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"I give you, your savior!" Sarutobi said, holding the baby out in front of him. Inside, he was smiling. He had just proclaimed Uzumaki Naruto as the jailor of Kyuubi, protector of Konoha, as appointed by the now dead fourth Hokage. Now the village would see Naruto as the hero he was, for without him, it would have been impossible to save Konoha. The Yondaime had needed a newborn baby, and only this one had been born today. Without Naruto, Konoha wouldn't exist any longer. Sarutobi prepared to allow Naruto to bask in the cheers of the public.

What he got was very different. A villager muttered, "So that's the Kyuubi?"

Another one spoke up. "So it's not dead!"

A third villager yelled, "Kill it while it's weak!" And before any of the ninja could react, the crowd became an angry mob.

Sarutobi clutched Naruto closer to him, protecting him from the villagers grasping hands. His mind was reeling in shock. He had never expected this to happen! The villagers were turning on their savior, and would kill him if given the chance. Sarutobi tried to reason with them. "He is not the Kyuubi!" But the mob wasn't listening, and was trying to kill the boy. Sarutobi didn't want to give this call, it would terrify the villagers, but he had no choice. "ANBU! Crowd Control!"

In a flash, the ANBU, Konoha's elite black ops squadron, moved in to halt the crowd. Some chuunin were helping, and the Jounin were pushing back a good portion of the crowd. A gennin team was trying to assist as well. There was a boy with brown haired one with a scar over his nose, a young female with red eyes, and a male with shoulder-length silver hair.

Unfortunately, the later of the three gennin was either siding with the villagers or was over enthusiastic. He took up a place in front of the Hokage, where the rabble was thickest, and began beating them off. But one of his flailing arms knocked the baby out of Sarutobi's arms, and right into the middle of the mob. Sarutobi might have imagined it, but he swore he saw a sadistic smirk on the gennin's face.

"Mizuki, you clumsy oaf!" The gennin's Jounin sensei yelled. "Iruka, catch him!" The other boy gennin on the team dived for the baby, but was knocked away by the crowd. As Sarutobi and almost all the ninja in attendance watched in shocked horror, the baby was caught by someone in the middle of the mob.

But the person who caught him wasn't a villager. In fact, he wasn't even a normal shinobi. Once the villagers realized who caught him, they all shied away from the man they recognized on sight. For with his milky white eyes and cold, regal features, it was impossible to not recognize Hyuuga Hiashi.

One of the braver villagers edged up to the Hyuuga clan head. "Good catch, sir. Now we give you the pleasure of finishing of the demon yourself!" But he backed away at the cold glare Hiashi was sending at him.

"If I heard Hokage-san correctly, this infant only contains the Kyuubi. It is not the fox itself." Hiashi said in cold monotone. Everything about that man was cold. "It would be foolish to kill him. That could release the fox." At that, the villagers blanched in fright. Hiashi walked up towards the pavilion the Hokage was standing on. "Hokage-san, I wish to speak with you in private."

The Hokage agreed instantly. He and Hiashi had always gotten along well, if he could tolerate the 'Hokage-san' instead of the traditional 'Hokage-sama'. But Sarutobi had no idea what Hiashi was going to ask.

Once they were alone in his office with Naruto, his question was instantly answered. "Hokage-san, I wish to adopt Naruto into the Hyuuga clan. He will not be safe by himself. The common rabble outside will forget the fright I just placed in them, and be screaming for his blood this time tomorrow. Plus, he is young enough to undergo the ritual of adoption and attunement, so he will gain our bloodline limit."

Sarutobi rocked back in his chair, attempting to hide the great shock he had just been given. Not only was Hiashi, the coldest and most reclusive clan head anywhere, suggesting that he adopt Naruto, but he was also suggesting that the boy undergo the ritual of adoption and attunement! That ritual was how clans were originally formed!

In the beginning, only one person had the bloodline of a specific clan. One person originally held the Byakugan, and another held the Inuzaka dog gift, and another had bugs living under their skin, and so on and so forth. Then one particularly gifted shinobi had come up with the jutsu that was now known as the ritual of adoption and attunement. It involved minor blood transfusions, then a complicated technique which had the small amount of blood pass on it's unique characteristics to the rest of the blood. That was how the modern day clans were formed. Well, all except the Uchiha. They had evolved from the Hyuuga, and had been forced to make their clan without the ritual. Sarutobi wasn't clear on the specifics, but he knew that the first Uchiha head was known for his five wives and all of them were usually walking around with big smiles on their faces.

All in all, Hiashi's offer was extremely good. Naruto would be a member of the most prestigious clan of Konoha, and brought up to be an extremely good shinobi. Then a worry crossed the Hokage's mind. "Which house would he be in?"

Instantly, Hiashi grasped the Hokage's concerns. "Main house."

That fixed one worry. "And are your elders in accordance with your plan?" Like all clans, the Hyuuga had a council of elders that gave advice and held as much power as the clan head. But unlike most of the other clans, the Hyuuga elders were much more willing to use their power.

"By the time they figure it out, it will be too late." Hiashi said, with something that bordered on an emotion coming into his voice. Sarutobi shook his head to clear it. He had to have imagined that. Hiashi couldn't possibly sound satisfied!

Sarutobi grinned, all of his worries dispelled. "Well, then, I see-" he began, but was interrupted by his secretary entering the room.

"Hokage-sama!" she spoke out rapidly. "This- This has never happened before! It's impossible for them all to be here! It's impossible!"

Sarutobi made a soothing gesture. "Calm down, Mihale-chan. Who's here?"

"All of other twelve clan heads!" she stammered out. Sarutobi inhaled deeply. The only other time all of the thirteen clan heads had gathered, war had been about to break out.

"Send them in. Immediately!" Sarutobi snapped. Mihale nodded, then exited the room.

The doors opened wide, and twelve people walked in. There was the pink-haired, emerald eyed Haruno Kosumo, leader of the Haruno. Next was the dark haired and brooding Uchiha Fuguku, lord of the Uchiha clan. The third head to enter was wearing dark glasses, and had a high collar. That signified him as Aburame Shibi, leader of the bug wielders. After him was the red-eyed man, Yuuhi Iriai, leader of the clan full of Konoha's foremost genjutsu specialists. The intimidating woman known as Inuzaka Nidaho followed him, and she was followed by her large dog.

Coming after the dog was Sarutobi's own brother, Sarutobi Goitro, who had taken over for Sarutobi as leader of his clan. Then came Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, and Akamichi Chouza, leaders of their clans, and the best of friends. Then came the leaders of the three lesser known clans. There was Tenoshi, leader of the Shinkotama clan that was famous for their weapon skills. Then there was Mitarashi Torahi, who's clan was the only one that held any bonds with the mythical dragons anymore. Finally, the youngest of the group, was Hatake Kakashi, the new (as his father had died a few years ago) leader of the Hatake, Konoha's premier assassins.

As was customary, they all waited a minute for the fourteenth clan head, the leader of the Uzumaki clan. But all, save one family, of the Uzumaki had been destroyed years ago. And that family had always had one boy born to them. It was as if they were all unable to have female children, or more then one. So the Uzumaki clan had been slowly dieing for years. But they had been the most powerful clan. They had been masters of sealing jutsus, and almost all of their clan jutsus had had to do with Spirals, Sealing or Summoning. The Uzumaki had been so powerful that even now, with the last remaining member being a baby already in the room, the thirteen heads waited for a moment just to make sure that one wouldn't be arriving. After it was clear that no Uzumaki was coming, all of the clan heads turned to the Hokage.

Fuguku stepped forward, so he was slightly ahead of the others. "Hokage-sama, it has come to our attention that Hiashi-san is planning on adopting the young Uzumaki into the Hyuuga clan. He waited for the Hokage's answering nod. "Well, I believe that would be a problem. You see, we all desire the same thing. Naruto would be a great benefit to the Uchiha clan."

Haruno Kosumo looked at the Uchiha in disgust. "We all wish to adopt Naruto-kun, but some of us just want to see him raised like a boy, not a tool or a 'benefit.'"

Fuguku snorted. "Regardless of our motives, we each wish to adopt him. And that presents a problem."

"I believe the Hyuugas have precedence, as I have saved this child from certain death." Hiashi stated. At that, all of the clan heads began arguing furiously.

The Hokage was now gaping in shock. All thirteen of Konoha's most prominent clans were arguing over who would raise the boy! They all wanted it badly, from Hyuuga Hiashi, the leader of the most prominent clan, to Shinkotama Tenoshi, whose clan had been under ridicule for not having many special abilities that would be labeled as bloodlines. All thirteen of them wanted this! A devious idea was forming in Sarutobi's mind. It would be excellent for Naruto, good for Konoha, and get these annoying leaders out of his office so he could get to work!

He slammed his hand on the desk, silencing the clan heads effectively. "All thirteen of you want the same thing, correct?" Without hesitation, all thirteen people nodded. "Then I believe this falls under the Rule of the Nidaime." All the clan heads gaped at him.

Back in the Nidaime's reign, the clans had frequently desired the same thing, whether it be territory, abilities, or techniques. That often led to outright fighting in the streets, and severely weakened. So he had declared that if all of the clans wanted the same thing, they would be forced to share it, no matter what it was.

Kakashi stepped forward. "Are you actually suggesting that we share this boy?" The Hokage nodded. Kakashi thought for a moment. "That would actually make a great deal of sense. Naruto would get the powers and abilities of the fourteen most powerful clans in Konoha, which would make him one of the most powerful ninja around. Also, he would be extremely loyal to the village, as loyalty here is one of the traits all of us share. Finally, it would cut this discussion short. I agree to your idea, Hokage-sama."

All of the other clan heads were shocked. The youngest among them, who was only there because there was no one else among his clan to represent them, had provided a very accurate summation of all of the good parts of the Hokage's plan. It really had no drawbacks that they could think of. Now the only thing standing in their way was the pride of twelve clan heads.

Goitro, the Hokage's brother, nodded his head. "I agree with Hatake-san. I will agree to this." Slowly, all of the clan heads began nodding their agreement, until only two were left: Hiashi and Fuguku.

The two were engaged in a stare down. It was no secret that the two clans detested each other, and hated giving concessions to each other. Then, at the same time, both nodded, giving their consent simultaneously. Sarutobi smiled. "OK then. Meet me and Naruto downstairs in the alter room." All buildings had an alter to Kami in it, so that they might all pay tribute to him. It was also where adoption rituals took place. The Hokage rose, and carried the sleeping Naruto out of the office. A moment later, the clan heads followed him.

By the time they made it to the alter room, Sarutobi had already set up the ritual. The candles where in the correct places, the runes drawn, and thirteen small ritual daggers were placed around Naruto, who was lying in the center of the room. The baby had just woken up, and was looking around in confusion.

After a moment, the clan heads surrounded Naruto in a loose circle. They each picked up one of the daggers, and examined it. They were, of course, flawless. They were also designed to draw blood quickly, and cause a minimum of pain. Hiashi decided that if he couldn't just adopt Naruto by himself, he could at least go first. He rolled up his sleeve, and, using the ceremonial dagger, slashed his palm.

Blood instantly welled up in the palm, and he clenched his hand to make it pool. Then Hiashi spoke the ritual words. "I, Hyuuga Hiashi, adopt Uzumaki Naruto into the clan of Hyuuga. May he be a proud member of the clan." He then used the silver dagger to poke a small hole in Naruto's shoulder, and dripped some of his blood in it. As soon as he was sure that some went in, he began the seals for the adoption and attunement jutsu. As soon as the last was done, he touched the index finger of his non-bleeding hand to Naruto's shoulder, and cried "Setsozoku! (Join)" There was a flash of light, and Naruto changed. His blonde hair developed black streaks, and for a moment, the white of the Byakugan shone in his eyes before it turned back to his regular blue. "Welcome, Hyuuga Uzumaki Naruto." Then Hiashi stepped back, his part complete.

Never one to be shown up by his rival for long, Fuguku stepped forward next, his palm already bleeding. "I, Uchiha Fuguku, adopt Hyuuga Uzumaki Naruto into the clan of Uchiha. May he be a proud member of the clan." He dripped blood into the hole already in Naruto, then went into the handseals for the jutsu. Once he touched Naruto's forehead, Naruto's eyes, for a brief moment, turned the red of the Sharingan, then reverted back to blue. "Welcome, Hyuuga Uchiha Uzumaki Naruto." Then he stepped back and joined Hiashi.

The other eleven clan heads began to do their part in the ritual. When Kosumo finished his part, Naruto's hair turned pink, then back to it's black/blonde hybrid. After Tenoshi finished his part, Naruto flexed his leg, easily putting it behind his head. He had become double jointed, like all Shinkotamas. Then Goitro performed the jutsu, and Naruto's arms and legs lengthened a small amount. The Inuzaka matriarch was next, and her adoption jutsu didn't do anything to Naruto physically. However, a small puppy was placed next to him, also just born. The puppy immediately nuzzled into Naruto.

Shikaku went up next, and after his jutsu, Naruto's shadow moved a little. After Chouza's jutsu, Naruto put on a little weight. After Inoichi performed his jutsu, Naruto's face thinned slightly. The next one to perform his jutsu was Aburame Shibi, and it had the most surprising results. After he performed it, a couple of centipedes crawled into the hole as well. At the looks everyone was giving him, Shibi said, "I'm as surprised as you are. Ordinarily, it's kikai and many more then that. But they won't have any effects on Naruto, and you won't even know that they're there unless he needs them." The heads continued to stare at him, but this time because no one ever really heard him speak before.

The Yuuhi clan head was the next to perform the jutsu, and afterwards, Naruto's eyes turned a distinct shade of purple instead of his natural blue or the Yuuhi's red. Torahi, of the Mitarashi, went up next. His jutsu caused a coiling dragon birthmark to appear around Naruto's bicep. Finally, Kakashi went up with his hand bleeding.

"I, Hatake Kakashi, adopt Hyuuga Uchiha Haruno Shinkotama Sarutobi Inuzaka Nara Akamichi Yamanaka Aburame Yuuhi Mitarashi Uzumaki Naruto into the clan of the Hatake. May he be a proud member of the clan." After the jutsu, a small streak of Naruto's hair turned silver. "Welcome, Hyuuga Uchiha Haruno Shinkotama Sarutobi Inuzaka Nara Akamichi Yamanaka Aburame Yuuhi Mitarashi Hatake Uzumaki Naruto."

The thirteen clan heads and the Hokage surveyed the changed baby. Before the ceremony, Naruto had been an average sized baby with blonde hair and blue eyes. Now his hair was blonde, but streaked with black and silver. He was already as big as some babies who were one year old, due to the combined gifts of the Sarutobi and the Akamichi. His eyes were a dark shade of purple, and his face had a somewhat more aristocratic build. He had a dragon shaped birthmark around his right bicep, and he was now double jointed. Naruto was a very changed baby.

Hiashi turned to the others. "We shall now swear pact. We shall protect this boy from all who threaten him, and each raise him in a matter befitting our clans." Everyone nodded, even Fuguku (though he did it grudgingly).

Kakashi walked over to the new baby that was his new adopted son. "He's a tough one." He said with a chuckle.

All of the other clan heads exchanged glances. Once again, the youngest among them had pointed out something they had missed. Naruto had just gone through thirteen adoption and attunement ceremonies. One ceremony made a baby scream in pain. But Naruto was unique.

Throughout the thirteen ceremonies, he had not cried once.