himself and was subjected to Hinata’s fury as a result. As for the rest of his guards, they were occupied in a four-way, free-for-all spar. Mitarashi Anko, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito and Haninozuna Rin were all visibly pushing their limits as they sparred against each other. Umino Iruka, ever the mother hen, was standing to the side and watching the other four spar anxiously, constantly worrying about their safety. However, while usually gentle and kind, the brunette would transform into a fierce protector should you endanger anyone he cared for. In that aspect, he was similar to Naruto, who would transverse the very depths of hell if it was for the sake of his precious people. Naruto was usually very forgiving, but if his precious people were harmed, he would show no mercy.



With Ino loudly proclaiming his presence, everyone stopped whatever they were doing and turned to him. He was their king, their leader, and they would show him the proper respect he deserved. Naruto greeted them with his usual bright smile in place and motioned for them to return to the activities they were previously engaged in. Most of them gave him nods of acknowledgement before going back to their training, but Itachi had signalled Sasuke for a stop in their spar as he grabbed his towel and water bottle and made his way towards Naruto.



“Naruto-kun, will you be having lunch with us today? The kitchens are serving ramen, if I’m not wrong.” Itachi asked as he used his towel to wipe off the perspiration on his face and neck. Initially, the ANBU had referred to Naruto as Naruto-sama, but Naruto had quickly put a stop to that. He insisted that the ANBU were his friends, and he refused to have his friends call him so formally.

“Sure, and since when are you ever wrong Itachi? Besides, you know I can never say no to ramen.” Indeed, if naruto did have a weakness besides his precious people, it would be for ramen. He just could not help but fall in love with the yellow noodles soaked in the spiced soup. It was such a heavenly dish that the first time he tasted it, he immediately decided that he would eat nothing else. Sadly, his plan of having a ramen-only diet was quickly shot down by his ANBU who refused to let him ingest too much of that nutrition-lacking meal. However, every once in awhile, the kitchens would serve ramen, and it seemed that absence made the heart grow fonder, for the ramen simply tasted better every time he ate it.



After a few more hours of training, with Naruto pitching in here and there, a servant came to inform them that lunch would be served in 10 minutes. This allowed the tired nin-users to wash up quickly before going to the dining room for their lunch.



Throughout lunch, Naruto spent his time alternating between talking to his ANBU and happily slurping down his ramen. Itachi, who was sitting beside him would automatically pat his back whenever he swallowed too much at a go and start choking. It became almost like a ritual for them already. Whenever Naruto ate ramen, Itachi would sit beside him and prevent him from choking via inhalation of ramen. Naruto would throw him a grateful glance before inhaling more of his ramen. However, judging from the glares Sasuke kept throwing him from across the table; Naruto figured that Sasuke was pissed at him. It was presumably because Itachi had called off their spar in favour of talking to and training with Naruto. Sasuke didn’t like it when Itachi’s time was monopolized by someone else. Even though Itachi’s and Sasuke’s parents were aware of their sons (the Uchiha clan is one of the Noble Families and thus know about the curse), they were still very distant from them. They believed that Itachi’s and Sasuke’s purpose was to serve the Hokage first and foremost, and thus all family meetings were rather formal and strictly about business. Furthermore, Itachi’s father, Uchiha Fugaku, was blatantly biased towards his elder son, even going so far as to neglect and ignore Sasuke. Their mother was a perfect noblewomen and rarely spoke up, remaining submissive by her husband’s side. Thus, in Sasuke’s eyes, Itachi was his only family member who actually cared about him and this made Sasuke strangely possessive of his elder brother. Naruto sort of understood this, and thus tried not to interrupt the brothers’ time together. He didn’t want Sasuke to think that he was “stealing” Itachi away. Unfortunately, Itachi was not making things easier for him as he blatantly chooses Naruto over Sasuke at every turn. Naruto sighed internally as Sasuke’s glare sharpened when Itachi put some vegetables into Naruto’s bowl. Really, if he didn’t know better, he would say that Itachi was purposely provoking Sasuke.



Naruto winced as Sasuke finally snapped and slammed his bowl onto the table. “What are you doing here anyway, dobe? Don’t you have work to do? Or is the Hokage just a figurehead?” His comments incited immediate response from the others as they admonished him for his rudeness. Naruto, despite how he insisted he was their friend, was still their Hokage and their superior. However, Naruto, used to Sasuke’s bratty attitude, merely replied calmly. “I want to spend time with my friends. I don’t want you to get lonely, after all.” He had said this jokingly, but apparently it was the wrong thing to say, for Sasuke immediately blew up.

“Loneliness? What do you know about loneliness? You can control your transformations. You have no idea what it’s like to be like us, unable to experience human contact! So stop pretending that you understand how we feel! We don’t need your false sympathies!” Sasuke was standing and panting hard by the time he was done with his speech. And the next thing he knew, Itachi had punched him hard in the face. Itachi was going in for a second punch when Naruto caught his wrist. “Stop it, Itachi. He only spoke the truth. He does not deserve to be punished.” Naruto then turned to Sasuke and smiled apologetically, “I’m sorry, Sasuke. It was presumptuous of me to think that I could relate to you. You speak the truth. I have no right to think that. Forgive me.” With that, he bowed to everyone and excused himself before retiring to his study.