A Self Fulfilling Prophecy
AN: I own nothing.
AN2: It was a dark and stormy night . It was the kind of night when twins are born and so…twins were born? Wait what wrong channel . Change the channel .
(Story start)
A sixteen year old teenager was busy playing with an ordinary rubik's cube . He was presently sitting on a rock located on a seldom travelled road located in a very remote area of the Land of Fire's territory . The rock sat on a cliff which gave a clear uninterrupted view of the ocean . The view would have been spectacular for the teenager if he were a person who appreciated the scenery which he was not. The teenager was a blonde male roughly five feet ten inches in height with an androgynous face which was slightly tanned . His most striking feature were his yellow luminescent eyes which looked like twin miniaturized suns .
The boy named Naruto had been sitting on the boulder waiting for close to an hour . His gift of partial foresight had let him predict the possible future and gain knowledge of a meeting which might occur if he were to be present at this particular spot at the present moment in time . Like clockwork he picked up the chakra signature of an approaching person travelling at an extremely quick pace .
Naruto did not even need to look up to confirm that the person approaching him was a female with long red hair who was close to middle aged in age but yet still very beautiful in appearance . He also did not need to look up to confirm that her expression which she was trying to mask but not with much success was equal parts relief and equal parts fear .
Naruto waited for her to start the conversation but after waiting for a few minutes it appeared she was too tongue tied to start . Sighing to himself he decided to be the mature one in the interest of saving his time .
"Hello Kushina , it's been a long time ", he said his voice was barely above a whisper . Naruto put down his rubik's cube and turned his head to face her for the first time .
"You came, just as I predicted you would . I took the liberty of choosing a location you would feel more comfortable with" said Naruto . They both knew he was not alluding to the picturesque scenery but the fact that the surroundings were nice and open providing good opportunities for escape and enough places to hide if the meeting were to turn sour .
"This is where we will hold our conversation in it you ask me to help save your daughter from the Akatsuki but why would I help a family , a village which I no longer have any stake in ?" He asked his voice was calm detached even .
Kushina seemed to have regained her nerve and there was even a spark of anger in her eyes now . Naruto was genuinely impressed it took real courage to stand up to an S ranked ninja if you weren't one yourself .
" What happened in the past happened between me , your father and you . Nariko had nothing to do with it . She has always loved and idolized you . Are you telling me you are willing to sacrifice your sister over a grudge she had nothing to do with?" Questioned Kushina her voice could barely conceal the rage she was feeling .
At the mention of her name Naruto remembered long since buried memories of a short , dumb as a rock, blonde whisker marked , pig tailed girl who despite her huge laundry list of faults was perhaps the nicest person he had ever met who probably did not possess a single mean bone in her body .
Nariko was his fraternal twin her physical features were almost identical to Kushina's except the blonde hair which was inherited from her father . She was younger than him by a matter of minutes . It may seem downright cruel but he had not reminiscence over his past in years . He had chosen to forget his family even the ones which had never done anything to harm him in the pursuit of his goals .
Thinking about his siblings awakened long since dormant feelings of guilt and shame . After all abandonment would be the very least he would be accused of if his goals came to fruition .
"You are mistaken Kushina . You mistake me for some simple civilian who carries and holds grudges . I hold no ill will towards you or your family . But that in no way means that I hold any love for you or your family either" said Naruto his voice was like dead winter there was absolutely no warmth to it at all .
Kushina was shocked she did not even know it was possible for anyone to project such casual disinterest about someone they had loved at one point in time .
Seeing as this conversation was not going anywhere Kushina decided to change tracks and tried to appeal to her sons better nature .
" Please Naruto help your sister . If not for me do it for Nariko and Yariko's sake. Help her if you really care for them" pleaded Kushina there was a note of desperation in her voice now .
"When you and Minato disowned me I left Konoha did that not show that I cared?" Asked Naruto the slightest hint of curiosity entered his voice .
"It matters not either way . I will not aid you in your endeavor Kushina " said Naruto the barest hint of finality entering his voice .
Kushina was choked by a mixture of anger , guilt and shame . This teenager in front of her she could no longer recognize as her son . She had little to no doubt anymore that her son had become what had been prophesized by the great toad sage long ago.
XXX
"The child of prophecy will be your student Jiraiya . He will bring a great revolution to the elemental nations . In this endeavor he will be aided by his two firstborn children which will be the necessary catalysts . Which child he decides to take aid from will decide whether the revolution will be elemental nations salvation or its destruction . The child with the most selfless intentions , purest of dreams and gifted with near divine power will be the catalyst of destruction . The child with the more selfish dream and the cursed demonic power will be the catalyst of salvation ."
XXX
(Kushina's POV)
She had been running at full speed for nearly seven hours and it was now approaching mid afternoon . She had just now started to get out of breath . Her Uzumaki vitality and resilience had helped her keep her near brutal pace going without a single break in between .
There had been rumors about sightings of her son in the remote coastal villages in the extreme east region of the Land of Fire territory . She was going to try and plead with him to help her daughter who had been kidnapped by the Akatsuki on a routine mission to the Land of Snow/Spring .
Kushina knew she was taking a huge risk by going to meet her son alone . She had had a massive argument with her husband on the merits of trying to seek aid from their errant son . She and Minato both knew that if there was even a grain of truth to the rumors about the kind of abilities and contacts their son possessed then he would be invaluable for the upcoming search and rescue operation . It was just the fact that Minato did not think it wise for Kushina to go and meet their son alone . Minato was afraid that their son would blindly lash out at his mother if given an opportunity if there were not a strong enough deterrent preventing him from doing so . Which is why Minato wished to accompany his wife on this mission .
Kushina had managed to convince her husband against accompanying her on the mission . She was of the opinion that the meeting with her son would be far more cordial if only she were present . As a compromise she had agreed to take one of her husband's three pronged Hiraishin kunai as last resort .
As she let her mind wander she reached the end of the forest through which she was tree hopping through . In front of her lay fertile grasslands and a small dirt road which showed signs of disuse as it was overgrown in many areas . After briefly looking at a map and a compass she confirmed her present coordinates before she started following the road .
After a few more miles the road became almost parallel to the coastline and started cresting a steep cliff . As she approached near the top of the cliff she could make out the figure of a person sitting on a boulder . Kushina was surprised by this since seldom anyone travelled to these remote parts . Keeping her guard up she slowed down her pace from a full out sprint to a light jog .
As she approached nearer she could make out more features of the person sitting on the boulder . It appeared to be a blonde male with slightly tanned skin . Kushina could not shake of the feeling of familiarity . It was as if she knew the person very well . As she got even closer she felt a sudden jolt of realization as the face of the person she was looking at was almost identical to Minato's when he was younger . With a start she realized she was looking at her grown up son's face for the first time .
Kushina did not believe this could be a simple coincidence . Either he had been informed about her mission beforehand . Or there was some truth to the rumors about the esoteric abilities he supposedly possessed .
As Kushina finally came to a stop standing directly in front of her son she got her first look at his eyes in years . She was shocked to find that the oceanic blue eyes had been replaced with luminescent yellow which possessed no pupils . His eyes looked like twin miniaturized suns.
Naruto was fiddling around with a simple rubik's cube while seeming to be completely content to ignore her presence . Kushina knew very well that he was aware of her presence but he made no move to turn to face her or to put down his rubik's cube .
She had long wondered what she would say to her errant son when she met him again . How she would plead for his forgiveness and how she would try to explain the circumstances which led to his disownment which ultimately led to him quietly leaving his home village in the dead of the night .
Now that he was sitting right in front of her she found herself to be completely tongue tied unable to even vocalize a simple greeting .
That wasn't even the worst part as the feelings of relief started to fade a bit she started to take notice of the feelings she had been previously ignoring .
Kushina had been gifted at birth with a very powerful sixth sense . It was unlike any other sensory ability anyone possessed . To put it simply she could discern crudely any ones intent , personality and capability by just being in their immediate surroundings . No matter of disguises physical or conceptual could fool her unique ability .
As the relief ebbed away she could concentrate more on the feelings her sons presence was eliciting . Her son had always been pure even as a child . If it were a color she would associate with her son it would be white . It seemed her sons purity had only strengthened over time . But it had also changed in a way it had become colder almost like it would in no way tolerate any impurity around it . Concentrating harder she also got a crude measure of his capability . She almost recoiled in shock as she realized that she was standing in front of a very dangerous person who if she was not mistaken was a true S ranked shinobi .
Relief was quickly mixed in with fear in equal measure . She clutched her husband's kunai in her jacket pocket trying to draw some courage from the fact that her husband could be summoned in an instant if she needed him .
It seemed Naruto was growing impatient with her dilly dallying and decided to start the conversation instead of waiting for her to gather her nerve .
"Hello Kushina , it's been a long time " Naruto said his voice was barely above a whisper . Naruto put down his rubik's cube and turned his head to face her for the first time .
Her sons voice which she had remembered being so warm and inviting was now cold like an arctic wind . There was not even a hint of emotion in it either positive or negative .
Worse yet he had completely forgone addressing her with his customary 'ma' or 'mom' which he used to use commonly when addressing her . She would have even preferred he used the childish but irritating nickname 'Huskina' (which was actually a mangled form of her name) which he gave her and used often when he was feeling particularly annoyed with her .
Before she could even open her mouth to respond Naruto continued speaking .
"You came, just as I predicted you would . I took the liberty of choosing a location you would feel more comfortable with" said Naruto . Kushina knew he was not speaking about the breathtaking scenery but about the fact that the surroundings were nice and open providing good opportunities for escape and enough places to hide if the meeting were to turn sour .
"This is where we will hold our conversation in it you ask me to help save your daughter from the Akatsuki but why would I help a family , a village which I no longer have any stake in ?" Naruto asked his voice was calm detached even .
Kushina was shocked by the realization that Naruto was already aware of her daughter's fate . But that realization was secondary in nature to the one that Naruto would not help his sister if not given a good enough reason . What was so shocking and heart breaking was the realization that Naruo did not consider helping a person who he had loved more than anyone who in turn loved and adored him with all her heart and had never done anything to hurt him a good enough reason .
This realization brought a tidal wave of anger which washed away all the feelings of fear which were plaguing her. The anger became a substitute of courage and let her speak for the first time in the presence of her grown up son.
" What happened in the past happened between me , your father and you . Nariko had nothing to do with it . She has always loved and idolized you . Are you telling me you are willing to sacrifice your sister over a grudge she had nothing to do with?" Questioned Kushina her voice could barely conceal the rage she was feeling .
Kushina could not even detect the slightest bit of change in her son even after her emotional outburst . He seemed to be completely unaffected . Was there anything left of the child she remembered in this teenager . He was becoming more of a stranger every passing minute .
"You are mistaken Kushina . You mistake me for some simple civilian who carries and holds grudges . I hold no ill will towards you or your family . But that in no way means that I hold any love for you or your family either" said Naruto his voice was like dead winter there was absolutely no warmth to it at all .
Kushina was shocked she did not even know it was possible for anyone to project such casual disinterest about someone they had loved at one point in time . It was like Naruto was talking about the weather and not about the life of a loved one.
Seeing as this conversation was not going anywhere Kushina decided to change tracks and tried to appeal to her sons better nature .
" Please Naruto help your sister . If not for me do it for Nariko and Yariko's sake. Help her if you really care for them" pleaded Kushina there was a note of desperation in her voice now .
"When you and Minato disowned me I left Konoha did that not show that I cared?" Asked Naruto the slightest hint of curiosity entered his voice .
That was true . If Naruto had so chosen he could have made life quite unpleasant for the Namikaze-Uzumaki family . All he would have needed to do was become the poster boy of the unsavory elements present in Konoha like the Konoha elders who were vociferously opposed to Minato's rule as Hokage .
"It matters not either way . I will not aid you in your endeavor Kushina " said Naruto the barest hint of finality entering his voice .
Kushina was choked by a mixture of anger , guilt and shame . This teenager in front of her she could no longer recognize as her son . She had little to no doubt anymore that her son had become what had been prophesized by the great toad sage long ago.
(Normal POV)
"So that's it then ,you will let your sister die even though you could save her if you wanted to" asked Kushina her voice was wavering . She was very near tears now . Her son was breaking her heart and he apparently did not even care about that .
"You misunderstand me Kushina . I will not be part of the team which goes to rescue your daughter under any circumstance . But that in no way means I can't inform you of her whereabouts . This knowledge of course has a suitable price which must be first paid to obtain it" said Naruto .
They both knew he was not referring to something as simple as money or the like . Kushina wondered whether she would be able to afford the 'price' he was quoting .
"What do you want in turn?" Asked Kushina her voice was completely emotionally drained .
"Is it not fitting that information be bartered for information in turn . All I require from you is the knowledge of what transpired sixteen years ago when the Nine Tailed Fox attacked Konoha and by that I mean I want the real account of the events that transpired with absolutely no detail left out ." Said Naruto .
Kushina was surprised since she could find absolutely no plausible reason why Naruto was interested in events that happened so long ago . This proposal had come right out of the blue.
" What do you wish to do with this information? Better yet why do you want to know in the first place?" Asked Kushina , she could not suppress her growing curiosity at all.
With curiosity came a sense of foreboding which she could just not ignore .
For the first time a slight smile which was more like a gentle upturning of his lips graced Naruto's face .
"That is for me to know and you to find out" said Naruto in an enigmatic voice .
Seeing that Kushina was deep in thought weighing her options Naruto decided to give her a couple of minutes to make her decision . As time passed it seemed more and more unlikely Kushina would be able to make up her mind anytime soon.
"Before you accept my offer let me tell you that I can tell when people are trying to lie to me or are trying to deceive me . In case of any such deception our deal is off . Of course you can take some time to decide if you wish to accept my proposal or not" said Naruto .
If nothing else Naruto could never be accused of being impatient . He could afford to wait a few days before putting his plan in motion.
"How much time can I take to make a decision?" Asked Kushina.
She was only paying half her attention to the conversation now the other half was still judging the pros and cons of accepting the proposal.
"I am afraid a couple of days is the maximum I can give you . Anymore and we risk the information of Kimiko's whereabouts becoming stale ." Answered Naruto .
"If you do accept my proposal come here with the team which will be assembled to rescue Nariko in a couple of days" said Naruto.
Hearing that Kushina decided to take her leave and made a hasty exit . She did not want to remain in that oppressive place anymore . Her son was like a stranger now . She could not even imagine what life altering events he had experienced that changed him from a warm and caring boy into a cold and uncaring man. Kushina still had hope though , she still believed that if her son were to meet his sisters in person they would be able to help him come around .
Kushina increased her running speed . She was keen on getting home quickly since she had much to discuss with Minato, Jiraiya and Tsunade .
As Naruto quietly saw his mother's retreating form on the horizon his inner thoughts which he had never voiced came to the surface . "But mother , it is truly impossible to understand anyone other than yourself . Everything you see they are all lies." Said Naruto his words barely more than a whisper .
AN: Ranking system in this story will be slightly different . Here is the following:
D rank – Genin
C rank- Chunin
B rank-Jonin
A rank-Elite Jonin and black ops division
sA ( super A rank ) – My creation entirely these are people who are mistaken for being S ranked ninja but they aren't really . Kushina belongs to this rank.
S rank-Legendary shinobi . The S rank is further divided into three categories Lower S rank ,Middle S rank and Upper S rank . As an example Naruto belongs to the lower S rank bordering on the middle S rank . The S rank ninja stand a head and shoulders above all other ninja . They are extremely dangerous even to their fellow S rank ninja . Never in history have there ever been more than thirty S ranked ninja at a time.
Detailed ranking will be given in next chapter .
