Asura's Transmigrant
Chapter 21: His Imperial Highness
Previously:
"…They've come for you."
Naruto's fists clenched in anger. Though his eyes were scrunched shut, a lone tear falling along his cheek betrayed his feelings. Sayuri could not find words to console him.
When he spoke again, his voice was no longer the same.
"…They murdered my kin... extracted their bijū…and now they're here for me... They only had to get me, but now they've destroyed the village too… so many lives lost... I could've stopped this…" Naruto muttered in a soliloquy, slowly descending into madness. Hatred seeped into his veins like venom, poisoning his heart and clouding his mind.
Sayuri was alarmed, for he reminded him of her past self - hateful, and more likely than not, vengeful. "Naruto-"
"IT'S MY FAULT!" he screamed in despair as he faced the sky. His eyes flew open, revealing red pupils marked with a single vulpine slit. Their vermilion glow mimicked the cursed dōjutsu of the Uchiha.
Sayuri fought her instincts screaming at her to flee from the terrifying aura he was emitting, and forced herself to hug him. "Naruto-kun… you could never have prevented this. Don't blame yourself - if anyone's at fault, it would be the Akatsuki."
She felt warm tears hit her shoulder as his hatred died down, and understood at that moment the loneliness he must've felt. He was literally the last of his kind, and today, jinchūrikis might become extinct once and for all.
No. She would never let that happen on her watch.
The blond in her arms then broke the hug, fists clenched. "I've got a vendetta to carry out," he declared.
She allowed a smirk to form on her face in spite of the damning situation. "Nothing I'm not used to. Let's go."
The Uchiha made to dispel the Gedō Mazō, causing a sudden gasp to escape her lips as she felt agony shoot through her body. The gigantic statue vanished in a plume of smoke and consumed part of her life force together with it.
"Sayuri!" Naruto caught her before she collapsed to the floor, her laboured breaths making it clear to the Uzumaki that she was in no condition to participate in this fight.
"Don't... worry about me…" said Sayuri, smiling weakly through the intense pain. Naruto shushed her as he picked her up bridal style and deactivated the Musekiyōjin before returning to the house.
As he laid her down to rest in bed, she murmured, "Kick their asses for me… will you?" The blond nodded. "I will make sure there's nothing left of them after I'm done." Before he finished his sentence though, the Uchiha stopped responding as the strain placed upon her by summoning the life-absorbing statue had finally robbed her of her consciousness.
With that, he swiftly exited the house, ensuring the compound's safety barriers were in place to protect his wife.
Epicentre of Shinra Tensei
Konohagakure had been transformed into a wasteland, its former glory reduced to nothing except what little remained on its outskirts. Much of its central business district had been totally flattened, and the humongous spherical crater left by the jutsu showed the power of the person he was about to face.
On his way, he saw scenes of utter death and destruction. Corpses of his fellow villagers were strewn all over the debris from their former houses, many of which had collasped from the Shinra Tensei. The thought made his blood boil; his fingernails pressed even harder into his palms, drawing blood.
In the centre of the crater stood a group of shinobi cloaked in the signature attire of the Akatsuki. Another familiar figure faced them - the Fifth Hokage, accompanied by one of her ANBU.
Tsunade glared at them. "You will pay for this!"
The Uzumaki descended upon them, alighting with a boom as his feet slammed the ground. "Leave, Tsunade-baachan… you shouldn't have to deal with the likes of such scum personally."
Her eyes widened. "Naruto-"
"I said leave," he snapped. It was clear in his tone that he wasn't leaving any room for discussion. "Fighting while protecting people will be troublesome." The Hokage grimaced reluctantly and let her cat-masked guard take her to a safer place.
"So... you've come on your own accord," said one of the men, who he could sense had just exhausted a large amount of chakra - implying that he was the culprit behind the jutsu that had obliterated the village. "Wonderful, Uzumaki Naruto. You've saved us much trouble."
Behind him stood five others, of which all also had orange hair save one. Every single one of them was adorned with the exalted Rinnegan, immediately making this a hundred times harder.
The apparent leader raised his hands, gesturing at the landscape around him. "Surrender yourself in the name of peace... no one else will have to die because of your refusal to give up the Kyūbi."
The Uzumaki gritted his teeth. "Peace? Look around you... how does any of this look like peace?!" Naruto roared.
"You don't understand. Pain is a part of peace. Without sacrifice there will never be peace... It seems you'll have to learn this the hard way," said the leader, his tone never changing.
With sudden speed, he appeared before the blond and thrust a black rod towards his gut. Before it could pierce his skin, Naruto caught it with his right hand shrouded in orange chakra.
The Uzumaki growled and disarmed the leader with a forceful squeeze which shattered the chakra receiver, but not before the man buried his foot into his chest in retaliation.
Naruto flipped and skidded to a stop a few metres away, but his opponent gave him no respite, attempting to land on him with a stomp of his feet.
He quickly rolled away and recovered with a push off from a handstand, narrowly avoiding his enemy's low sweep.
The shine of metal in the distance caught his eye, alerting him to the projectile that was about to be fired at him. With great urgency, he slammed his palms together and erected a defence just as the leader jumped away from the incoming missile launched by the bald Akatsuki member.
"Mokuton: Mokujōheki (Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall)!"
The explosion blasted against the stalwart wooden defence, throwing up a cloud of smoke which filled the air.
The ground beneath the bald man burst open, revealing an angry Naruto about to split his skull with an aerial stab of his kunai.
The man's cloak was ripped open from the inside, exposing a giant blade which penetrated the blond. Alas, his skin shimmered before turning into an electric blue as raiton chakra discharged through the man, frying him and all his metallic body parts.
"Raiton Kage Bunshin…" noted the leader.
A high-pitched whirring caught their attention next. From the cover of dust and smoke, a giant fūma shuriken composed of fūton chakra sliced through the air at high speeds, expanding as it approached the six nukenin.
One of the larger men jumped in front of the team, reaching out with his hands. As the Rasenshuriken struck his hands, a transparent sphere enveloped him, siphoning chakra from the jutsu and dispelling it into mere smoke.
The other members looked on in surprise as the dust cleared, revealing an unscathed Naruto - but what caught their attention was the fact that his eyes had orange pigmentation.
The leader narrowed his Rinnegan. "We've been had."
The large man was now nothing more than a stone statue.
The Uzumaki charged at the five remaining, noting that the one at the back of the formation had summoned the King of Hell and was in the process of restoring the bald man. So it appeared each of the six only used one of the Paths of the Rinnegan - and as he had expected, whichever one who was the Preta Path would take the bait by throwing a powerful jutsu at them.
The only female in the group weaved hand seals which Naruto recognised as a summoning technique, and slammed her palms on the floor. As he closed the distance between them, two giant rhinos burst into existence and stampeded towards him.
The blond did not lose speed, crossing his fingers in the signature shadow clone hand seal while extending his sage-enhanced senses to determine the natural frequency of the rhinos. Two clones appeared and clapped their hands together as they leapt into the air.
"Senpō: Kawazu Naki (Sage Art: Frog Call)!"
They forcefully expelled senjutsu chakra built up in their throats as immensely powerful soundwaves which oscillated harmomically at the large beasts' natural frequency. Energy built up rapidly in their bodies, paralyzing them in their tracks while the original slipped past them until they finally exploded into chakra smoke from the resonance.
Without warning, one of the members sprung into action, lunging at him with a black rod. As he swiftly parried the weapon with his own kunai, he analysed the situation.
This one must've been the Ningendō - the rest had shown their abilities. Since they wanted him alive, the man currently before him would be useless ninjutsu-wise from what Sayuri had told him about the sole killing technique possessed by this Path.
Naruto twisted away from a thrust of the receiver and seized it with his left hand while ramming his kunai down onto the opponent's right hand, disarming him. The Uzumaki then stabbed the man with the borrowed rod and smited him across the face with a sharp blow of his kunai, causing him to double over.
All eyes were on him, and the man was certainly fast enough to dodge the incoming fist aimed at his head even in his pained state. What he couldn't see, however, was the tremendous amount of natural energy around it.
The air rippled as the percussive strike blasted the man towards the King of Hell like a rag doll. Beads of sweat rolled down the Uzumaki's head as he proceeded to sprint towards the Naraka Path.
The woman from earlier dropped in front of him and swung her arm in an arc, hoping to clothesline the blond. The Konoha-nin quickly dropped to his knees and slid beneath her outstretched arm before recovering to his feet and pushing off as fast as he could.
With a high jump, he leapt towards the annoying entity that kept reviving his foes, and cocked his fist back as natural energy amassed rapidly around it.
"Kawazu-"
He was interrupted by an invisible force that wrapped around his ankle, yanking him down towards the floor before he could reach the King Of Hell.
The natural energy the Uzumaki had gathered dissipated as he slammed into the ground face first, and the slimy tongue of the hidden chameleon withdrew from his leg.
"Sit," barked the leader coldly as he drove two rods into his legs. With a harsh kick, he flipped the blond over and stabbed another chakra receiver into his shoulder.
He hissed, excruciating pain coursing through his muscles. "You will never have him," Naruto muttered.
The man cocked his head to the side. "I think not." Glancing at him with his Rinnegan, the agony was amplified hundredfold as his chakra invaded the Uzumaki's system. The image of the divine dōjutsu bore into his head, branding itself into his mind.
"Yield, Kyūbi."
"NEVER IN A THOUSAND YEARS!" Naruto screamed, his body beginning to shake violently. Wisely, the man took a step back - moments before a golden shockwave of chakra to match the Shinra Tensei sent him hurtling away, and shattered the petrified form of the Gakidō.
The rods were ejected from his body, leaving steam to rise from the wounds as they closed up. Naruto stood up slowly, his body shrouded by ancestral chakra like an ethereal flame.
The members of the Akatsuki recovered quickly to face the new threat posed by their quarry. "Just in time," uttered the Tendō as he flexed his fingers, energy returning to his chakra-exhausted body. "Chibaku Tensei!"
A small black mass shot skywards, pulling slabs of rock in the vicinity as well as the Uzumaki towards it. The rocky prison quickly transformed into a sphere as more rubble piled onto its surface, trapping the human torch.
"Got him-"
The surface of the satellite rippled before exploding, its constituent debris falling back to the earth like a mini meteor shower which peltered the flattened village.
"… I stand corrected," said the Tendō, observing the expanding black orb which emerged from what was formerly his satellite.
Just as suddenly as it had come, the jet black sphere retracted into smaller and denser orbs which formed an arc behind Naruto's back. The levitating Konoha-nin rocketed towards the Jigokudō and his summon, a large spike manifesting threateningly from his Gūdo Dama while airborne.
The leader quickly extended his hand towards the jinchūriki and exerted a gravitational pull on him. "Banshō Tenin!"
The space between the two of them seemed to shorten as the air warped in an attempt to drag Naruto away from the Naraka Path. The man's purple eyes widened when the Uzumaki exceeded escape velocity and shot out of his gravitational field.
With a wave of his hand, the blond fired a volley of Truth-Seeking Balls at the King of Hell. The entity that had just finished restoring the Human Path was quickly dispelled by its owner before it could be destroyed.
Alas, the black orbs found a new target and buried themselves in the chest of the Naraka Path. Within moments, he disintegrated as the ultra destructive spheres expanded rapidly.
The Ningendō leapt away as Naruto landed nearby and quickly jumped after him. He extended a chakra claw, seizing the Path in mid air. The Uzumaki closed the distance and slammed his right hand into his chest, sending the Human Path crashing into a crater on the ground.
Without warning, the spot Naruto had contacted earlier with his palm turned dark as four trigrams appeared on the Ningendō's chest.
From it, black lines spurted out with a consistency like ink, forming a sphere around them. The four trigrams appeared momentarily on the sphere's surface before it rapidly expanded to the size of one of the faces on the Hokage Rock.
Without hesitation, the three remaining Akatsuki members got out of range of the sphere just in time to avoid everything inside it collapsing and being sucked into the chest of the Human Path.
As he skidded to a stop, the leader raised one of his eyebrows. "The Ura Shishō Fūin (Reverse Tetragram Sealing)… an S-rank Uzumaki fūinjutsu that you applied within moments, and without hand seals either. You truly are a formidable opponent, Uzumaki Naruto."
The blond was even more surprised. The seal was set to activate upon death. How the hell had it activated straight away while he was alive? Unless….
Naruto closed his eyes, and instantly the world became dark save three flickering blue flames before him. Their chakra signature was exactly the same. How had he not noticed this before? In his rage, had he been blinded?
If their chakra were to be likened to rivers, the three Akatsuki members were tributaries. The source of this river was somewhere else. If he was right, the puppets before him were mere corpses controlled by a greater power.
A high pitched whirring tore him out of his thoughts, and when his eyes flew open, he was greeted by the sight of a large chakra-charged shell on the bore of the Shuradō's arm cannon.
The supercharged projectile sliced through the air quickly towards him. As swiftly as his will would allow it, Naruto drew all his Truth-Seeking Balls into a shield in front of him.
A bright flash of blue filled the air, followed by a deafening boom.
Seven more rockets bombarded the Gūdo Dama barricade, forcing the Uzumaki to continue taking cover.
"Last warning, Uzumaki Naruto. Or more of this-" said the Shuradō, pausing to fire a missile at the Hokage Rock, "- will happen."
Chakra blasted through the monument easily, wiping out all of the faces in an instant and triggering a landslide. The rocks tumbled off the side of the cliff face and crushed the buildings directly below it.
"NO!" How dare they destroy his last piece of tangible memory of his father and his adoptive grandfather? How dare they destroy his home?
Naruto jumped out from his cover, avoiding the artillery shells which now flew in an arc towards him. The black shield hummed for a moment before reappearing suddenly as separate rods which penetrated and detonated the munitions before they could hit him.
"CORPSES SHOULD STAY DEAD!" roared the blond, just as he disappeared. Immediately, the three were on guard, scanning the ruined land around them for signs of their quarry.
They weren't prepared for the angered jinchūriki to materialise suddenly before the Asura Path, his right hand glowing with tremendous golden fire that was even brighter than the cloak which adorned him.
It took only a second for Naruto to thrust his fist into the Path's body, which immediately disintegrated upon impact. All matter that was previously behind the Shuradō was displaced for kilometres and formed a humongous vacuum. The surrounding air rushed in at breakneck speeds, seeking to fill the void.
Consequently, the resulting gale sucked the two Paths towards Naruto. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" intoned the Animal Path, summoning an avian beast which they jumped on to escape the violent windstorm.
The Uzumaki's eyes narrowed, his hands crossing into a hand seal. "Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Numerous shadow clones flooded the sky, surrounding the pair mounted on the giant bird.
With a mental command, all two thousand of said clones converged on them, massive Rasengan in their hands.
Only two words boomed loudly as the assailants flew towards the Paths.
"SHINRA TENSEI!"
The air rippled with such force that all the clones were pushed back and dispelled at once - even the Animal Path and her summon were no exception. It seemed like this jutsu was on the same scale as the one that had first torn Konohagakure asunder, for whatever remained in the village save the Uzumaki compound was levelled.
Amazingly, one person withstood all this, and overcame it - one Uzumaki Naruto, who zipped through the air and reached the epicentre of the Deva Path technique faster than it pushed outwards.
The furious jinchūriki's hands found purchase on the body of the Tendō, where black markings started to crawl all over and paralyse the corpse.
Naruto stared into the purple eyes which adorned the man. "Make no mistake, Uzumaki. I already have your chakra signature and will hunt you down. I will show you that you don't have to be dead to be in Hell."
Seconds later, the powerful jutsu ceased; its caster, now robbed of his connection to his puppeteer, plunged through the sky.
Out of nowhere, dozens of sheets of paper enveloped the body before it could hit the ground. The fatigued blond had no time to rest with this new threat presented to him, and quickly traced the source of the chakra which controlled the paper.
He found the kunoichi in question somewhere in the distance, a middle aged woman with blue hair and piercing amber eyes. Most striking of all were the two massive wings of paper sprouting from her back which dwarfed her petite frame.
With a wave of her hand, a fleet of a thousand paper cranes soared towards him, each one marked with enough explosive tags to destroy a house.
"Give up, Uzumaki-san. Your sacrifice is necessary to stop all bloodshed in this world for good," came the voice of the woman.
"You say this, yet you and seven of your terrorist crew just wiped my entire village off the map! How can I yield the very entity which holds the balance?!" spat Naruto as he weaved hand seals.
"This ends NOW!"
With great concentration, the blond released an extensive pulse of chakra through the air, casting a fūinjutsu field which disabled all chakra within its spherical perimeter. Every piece of explosive tag in the vicinity was rendered useless, and all of the woman's paper constructs separated into loose sheets with no chakra to hold them together.
The Uzumaki quickly flew towards the forests where he had located the mastermind behind the corpses, not even bothering to watch as the woman plummeted to her death without the ability to mold chakra for her wings.
Western Forests
"ARGH!" Naruto screamed as he ploughed his fist into a giant tree, felling it. As the bark crashed away, it was revealed to be hollow. Seated on a throne of wood inside was a man who looked like he had not eaten for days. Though his body appeared weary, his powerful eyes led Naruto to keep his guard up as he lunged at him.
The man leapt out of his seat at the last moment, right before the blond collasped it. The younger Uzumaki gave chase, pouncing on the man with a quick punch.
Narrowly evading it, the older Uzumaki caught his fist and siphoned chakra from him at a rapid pace. With the revitalizing chakra of Asura, the man's hair regained its former red hue.
Naruto growled as his chakra cloak disappeared, and retaliated by ripping his hand out of his forceful grip. A second arm grew out from the older Uzumaki's right side and threw a punch.
The blond deflected this second arm to the side before seizing it along with the first right arm. Stepping back quickly, Naruto dropped his body into a kneel suddenly and yanked down on his hands, wheeling the redhead through the air before slamming him to the floor.
Almost immediately, the older Uzumaki's second right arm transformed into a cannon, forcing Naruto to swiftly push his arm aside as he attempted to blast him with chakra. The stray projectile flew at an adjacent tree and demolished it into smithereens.
The blond stood up and dragged his kinsman into a standing position before reaping his leg out from under him with a kick. Naruto swung him through the air briefly before letting go and delivering a harsh kick to the abdomen which propelled him in the direction of the village.
The blond rocketed through the air after him, engaging in a brief grappling match. Naruto snaked his hand past the defences of the older man before thrusting a palm at his face. The blow flipped him over, enabling the younger Uzumaki to initiate a variant of the Kage Buyō.
Naruto grabbed the leader of the Akatsuki by his ankles and wrapped his legs around his waist. With a quick spin, the two were locked in a fatal drop towards the village, with the redhead plunging headfirst.
"Hayabusa Otoshi (Peregrine Falcon Drop)!"
The blond disengaged just before the older Uzumaki slammed into the rock, springing away. The latter dislodged himself from the ground while hacking from a persistent cough.
The Akatsuki leader drew a long, hard breath. "Naruto... you think that you know true peace..." he uttered, his laboured voice evident as he got up to a kneel.
"But the truth is... you're foolish for thinking that peace will ever last without the pain of millions as a reminder." He punctuated this with a series of coughs.
Naruto's eyes narrowed in fury. "Don't you dare preach about peace. After what you've done... you have no right to speak about peace."
The red-haired man gave a bitter laugh. "You say this…because you are ignorant of the true nature of peace. You would not have learnt about the importance of peace had you not experienced this pain today...and yet you still refuse to do what is necessary for the greater good."
"This is peace?! The massacre of innocents in the pursuit of your deluded ideals?! You'll pay for it... for every single life you took... The longevity granted by our lineage will be your curse," Naruto swore right as he placed his hands together in the Snake seal.
"Mokuton: Jūjika (Wood Style: Crucifix)!"
A large cross fashioned out of rough timbre rose from the floor.
"Do it, then. It's merely another life taken in the name of peace," said the man, a smirk on his lips in spite of what was to come.
"Shut up," Naruto demanded, amassing mokuton chakra in his right hand. A long whip of interwoven branches materialised in his hand; strewn across it were shards of bone and metal.
The blond began to scourge the older Uzumaki, administering dozens of lashes which shredded the flesh of his back and reduced it to an unrecognizable mess of blood and ribbons of tissue. Throughout it, the man let out howls of agony, so loud that they could be heard by all throughout the village who were still alive.
Once he was whipped into a near-death state, Naruto discarded the tool. The dripping mess which the older Uzumaki had become was unable to stand any further, the searing pain that wrecked his body rendering him nearly immobile as he collapsed to the floor.
Seeing this, Naruto gripped his kinsman by the throat and slammed him against the crucifix he had erected. At this point, the leader of the Akatsuki could no longer resist.
A jet black rod manifested in the hand of the younger Uzumaki. With a cursory glance, Naruto brought the man's left arm up to the patibulum and swiftly drove the sharp implement through his wrist, severing his median nerve. Intense pain shot through his arm, eliciting a groan before blood frothed at his mouth.
A second rod was buried through his right wrist and into the hard wood, securing the older Uzumaki to the crossbar. Blood spilled out of his mouth in gory fashion, but even so, the man gazed at the blond defiantly with his Rinnegan.
The final chakra receiver materialised in his palm. As the jinchūriki plunged the last rod through the arches of his feet, nailing him to the stipes, his conscience evaporated, his innocence marred by the unnecessary blood on his hands.
With the crucifixion complete, Naruto's rage subsided as quickly as it had come. What was this emptiness…? He was supposed to feel satisfaction!The sudden loss of a goal led him to be greatly confused; it did not help that his vision swam with pain from overusing his chakra.
"The Curse of Hatred," said Asura with much sadness, perfectly putting a name to the indescribable emotion that his descendant had felt.
"I-I…I'm sorry, Asura-san. I've failed you," the blond whimpered as he fell to his knees. "I let my hatred consume me-"
"Shut up you worthless piece of shit," growled Kurama. "Now is not the time to be crying and bitching about how you fucked up. Look around you, all this damage… the villagers, half-dead. They need someone right now. Someone who can help them. And you best believe you're that someone."
Harsh as his words were, his bijū was right.
"Thank you… Kurama."
The Uzumaki got into a kneel, his hands forming the Reverse Ram hand seal. Asura warned, "Naruto, you sustained the Six Paths Sage Mode for over 30 minutes and your chakra is dangerously low. That might not be a good idea."
"It's the right thing to do. If I truly wish to be a Hokage, to lead my people, then I have to be prepared to serve - even if it takes my life."
For the second time that day, his chakra materialised as a cloak, along with its accompanying black orbs. They split up into hundreds of spheres the size of marbles which spread out across what was once the village, seeking out survivors to heal with their Yang chakra.
Suddenly, the Uzumaki coughed up blood before keeling over and collapsing to the floor with a thud. The roots of his hair began to bleach with the extreme exertion on his reserves, for even what Asura and Kurama offered had been drained to support his enhanced state over such a long duration.
The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was the Godaime Hokage and her ANBU guard, rushing over to his fatigued body.
Hours Later
The white cloth characteristic of medical tents greeted his eyes when they next opened, eliciting a groan as consciousness swept through his system. The only two occupants were that cat-masked ANBU, and Tsunade, who had her glowing green hands suspended above his chest.
"You're awake," she noted with an even tone. In spite of his condition, he could still sense her emotions. She was clearly troubled and worried sick, but was suppressing tears. He couldn't blame her. He was in a sorry state.
"I thought you were a goner… you exhausted so much chakra that your hair turned white! Do you know how many chakra pills I had to administer?" chided Tsunade.
It was alright. He'd rather let her get lost in the process of medicine, something she was familiar with, than focus on the bigger picture of what she couldn't administer anymore - a village.
He managed a weak grin. "Sorry, baachan."
The Slug Sannin looked so stressed that her own hair might've turned white as well. "Naruto… the village is completely gone, and so is the man you left for dead on the cross - we can only assume the Madara impostor took him. From a headcount we did, there are only about 5000 villagers left, discounting the shinobi currently on missions. With no homes left except yours, everyone is left absolutely stranded, and the food supply in the evacuation site will only be able to last us a week."
Naruto made to sit up, but winced and clutched his stomach which was still tender from releasing so much chakra.
"Rest assured, Your Imperial Highness. I might have a solution," spoke the single ANBU guard. The Uzumaki raised an eyebrow. Sure, they've called Tsunade 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘦 (princess) as she was the granddaughter of the Shodai, but 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘬𝘢 (Your Imperial Highness) was a first.
Suddenly, the purple haired ANBU removed her cat mask - something which they never did in the presence of anyone else but the Hokage alone. "Your Imperial Highness, I hereby resign from the Service."
This shocked the other two in the room, even more than the fact that she had called Tsunade by a title that had long fallen into disuse. "Why now?" asked Tsunade.
"With all due respect, my Lady, I have a higher lord to serve now," the woman replied. "Who…?" the blonde's voice trailed off as it dawned on her. "You can't be serious," she muttered, "…I should've known."
"What?" asked a confused Naruto.
"This lowly servant, Uzuki Yugao, pledges her undying allegiance to Your Imperial Highness the Crown Prince," the former aide said with her head down as she knelt at a respectful distance away from him. After a moment of hesitation, Tsunade followed suit.
The cerulean blue eyes of the prince widened. What the hell was going on? What kind of prince was he, and of which domain for that matter? How in the world did he not know about any of this?
A million questions raced through his mind, but he forced himself to calm down. A prince was to behave in a stately manner, right? He took a deep breath.
"Please rise. Explain what is going on."
"As you wish, Your Imperial Highness. The Uzumaki clan is descended from the younger son of the Rikudō Sennin, Ōtsutsuki Asura. With their formidable power and reputation for producing great leaders, many willingly became subjects of the clan over the years, including other tributary and vassal clans like my own, the Uzuki - a clan of imperial retainers. Eventually, the Empire of Whirlpool with the Imperial House of Uzumaki at its centre encompassed all of the Elemental Nations, and the world was at peace under the Emperor of All Under the Heavens."
"However, during the Warring States Period, strife tore the empire apart, with clans taking sides and breaking out of their tributary status to the empire to form their own nations and ninja villages, with the daimyō and kage leading them. Though they were all nominally subordinate to the Tennō (Emperor), this weakened the power of the empire considerably, reducing their real sphere of influence to the village of Uzushiogakure. The long-standing alliance of the Senju and Uzumaki clans, and the marriage of the Shodai Hokage to The Princess Mito did little to stop this. Some villages decided to band together to destroy the empire at its core - but what they only did was to fragment it. Many of its members escaped the chaos, including the young Crown Princess, Uzumaki Kushina. My clan was tasked by the Court to follow the Imperial Family into Konoha to keep watch, and when the time was right, to launch an imperial restoration. We were given strict orders not to speak of or reveal your heritage until you came of age or completed the customary Three Deeds, feats of bravery and courage that have benefited the community."
"Why is Tsunade not the heir apparent?" Naruto asked. She too, was of Uzumaki descent through Uzumaki Mito after all.
"That is because the Uzushio Empire practised absolute primogeniture, meaning the eldest child of the reigning dynast would be the first in line to the throne. The first common ancestor between Your Imperial Highness and Tsunade-hime is the late Tennō Heisei, father of Mito-hime. He had an elder child, another Emperor of whom Your Imperial Highness is a descendant, rendering Mito-hime's progeny a cadet branch of the Imperial Family. Tsunade-hime is thus formally titled Princess Tsunade of Mito, a joō (Princess of the Outer Court) - a second rank princess by birth based on her proximity to the legitimate line. As mentioned, by tradition, there exists Three Deeds that one must complete to prove themselves before one can be considered for enthronement, which you had just completed. Therefore, as the last surviving member of the Main House of Uzumaki, Your Imperial Highness is the only legitimate heir to the Maelstrom Throne."
Naruto frowned. "What empire is there for me to lead anyway? Wasn't it destroyed completely?"
"Not quite, Your Imperial Highness. As of now, the village of Uzushio still stands in the Eastern Ocean, hidden from other villages by powerful seals and barriers. It was rebuilt by the resilient people of Uzushio, and with the technology of seals, I've heard that they've advanced far as a society. This is my proposed solution - to move the people of Konohagakure to Uzushiogakure while we rebuild the Leaf from the ground up. There, Your Imperial Highness will be crowned as Tennō, and peace will fill the lands of the Earth once again."
Naruto gave the Hokage a look. She nodded in response.
"Alright then, it seems that this would be the most expedient solution. How will we get there?"
"My Lord, may I suggest informing Uzushiogakure to send vessels to the nearest port?"
"Spread the word then. The port of call will be Nami no Kuni. Get every shinobi on a mission to return as soon as possible, we'll set off by first light in three days' time," ordered the Crown Prince.
"Yes, Your Imperial Highness."
Uzumaki Compound, Later That Night
"Figures that you're the Crown Prince of some long lost empire," said Sayuri as she sat up in bed. "I mean, why not just add to the long list of accolades that will blow up your head even further?"
The Uzumaki laughed, running his hand through his ivory hair as he sat down next to her. "C'mon, I only wanted to be Hokage."
His consort shook her head in mirth. "I don't think you understand, Your Imperial Highness. When you ascend the throne you'll be the most powerful man in all of the lands... the Kage are merely marquesses, and the Daimyo all dukes in the eyes of the Son of Heaven."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "How do you know about all of this anyways?"
"In my youth I was made to study the feudal and kazoku (peerage) system as part of my education in the Uchiha clan. I only learnt about the empire in theory though, there was never any case study involving the Uzushio Empire. It's as if it was a piece of the past people wanted to keep buried."
Naruto nodded. "I see. If people had known about my true heritage... I think even more would've been out to get me than just my father's enemies. Fortunately or not, it seems the empire has been mostly forgotten after its destruction, and now it's a matter of reopening the borders."
Sayuri sighed. "It's not as simple as that. You've got to be strategic about this, Naruto-kun. It won't be easy convincing nations which have not been under a foreign sovereign's rule for decades to come under vassalage. We'll have to start with our allies like Nami, Suna and possibly Kiri first."
The future Grand Duke of the Eastern Oceans looked absolutely stressed. The young woman, sensing her husband's anxiety, gently pulled his head into her lap.
"I'm sorry."
His cerulean eyes stared up into her space black ones, now filled with more warmth than ever. "What for?"
"For stressing you out. The road ahead will be uncertain, and what I said probably did nothing to make it sound better."
Naruto smiled. "It'll take more than that for me to give up, hime. I see a road to peace ahead... I'll be damned if I don't lead everyone towards it."
"If it helps, I'll be there for you. Every step of the way." As she said those words, she lowered her lips and gave him a kiss on the forehead.
She made to pull back, but Naruto's hands shot up and grabbed the back of her head, capturing her lips with his. Instantly, the Uchiha's face flushed a bright red at his unexpected affection.
"Thank you, Sayuri."
Three Days Later, Nami no Kuni
The past two days had been a blur. People were struggling to return to their daily lives and reorganize themselves, and it didn't help that they had no more houses so they were all holed up in small tents in a temporary campsite on what was once the land of the village.
Those who had families in the Capital, mainly civilians, were free to leave and seek shelter. However, many shinobi clans were stuck in the situation as most of them had already been rooted to the village since its foundation.
The announcement of the Crown Prince's edict of migration did not go down well with some, but for most they were simply glad that there was a place to go as the food supply was getting scarce. It was not like they had much of a choice anyways - under the Hokage's aegis, no one dared to question his authority.
Nonetheless, many were happy to hail him as their prince and hero as he had dealt with the invader, and did his best to provide relief by giving out all the possessions in his compound. This would probably not have lasted if they knew that the attacker was after the Uzumaki himself - in a sense, he had been indirectly responsible for the attack.
The news of his heritage came as a shock to most of the people he knew. None had seen it coming as the empire was practically unheard of for his generation. However, they were glad that it was someone they knew who had the reins, so they just went with the flow with today's exodus.
After crossing the Great Naruto Bridge into Nami, Naruto and Sayuri decided to pay a visit to Tazuna and his family, along with their retinue consisting of Yugao, Tsunade, Kakashi, Sakura and Shikamaru.
Yugao became their personal servant due to her clan's vassalage, while Tsunade had to follow the imperials as the whole affair constituted part of her job as Hokage. Meanwhile, the rest of the entourage had been hand picked by the couple. Kakashi was in charge of their security; Shikamaru was their advisor, while Sakura was their physician.
"Their Imperial Highnesses are here!" called Tsunami excitedly as she looked through the peephole before opening the door.
She knelt down as they entered with their entourage, just as Tazuna pulled Inari down into the same position. "This humble family pays its respects to the Crown Prince and Princess of Uzushio," greeted the village chief with his head bowed.
"Please rise, there is no need for formalities," Naruto said. Sayuri said, "It's been a while, Tazuna-san, but certainly sooner than I had expected."
Inari grinned and ran towards her as soon as he stood up. "Onee-chan!!" Immediately, Yugao's hand reached for her katana, but the Uzumaki quickly gestured for her to stay her blade.
The Uchiha smiled as she hugged the jubilant young boy. Setting him down, she ruffled his hair and asked, "How are things going?"
The boy pouted. "There haven't been any bandits around lately for me to kick their asses."
Tsunami's eyes widened at Inari's less than savoury word choice. "Please forgive my son's crude words, my Lady." The Crown Princess waved her hand dismissively.
"That's good to hear, Inari-kun. There shouldn't be anyone causing trouble here-", and at this point her voice dropped to a whisper that only the boy could hear, "-or I'll kick their asses too."
The boy broke into peals of laughter before shutting up when Sayuri placed a finger to her upturned lips.
Meanwhile, Naruto sat down on the sofa as Tazuna served two cups of tea. "I prepared the port upon receiving Your Imperial Highness' letter two days ago. It's closed to all ships save yours so the boarding should not be a problem," said the chief.
Naruto glared in mock anger. "What did I say about formalities, Tazuna-san? Please just address me by name."
"I wouldn't dare do that to the future Son of Heaven," came Tazuna's swift reply.
The Uzumaki sighed. "Things seem so impersonal when titles are involved. Nonetheless, I must thank you for your service rendered - I don't doubt that today's port closure would have affected Nami's business severely. Rest assured, the empire will compensate the county heavily for today."
"County?" Tazuna repeated in confusion.
Sayuri set down her cup after a sip. "That's right. The Crown Prince intends to ennoble and enfeoff your family as a reward for helping the people of Konohagakure. As soon as His Imperial Highness ascends the Maelstrom Throne, you will be elevated to the rank of Hakushaku (Count)."
The man and his daughter gasped, and immediately tried to kneel but were stopped as the imperial couple grabbed them before they could.
"This lowly servant gives Your Imperial Highnesses great thanks!" cried Tazuna. The exasperated white-haired prince was about to swear, but held himself back due to the presence of the entourage visiting with him.
"Tazuna-san, this was also because of the shelter you afforded my dear consort while she was out of Konoha. For this too, I give you my thanks," Naruto explained before proceeding to empty his cup as a show of appreciation.
"Nii-san, can I ask you a question?" Inari interrupted to the horror of his mother. "Fire away."
"Why is your hair white?"
Naruto smiled. "Let's just put it this way - a really powerful bad guy got us into a huge mess. While fighting him, the amount of power I had to use bleached my hair."
"Ohhh…"
"Forgive him, my Lord, for he knows not what he asks," the worried Tsunami pleaded hastily.
"It is fine, Tsunami-san. I was never one for formalities," Naruto assured as he stood up. Sayuri followed suit.
"Once again, on my people's behalf, I thank you for the hospitality. Till we meet again, Tazuna-san."
The man bowed, as did his daughter as the imperial couple left their house. "This humble family sends off Their Imperial Highnesses."
Port of Nami
The town was flooded with Konoha emigrants, so much so that Naruto's entourage could only pass through the town square after much difficulty.
In the process, his retinue had come across the marble statue of the prince. Quite frankly, Naruto was surprised at how much it resembled his old self. It did not, however, do justice to all his training.
He sighed internally. When he ascended the throne, he would have to send a missive to get it replaced.
"Denka."
"Yes?"
"There's a small fleet on the horizon," Yugao pointed out.
The white-haired prince squinted at the dots in the distance, which was obscured by the bright sunlight of the afternoon sky sparkling on the waters.
"You're right. I see it. But… it seems a little small, don't you think?"
It was true. For vessels meant to transport the whole population of Konoha, Naruto had expected ships the size of the Academy building at the very least. What was now fast approaching the shore were five watercrafts that could fit approximately ten people each.
"Did you not specify the number of people to be ferried today?" Naruto asked.
The retainer quickly fell to her knees. "I wouldn't dare, Your Imperial Highness. I did exactly as you had requested."
He eyed the vessels. "Then can you explain what is going on?"
Sayuri's eyes glowed a faint red in the afternoon light, scrutinizing the boats. "My prince… it seems there is more than meets the eye."
The Uzumaki raised an eyebrow, signalling for Yugao to rise as the watercrafts neared the pier.
A muscular man in his 40s disembarked from the flagship, marked by a prominent white flag with the red spiral of the imperial clan in the centre and an anchor behind it. He was dressed in white and grey fatigues, and on his left arm there was a band emblazoned with the same symbol.
The way the entourage surrounded Naruto and Sayuri made it obvious that they were the royals in question, and so the man knelt down, mirrored by every shinobi on board the fleet.
"This humble subject, the Admiral of the Uzushio Armada, pays his respects to the Crown Prince and Princess of Uzushio."
"Rise, admiral. Explain how we will move the entire population of Konoha with this small fleet."
The man stood up and gestured at his black yacht, which consisted of one main compartment which housed the helm.
"My Lord, the boats of the Armada are laden with seals, including one at the bow which sucks in water and jets it out from the stern in a highly pressurised form, propelling the boat. Another one employs jikūkan ninjutsu to store anything in a separate dimension."
"Show me," came another voice onboard the boat, startling the man slightly. It was a shadow clone of the prince.
The admiral nodded. He formed a few hand seals, and a seal formula appeared on the surface of the deck.
"I see… it's a modified storage seal that taps into another dimension instead of just a seal." A circular opening materialised, exposing the large space inside that appeared to extend for miles in all directions. It was filled with slabs of rock for chairs, much like a waiting room except that it was the size of a town.
"This is one of the few vessels in the Armada fitted with such a seal. We use this for rescue and evacuation operations; the other boats that transport troops, like the four escorts we have today, have dimensions that are of a much smaller size. Ultimately, the aim is to possess small and light craft that can traverse the oceans quickly."
"Alright, that has alleviated my concerns. Thank you for the tour, admiral."
"You are most welcome, Your Imperial Highness."
Hours Later
Even with all the crew trying their best to hasten the boarding process, it was only in the late afternoon that the last family got on board.
The admiral signalled for his men to return to their escort vessels, guiding the prince and his entourage onto the deck of his yacht.
"My Prince, may we have your permission to set off?"
With a nod, the small fleet of five left the port, sailing off into the horizon.
Bay of Uzushio, Evening
"Your Imperial Highnesses, may I invite you to witness this sight?" said the admiral who was personally helming the boat.
The white-haired prince and his consort went to the front of the deck. Just up ahead was a cliff face that jutted out from the waters, and near its foot there were several jagged rocks that looked like they were meant to penetrate the hulls of ships - and it seemed the fleet was heading straight for them.
"Do not be alarmed, Your Imperial Highnesses. This is merely an illusory barrier to keep any foreign vessels away. While it is solid enough to do just that, a pulse emitted from the seals on board our fleet will enable us to pass through harmlessly. The entry is always a grand thing to witness."
Sayuri resisted the urge to use her Sharingan, and was not disappointed as the magnificent sight that greeted her was well worth it.
The wall of the cliff seemed to shimmer like a curtain as the fleet phased right through it. Behind it was a majestic fjord, surrounded on both sides by steep hills. The water was crystal clear and one could see various fishes swimming in it.
"This is the Chōjukawa (Longevity River), the main water body running through Uzushio," said the captain, the pride evident in his voice. "Its source is at the summit of Hokutozan (Mount Polaris), and both are sacred to the village and the imperial clan."
The resplendent rays of the evening sun bathed the island in a golden glow, illuminating a massive torii grounded in the river that towered over the entrance to the village.
Its red wood bore the marks of the kanji "Uzushiogakure" on one pillar and "Village of Longevity" on the other.
Immediately behind the gate, the water body widened into a large lake-sized port. The cliffs that had originally enclosed the river opened up into a semicircular ridge that enveloped the front of the village before petering out into smaller hills. In the distance, one could clearly see the mountain the admiral was speaking of, with its snow capped peak and its crown of clouds.
More impressively, modernity seemed to overlap with tradition as skyscraping buildings of metal, concrete and glass were mixed in the same town as structures of wood that were so commonplace back in Konoha. Through the middle of the town, the waters of the Chōjukawa continued to run, and it was not uncommon to see bridges span across its length throughout the bustling village - no, metropolis. The architecture and scenery was simply breathtaking to behold, and it was no doubt in part due to the heavy application of fūinjutsu which powered Uzushio society.
"My sincerest apologies, Your Imperial Highnesses. We would typically have arranged to use a special waterway meant only for the imperial clan to travel between the Kōkyo (Imperial Palace) and the harbour, but regrettably we are unable to do so this time as we have all the citizens of Konohagakure onboard."
Naruto waved a hand in dismissal. "It's fine. We will travel on foot to the Palace."
"Oh, no my Prince. I believe the Kunaichō (Imperial Household Agency) has arranged for a special party to escort Your Imperial Highnesses to the Palace."
The five boats came to a halt at the dock, and the soldiers began to set up the gangplanks. Immediately, the people the admiral had spoken of could be spotted in the midst of the crowd, clearing the path with a couple of horsemen surrounding a carriage.
A sudden silence rippled throughout the townsfolk as they realised what was happening. Most turned to face the new arrivals, so the only people still moving were the ten young men on horseback adorned in uniforms with red brassards around their left arms.
They were led by an older man, wielding what appeared to be a short wooden sceptre topped with a pearly white ball and a multitude of ropes sprouting from it like a rooster's tail.
"Thank you for allowing me the honour of transporting Your Imperial Highnesses," said the admiral in earnest, "My colleagues from the Kunaichō will now take over while we facilitate the movement of Konoha's citizens."
He then genuflected, an action copied by his subordinates for the second time that day. "This humble subject sends off Their Imperial Highnesses."
Sayuri allowed herself to be helped down the gangplank by Yugao as a noblewoman should, while Naruto disembarked to meet the party, which abruptly halted their steeds and dismounted.
The man wielding the sceptre got on his knees - and impressively, the horses did too. Every citizen nearby followed suit, before eventually all at the port were in the same submissive position. "This humble subject, the Chōkan (Grand Steward) of the Kunaichō pays his respects to the Crown Prince and Princess of Uzushio. Welcome home, Your Imperial Highnesses!"
"Everyone, please rise and carry on!" Naruto shouted, his voice echoing through the respectfully silent port.
The people did as they were told, and some began to cheer and whoop in excitement. The Chōkan stood up and approached the white-haired prince.
"My Lord, please board the Imperial Carriage. Your loyal subjects will bring Your Imperial Highnesses to the Palace as the Sesshō (Regent) seeks your audience."
Regent? No one had mentioned anything about a regency in place at all. The Uzumaki threw Yugao a questioning look, to which she merely bowed her head. It seemed that she too, had not heard of such a regent.
"My Prince, let us not delay. I too, wish to know who this person is," said Sayuri as she moved towards the open-air horse-drawn carriage.
Naruto nodded and entered the black carriage before helping her up. As soon as they sat down, the Chōkan tugged on the reins of his horse, kicking it off to a comfortable gallop as the other escorts followed suit.
Along the way, the locals who spotted the procession made way, and respectfully bowed. Some threw flowers, and many simply waved at the imperial couple from their windows. In short - they were given a hero's welcome, even without doing anything.
It appeared that the imperial clan was popular in the village - and this regent probably had something to do with it, given that the Maelstrom Throne had been unoccupied for seventy years or so.
Every now and then, the carriage passed under arches and structures that the Chōkan said was part of the "Metro". Sure, Naruto had heard of steam trains in the Capital of Hi no Kuni, but he'd never seen anything this fast. They shuttled many passengers and moved at a speed the Uzumaki would say was faster than any horse he'd seen.
Unfortunately, the man had said that they wouldn't be able to board the train like "commoners", and the use of the carriage was steeped in tradition and was the only form of transport dignified enough for the imperial clan.
At the back of Naruto's mind, he knew that he should have expected this lack of freedom. Sayuri had already told him about such a life in the spotlight, and it wasn't pretty. Nonetheless, he had a plan in mind to explore the village, and to do what he wanted.
After a turn past a public park, they came to a large plaza that was mostly empty, with only palace guards donning the same red armband stationed along its perimeter. Each one knelt down as the carriage came into their field of vision, before two opened the central doors to the mikado (Imperial Palace Gate), a giant granite gatehouse at the other end of the plaza.
The three sets of doors themselves were red just like the border marker, but these had elaborate gold trimmings and the top of the gate bore all the hallmarks of traditional architecture. A prominent signboard above the larger central gateway was engraved with the kanji "Gate of Empyrean Light", marking this to be the southern and main gate of the palace.
The mikado possessed a veranda that seemed to be meant for the imperial family to address the public; extending from it were white stone walls on either side (which Naruto posited were surely marked by invisible seal barriers) . The perimeter of the castle walls and the plaza were separated by a moat of water diverted from the Chōjukawa.
Finally, the carriage pulled into the main palace grounds, coming to a stop right before the Seiden (State Function Hall).
"Their Imperial Highnesses, the Crown Prince and Princess of Uzushio have arrived!" declared the Chōkan as he approached the open doors of the hall.
The figure inside stood up, walking forward to meet them with a party of her own retainers. Instantly, Naruto was struck by a sense of familiarity.
"Your Imperial Highness, this is the Princess Regent of Uzushio," the Chōkan introduced. "Her Imperial Highness was formerly Princess of the Outer Court-"
"Grand Steward, you are dismissed," said the red haired regent, cutting him off with a raise of her hand.
"As you wish, Your Imperial Highness. Your humble subject will take his leave."
She pushed up her glasses to size him up, reaching out with her chakra sensory technique - only to find that he too, had been inspecting her chakra with a pulse of his own.
"Karin?"
Author's Notes:
This came after a long, long long hiatus. Way too long in fact - I had already completed another version of this chapter beforehand, but found that it ended pretty badly so I rewrote the entire thing. It's been a busy year in college thus far so I apologise; with my final exams coming up next week, I'll try to entertain any PMs as best as I can! Thanks for being patient and I hope this chapter has been worth the wait - it's also my longest, at about 9.8k words.
Tying back to the whole concept of the Will of Fire vs the Curse of Hatred, comparing the outcome of Pain's battle with canon will reveal the cost of Naruto's choice to let the latter influence his actions - many villagers remain dead, compared to the deus ex machina-ish revival done by Kishimoto.
Anyways, I hope y'all will like the direction I'm taking this story in as the imperial lineage thing surely came very suddenly. I've yet to read a fanfic that has actually explored this concept, so I'm really excited to write about it. Lots of research on the Japanese monarchy and Chinese imperialism (since it heavily influenced the former) was completed so I could present as accurate a representation as possible.
However, I've certainly not forgotten about the other Elemental Nations and Akatsuki, and in the next chapter, I'll tackle how he deals with foreign relations after his accession to the throne. Thanks for supporting my story and always being patient. Rate and review!
Until tomorrow,
Ja Ne