The Eye of Chaos
By: Psycho Supernova
A/N: OMG this took forever. I'm so so so so so so so so so SOOOOO sorry. I've been sick on and off since before Christmas, and I've been so caught up with studying for my Japanese II class, and I've been stuck on this chapter for so long that I just couldn't get any work done on it for a while. Please forgive me minna. Gomen nasai gozaimasu. I totally meant to have this done before I went to Anime Boston, but that didn't quite work out. I, unfortunately, had been struck by that terrible menace to writers and fanfiction everywhere known as writers block. I will continue to muddle through, but consider this an ongoing apology for any late chapters.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto universe, nor do I own the characters, or anything else from the series. I only own my OC's, my plots, the Chronogan, a bunch of posters, my fantasies (heehee), an art book, assorted merchandise, and the Naruto action figure Ashley (JustMione) got me for my birthday :D
Argh! My wireless internet signal keeps going in and out XX. It's really frustrating. Crap. It's gone. I need new internet. Daddy, please get wireless when we hook up the new computer! ;;
Thanks to Deathdingle for being my Beta. 3 You rule!
"Talking"
/Thoughts/
/Kyuubi, demon, and supernatural figure speaking/
/Kyuubi, demon, and supernatural figure thinking/
Random generally somewhat important author rant before the chapter begins
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Previously on The Eye of Chaos:
Kenji rested his hands on Naruto's temples.
"You're going to feel a pressure behind your eyes. It's just me checking to see how far they've developed."
Naruto frowned.
"How?"
Kenji thought for a moment,
"It's one of the Chronogans powers. We can use our chakra to Read, or See that of another Uzumaki. But it's not reading like a book, or seeing the way the Hyuuga clan does. We'll explain everything after we start your official training. But first, I need to do this."
Naruto nodded. Kenji took a deep breath, and focused out, closing his own eyes in the process. He stretched out his seldom used chakra and Looked at Narutos Chronogan with it. His eyes snapped open with a gasp. Naruto looked at him, not liking the look on his face. Kenji shook his head,
"Definitely most unusual."
He contemplated deeply, while Naruto looked on in worry.
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He looked down at Naruto,
"I need to do a full examination of your Chronogan. If what Kenji Saw is true, then you could be in deep trouble."
Naruto stood, frowning.
"Why? What did he see?"
Reiji looked at him for a moment.
"The Chronogan wakes slowly, over the course of several months. Sometimes years, depending on its strength. Yours, however, seems to have come awake and into maturity all at once, which can be deadly. Now follow me."
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Reiji stood up, and began pacing.
"Did you know that for every year you age, your chakra coils grow another microscopic layer? Almost like the rings on a tree. Unlike a tree, however, you wouldn't slice a coil horizontally to see its layers, but vertically. The Chronogan always leaves a trace when it starts to activate. Because of how powerful it is, it thickens the coil layers, and starts to increase the Uzumakis reserves, giving us an insane amount of chakra and stamina. From what I Read in your coils, your Eye started to come awake twelve years ago, about the time you turned three."
Naruto looked at him surprised. Reiji looked down at him.
"Your Eyes can come into full maturity at any time. You must be trained straight away, or else you will have no control when the Eyes other abilities start activating."
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Chapter 7: Training Begins
Reiji led Naruto to the back of the house. The old man faced him.
"First lesson: I want you to focus your chakra into your eyes and activate the Chronogan."
Naruto complied easily. Reiji nodded.
"Now, I want you to concentrate on that tree."
He pointed to a large oak a few yards beyond where they were standing. Naruto concentrated on it, feeling slightly silly. Reiji nodded.
"Now, I want you to mold chakra into your eyes and visualize yourself next to the tree."
Naruto nodded and stared harder at the tree. When nothing happened right away he frowned and pushed more chakra into his eyes. For a second, it seemed like nothing would happen again, then he felt a searing pain behind his eyes. He closed them, gasping out first in pain, and then in shock when he hit something solid. A moment later, he felt his grandfathers hands on his shoulders,
"Naruto! Look at me. Are you alright?"
The young blonde opened his eyes painfully and, after noting that the something solid was in fact a rather large tree, looked around,
"Where are we?"
Reiji sighed; relieved that Naruto appeared fine.
"We are on the other side of the compound. You used far too much chakra, and thus you overshot your target by a significant distance. You are lucky to be uninjured."
Naruto grimaced.
"That seems to be the theme with me. Always too much."
He sighed. Electric blue eyes scanned the landscape curiously.
"I don't see the house…exactly how far did I go?"
Reiji surprised him by giving an amused smile.
"About two acres."
He chuckled at the astonished look on the youngsters face. Naruto stood up, leaning on the very tree that had knocked him down. His grandfather shook his head.
"If only we had gotten you sooner."
He sighed and rubbed a hand across his aged face,
"Your Eye is very strong, to send you such a distance with no damage to your Eyes."
Naruto cocked his head to the side, confused.
"I thought that was because I used too much chakra."
Reiji shook his head.
"Not entirely Naruto. That is why your Eyes burned, and why you ended up so far. However, if your Chronogan wasn't powerful, you would have suffered extreme damage. Even the strongest of us now trained, cannot travel such distances like you did. I myself had to travel in several bursts to get to you. "
The fifteen year old stared at him.
"You've gotta be shitting me. There's no way."
Reiji winced at his coarse language.
"I am being serious Naruto. You're Eye will be much stronger than mine once it's fully active, and I have the strongest Chronogan in living existence at the moment."
At the look of awe his grandson gave him, Reiji couldn't help but feel a bit proud of himself, as though having such a strong genetic trait was his own doing. He hadn't felt like that, since his children were very small. He patted Naruto on the shoulder,
"Shall we try it again? This time I want you to concentrate on a tree every twenty feet, until we get within sighting distance of the house. When you can see it, I want you to concentrate on that instead. Ok?"
Naruto nodded.
"Right, trees, twenty feet, house. Got it."
"And use less chakra."
The blonde wrinkled his nose,
"Alright."
Naruto focused on a tree, and concentrated. After a moment his vision blurred a bit and he was, if not right by the tree he had been focused on, then certainly near it. He grinned at his victory, and repeated the process. In no time at all, he could see the house in the distance. He focused on it, but in his excitement didn't focus quite enough. He suddenly found himself tripping and landing face first next to a large laundry basket.
"Itai!!"
He sat up, rubbing his nose. A giggle caught his attention. He looked around, and saw that the source of the noise was a red haired girl, not much older then him. He glared,
"Oi! What are you laughing at?"
The girl bit her lip to keep in her mirth and gave him a slight bow.
"Forgive me. It is just that it is most unusual to have a boy your age suddenly crashing by my laundry. And even stranger yet for it to be a boy as…colorfully dressed as you."
Naruto frowned. She smiled at him,
"Please do not be angry stranger-san. I am Suki, and you?"
Naruto sighed, and got up.
"Naruto."
Sukis light blue eyes twinkled with good humor,
"You have an interesting name Naruto-san. And you have the Chronogan, and you look very familiar…yet," her face turned inquisitive, "I have never seen you before."
The blonde looked down, suddenly uncomfortable.
"Oh. Yeah…I've never been here before."
The red head blinked.
"That cannot be right…you are of Uzumaki blood aren't you?"
Naruto nodded. The girls brow furrowed in confusion.
"I'm afraid I don't understand how this is possible."
"Naruto? Naruto! Where have you gone?"
Both heads perked up at the shout. Naruto faced the direction it came from,
"Over here!!"
A flash later and Reiji stood before him with an accusing frown.
"You did not concentrate hard enough, and so you fell short of your target."
The fifteen year old sighed.
"Damn. And I was getting it for a little while too."
A soft smile replaced the frown on the old mans face. He clapped Naruto on the shoulder,
"It's all right. You did rather well for your first conscious attempts."
He noticed the girl behind him, and grinned,
"I see you've met Suki."
Naruto nodded. Reiji smiled at the girl,
"Suki, I hope you were nice to your cousin."
Suki looked puzzled.
"Um, hai grandfather…but how is he a cousin?"
"He is the son of your uncle Arashi."
Her pale blue eyes widened.
"Goodness! No wonder he looked familiar then! I've seen Okaasans photos of Otooji, and they look very much alike."
She surprised the fifteen year old by throwing her arms around his neck and giving him an enthusiastic kiss on the cheek.
"Welcome home!"
Naruto stumbled back holding his cheek. He looked at his grandfather, unsure of how to react. Reiji chuckled at his grandsons discomfited look.
"Suki is apparently pleased to have you as a relative Naruto."
The blonde nodded, still a bit uncertain.
"So I noticed…"
Suki clapped her hands together in delight,
"This is wonderful cousin! I cannot wait to have another chance to speak with you."
She smiled,
"But for now I must bring the laundry inside. Until next time Naruto-kun."
She kissed his cheek before he could react, grabbed her laundry, and was gone in a flash.
Naruto rubbed his cheek, still looking at where his newly discovered relative had been standing.
"I think this family thing's gonna take a while to get used to…"
Reiji's smile dropped at that.
"Naruto..."
The teen glanced at him, and grinned.
"Aw come on. Don't go all emo on me gramps, that's Teme's job."
Reiji looked at him confused,
"I beg your pard-"
"Race ya to the house!"
With a look of concentration, and a flash Naruto was gone, leaving his grandfather suspended in mid word. The older man sighed in frustration.
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Kakashi sighed and leaned back against the back wall of the house; attention off the open orange novel for once.
'I wonder where Naruto's dissapeared off to.'
The silver haired jounin glanced around before locking his gaze on a figure in the distance. As he watched, the person drew closer until he could make out Yunka. The frail old woman caught sight of him and made her way to his side.
"You're that Jounin. The one who brought my grandson home for training."
Kakashi nodded.
"Hai."
To his surprise, she reached over and pinched his arm. He looked at her in amazement,
"You pinched me."
The old woman glared at him.
"You put that horrid piece of trash away! I will not have that filth open in our compound. Honestly," she continued after plucking the book out of the stunned ninja's hands, "what would Arashi say if he saw his old student reading this?"
She crossed her arms.
"I certainly didn't expect this from you. That dark haired teammate of yours maybe. He rather struck me as a trouble maker."
Kakashi shook off his shock, only to return to it once her last statement sank in.
"You remember us?"
Yunka gave a small sigh.
"Of course I remember you…Arashi was so proud of the three of you…Even though I would have been far happier if he had listened to us…"
Kakashi remained silent after she trailed off. Yunka had the incredibly sad look of someone looking back on something they could never have; or in her case, never have again. The older woman shook her head with a sigh.
"You brought my grandson to us though…I suppose he would never even have existed if Arashi hadn't disobeyed."
"No he wouldn't have."
Yunka sighed and offered up a sad smile.
"I hear he is the spitting image of his father. Is it true?"
Kakashi allowed an unseen smile to cross his face.
"Yes. You're in for a bit of a shock Uzumaki-san. He looks so much like sensei, but acts so much like his mother. It's amazing what a perfect mix he is, without ever having their influence."
Yunka took hold of Kakashis arm and started to lead him into the house.
"I want to hear more about my grandson. Come tell me."
The jounin allowed himself to be lead into the house.
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Naruto winced when he ended up in a shrub about fifty feet from the house.
"Damn it!"
Reiji appeared beside him a moment later. He turned an amused look on his grandson,
"I can see your training will most likely be rather eventful. Can you extract yourself without assistance?"
Naruto made a face.
"Yeah."
He wrestled his way out of the horribly abused bush with a grumble. Reiji shook his head.
"Back to the house. Walk this time please."
Naruto nodded and fell into step with the older man.
"Sorry."
"Don't be. The Chronogan is something you should have been trained in slowly over the course of your entire life. You are not to blame for your late entry into the family."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head.
"Maybe not, but I feel like I should be getting this better."
His grandfather looked at him surprised.
"Good Heavens boy. It's your first day training. You can't honestly expect to get it so quickly!"
Naruto grinned ruefully.
"Sorry. I guess I'm just impatient."
"Understandably so, but this takes time."
They reached the house a minute later. Upon entry, they were startled by a surprised gasp. Yunka walked to them, eyes riveted on the younger male,
"Oh my. You really do look just like my baby."
She reached up and cupped his face,
"Well almost."
She gave him a watery smile.
"I can see the obvious differences. The shape of your eyes, for example, must have come from your mothers side."
Naruto stared at her wide-eyed.
"Uh-"
Yunka hugged him.
"Forgive me dear. You must be terribly confused. I am your grandmother, Uzumaki Yunka."
"Oh."
He hugged her back tentively.
"Um. I'm Naruto. Uh…"
The old woman laughed softly into his shoulder.
"So nervous. I promise I don't bite."
The fifteen year old smiled sheepishly.
"I'm not used to grandmothers. The only old lady I know acts more like a sister to me then anything."
Yunka reached up and smooted his bangs away from his hita-ate covered forehead.
"You'll just have to get used to having one I suppose."
Naruto nodded. To his surprise, he felt completely at ease with her.
/She feels safe Kit. That's why you're comfortable. I like her."
Yunkas brow furrowed with confusion when Narutos head cocked to the side, as if listening to something. The young blonde grinned widely at her.
"The Furball likes you."
"Furball?"
Naruto furhter confused her by frowning at her loss.
"You didn't know…I'm a Jinchuuriki. Otousan sealed the Kyuubi inside of me."
Yuunka's eyes widened.
"He did what? Good Gods!"
She pulled him down to eye level.
"Are you alright? The fox doesn't hurt you does he?"
Naruto shook his head, surprised.
"No. He's actually kind of become my friend."
"Where's the seal?"
"My stomach-hey!"
Yunka lifted up the front of his shirt.
"Channel some chakra boy. I want to see it."
Confused, Naruto did as she asked. His grandmother examined the seal minutely for several minutes.
"He did a solid job. Nice to see his education wasn't wasted."
Naruto turned to his grandfather for explanation. Reiji nodded toward his wife.
"Your grandmother's a sealing master."
Yunka let the shirt fall back into place with a sigh.
"Indeed. I taught your father everything I knew about sealing. That perverted sensei of his taught him the rest."
Reiji looped one arm around his wife and the other around his grandson.
"Speaking of senseis, perhaps we'd better find Kakashi-san?"
"No need."
Yunka pointed down the hall.
"We talked for a bit and then he went off to take a look at his and Narutos rooms."
"Ah."
The old man began to walk down the hall, taking the two still trapped by his arms with him.
"Which rooms love? I would like to speak with him."
Yunka nodded.
"I gave them the two at the end of the West Hall on the second floor."
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The trio poked their heads into Kakashis room. The silver haired shinobi was in the process of rewrapping the hilt of one of his kunai. He looked up at their entrance.
"There's my student. I was wondering what had happened to him."
Reiji disentangled himself from his relatives and strode over to Kakashis side.
"I wish to speak with you."
The jounin raised an eyebrow.
"About?"
"My grandsons training."
"Past, present, or future?"
"All three. It may become necessary to involve you."
Kakashi looked thoughtful.
"I see. That would mean exposing some of the Chronogans secrets to an outsider, wouldn't it?"
Reiji nodded.
"Yes. How many, and which ones will depend entirely on our discussion. If we could speak privately in my office?"
Kakashi rose.
"Lead the way."
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A/N: Oh. My. Gods. It. Is. DONE!! It took me forever, and it's a page or two shorter then the previous ones, but it's done. It's also 3:00 in the morning and I have work tomarrow. I'm tired, and I'm stressed.
Izzy: Her car broke down on the highway. Then she had to wait in the cold for half an hour for her dad to come get her, and another 45 minutes for the tow truck.
P.S: Shush Izzy.
Izzy: She's also distracted by the Role Play she's in on LJ.
P.S: That is true. I very much enjoy playing Shuichi (Gravitation) and Vanyel (The Last Herald Mage trilogy). Really though Izzy, how do you keep getting loose?
Izzy: Shrugs. Why ask me? I'm a figment of your imagination after all.
P.S: …That is also true. Well, anyway. I'm tired and now that I am car-less for the time being I'm going to have a hell of a time getting to school and work…and back home. -- I hope my car gets fixed soon. On a lighter note, was anyone else at Anime Boston? It'd be funny if we ran into each other. Let me know and I'll tell you my cosplays. Maybe we met and didn't realize it. (How weird would that be?)
INDEX
Otooji: Uncle.
(A/N: Wow. Only one word this time. And no random explanations…this time.)
