A/N: So, uh…It's been a while, huh? Like, what, 10 weeks? Anyway, here's the first chapter for 2021.
Chapter 8: First Generation; Namikaze Taichi
Naruto didn't know too much about his family. Who could blame him? He was left alone for most of his life, completely unaware as to his own heritage. So when any of his ancestors shared something about their pasts, he listened intently.
And now was definitely one of those times.
[It was back when I was still nothing more than a little brat…] The First wistfully recounted. [I had a pretty decent life, but I wasn't exactly pampered. No point investing too much in a backup after all.]
The context flew over Naruto's head, but he recalled some of the things that his ancestors shared about the general history of the Namikaze clan. One of them being how the clan was founded.
Namikaze Taichi, the third son of a lower noble in the imperial capital. He could've led a life of relative ease living in the capital but instead, he became independent from the Namikaze clan in the capital, and he cut through the remote lands at the border and raised a village to support himself.
After all, he wasn't in a position to inherit much from his house. Whatever little they had went to his brothers.
But of course, the real reason he became independent was…
[My first love, Hino Erisa, was from a noble house of a higher standing. To marry, you'd need quite a bit of prestige. So when I saw the Daimyō calling for volunteers to raise villages in unclaimed land, I saw my opportunity. I was gonna reclaim some land and become a noble of the same level before coming to get her…]
Naruto watched with rapt attention as the First recounted his past. However, his reaction was not shared by the other ancestors, who all held varying expressions.
[So that's it? You were smitten with a woman, so you volunteered to be a pioneer, and just like that, you raised the provincial Namikaze Clan? …No wonder things were still dicey after you got married!] The Second complained, bringing up the First's wife. From what Naruto could tell, it seemed that it wasn't the best of relationships at first.
[When I tried going back to the capital, my first love already went and got married! Of course I'd be devastated!] The First gritted his teeth. He made to lunge at his son, but decided otherwise in favor of plopping down on his seat with a harrumph.
[Ah.] The Third suddenly spoke up. [Now that I think about it…Could it be that the family precepts were based off of Erisa-san?]
As the Third said that, the First flushed in embarrassment. The sight of a burly, bearded man like the First blushing like a maiden in love wasn't exactly something that Naruto wished to ever see again.
[Ah, well…If I couldn't marry my first love, I wanted to at least marry someone who would be close to that, y'know? So I listed the qualities that I liked about her at a party once and claimed that they'd be the Namikaze Clan Precepts.] The First recalled, scratching his cheek. [Now that I think about it, I was pretty drunk off my ass, and I mostly said it as a joke. Never thought they'd actually become our Precepts. I'm actually surprised that I found someone who fit all of them in the end.]
Unable to hold it in any longer, the Second screamed in rage.
[YOU BASTAAAAAAARD! Just how much trouble do you think that caused me? Everyone and their mothers were telling me "precept this" and "precept that"! Because of you, I ended up marrying late, and because you just went out and thoughtlessly expanded the village, the aftereffects were…ARRRRRGH!]
Watching the Second descend into madness, Naruto could do nothing but turn towards his father who was seated near him.
"So…er…Why are we here again?" He asked, sending a glance at the orb at the middle of the table. It seems that that orb was how his ancestors were able to see the outside world, something that was being demonstrated to him in real-time. Peering into it, he could see and hear Arisa and Sasuke talking.
Well, it was more of Arisa talking and Sasuke giving either short replies, or his signature grunts. It didn't seem like Arisa minded though, so he guessed it wasn't really a problem.
[Well, the truth is…] The Eighth began, pausing to wince in sympathy as the Second dropkicked the First. [After seeing the state in this town, and its relation with Arisa-chan, the First declared an emergency meeting and dragged us all here.]
[Ah, that's right!] The First exclaimed. [After seeing all this, surely you're all moved as well, right?! That's why we should do everything in our power to help these people! It's what a good noble should do!]
(That sounds great and all, but you don't really sound convincing when you're locked in a wrestling match with your own son…) Naruto deadpanned.
[Yeah, but what do you even want Naruto to do?] The Sixth spoke up. [His finances are pretty dire himself, and it's not like he can just storm Gatō's stronghold by himself and solve everything just like that.]
Being told that, the First let go of his hold on the Second and folded his arms instead.
[That's true, but…C'mon guys! There's a girl that looks exactly like my first love, and she needs help…Can't you guys understand my feelings?!]
'Ah, so that's the real reason.' That sentiment seemed to be echoed by all of the other men present, Naruto included. In the face of the First's passionate request, the Fifth was composed.
[No, I can't. We never had much freedom when it comes to love, and we pretty much married for the sake of the territory.]
[What a cold bunch! How can you all still call yourselves human?! Who do you think was responsible for bringing you all into the world?!]
The answer was instantaneous. Starting from the second generation…
[My mother.]
[Mom.]
[Right, mom.]
[Mama.]
[My mom.]
[I owe my mother.]
[It'd be my mom, right?]
(Their opinions actually aligned for once!) Naruto thought in bemusement.
Before he could continue that line of thinking, the First cried out. [C'mon guys!]
[If we're talking about feelings here, why don't you consider mine after seeing how worked up you're getting to save your first love when you already have Mother?]
[T-that's…] The First flinched.
[In any case, I think we've held up Naruto for long enough.] The Third interjected. [I think that lady is just about done with cooking anyway, so you shouldn't be rude and sleep through it, no?]
Gratefully taking the chance to escape the First's whining, Naruto stood up from his seat and swiftly made for the door. Just as he left though, a stray thought entered his mind.
(A mother, huh? I wonder what mine was like.)
Naruto awoke to the smell of food in the air. He sat up and stretched, opening his eyes to see a bemused Arisa and Sasuke at his natural state of being: moody.
"Looks like someone had a good rest!" Shinobu teased as she set down a few bowls of soup.
"Ahaha…Guess that fight took a bit out of me." Naruto sheepishly replied.
"Well, a few sips of my soup ought to perk you right up!"
And perk him up it did. After giving a quick thanks for the food, everyone dug into their respective bowls. The taste wasn't exactly amazing, but despite the sparse ingredients, it ended up being pretty refreshing. They exchanged small talk for a while, before Arisa turned to Naruto.
"Say, Naruto-san…Sasuke-san told me that the two of you are shinobi, right?"
"You bet I'm one!" Naruto puffed his chest out in pride.
"I see…So you take contracts and the like, yes?"
"Yeah, in fact we're on one right now!"
"O-oh. Then I suppose you're not exactly able to take another right now then…" Arisa deflated, her shoulders slumping down.
"Even if we weren't, we aren't allowed to take a contract without going through Konoha's mission system first anyway." Sasuke jumped in. "Not while we're still genin, anyway."
"Is that so? It seems you shinobi have a lot of hoops to jump through as well." She smiled wryly.
"What's the matter anyway?" Naruto asked.
"A-ah! No, it's noth-"
"It's about the men who were attacking you, isn't it?" Sasuke asked bluntly.
Arisa froze. A range of emotions ran across her face, but before she could open her mouth, Shinobu intervened.
"Hey now, it's not like she had any hand in it, you know? Things like that are increasingly common nowadays." She said, smiling as amicably as she could. Naruto could see a certain tenseness to it that wasn't there before though.
"Is that really the case here?" Sasuke's eyes were like a hawk's, his gaze seemingly piercing through the woman. "Why did they claim that we wouldn't have defended her if we 'knew what she had done', then?"
"T-that's…" Shinobu shifted her gaze, struggling to come up with an answer.
"Shinobu-nee…That's enough." Arisa said with a sad smile.
"But milady!"
"It really isn't a secret worth hiding anymore, is it? I mean, even the townsmen had figured it out!" Arisa joked in self-depreciation. The red-haired girl then turned towards Naruto and Sasuke, giving the two a deep bow.
"My apologies for not being completely honest with both of you." She said, raising her head. "I wasn't completely lying when I said that my name was Hino Arisa. However, that's the name I took on after Gatō had taken over this country."
Her eyes were tinged in melancholy, seemingly recalling something. She gave a heavy sigh, taking a moment to steel herself.
"In truth, my name is Minami Arisa. Daughter of Nami no Kuni's Daimyō."
It had all started with a single proposition.
Gatō approached her father with a business deal that would've benefitted Wave's economy greatly.
Now, her father was no greedy tyrant. Everything he did, he did with the people in mind. In fact, he was so good-natured that he did not suspect a thing about Gatō, so he had not researched into the business magnate's background. Perhaps if he did, then Wave would not be in the situation it was in now.
Regardless of what she wished had happened, the truth of the matter was that her father had trusted Gatō's silver tongue and claims of bringing prosperity to Wave. Needless to say, that trust led to his downfall.
Before he knew it, Gatō had taken over all aspects of the country's economic processes, and proceeded to introduce his own goons into the land under the pretense of protecting business interests. Things only went downhill from there, as her father found even his most ardent supporters either being bought out, or mysteriously missing.
Alone on an empty and powerless throne, it wasn't long before they came after her father himself. Storming their estate, her family had been dragged onto the streets in front of their people. It would've been enough if her father had simply been killed in front of them.
However, Gatō was equal parts devious and vindictive. He publicly thanked her father for his aid in allowing him to take over the country, mocking his foolishness and tarnishing his reputation in front of everyone. And when he was sure that every single townsperson looked on at her father in hatred, he had him summarily executed on the spot.
"That was the day Wave truly fell. Both in mind, and in spirit." Arisa tearfully finished, trying her best not to collapse into a sobbing mess.
By the gods, she really tried. But as more memories of that horrible day came to mind, she could do nothing about the fat drop of tears that fell from her eyes.
(Oh, father…) She wept in her mind. (Why'd you have to be so stubborn? If only you had listened to mother…)
[So that's what happened…] Naruto heard the Third mumble. Silence hung heavily in the air as he and Sasuke sat alone at the table, Shinobu having taken Arisa to the backroom to dry her tears. His ancestors were seemingly at a loss for words as well, even the First. He would've thought that the boisterous man would've been the first to have gone off at a rage after hearing Arisa' story, but it seemed that he had decided to return to his room for the time being.
"I'm sorry you two had to see me in such a state." Arisa returned to the table with Shinobu in tow, snapping Naruto out of his musings.
"There's nothing to be sorry about!" Naruto immediately leapt up from his seat. "In fact, I'm sorry that you had to recall all of that!"
"Oh, there's no need to feel bad about that." She gave him a small smile. "In fact, it might've been good for me in the long run. I can't recall the last time I've cried that much."
"But still…" Naruto trailed off, unsure as to what to say.
"I'm sorry to hear about your situation." Sasuke suddenly spoke up. "However, I still have a couple of questions on my mind."
"Oi, Sasuke!"
"It's fine, Naruto-san. I don't mind at all." Arisa placated the blonde's protests, causing him to reluctantly sit back down.
"My first question is this: You said that Gatō had your family killed. In that case, why are you still alive?"
"Allow me to answer that one." Shinobu said. "It was not due to a lack of trying on Gatō's part, mind you. I was just barely able to get milady out of the estate with the help of a local fisherman, who hid milady and I until it was relatively safe. After which, I used what meagre funds I could salvage to start this diner, both as a way to support ourselves during these trying times, and so that we had a place to lay low."
"And that links to my second question: Why didn't the two of you just leave? Why go through all that trouble?"
"That…" Shinobu trailed off, a complicated expression on her face.
"I couldn't just get up and leave my home country." Arisa replied, stepping in. "After all, I love this place. I was born and raised here, so I just couldn't bear to leave it all behind."
"And above all else…" She lowered her head in shame. "As my father's daughter, I have a responsibility to suffer alongside the people for the sins my father had committed."
"But that just isn't right!" Naruto suddenly shouted, his palm smacking against the table, startling the red-haired girl. "It wasn't like it was your fault! Those people shouldn't be blaming you for anything!"
Indignation bubbled up from within him. How could it not, when he knew first-hand how it was like to be scorned for something beyond his control? To be treated as if everything wrong with the world was his fault? It simply wasn't fair!
"Maybe so, but as part of the ruling family, I can't fault them for thinking the worst of me and my family for what happened." Arisa gave a wry smile. "And not everyone was like that. Not at first, anyway. There were people who were still sympathetic, like Kaiza-san."
"Who?"
"Ah, right, you two wouldn't know him." Arisa said, flushing in mild embarrassment. "Kaiza-san was the closest thing this town had to a leader after my parents died. He was a close friend of my father, in fact, he was the one who helped Shinobu-nee and I escape. He eventually stepped in to keep the town united in his absence, and since he had the reputation of a hero in this country, people were naturally drawn to him."
[I'm sensing a 'but' here…] The Sixth commented. [If such a man still existed, this place wouldn't be in its current state.]
And his guess was completely correct. Arisa told them about how Gatō had eventually taken Kaiza prisoner, beaten him within an inch of his life, and had him publicly executed much like her father had been. What little hope that Kaiza represented to the country was snuffed out.
"And I can't do anything to stop it." Arisa finished; her hands clasped tightly together. "What's the point of being someone of noble blood if it isn't enough to protect those I care about? If only I had my family heirloom…"
"Family heirloom?" Sasuke asked. "I suppose that your request had something to do with that?"
"Well, yes." Arisa admitted. "Initially, I wanted to request an assassination on Gatō, but the amount of money needed for that is well beyond my current means. So I had thought, 'Hey, maybe I could actually fight back if I had that thing!'. I'm tired of simply watching from the sidelines while people die around me!"
[Kuh…She's such a strong gal…] The First fawned over Arisa. [Oi, Naruto! Screw the rules! Go and help her already!]
[We've already been through this, old fart, he's not in a position to do that!] The Second complained. [And should a noble really be advocating lawbreaking?]
Ignoring the two's usual bickering, Naruto decided to ask a question that was bugging him.
"But what is this heirloom thing anyway?" He asked, tilting his head in confusion. "How is it supposed to help you?"
"Ah…About that…" Arisa blushed and looked away. "I'm actually not sure…"
…
…
…
"EH?!" Naruto blurted out, breaking the awkward silence. "What do you mean you're not sure?!"
"I-I mean, I know for a fact that it's supposed to grant some sort of ability to whoever wields it, but I've never actually used it before, so I have no idea how it actually works!" Arisa's face scrunched up in concentration. "I think it was called…a Gem?"
"EH?!"/[EH?!] Naruto blurted out for the second time, this time being joined by his ancestors.
"Judging by your reaction, I assume you've heard of them?" Shinobu asked, a hand cupping her chin. "I'm surprised, Gems are pretty outdated as far as most people are concerned. Really, the only people who still use them nowadays are the older noble families."
"Well, er…I may have heard of them…" Naruto nervously replied, doing his best not to draw attention to the conspicuous Jewel hanging around his neck.
"I knew it…That pendant around your neck is a Gem, isn't it?" Arisa said, drawing the attention of everyone else in the room.
So much for his best. As Naruto tried to wrack his brain for an excuse, he found help from an unlikely source.
"Oi Naruto, it's getting late." Sasuke suddenly spoke up. "We have a task to handle, remember?"
"AH! I COMPLETELY FORGOT!" Naruto yelled, jumping up from his seat. "We gotta get those groceries before we're too late!"
"Oh, was that why you came into town?" Arisa asked, seemingly having forgotten about the Gem. "In that case, why don't you let us help you with that?"
"Huh? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure we can at least spare some of the stock we have, right Shinobu-nee?"
"Well, I suppose it shouldn't affect us too much if we did." Shinobu let out a despondent sigh. "It's not like we get much business here anyway."
Picking out the right items took lesser time than expected. Thankfully, the diner's storeroom was well-organized, so they had everything they needed in about an hour's time. Soon enough, Naruto and Sasuke were standing by the door, ready to set off.
"Again, thank you for rescuing me earlier, Naruto-san, Sasuke-san." Arisa said, bowing politely to the two boys. "And thank you for listening to my story. It was surprisingly refreshing to be able to talk about things, even if they weren't exactly pleasant memories."
"Hey, don't sweat it!" Naruto grinned. His expression soon shifted into a more serious one. "Oh but, I wanna say something before we go."
Setting down the bag he was carrying, Naruto suddenly thrust his fist in front of him.
"It might be hard for you to believe in anything now, but if there's one thing I hope you can believe in, it's this: We're definitely going to protect Tazuna, and we're gonna make sure that the bridge is going to be built. And that's a promise!" He declared to her; his face set into a look of determination.
"Hn. While I'm not about to boast as much as this loudmouth, I will say that I'm not about to let my first mission end in failure. You can be sure of that." Sasuke added.
Arisa stared at the two in equal parts shock and awe. The confidence with which both of them spoke almost made her believe implicitly in them. In fact, she sincerely wanted to. Bringing up a smile, she brought her fist up and gently knocked it against Naruto's.
"I'll be looking forward to seeing that bridge then." She said.
"You better believe it!" Naruto's grin returned once more as he hefted his bag back into his hands.
As Arisa watched the two shinobi disappear into the horizon, she felt something she hadn't felt for over a year now.
Hope.
"But still, you really helped me out of a bind there, Sasuke." Naruto said as he walked along the trail back to Tazuna's home.
"I just didn't want to hear whatever lame excuse you were going to come up with, that's all." Sasuke snarked, looking away. That being said, it wasn't like Sasuke wasn't curious himself.
"And besides, you clearly had a reason to keep it a secret. Even to go as far as to keep it from your own team."
Naruto almost tripped after hearing the implied accusation. Barely managing to regain his balance mid-step, Naruto gave a sheepish grin to his teammate.
"Ahaha…To be fair, I was gonna tell you guys eventually."
"Is that so…?" Sasuke deadpanned, clearly not believing the blonde.
"I swear, I would've! I was just told not to for now!"
"Told not to? By who?"
"Erk! Well…" Naruto trailed off, before flinching for some reason. "Anyway, I'll tell you about it some other time, alright?"
Oh no he didn't. Sasuke wasn't about to let him off the hook that easily.
"Look, it's one thing to not tell outsiders about it, but as your teammate, I should have a right to know about what you're able to do." The black-haired teen explained. "That information could be vital to how we function as a team in the future."
"That's true, but…Huh?" Naruto suddenly paused, his face shifting between confusion to contemplation to acceptance. The blonde then nodded to himself and turned his head to Sasuke.
"Alright, I'll tell you."
Yes! A vindictive part of Sasuke's mind took a small pleasure at being able to convince his teammate. With any luck, whatever techniques his whiskered teammate was aware of could somehow be learnt, and if not, at least he'll know the true extent of his capabilities.
He'd never admit this out loud to the blonde, but he definitely viewed Naruto as a rival, and as a good way to compare himself against his peers. Knowing what exactly he had up his sleeves would be a good gauge as to how much more he needed to improve.
"But!" Naruto started, snapping Sasuke back to reality. "I'll only tell you tonight after Hinata comes back. She deserves to know as much as you do, after all."
That…Was acceptable. While a part of him was a bit annoyed at having to wait, he couldn't fault that logic. Giving a grunt of acknowledgement, he hastened his pace.
"Wha-? Hey, wait up!"
Dinner had been a relatively uneventful affair. Of course, Tsunami was shocked at the fact that they had been able to find everything she had listed out, courtesy of Arisa and Shinobu. When questioned about how they managed to achieve such a thing, Naruto simply told her that they had helped someone out and were helped in return.
They didn't know how she might react to hearing Arisa's name after all, so the Third had suggested that he omit her from his story for now.
"Ahhh, that was a good meal." Naruto sighed in satisfaction, slumping back against his chair. He hadn't felt this full in a long while, so he was enjoying the feeling for what it's worth.
[Hey, you're technically a noble too you know? Show a bit of decorum.] He heard the Fourth chide.
[Eh, ain't it fine? It's not like he needs to worry about something like that right now.] The Sixth said in response. He heard from his father and grandfather that the Sixth had somewhat of a reputation of being a delinquent, so he wasn't shocked to hear something like that coming out from his mouth. It put him higher on Naruto's list anyway.
Putting his ancestors aside, he glanced around and saw Hinata staring at a picture frame hung on a nearby wall. Following her gaze, he saw what looked to be a family photo of Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari. However, part of the picture had been torn out. If he were to guess by the looks of the area surrounding the torn part, it was torn out deliberately.
It seemed his conclusion was shared by Hinata, as she soon turned towards Tsunami.
"Um…If you don't mind me asking, what happened to this picture? It looks like part of it was torn out by someone." Hinata meekly asked.
Almost instantly, all three members of Tazuna's family tensed up and froze, causing Hinata to let out a quiet squeak in surprise. Tsunami was the first to resume what she was doing, though she remained silent. Instead, Tazuna was the one who spoke up.
"The part that was torn out…Was of a man who was once called a hero of this town." The old man wistfully said. Right as he finished, Inari got off from his seat and promptly walked away.
"Inari? Where are you going?" Tsunami asked, finally turning around. Her question was ignored by the young boy however, who simply left the room. Overcome with concern, Tsunami quickly placed down the plate in her hand and chased after her son, but not before giving a quick glare at Tazuna.
"Dad, I thought I told you not to mention him in front of Inari!" She said before closing the door behind her with a huff of frustration.
An awkward silence soon settled over the room, no one quite sure what to say. What Tazuna had mentioned before caught his attention though. Sending a quick glance at Sasuke, it seemed that his teammate had caught on to the same thing as well.
"I-I'm so sorry!" Hinata apologized after a while. "I didn't mean to make anyone upset…"
"Ah, it's not your fault here." Tazuna replied, his eyes still downcast.
"Still, it seems that there's a reason for all this." Kakashi pointed out.
"Inari…He had a father not related by blood. Despite that, they were as close – if not closer – as any other father and son." The bridge-builder said, his voice quivering with emotion. "Back then, Inari was a child who was filled with laughter."
With every word, Tazuna's body shook as he tried to hold back his tears. It was all for naught however, for a few droplets soon found their way onto the table in front of him.
"Um…Does his father's name happen to be Kaiza?" Naruto hesitantly asked.
"H-how did you know that?" Tazuna's head shot up.
"Ah well, you mentioned something about him being a hero of the town, and we were told about someone like that when we went into town earlier." The blonde replied, careful not to mention Arisa's involvement.
"I see…Then you should be aware of what happened to him then."
"…Yeah."
Tazuna then went on to explain to them how Inari and Kaiza met, about how quickly Inari took to Kaiza, and how he soon became part of the family. How he had saved one of the town's districts by bravely swimming through a flooded river during a storm with nothing but sheer determination and a rope tied to him to aid him, causing him to gain his reputation of being a hero. And of course, of how he met his eventual end.
"Inari has changed ever since then…" He sighed. "How could he not? He watched the man he called father get killed right in front of his eyes."
Naruto stared ahead as he recalled what Inari had said before.
"There's no way these guys can survive against Gatō."
"A hero? Don't make me laugh. Something as ridiculous as that doesn't exist!"
Now it all made sense. Naruto clenched his fists as he felt as if a fire had been lit within him. He leapt out of his seat, only to pause when he heard two pairs of feet land on the floor. Looking to the side, he saw Sasuke in a similar position, a look of determination set on his face.
"Huh? Where are you two off to now?" Tazuna asked, perplexed at the boys' actions.
"I'm going to prove it." Naruto's reply only further confused the old bridge-builder.
"Wha-? Prove what?"
"I'm going to prove that heroes do in fact exist in this world!" Naruto declared, punching his fist against his palm. "And to do that, I gotta train! In fact, I gotta train doubly, no, triply hard!"
"Uh…huh." Was all Tazuna could muster out in his confusion before he turned towards Sasuke. "And you?"
"Hn." The black-haired teen smirked. "While I don't care about whatever that idiot is babbling about, if he's going to train, then I'm not about to let him get a leg up over me."
"Um…I'm not sure what's happening here, but in that case, I'll train hard too!" Hinata added.
The three genin shared a nod, and made to walk towards the exit, only to be stopped by Kakashi suddenly stepping in front of them.
"Now, now, why don't you all calm down a bit?" The silver-haired jōnin said, snapping his book close. "While I admire your determination, there's a time and place for everything. If you don't rest up, your body's not going to get any stronger y'know?"
"If it's rest, then I've already had plenty today!" Naruto protested. "C'mon sensei, just let us do this!"
"You might've had rest, but what about Hinata? Need I remind you that she's been on guard duty the whole day?"
"T-that's…" Naruto looked towards Hinata guiltily. He had actually forgotten that.
"A-ah no, I'm fine, really!" Hinata frantically replied. "I was mostly just sitting around today, so um…I wouldn't mind being able to train."
"See? Even she says it's fine!"
"No means no, Naruto." Kakashi sighed. "Seriously, where was all this motivation when you were in the academy? I've heard a lot of stories about you, you know."
"Erk!" Naruto choked. To be fair to him, those sorts of lessons were just too boring! Why would he ever need to calculate the circumference of a circle anyway?
"In any case, I'm not going to let you all train tonight." Kakashi said with a tone of finality. Unable to come up with a decent argument, Naruto crossed his arms and pouted in indignation.
"That being said…" Kakashi smirked underneath his mask. "That isn't to say that we can't do a little something right now."
"Huh?" Naruto uncrossed his arms. "What do you mean?"
"You'll see. Now, why don't we head outside for a little bit? We wouldn't want any…accidents, after all."
"All that build-up…" Naruto deadpanned, looking at what Kakashi had just handed to him. "For a piece of paper?!"
"Hey now, that's not just any ol' piece of paper, that's chakra paper you're waving around there."
[Hoh?] The Fifth hummed in interest. [So that's chakra paper. They were just starting to be developed around my time, so I've never actually seen any before.]
Chakra paper? Naruto stopped waving the slip around and took another look at it. It seemed like just any other slip of paper to him. But it had something to do with chakra?
[Well specifically, it's called Chakra Induction Paper, but most people just call it chakra paper for short.] The Eighth chimed in. [I'd tell you what it does, but I think that's Kakashi's job here.]
"Hmm…So what am I supposed to do with this then?" Naruto asked.
"I'm glad you asked!" Kakashi smiled, leaning in. "You see, this little piece of paper might seem unassuming, but it actually has a really amazing ability!"
"Which is?" Naruto impatiently asked.
"How about I just show you?" As he said that, Kakashi took out another slip of paper from his vest, holding it up for the three genin to see.
"Now, observe what happens when I direct some chakra into it." Naruto watched intently at the slip, only to widen his eyes in shock as it suddenly crumpled.
"Huh?" He let out in his shock. His surprise was shared by his teammates, who were now looking at the paper with a lot more scrutiny than before.
"You see that? That means that my chakra affinity is Lightning." Kakashi explained, pocketing the now-crumpled paper. "That's the ability of a chakra paper: To show someone's chakra affinity. I assume you all are aware of the five basic natures?"
While both Sasuke and Hinata nodded, Naruto stared blankly ahead. Natures? He only knew of one nature, and that was Mother Nature. Where did the other four come from?! Not wanting to seem stupid in front of everyone, he kept his mouth shut. Thankfully, his father noticed his plight.
[Naruto, you know how there are different elements in the jutsu we use?] He started. [That's what the five natures refer to: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water.]
"Ahhhh…!" Naruto audibly hummed in understanding, drawing a raised eyebrow and a surprised look from Sasuke and Hinata respectively.
"Hmmm, well it seems like all of you are somewhat aware. In any case, why don't the three of you test it out for yourselves?"
The three genin shared a look between each other and nodded, before directing their attention to their own slip of paper. Pooling chakra into his hands, Naruto focused the chakra into the paper, feeling it sip up the energy steadily. Eventually, he saw a change.
Unlike Kakashi's, his did not crumple up but rather was torn in half, each half darkening as they became moist with water. Befuddled by this effect, Naruto glanced around to see if the others had something similar.
Surprisingly, Sasuke had dropped his paper, though a quick look at his feet explained why. The paper had been set aflame, and Sasuke had likely dropped it in surprise. It seemed that there had been more than just one reaction however, for through the small flames, Naruto could still see the paper's shape. It had been crumpled, much like how their teacher's demonstration had been.
As for Hinata, hers was somehow both damp, and yet retained the wrinkly shape that indicated an affinity to Lightning. Upon seeing that, Naruto groaned.
"Seriously? Am I the only one who doesn't have Lightning here?"
"Well, I'm about as surprised as you are." Kakashi lightly commented, eyeing the three of them. "There's a pretty diverse spread here."
"For starters, I'm sure that you can tell that Sasuke has Fire. And Lightning, if the shape is any indication. I'm not too surprised there, the Uchiha are known for their affinity for Fire." The silver-haired jōnin nodded towards the Uchiha scion, who simply responded with a grunt.
"As for Hinata, I'm pretty surprised to see that you have Lightning as well. Haven't heard of a Hyūga having that as one of their affinities, but I guess there's a first for anything. And since the paper's wet too, that means you have Water as well." The Hyūga girl stared at her paper once more, a wave of complex emotions showing up on her face.
"And last but not least, we have Naruto's." Kakashi turned towards the blonde genin. "Yours…is pretty straightforward. Wind and Water. Not an uncommon combination, and certainly not a bad one either."
Wind and Water…Naruto didn't know what to feel about that. He was certainly disappointed that he didn't have something cool-sounding like Lightning, or something that would've suited a Hokage, like Fire.
Both of which Sasuke had.
…
Bastard.
Be that as it may, Naruto found himself slowly warming up to the thought of having Wind and Water as his affinities. In fact, a thought suddenly struck him.
"If I have Wind and Water…Does that mean I can start making whirlpools?!" Naruto excitedly asked, the idea of living up to his given surname being very appealing to him.
"Ahahah," Kakashi chuckled. "Well, I'm pretty sure that there are already Water jutsu that can make whirlpools, but maybe you can come up with something that uses both in the future."
He then clapped his hands together, drawing everyone's attention.
"Anyway, tomorrow we can begin training your affinities in earnest. However, I can only train two of you at any given time."
"What? Why?" Naruto asked.
"Because someone still needs to guard Tazuna, you idiot." Sasuke smirked. "Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you already forgot."
"I didn't forget, it just…slipped my mind!"
"…Which means you forgot."
"…Shut up." Naruto pouted.
"Ahem." Kakashi faked a cough, bringing the two out of their spat. "Sasuke is right in this instance, we do need someone to guard Tazuna. With that said, tomorrow's shift goes to Sasuke."
"What? Why?" Sasuke asked in a similar manner to Naruto not too long ago.
"Hah, take that!" The blonde in question grinned.
"Calm down now, there's a reason for this." Kakashi interjected before another argument could begin. "Sasuke here already knows how to perform a Fire jutsu, correct?"
"…I do." Sasuke reluctantly admitted. "But how did you know that?"
"It's a Uchiha tradition to learn the Great Fireball jutsu as a rite of passage, no? It seems fair to assume that you had gone through the same thing in your youth."
"Hn." The Uchiha grunted, shoving his hands into his pockets. Naruto was about to laugh at him once more, but paused when he saw the look in his eyes. Of course, he could see the indignation one could expect from being told to wait before being able to get something that they wanted. But within his eyes, Naruto could also see a mixture of anger, pain, and...sadness?
That gave Naruto pause. Surely having to wait a single day shouldn't have impacted him that much, right? It was then that Naruto remembered that Kakashi was talking about a rite of passage Sasuke went through in his youth.
Within his clan.
A clan that was now gone.
Damn.
It seemed that Kakashi realized his mistake as well, as he awkwardly scratched at his face while thinking of how to proceed.
"Mah, you don't have to worry." He eventually said. "I'll have plenty of time to teach you the days afterwards, so just bear with it for tomorrow."
Sasuke simply nodded, his mood seemingly unchanged. Kakashi let out a sigh, recognizing that he couldn't salvage the situation right now. Instead, he turned towards the remaining two genin.
"As for you two, we'll begin with some basic practices with chakra moulding before we move on to actual Nature Transformation. For now, why don't you all get some rest?"
The short walk back to Tazuna's house was silent as no one knew what to say, especially not with Sasuke still being in a dour mood. When they reached the house however, Naruto realized that he still had something that needed to be done.
"Ah, before we go to sleep, there's actually something that I need to say." He announced, walking over to the couch. Seeing the unspoken invitation, Hinata and Sasuke took up seats nearby, with Kakashi deigning to stand off to the sides. He seemed to have an idea about what Naruto was about to say, after all.
"Sasuke was the one who wanted to know about all this, but I thought it would be unfair if I left you out of it, Hinata." Naruto explained, glancing over to his teacher. "And Kakashi-sensei already knows, though he only learnt about it a couple of days ago."
"Long story short, I have the souls of my ancestors residing within this pendant, and they've been imparting on me their unique Skills that this Jewel had recorded."
"Eh? / Eh?" The other two genin blurted out, utterly confused at what Naruto just said.
"Oh, and I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage."
"Ehhh? / Ehhh?"
"Oh, and I guess I should mention the Kyūbi thing too…"
"EHHHHH? / EHHHHH?"
"That's…To think something like this exists…" Sasuke groaned as he tried to process everything that Naruto had just explained.
From what he understood, Naruto belonged to a long line of nobles who all possessed these abilities known as Skills, who have been passing down a family heirloom called a Gem between generations. Said heirloom also served to record down these Skills, which the next in line were able to use so long as they had the Gem.
The Fourth Hokage, who didn't actually defeat the Nine-Tailed Fox but instead sealed it within his own son, left the Gem behind in the Hokage Residence. Said son turned out to be Naruto, and when he had snuck in to steal the Scroll of Seals – a detail that further shocked Sasuke – he had accidentally found the Gem.
Said Gem then somehow evolved, and the ancestors found themselves able to communicate with one another as well as Naruto. Now dubbing the evolved Gem as a Jewel, they then proceeded to slowly teach Naruto their respective Skills. According to Naruto though, he has only learnt around four of them.
[Map], which gave him a view of the surrounding area.
[Search], which lets him pinpoint the positions of allies and enemies.
[Speed], which simply boosted his speed.
And [Full Over], which increased all of his capabilities by a certain amount.
Sasuke's head swam as he considered the sheer utility of those Skills. And he was saying that there were still more? A dark part of Sasuke considered if it were possible for him to steal the Jewel for himself, seeing as how it supposedly was able to impart its Skills to anyone.
However, he quickly quashed the idea for various reasons, chief among them being the fact that since the ancestors had the ability to withhold permission to use the Skills, there was basically zero chance of him being able to utilize the Jewel. Especially not if he tried to steal it.
And well…He didn't think he'd have it in him to wrest away Naruto's only connection to his family like that. He may have wanted power, but he wasn't willing to stoop that low, especially since Naruto was sort of a kindred spirit to him in the sense that they both had lonely childhoods.
Not that he'd ever let the blonde know that.
Snapping his thoughts back to the situation at hand, Sasuke mulled over things once more.
"So um…" Hinata started. "How many Skills are you able to learn?"
"There's eight Skills, one per ancestor." Naruto replied, before looking down at the Jewel. "Though the Second says that there's three stages to each Skill. I've only been able to use the first stages so far."
"I see…So that's about twenty-four in total?"
"Yeah, that seems about right. Twenty-seven if you include the fact that I'm supposed to have a Skill of my own. No idea when or how that's going to show up though."
Twenty-seven?! And he's only been using the lowest stages so far? Not for the first time that night, Sasuke found himself jealous of his blonde teammate. Just as he quashed that jealousy within him, Naruto nervously looked between the two of them.
"So uh…Is that it?" He asked hesitantly. "You guys aren't curious about another big detail?"
"What detail?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing. As far as he knew, he wasn't missing anything important.
"Y'know…The giant fox-sized detail?"
Oh. Right.
That.
"I don't think it matters."
"Huh?!"
"Did I stutter? I said, I don't think it matters."
"But why? It's the Kyūbi, y'know?! Giant rampaging fox that almost wrecked the village? That?" Naruto frantically asked, surprised at Sasuke's lack of reaction. "You…You're not…"
"Scared of you?" Sasuke finished for the blonde. To which the blonde simply gave a hesitant nod.
"Please." Sasuke snorted. "As if I'd ever be afraid of you. As far as I'm concerned, you're still the same old idiot that I have as a teammate."
Naruto just stared at him in shock, unable to reply. Sasuke didn't understand why that was so surprising to him. After all, the blonde was guilty of nothing that the Nine-Tailed Fox did. Hell, he was even doing everyone a favor by keeping it from wreaking havoc upon the world once again by housing it within his body. The last thing on his mind was fearing him.
"I agree with him, Naruto-kun." Hinata chimed in, smiling gently at the blonde. "W-while it's scary to think that the Nine-Tailed Fox wasn't defeated after all, I don't think that has anything to do with you. And well…I lik- I-I-I mean, I really admire you! So please don't think that we'd hate you because of this."
"I…thanks." Naruto sincerely said to the two, his eyes slightly watery. "Although…"
The blonde then pouted at Hinata, feigning a sad look.
"You agree with everything that Sasuke said then?" He asked the Hyūga girl. "You think I'm an idiot too?"
"AHHHHHH!" Never in his life had Sasuke ever seen a face turn from blushing to pale as quickly as Hinata's just did. The poor girl flailed her arms in front of her in denial as she tried to stammer out an apology to no avail.
Seeing this, Sasuke let out a sigh. Naruto had no idea what he was doing to Hinata right now. Well, at least it was entertaining.
Thinking that, Sasuke felt a small, yet genuine smile slip onto his face.
"Ahhh, I'm pooped." Naruto grunted as he fell back onto a pile of leaves. Or rather, the bisected remains of leaves.
Almost a full day has passed since he'd met Arisa. After the long conversation he had with his team last night, he quickly fell asleep the moment his body hit the bed. And when he awoke, Kakashi kept to his word and began teaching both him and Hinata on their respective affinities.
In Naruto's case, that entailed cutting up leaves with nothing but his chakra.
The task was deceptively tough. At first, Naruto barely managed to make a small cut at the top of the leaf when he first tried it. He then made a few more attempts at it, trying out different things each time, like trying to forcefully apply more chakra to it.
That last attempt at that method had ended up in catastrophic failure, with the leaf shooting upwards out from his hands and into the sky.
As far as he could tell, it still hasn't come back down.
His failed attempts aside, he eventually got advice from his father who told him to try grinding his chakra against one another. At first, he didn't get the concept, but once he did, it was smooth sailing from there. One by one, every leaf that was unfortunate enough to land onto the ground was quickly bisected in half by an eager blonde.
After going at it for at least a couple of hours though, Naruto was definitely starting to feel fatigued. Putting his hands behind his head to form a makeshift pillow, Naruto started to feel his eyes grow heavy.
It wasn't long before he fell asleep.
[Oi, up and at 'em!]
Naruto groaned in protest at the loud voice bellowing at him. Why couldn't he just get a moment of rest?
[Get up, or I'll make you get up.] The voice threatened, prompting Naruto to crack open his eyes. The burly form of the First stood before him, his arms crossed in front of his muscled chest.
"What is it now?" Naruto complained, though he stood up regardless.
[Is that how you address someone who's about to give you a lesson, brat?] The First sternly sneered.
"You dragged me here on your own, dammit." Naruto then blinked as he looked around his surroundings. "Where are we, anyway?"
He found himself surrounded by a few wooden houses, with more over in the horizon. Around the houses were trees as far as his eyes could see, reminding him a lot of the forests around Konoha.
[You're in the outskirts of the village I raised. Well, my memory of it anyway.] The First replied before gesturing to the front. [Anyway, look over there.]
Naruto followed the First's gaze, and saw a man facing off against a large brown bear. Upon closer examination, Naruto realized that the man was the First, but younger. He still sported the First's unique barbarian-like clothing, and had a large sword that was more akin to a lump of metal on his back. Sporting slightly shorter hair than the one Naruto was familiar with, the younger version of the First glared at the bear in front of him.
The bear growled in response, its red eyes glaring hungrily back. Drool dripped continuously from its jaw, and it looked like it was about to charge forward at any moment.
[We were in an unfortunate location, you see.] The First explained. [Lots of monsters around these parts. The brown bears were some of the worst in my time. They're faster than they look, and they're plenty strong too.]
As he said that, the bear finally made its move charging forward while roaring ferociously. However, even in front of such a sight, the First was unwavering. Instead, he casually approached the bear and lifted up his sword with ease.
[Look. That's my Skill's second stage… [Limit Burst].]
Thin blue lines suddenly emerged and spread out across the younger First's body. They were akin to blood vessels, just that they emitted a pale blue light. The First's muscles expanded, and the large hunk of iron of a sword was swung down. In one fell swoop, the bear's body was vertically bisected.
Naruto's jaw dropped. He knew that the First was strong, but he didn't expect him to be able to cut cleanly through a mass of flesh and muscle like the bear that was before him. Even wielding such a large great sword with a single hand was abnormal, but his strength was just unbelievable. And even though he was displaying strength that would make even the toughest Taijutsu masters jealous, the First barely broke a sweat.
[I was the village's first line and last of defense for the longest time, y'know? So when more and more of these beasties came, I just thought to myself "I just gotta get stronger!", until my Skill suddenly developed into its second stage. That was [Limit Burst]. Uncle said it was like manifesting strength that surpasses the limit while also recovering the body, or something along those lines. I don't know the details, but apparently there's some detriment where the body would eventually reach its limit and break but…I really don't know anything about that.]
Naruto couldn't believe what he just heard. He didn't know the details about something this important?
"Oi oi oi, so you're saying that Skills have demerits too? And who's Uncle?"
[What, you didn't know something that simple? You're really an idiot, huh? Of course things will backfire if you keep forcing the usage.]
"Didn't you just say that you didn't even know the details about your own Skill?! If I'm an idiot, then you're an even bigger idiot!" Naruto raged indignantly against his ancestor. "And just who the hell is Uncle?"
[Gahahahah!] The First suddenly laughed. [That's good, that's why I like ya. Nothing wrong with talking back if someone said something to you. As for Uncle, he's the head of a neighboring clan. I used to rely on him a lot, especially when I just started out.]
The First seemed to be slightly embarrassed by that fact, for he looked away. Just as he did, a second brown bear emerged from the woods.
[Ah look, another one came. This time, you try fighting it.]
"Huh? Right now?!"
[Yeah, go for it. You've already seen me do it, so you should be able to as well.]
"I really don't think it works that way!"
[You'll be fine, just pile up your chakra and burn it all at once. Strength will come soon after.]
The way the First explained it didn't help at all. However, the brown bear was rapidly approaching. Frantically, Naruto looked around for a weapon.
[C'mon, think a little. You're inside the Jewel right now. Everything here is based on memories. If you wish hard enough for a weapon, then one will come to you.]
Before Naruto could reply however, the bear had finally reached him. Rearing back on its hind legs, the bear swung down its front paws. Naruto quickly leapt backwards, but the bear had continued its offensive with a tackle.
With no choice but to face it head on, Naruto narrowed his eyes in determination and brought up his fists…Only to notice that they were clasping a pair of kunai.
(It's better than nothing, I guess.) Naruto thought, brandishing the pair. He started calling upon his chakra, focusing it inside of him.
Blue lines began to appear on his skin, and Naruto leapt into battle.
"HOW'S THAT! / KYAH!" Naruto yelled as his eyes snapped open. It took him a while, but he finally showed that damned bear who's boss!
Wait. 'Kyah'?
Looking to his side, Naruto noticed a pretty young girl – who looked about the same age as him – sitting next to him. Said girl was also startled beyond belief, having fallen backwards in her shock and knocking over the wicker basket next to her.
Realizing what happened, Naruto immediately stood up.
"Gah, I'm so sorry! I was fighting a bear in my dreams and it was really tough and are you okay?!"
"I'm fine, you just startled me, that's all." The girl replied, recomposing herself. "Ah, my herbs!"
Naruto looked over at her basket, and realized that the contents had spilled out all over the ground. Horrified, Naruto quickly leapt forward and began trying to pick them back up.
"I'm really sorry about all this." He apologized once more. "I really didn't think there'd be anyone else out here."
"Me neither, to be honest." She said as she knelt besides him, picking her herbs back up.
Now that he had calmed down a bit, Naruto finally took in her appearance. Garbed in a sleeveless, pink kimono, the girl's long black hair swayed gently in the wind as she continued to pick up her herbs. Eventually, she finished placing everything back and raised her head. Her gaze met Naruto's, her large brown eyes drawing Naruto in. Eventually, she looked away with a demure smile.
"Staring is rude, you know." She giggled playfully.
"Ah, my bad. I was just wondering what your name was." Naruto sheepishly said. "I'm Namikaze Naruto!"
"Me? You can call me Haku."
A/N: Alright, that's about it for now. Tried to make this longer for you all since I haven't updated in a while. 9000+ words is a new record for me. Though a good chunk of it ended up being exposition…
The next chapter will have more action in it, I swear! Whenever I manage to get the time to write it, anyway. In any case, hope you folks enjoyed the chapter, do let me know what you thought of it by reviewing!
Until next time,
Sul~