Hinata's arm moved on it's own volition, as the veil of sleep slowly lifted from her. It searched for a warmth that should have occupied the bed, or so she thought, in her half-asleep state. Not finding what she searched for, her eyes opened slowly, fluttering. She let out a small sigh, it had been twice now, as she woke, that she had expected Naruto to be in the bed with her. Though it had been for a fleeting time, she had grown vastly attached to sharing a bed with him. She blushed slightly, as she squirmed at the thought. If she had told herself only a few months ago that she would have been doing this, she was sure she'd never believe herself. Sitting up in bed and stretching, she started to think about what she was going to do that day.
Taking a look around, she saw she had already cleaned to perfection the entire apartment. Reaching over, she unlatched the window by the bed and pushed it open, crawling over to rest on the windowsill on crossed arms. She was greeted by a pleasant breeze that countered the hot summer sun, as it pushed her bangs about gently. Looking over the village, she tried to pick out people as they went about their day, which made her think again on what she should do. Her mind had been weighing heavily on her training as of late. Naruto had become strong, far stronger than her or Shino. She wanted to stand on even ground with him, so that she could always make good on her oath to ensure he was never alone again, be it at home or in a fight. But, since the fiasco with her ex-clan, she hadn't done much training. But even if she did start again, she realized that she had been effectively cut off from the Hyuuga Clan's knowledge of the Jyuken. She had the basics down, but as far as extra techniques went, along with full mastery, she only had the Kaiten that she had mimicked by remembering how Neji had pulled it off. She supposed, that she could ask Neji to teach her.
No, she thought as she leaned forward onto her arms, I can't bother him like that, he has his own training to do. But then, how am I going to proceed from here? Taijutsu is my only real strength, and it was specialized at that. . . She sighed, as the thought of being stuck in such an awkward position weighed heavily on her. She had thought about seeking help from her sensei, but Kurenai was a genjutsu specialist, and Hinata had no aptitude for it. It was then that she looked out over on the horizon at the Konoha wall, and saw on the very top two green clad ninja with loud bowl cuts, who stuck out even at such a distance. She smiled, as she watched them. She knew it was Gai and Rock Lee, she knew them somewhat from when she would see her cousin with his team.
As she watched them, an idea struck her that made her perk up a bit. I can ask Gai-sensei if he could advise me in any way in how to proceed from here! There's no one else in Konoha who could be labeled a Taijutsu master on his level, I'm sure he could give me advice. With a smile, she backed up from the window and hopped off the bed. She would make a quick breakfast for herself and go seek the two out. Now feeling more confident about her day, she started to hum a tune as she started gathering ingredients.
XXXX
Hinata landed with a quiet whisper, as the branch she lept from gave only the lowest of a rustle. It was
enough of an announcement for the seasoned Gai, who was overseeing his pupil's daily one thousand strikes on a training log. Turning towards the sound, Gai smiled as he saw Hinata. "Well, well! It seems I've been rather popular lately!" Gai spoke, referring to the visits he had received from Naruto in the past. "What can I do for you Hinata-san?"
Lee looked over for a brief moment, seeing the ex-Hyuuga Princess, and gave her a smile and a nod, before returning to his training with a renewed vigor.
Hinata gave a formal bow, "I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything Gai-sensei." she spoke, hoping she hadn't insulted the Jonin by appearing during Lee's personal training time.
"Nonsense!" Gai laughed boisterously, putting his hands on his hips. "Lee here is in a spot where he doesn't require my guidance, so you interrupted nothing."
Hinata nodded, starting to feel a bit nervous, but she bit it back. "I-I was wondering, could you possibly give me any advice as to how to continue with my Taijutsu training?"
Lee stopped mid-punch, his fist about to strike the log, as he looked over towards Hinata with a mix of shock and wonder. Gai's face only slightly lost some of it's previous joviality, understanding that the girl had come to him with an earnest question in due with her training as a ninja. He had heard rumors and talk among the higher echelon of ninja about what had occurred at the Hyuuga compound, along with the bits that Neji had told him, so he put two and two together and had an understanding of why she came to him. But, to be sure, he asked, "I take it that you can no longer seek mastery in Jyuken?"
Hinata nodded solemnly, her face reflecting her mood.
Gai returned the nod, putting a hand to his chin. Then, noticing something was off, he turned his head towards Lee. "Continue with your strikes Lee."
Lee blushed, embarrassed he had been thrown out of focus by the lavender haired girl. He resumed his punches with fervor, striking harder and faster.
Satisfied, Gai smiled and turned back towards Hinata. "My dear Hinata, it is a rather tough thing you face, but fear not!" he quickly added, seeing the girl slip into a more somber mood, "It's nothing you can't fix with some hard work."
Hinata looked up with some confusion. "Do you mean to continue Jyuken even with my limited knowledge?"
Gai shook his head. "No, trying to continue in a form that is already structured and rigid without the proper training in form and technique would be a waste of time, and quite foolish. If you tried to fight a strong with an incomplete and unstructured Jyuken, they would certainly defeat you."
Hinata nodded in agreement, she had surmised as much herself. But it didn't answer her question, or relieve her confusion. "So then, I should start with a new style of fighting?" There was always the basic Taijutu taught in the academy, she knew a few ninja that perfected the art, it was none the less deadly.
Gai once more shook his head. "Not quite that either. To do such would be putting the time and effort you spent in learning the Jyuken to waste, along with the natural gift of the Byakugan you were born with."
Hinata tilted her head, now even more so confused. "So . . . that means I have no option open to me?"
Gai crossed his arms, chuckling in a way that an older man would to a naive child. "Wrong again, Hinata-san. You can't gain mastery over the Jyuken, nor would it be wise to abandon it all together. What other option might be left?" Gai asked, with a sagely tone, seeing if the young girl could figure it out on her own.
Hinata gave the question some honest thought. She stared intently into Gai's eyes, who met her gaze calmly, waiting for her answer. It was then, an idea struck her like a small jolt of electricity. Gai's smile widened as he saw the look on her face. "Are you saying I should create my own deviation of the Jyuken? Or something new all together?" Hinata asked, each word she spoke sounding crazy to her, but yet at the same time it made a strange sense.
Gai nodded. "The power of the Jyuken is feared, and rightly so. However, remember at it's core, all the Jyuken is, is the art of striking at your opponents tenkentsu with chakra enhanced strikes. While the forms the Jyuken teaches emphasizes it's use and makes the user able to attack with the most economic means of movement, that doesn't mean it can't be deviated from. Remember that all Taijutsu spawned from nothing, all it took was hard work and dedication to form their style."
Hinata brought a finger to rest just under her lip, as she rolled the idea presented by Gai around in her mind. It was all very true what he said, the only problem being that creating your own style of fighting wasn't something an amateur can do. She knew that if she tried, it would probably end up with her just resulting in more a brawling style than anything.
"Of course," Gai spoke, breaking the girl from her thoughts, "I don't mean to insinuate that you should attempt to create your own style based off only the Jyuken. To create an effective style, you should draw from other martial arts. If you'd like, you can start by training with Lee and I."
Hinata's head snapped up to look at Gai. "I-I couldn't impose such a -"
Gai laughed once more, "Come now Hinata-san! Youth is about eagerness! Not such rigid politeness! I would have no trouble instructing you in the Iron Fist style, although it will be a bit tailored to including the Jyuken along with it. Give me two days to prepare, then come here at six AM for training, is that alright?"
She looked up at the smiling Jonin with a look of utter disbelief. Her senses took leave of her for a moment before she realized she wasn't answering him. With three hard bows, she began repeating "Thank you!" over and over again before running off embarrassed.
Gai laughed as he watched her leave, starting to yell about how beautiful youth was.
XXXX
Naruto let out a loud yawn, stretching his arms wide over his head, from where he sat in the empty main hall of the inn. Last night he had slept rather well, even after not being able to get to sleep at first. His mind was far too active after speaking with Itachi. It didn't affect his normal waking time however, the morning sun greeting him as it usually did.
Rubbing his eye, Naruto felt his stomach growl at him. He lazily looked around the empty room, wondering how he might go about getting some food, not seeing either Itachi or Rei. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Jiraiya since last night either, but Naruto gave a simple shrug, not caring what the old man did with himself. The sounds of footsteps on hardwood alerted him to a presence coming from the stairs. Looking over, he saw Rei, with Rin held in her arms. The little girl had clearly just woken up and was rubbing her eyes in rather cute fashion.
Noticing the blonde sitting at the table he had the previous day, Rei picked up her pace as she moved down the stairs. "Oh my, good morning Naruto! I hope you haven't been out here long, I'm so sorry!" She apologized quickly, shuffling up to his table.
"It's alright, I'm not even sure what time it is right now, I figured you and Itachi might still be asleep. Do you serve breakfast by chance?" He asked, waving off her worries.
Rei nodded, "We sure do. Got any requests? We don't usually have any customers in the morning and you're the only guests we have in so anything is possible." She replied cheerfully, readjusting the small girl in her arms.
Naruto put a finger to lips as he gave it some thought. He didn't want to ask for anything outlandish, but truth be told, his stomach already had it's mind made and demanded the same succulent ambrosia he had sampled just the night before. With a chuckle at his own craving, he looked up towards Rei, "Would it be possible to have another bowl of that amazing ramen from last night? Leftovers are fine by me, I just need to taste it again!" Naruto admitted with a blush.
Rei laughed, nodding. "Of course! And it'll be fresh too! I would never serve our customers leftovers! Besides, Itachi usually eats whatever leftovers we have, I would swear the man has two stomachs."
"Momma, I'm hungry." Rin groaned out, still not fully awake.
Rei seemed a bit embarrassed, giving a nod to Naruto, as to ask his pardon for a moment. "I'll be making yours at the same time I'll be making Naruto-san's, be a good girl and wait, okay?" The small girl mumbled out a response, seeming to start nod off again in her mothers arms. Rei shuffled into the kitchen, making Naruto feel a bit bad, not wanting to make her work so early in the morning.
As he waited for his breakfast, Naruto bent over to his pack that rested by his table, double checking to make sure he didn't leave anything in his room. He figured as soon as Jiraiya showed up and ate some breakfast of his own they'd be off again. As much as Naruto rather enjoyed the small inn, he wanted very much to get back on the road. He felt his mind focus on his gut, where he swore he'd been feeling a burning sensation earlier that morning, but he tried his best to push it out of his mind.
Sitting back up from his pack, he was surprised to see Rin seating herself on a chair next to him, a bowl of cereal in front of her. Naruto was taken off guard for a moment, not having any experience with much younger children. He figured it was going to be rude to just sit there in silence, even if the young girl didn't even seem to acknowledge him. "Good morning." It would suffice as good as anything he supposed.
The small girl looked up at him, still looking as if sleep held her in it's grasp. "Good morning." she replied, before looking back down towards her breakfast to take another bite. She let out a content sigh as she did so, making Naruto chuckle. After a few more spoonfuls of the sugary breakfast, Rin looked back towards Naruto. "Why do you got that thing on your eye?"
Naruto looked down towards her, a little surprised by the question, as he pointed at his eyepatch. "This? I uh. . ." he stopped for a moment, trying to think of an appropriate response for a small child to understand. "I got hurt a while back, and I need to wear this." he finally spoke.
"Why?" She asked.
Naruto scratched his cheek with the finger he'd been pointing with. He wasn't expecting that. "So people don't have to look at where I got hurt."
The little girl seemed to be waking up more, as she blinked her eyes twice. "Why don't they want to look?"
"Because it's not very pretty." he lied - well, partly lied. He didn't think people would enjoy seeing his pitch black eye with a burning red iris. Nothing screamed demon quite like that.
"Is it gross?" the girl asked, her tone curious, and almost hopeful.
Naruto tried not to smile, as he knew he had her corned with this. "Sure is, it's super gross." Girls hated gross stuff. To his shock, the little imp cried out in joy. "Cool! Let me see!"
"Gah!" Naruto cried out as Rin tried to reach for his eyepatch, and he leaned back to try and avoid the wild lunge. But before the small girl could reach him however, a large blue hand shot out and grabbed the small girl by the hem of her yukata. Looking over, he saw Kisame hoisting the small girl to his eye level. The fish-man looked as if he'd just taken a bath, his hair damp and not quite as spiky.
Rin looked towards what had grabbed her, and her face exploded into a smile. "Wah! Uncl' Sharkie caught me!" she clapped happily as she spoke.
"Your mom figured you'd be up to no good and told me to fetch you." Kisame explained, a ghost of a smirk on his face.
The small girl seemed to figure something out in her head, and she looked at Kisame with the same smile. "You're not gonna tell Momma about me trying to look at the gross eye are you?"
A dark, evil grin spread across Kisame's face, his eyes taking on a dangerous glint. "Asking for mercy after gluing my hands to an ax?" The notion of it seemed to amuse the man as he chuckled. "No way guppy. You're going down." He then started walking away without looking towards Naruto, the small girl he still held at eye level with one hand whimpering.
Naruto watched the two leave, not quite sure what to make of what he just witnessed, but he let out a small laugh. Jiraiya was sure right about this place being lively. It wasn't long after Kisame hauled Rin back to her mother, that he reappeared once more, with a satisfied grin.
"Little runt doesn't know when to quit sometimes." Kisame spoke, as he walked up to Naruto's table and sat himself down.
"Ah. . . it's okay." Naruto responded awkwardly.
Kisame waved his hand in front of his face, dispelling Naruto's reply, "See, that's why she gets away with it though. Now if I had my way. . . heh." Kisame let out a disturbing chuckle at the end of his trailed off speech, causing a small shiver to run down Naruto's back. He was starting to wonder if Ibiki had a brother. Seeming as if he remembered something, Kisame reached into his pocket and withdrew a scroll, which he tossed to Naruto. "Catch."
Naruto scrambled to catch the cloth projectile, looking confused. It was an old looking document, the red coloring that covered the outside was worn and faded with age. Small tears here and there were evident, along with some yellowing apparent on the edges. There was no title written on the scroll that he could see, but his question was soon answered.
"It's a technique scroll." Kisame started, leaning back and crossing his arms. "It contains the basic styles that all Seven Swordsman start from." Naruto looked up at Kisame with his mouth slightly agape. Already guessing what the blonde was going to ask, Kisame cut him off. "If you're gonna be swinging around that sword, then that means you've taken up the mantle of one of the Seven. Or that's what others will think when they see you. Can't have you going around with that shoddy self-taught style of yours - especially if a challenger comes looking to take that sword from you. Get the basics down, then you can mix it up however you want."
Naruto regarded Kisame with an almost humbled look. He hadn't really ever considered anything like what he mentioned, but it did make sense. "But, isn't this really important? Are you sure you want to give this to me? I might not be able to give it back."
Kisame grinned. "It's nothing I need anymore. My body remembers my style far better than any scroll. Besides, you impressed me yesterday. You got some real grit. Keep practicing and you'll become a world class swordsman."
Feeling rather pumped up from the supporting words Kisame was giving him, Naruto nodded fiercely, shooting up from his seat with his fist held in a triumphant clench in front of him. "You got it! And you better be ready for that too, cause I'll come back and beat you for real then!" He pushed the thought of maybe loosing to the Kyuubi from his mind.
Kisame let out a hearty laugh as he stood. "Good! That's what I like to hear! I look forward to when you get better Naruto. You better give me a good fight or I'll have to break something in return for wasting my time."
"Well aren't you lively this morning Kisame." Rei spoke, appearing from behind him with a tray of steaming hot ramen that instantly grabbed Naruto's attention. "Naruto-san must have really made an impression on you." She placed the ramen down in front of Naruto, who had already seated himself and any previous thoughts about Kisame and the scroll were the furthest thing from his mind. As soon as she set it down, she gave Naruto a deep bow. "Please forgive my daughter Naruto-san. She didn't mean anything bad, she just hasn't learned how to watch her manners yet. It's my fault."
Naruto yanked his thoughts from the ramen, and quickly waved his arms in front of him frantically. "No no! It's not a problem! Please, stand back up, there' no need to bow." Seeing Rei start to pull herself from her bow, he laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Besides, I was kind of a bastard when I was kid. I caused enough hell for villagers that I probably got some karma with kids coming my way." He laughed a bit at the end.
Rei gave him a warm smile, making the blonde blush a bit. "Thank you Naruto-san. You'll always be welcome here." She bowed once more before taking the tray and walking away with a smile and hum.
Kisame watched her go, then turned back to Naruto to say something more, but saw the blonde was already in the middle of his breakfast and eating as if it was a religious experience. He shook his head, before deciding that there'd be no talking to blonde before he was done eating. Remembering he still had chores to do around the inn, he turned and left Naruto to his Nirvana.
XXXX
"About damn time!"
It had been almost a full hour after Naruto had finished his breakfast when Jiraiya finally showed himself in the main dining room. He stumbled down the stairs, holding one hand in front of his face to shield his eyes and the other had a steady hold on the handrail.
"Don't yell!" Jiraiya replied, his voice just above a hoarse whisper. He had the Mother of All Hangovers right now, and his head was pounding so hard he thought it would crack. Every sound felt like a hammer against his head, which only worsened his discomfort. "By all the Gods, keep it down."
Naruto ground his teeth as he watched the old drunkard slump down in a chair across from him. "I hope you're not planning on eating much. It's already past nine, we need to get going again!" Naruto was livid. He'd met with Itachi shortly after he'd eaten his breakfast and got Jiraiya's room number. His door was locked, and no matter how hard Naruto had banged on the door he wouldn't wake up. So he had been left to stew out in the main room of the inn waiting.
Jiraiya chanced one look up, his eyes encircled by dark bags and his eyes were bloodshot. He winced as some sunlight from an eastern window hit directly on his face, causing him to recover his face. "Have some mercy on a guy. I just need some breakfast and then we can go." Jiraiya croaked out, not having enough energy to do anything beyond that.
Naruto scoffed, as he leaned back into his chair. "Mercy? Not my fault you drunk yourself into a stupor. Just hurry up." Pushing himself up with his foot, he balanced his chair on it's back legs, letting out a grumpy sigh as he stared at the wood ceiling, tracing the wood grains with his eyes.
The inn began to fill up some, as more of the regulars came in with the start of the day. Jiraiya was quick to order a large mug of water, along with a light soup for breakfast with which he hoped to ease his S-Rank hangover. He also did his best to not make any kind of look towards Naruto, as the blonde was glaring at him, as if it would cause the old man to speed up his eating.
What felt like entirely too long to Naruto, Jiraiya was finally ready to leave. Itachi came to see them off, as he noticed them putting down final payment on the table, to give them the usual pleasantries. As Naruto turned to leave though, he felt Itachi place a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto, before you go," Itachi spoke, making Naruto turn his head towards him, curious. Itachi stared at the boy for a moment before speaking. "Listen. I must warn you. If you ever come into contact with Danzo you must be very cautious. He is not a man to be readily trusted."
Naruto seemed confused a moment, before he recalled Itachi's story the night before and the man he had told him about, Danzo Shimura. He hadn't like the sound of the man when he heard Itachi's tale, and this made him even more wary. Naruto nodded, understanding Itachi's warning was sincere and out of concern. "I will."
Itachi smiled, glad that Naruto had taken it seriously. "Good. Now, you have a long day ahead of you. I hope that when you're able to head back home you'll visit us? Know that you're welcome here anytime."
Naruto smiled and nodded, feeling touched that the older man would say such a thing. "Of course! This is a weird place, but I like it!" Naruto gave Itachi a thumbs up as his smile grew mischevious.
Itachi laughed, finding Naruto's description of his inn almost a compliment. Then, from behind him, Rin appeared with her usual cheery disposition. "You gonna go away already Narto?" She asked, mispronouncing his name.
Naruto crouched down, getting eye level with Rin. "Yep. I gotta go take care of some stuff, but I'll see you when I get back. And it's Naruto."
Rin didn't lose her smile at all when she waved at him. "Okay Narto! Bye bye!" she replied, making Naruto chuckle a bit. Standing, he gave Itachi a final nod, noticing that Kisame was leaning on the kitchen doorframe, with his usual grin on his face. Naruto nodded towards Kisame too, mentally thanking him for the technique scroll one more time before he turned to join Jiraiya who was standing outside trying to deflect the harsh sunlight from his sensitive head.
XXXX
Naruto leaned against the rusted railing of an old fishing boat that was currently ferrying Jiraiya and he across the ocean to the island that the ruins of Uzushigakure were located. They had only needed another day's worth of travel to reach the coast, where a small fishing village made it's trade. However, it had taken another day just to find a willing resident to help them across the ocean. Many of the village's inhabitants considered the island cursed, haunted by the vengeful spirits of the people whom had been slain there. After some considerable persuading and a rather hefty sum of money, a fisherman by the name of Jonouchi had finally agreed to take them the next day and then return for them within two days time.
Naruto let out a deep sigh of relief, as he felt a gentle mist of ocean spray across his face, as it broke on the bow of ship. The wind was rather nice too, keeping him cool from the sun that beat down onto the deck. He stretched his back, feeling the gratifying pops of his back as his muscle cartilage moved. If it hadn't been for the fact that he was journeying to try and save his life he would probably think he was on a vacation. Looking to his left with a snicker, he saw Jiraiya was probably feeling quite the opposite, as he was leaning over the railing, his face green and specks of vomit still coating his mouth. The old sage looked as if he was finally about over his bout of seasickness when he lurched forward suddenly and unleashed more of his breakfast into the clear blue ocean. Turning away from the sight, Naruto tried not to laugh at the old man's misfortune, even if he did think he deserved a bit of a humbling. Then again, he had been rather more amicable towards Naruto, perhaps he deserved some slack, Naruto thought.
Looking back towards the horizon of where the boat was headed, Naruto shifted from one foot to another, starting to feel antsy. In truth, he was nervous. He had never before even considered about his heritage as an Uzumaki, he'd always figured it was just some regular family name. He had never dreamed that his namesake was a famous clan, which was considered so dangerous that nations united to scourge them from the face of the earth. He had no idea what is was that he would find buried within the island.
"Land ho!"
Naruto moved his head up towards the back of the boat, where Jonouchi stood at the helm, steering the rickety fishboat. Turning his head back towards the horizon, Naruto tried to find what it was he was looking for, but didn't see any- there. He had forgotten the old man stood higher than he. Right almost dead center of the boat's bow a green peak was breaking the clear blue sky. Naruto gripped the handrail tight, feeling the corroded metal against his calloused hands creak under the pressure. Soon, he would have his answers.
XXXX
"Two days, and no later." Jiraiya reminded Jonouchi firmly, not entirely trusting the villager to have enough bravery to dare the trip a second time. The older fisherman was already starting to look a little shaky, as he stared into the dense jungle of trees that surrounded the island's perimeter. Jiraiya called his name to get his attention and repeated his earlier statement, getting a quick nod from the boatman that did little to ease the sage's concerns.
"Jiraiya, leave him alone, let's just get going already." Naruto called out, having already waded out of the ocean.
Jiraiya frowned, looking towards Naruto wanting to argue, but sighed and shrugged his shoulders. He could always just summon one of the toads to help them back across if needed. Giving the fisherman no further attention, Jiraiya began moving towards Naruto and almost scoffed when he heard the hurried engaging of the old boat engine as it quickly moved into reverse. Looking up, he saw Naruto was already heading towards the forest, his movement determined and sure. "Naruto, don't go move so far ahead. We don't know what's inhabited this island." Jiraiya called out.
Naruto didn't slow at all, but he shook his head. "It doesn't matter." he replied, his tone serious.
Jiraiya studied the boy a bit more closely, getting the feeling that the blonde was taking this extremely seriously, and he didn't think it was just due to the fact that they were trying to find out more on how to seal the Kyuubi. Clicking his tongue, he hoped the boy wouldn't take anything they saw too roughly. Jiraiya had been able to visit the country once, before the destruction, but he'd never seen the ruins. From the tales he heard of though. . . well, he didn't expect to see the gleaming towers that the village built. Breaching the tree line, Jiraiya took a deep breath and jogged to catch up to Naruto.
Naruto walked with purpose, as he pushed hard up the hill both Jiraiya and he were scaling. The incline was steeping by the foot, which told him they were soon going to hit the crest. Naruto was feeling nervous, as he hadn't felt anything in his stomach for a while now, since they had arrived on the island. It was feeling as though the Kyuubi had quieted itself, but it made him anxious rather than relieved. Did the fox know what he was headed to and was gathering itself for a large attempt at breaking the seal? Naruto would if he was the bastard.
"We should see the village after this hill." Jiraiya spoke, his voice solemn and some what cautious, trying to gauge Naruto's reaction. The boy only once again nodded, forgoing a verbal response.
Naruto broke out into a small sprint as he saw the edge of the hill come into sight, his apprehension would allow for nothing less. But once he arrived on the hill, he almost wished he hadn't been so quick. The terrain before him dropped rather sharply, opening up into a wide area below, where the ruins of the city were obvious. A great river ran between the city, separating it into two sectors, though an old tower had fallen into the river and formed the only bridge that Naruto could see across. He felt his slack jaw tighten into a frown, as he saw the devastation the attacking enemy force left in it's wake. Where buildings once stood, only fallen shells remained, from what he could see, not a single building had been left standing. Mother Nature had also began it's reclaiming of the area, with green moss and young trees spotting through the destroyed city like grass that grew in cracked pavement. He was so enraptured into his surveying, he didn't notice the crunch of leaves behind him as Jiraiya moved to his side.
Jiraiya too was frowning, though this type of destruction was anything but irregular to a veteran of a shinobi world war. He couldn't even remember how many war-torn villages he had the misfortune of wandering into with his team during the war. He only could hope there had been some type of clean up operation after the village was sacked, otherwise there would be grim reminders of the war awaiting them. Jiraiya moved to speak, but Naruto pushed away from the old sage and was already running down the hill, a renewed vigor driving him. Jiraiya almost cursed, wishing the boy would slow down as he followed suit.
XXXX
The wind that blew through the village was eerie and high pitched, as it wound it's way through the impromptu catacombs of destroyed buildings that inhabited the area. The chilling wind blew across Naruto, making the boy feel as though skeletal fingers moved across his skin and lingered with an almost sinister need. Though if he took note of it, he made no notion, as he stood still, body rigid and his eye fixated. Before him lay the skeletal remains of a child, easily no older than five, if the length of the remains was any indication. The little bit of flesh that had been left undevoured by carrion had long since dried and tightened against areas of bone, and the child's clothing had become tattered and eaten away by the elements. A single rusted kunai was leaning inside the ribcage, it's cloth handle yellowed and black from the rains. Naruto knelt next to the small body, his hand wanting to reach out and try to comfort the remains, though he knew that it was beyond lunacy. But, he couldn't take his eyes off the slackened skeletal jaw, or the faded Uzumaki symbol that was partially visible on the child's shirt. He moved his hand with utmost reverence, as he reached for a muddy and grimed encrusted doll that lay only inches from the child, it's features long since erased by erosion. He brought the doll up to his face, and tried to study it, but he found that he was having a hard time doing so through the tears that began to well in his eye.
"Naruto?" Jiraiya called out quietly. It had been as he feared, no one had offered any sort of final rites to the dead, the town's slain inhabitants were left where they had fallen.
Naruto quickly rubbed his eye with his forearm, he didn't want the old man to see his tears. With a hard breath, Naruto reached forward with the doll and gently laid it upon the exposed ribcage of the child. Standing, Naruto turned towards Jiraiya somewhat, keeping his face hidden. "Why?" he asked, his voice raspy, though firm.
Jiraiya was silent, as he studied the boy. "As it was said, they feared the Uzumaki. They -"
"Enough to kill children?!" Naruto roared out as he turned and glared up at Jiraiya, tears now flowing in a stream down his cheeks from his exposed eye. His body shook with rage, his fists clenching hard into his palms. "This wasn't anything more than a meaningless massacre!"
Jiraiya's face darkened, as he lowered his head some. He was silent for a moment, the right words not coming to him. "Naruto. What you're looking at is the extent of human hatred. Though there are many emotions that cause humans to do evil, they can all be traced back to one root, hate." Jiraiya walked forward some, looking down towards the remains of the unidentified child and stared into the empty eye sockets. "And I can you tell from experience. Hatred has no boundaries." Jiraiya knelt down, as if to give a form of respect to the deceased. "It doesn't care if you're young, old, rich or poor. If a human has hatred, no one can be safe from it." Visions of his memories from the war flashed into his mind, of corpses of all the slain he had encountered in destroyed villages much like this. And he hated to admit that the skeletal remains were preferable to those who still retained their flesh.
Naruto regarded the older man for a moment, not expecting that answer. He rolled the words over in his head twice, repeating them to himself. What Jiraiya spoke, was obviously something the old man had believed in very much. It was something he might pursue in a further conversation. But for now, he had to keep moving, he had to. With a slower motion, he once more wiped away the uninvited tears from his eye and walked around the body, muttering an oath to return and bury the child. "Let's keep going. I want to find the place I saw in my dream."
Jiraiya looked up towards Naruto with a curious look, "Dream?"
Naruto nodded, as he moved forward towards a the ruins of a fallen building that blocked the street. With careful climbing, he started up the broken remnants. "I had a dream of Uzushigakure after I had fought the Ichibi. It showed me a temple ontop on the side of a mountain, with an arch at the top of long stone stairs, the Uzu symbol atop it." Naruto gently placed his weight against the edge of bit of fallen wall, pushing up to get him higher. He noted that Jiraiya had joined him, climbing with the same delicacy. "A voice I heard told me to find it."
Jiraiya's ears perked up at this information, ideas springing to his mind, but none he voiced. "Was there anything else that might point us in the right direction?"
Naruto shook his head on reflex. "No, all I saw was –" Naruto pulled himself up once more with a grunt, finally reaching the crest of the rubble. As he began to continue with his sentence, he stopped, looking straight ahead. " – that." Far ahead into the distance, across the city that was bordered by a mountain, he saw the stone steps from his dream, just visible through the tree line.
Jiraiya caught up to the blonde and saw the same thing. He tried to remember if he had ever been over that way when he was here decades ago, but he couldn't recall. With a nod, he pulled himself up and over the apex of the rubble. "Well, let's head there then. We don't have many other leads."
Naruto nodded eagerly, and followed suit, wanting to get there as fast as he could. He did his best to ignore the multiple remains of the dead that littered the village straight to the stone steps.
XXXX
Naruto felt a hard chill run up his spine, causing him to flinch. The weirdest sense of deja vu overtook him, as he noted that the dream had reproduced the surrounding area with a creepy perfection. Straight ahead of him, up the stone steps that went at least a hundred feet or more up the mountain side, stood the clearly visible arch with the large Uzu symbol. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he started his ascent of the stairs. His eyes remained focused at the top of the hill, and he felt something akin to fear. Not for so much what he would find, but what he may not find. He knew that if he couldn't find the answers he sought here, he would never see his princess again. He felt his heart pull at him for a moment, trying to pull his thoughts to the beautiful girl that waited for him miles away back home. Picking up his pace, he decided he'd face the truth that fate would give him head on.
Reaching the apex, feeling a bit winded, Naruto let out a slight sound of amazement as he beheld the massive temple that still stood about forty feet from the arch. It was easily the size of a small mansion, it's intricate design showing an obvious care for whatever deity or reason it was erected for. Compared to the rest of the village, this area seemed to be completely untouched, devoid of what seemed to be even an inch of ruin, not even fallen leaves or vegetation marred the man made marvel.
Jiraiya felt the same as Naruto, though he was far more apprehensive about it. It wasn't right, nothing could remain so untouched by the elements as this structure did without human care. Which was a natural indication of there still being inhabitants here. But before he could raise his concerns, a voice called out to them both, causing each to jump.
"Well now, isn't this an interesting day."
Naruto turned with a practiced and quickness that came from his training, his sword already unsheathed. His eye was focused, looking out for any threats, but only saw the owner of the voice. Walking towards them with silent footsteps, was an old man, clearly well on in his years, though not grossly so. He wore what looked to be a large black and grey Chinese style robe, his arms hidden within the sleeves that he had meeting in front of his abdomen. He had long white hair, neatly combed back, along with a long beard, also given the same delicate grooming. His eyes were a vibrant blue, and he wore a warm smile.
"Who are you?" Jiraiya asked cautiously, not fully dropping his stance.
The old man gave a little laugh, bowing ever so slightly to the two. "It is rather odd to demand an introduction from the owner of a property before properly introducing one's self, but I can imagine why you would act as such, given that you're within a destroyed village."
Jiraiya tried not to let his agitation at getting told he had bad manners in the most pleasant way show.
"My name is Tenchi Uzumaki. And you stand within the Uzumaki Temple, my home." The old man continued.
Naruto bit back a surprised breath, instantly dropping his guarded stance, allowing his sword's tip to rest on the ground. "Uzumaki?" he asked, with an almost hopeful tone. Had he just found a still surving member of his clan?
Tenchi smiled and nodded, he walked closer towards Naruto, taking note of how Jiraiya seemed to get a bit apprehensive. "Indeed. Might I ask your name young man?"
"N-Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto kicked himself for stuttering, but he felt like he was meeting someone he had heard of his entire life, yet never had met. Which was in of itself impossible as he never even thought of having a clan, yet the same nervousness hit him all the same.
The old man's smile grew, as if he had been expecting as such. "It is as I thought."
Naruto turned his head some in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Your hair isn't the same, but I can see so much of Kushina in your face, it is as if she was standing before me as she did so many years ago."
"K-Kushina? That's my mother's name! How did you know her?!" Naruto replied, feeling his mind explode. This old man knew his mother?! His mind began to race with questions, all of them bursting to explode at once.
Tenchi nodded again, as if once more expecting the reply. "I could never forget the face or the name of my own daughter."
Naruto felt his jaw slack, and he made no attempt to close it. His mind fell silent, as only one thing could now be registered within his mind. "Then that means. . ." Naruto started, not wanting to ask the question that he knew couldn't be so, "That, you're my grandfather?"
Tenchi laughed, nodding once more. "Indeed. Or that is how these things work to my understanding."
Naruto almost lost his grip on his sword, the reply ringing in his head. The man standing before him was family. Honest to the gods family. He had a grandfather.
Tenchi moved forward and removed his hands from his sleeves, revealing his aged hands. Placing a gentle hand onto Naruto's shoulder he spoke, "I never thought I would ever get to see my grandchildren. The gods have been kind to me." Tenchi spoke softly. Gently leading Naruto with his hand, he motioned with his head towards the temple. "Come inside, I believe we have much to discuss."
Naruto nodded dimly, still not able to wrap his head around the current situation. Jiraiya on the other hand, was of not the same mind. His eyes followed the old man very closely, his mistrust of the man clear to see on his face. Something felt off to the sage, and he would figure out what.
XXXX
Oh snap, goddamn I am so sorry this took so long to get out. Life has been hella hectic for me, but I'm glad I got this chapter out in a relative quick amount of time.
I wonder what you all think of this development? Bet you didn't see it coming though, hehehe. I hope to have the next chapter out soon, and we'll get to find out whether or not this old dude is the real deal, or if Jiraiya's right to mistrust the old man.
And whether or not Hinata is going to get her own body tight green leotard. Young Hinata? Meh. Older Hinata? . . . hehehehehehe (wipes blood from nose) that might just be worth investigating.
Till next time!
Shinobi no Ryu
