Chapter 4: Inferences, Assumptions and Realizations: A world of rules.
What is life without those you care about? Is it truly worth carrying on without those you've held on tight and dearly to? Perhaps the reward and punishment for having unflinching power is solitude.
Naruto stole a glance at Irene as they walked, he listened to the sound of every step she made, she indeed is one who walks with grace. He on the other hand couldn't really afford to extend the same courtesy to his would-be onlookers.
Draped in a large orange warrior-robe, Naruto had the blissful fortune of protection against the cold winds terrorizing the grassy plane that he and Irene walked. He liked the presence of healthy life that he was surrounded by. During his ninja days, travelling to far and unknown distances was a thing of special missions and every time he made those trips, he was never truly alone inside.
It was different now. Even when the nine tailed beasts hated his existence, it was eternally tied to Naruto's human existence and that meant Naruto could never truly be alone as long as he was alive. In a way, Naruto hated the beast also, and in other ways, he was happy that he wasn't so alone.
Kurama, yes…
Are you here with me? Or are you just a shell? Naruto questioned as he stared at Karama's form in his mindscape. He was looking up at a giant of a beast, a testament to the amount of chakra that he and his beast companion had amassed before leaving their world.
Karama's body towered over Naruto's line of sight and as Naruto touched its orange fur, he would feel no consciousness. No Kurama. Just a shell holding immeasurable power.
Naruto grimaced.
Much of the reason for his weakness had become almost clear instantly but for Kurama's plight, he couldn't come up with a reason for the absence of Kurama's consciousness.
He could be in there, recovering from amassing so much power, perhaps trapped in his own consciousness like Naruto was. It was a far and unlikely stretch but maybe even if Kurama was a beast made entirely of chakra, he too had a limit to the amount of chakra he could gather and manifest with.
Regardless of whatever was happening, Naruto knew that if he was ever going to hear from the Beast again, it would take some miracle.
A miracle.
Yes, that was perhaps what he needed. Finding Hinata would be nothing short of miraculous, the same goes for his health. In his world, ninjutsu that healed people on such a scale required the sacrifice of the healer's life force and Naruto was known as one of the few individuals with insane levels of life force.
His unique life-force was one of the things that subjected him to becoming a Jinchuriki.
His capacity to hold and weld the chakra of several tailed beasts had truly solidified him as an individual on a different level, but absorbing chakra on the scale that he had was supposed to be considered impossible for any human.
While a few other individuals had possessed chakra beyond what he has absorbed, they had the right tools to handle and suppress its magnitude. Madara and Obito had the Rinnegan, Sasuke had a Rinnegan and he also went on to hold the energy within his Susanoo's amour.
Naruto on the other hand has the Kyuubi. While the Kyuubi is no ten-tails, it is one of the fractions that makes up the power of the ten-tailed so him scaling to sublime chakra feats was not supposed to be impossible. True to Naruto's thoughts, the Kyuubi's massive form showed that he was able to adapt to the power.
Naruto had also adapted to this power; he was now in a godlike state. His skin pale like Madara's and Obito's. Even with the absence of a Dojutsu, his vision had grown clearer. His feats and understanding of everything were much greater. In other words, Naruto had succeeded in absorbing the amount of chakra that he did. But now, the Kyuubi's consciousness was not active. Now he alone held onto the task of suppressing the large amount of chakra within his seal. There would be no help from his beasty companion.
The consciousness of all the other tailed beast in his mind had also been shattered. He alone held back the combined forces of the portions of all the tailed beast chakras also coupled with the full might of Kurama combined with the power they both absorbed from the shinobi world.
This was most definitely a lot.
Even while almost godlike, Naruto was still just human, his body would not expand or enlarge as he got past his chakra retaining limit. Instead, he would slowly deteriorate until his body exploded from this huge amount of energy.
He was special though, while his body deteriorated, he was subconsciously healing himself. Perhaps the healing process would have been a lot quicker had he held on a little before attempting his space-teleportation. But without being fully healed, he further subjected himself through the travel which would have undoubtable caused greater levels of ware.
Now, here he was, revived, alive and moving. All of his hypothesis only explained why he was in a weakened state, he couldn't tell why Kurama was not communicating with him but true to his earlier thoughts, it would indeed take a miracle for all his problems to be answered.
Hinata, Kurama, his health. A miracle indeed.
Most humans lived their lives saying prayers after the other. Such was their believe that before hard work and plans of success, prayer was essential.
Prayer, yes. Naruto would say one for his hopes and dreams. He glanced back at Irene.
'I would say a prayer for you also' He whispered to himself.
"You couldn't possibly say enough prayers on my behalf" Irene spoke up. She stopped in her tracks and stared at the sky with a solemn look plastered on her face. She brought a hand up to her face and stared at the glove encasing it.
"The thought of a deity up and above truly amuses my curiosity. I've come across several beings that tapped into the powers of the so-called gods that govern the nature of magic. Perhaps these beings are prophets or just weak manifestations but still, they exist."
Naruto had also stopped moving, he looked back at Irene, drowning in every word.
"Prophets and manifestations, I've come across a few who thought of themselves as what they weren't. What I speak of is in regards of a being above, one responsible for all that we can see and not see". Naruto spoke.
"If this entity exists then …, then why? "Irene asked.
Naruto tried to understand the context of Irene's words and before he would speak up, he saw her tremble. Her lips widening slightly as dark red energy began swirling around her.
"Why did he leave the dirty work to me? How could he sit back and let me create this magic!"
Naruto felt the wind become heavier, pieces of debris were rising up and the clouds were becoming darker. As Irene stared at her hand, the glove would dissolve in her dark-red magic, leaving them both with the sight of Irene's non-human hand.
"I seem to be wearing these emotions on my sleeve around you." Irene admitted.
As the dark red energy swirled around her, it would continue to expand, swallowing Naruto fully and covering the land in the blaze that was Irene's might.
Inside the dark mass of Irene's red blazing energy, Naruto felt intense pressure wash all over him. He felt like he was in an ocean of energy and the only reason the pressure hadn't ripped him apart was because of his own power.
Black markings began to glow underneath him, spelling out a word he couldn't quite pronounce. It would indeed seem that even if they spoke the same language, when written, the gap between their two worlds could be felt.
Irene's voice echoed in a soothing manner and although he couldn't read the letters, they would finally maKe sense to him.
Enchanto, Nagusame no aijin [Enchant: Mistress of Comfort]
The large markings crept up Naruto's feet and up his robes as he watched. He felt no malice, just pure power. Slowly the pain he carried in his body progressively declined until he felt complete bliss.
Naruto's eyes felt heavy, he was drowsy. It felt like a genjutsu had been placed on him and the only thing holding his consciousness together was his mental fortitude. Several run in's with Genjutsu users aside, he had been recently been trapped in his mind before and was stuck in a reality where he wondered what was real or not. Because of these events, he could tell when a feeling was out of place and this bliss that he felt, however peaceful and warm, he knew it could have repercussions.
But at this point, Naruto trusted Irene with his wellbeing so instead of fighting the feeling, he would lay out a question instead.
"Irene, … "He whispered, his words coming out slow and soft.
"What is this feeling you have given me?"
He could feel Irene's presence all around him, after all, he was in her magic and it didn't take long for her reply to be heard. "This is sleep magic …"
"Magic huh? ..." Naruto whispered as his eyes began to shut.
'Hinata, this world is strange. But I get it now, this energy all around me, everywhere, in the atmosphere, it is called Magic. It is so light, but just like chakra, it can make wonders come true.'
His eye balls moved around, only seeing the dark red of what is Irene's magic. He continued.
'This woman is powerful. I have been walking around with so much that I almost felt that it was normal, but this pain devouring magic has shown me that the pain doesn't always have to be there. It has shown me that in its embrace, I could find peace.'
"I… Irene, thank you", Naruto whispered before his eyes closed shut, his consciousness rescinding into a world where a clearer picture of his predicament would be unveiled to him. A world where Kurama exists.
As the sleep overtook, Naruto's form began to fall slowly until he a hand would reach out, steading him.
Irene looked at Naruto, her dark red magic flaring. Immediately the huge energy she was outputting would recede back into her. Her angry look would immediately become replaced with an indifferent mask.
She continued to stare at Naruto except this time, her fascination would become visible.
"What are you?" She asked.
"Are you just a man?" She felt as if her questions were redundant because evidently, there was a heart beating in his chest and this close to Naruto, she could feel his slow breaths.
To her, Naruto was a unique entity in the sense that he did not give off the same feeling as other mages she had come across. He didn't have that unique magical signature surrounding his frame, neither did he seem to be using magic. He presence was indeed a mystery and so were his beliefs. To that she continued.
"No one sits at the top Naruto." She whispered. "And if there is a being there, all mighty and all powerful, then perhaps we received the precious gift of free will and that puts us in account of our own actions and deeds." She paused.
"I could reshape this world if I so pleased. Lord Spriggan could corrode all human life if he lost control. Acnologia could destroy everything and everyone if he wanted. So, in a way, we are the Gods here. If the humans pray for a savior, it wouldn't matter if on a whim, "we" decided that their lives were not worth it."
"But I know life is precious. From the moment I laid my eyes on you I stopped caring for just one human alone. Whatever you are, you are special. I would journey with you to help you find yourself but I do not like the idea of prayers considering that those you would pray to were responsible for my predicament."
"Or was that Karma? "Irene wondered. Whatever it was, it was clear that every action had the opposite and equal reaction. Who made these rules? and why? She always wondered why but it was of no consequence, not anymore.
The deed had already been done.
"We will fly together now; we are a long way from the Kings palace. Sleep as we cover the distance for that is my gift to you Naruto." Irene spoke as a large bird materialized in front of her, its wings dark and eagle like eyes staring into the distance.
She placed Naruto gently on the bird before ascending into the air and together, she and the bird would take off at impressive speeds.
'Human, sage, god, beast or kitsune …. What are you? '
Naruto heard whispers and they continued. So uncertain and yet so expressive of their curiosity.
"Naruto" A different more powerful voice called out.
"Welcome to the Folklore."Naruto's eyes would snap open at the familiarity of the speaking voice and immediately he would perceive a world of darkness but through it, he would make out statues of creatures unknown, strange structures and overall, he would feel staggering levels of magic in the atmosphere.
"Where am I?" Naruto questioned as he got up to his feet. In this world, he was not draped in the robes Irene had given him, instead, he had only orange shorts. Here, his eyes glowed bright but pupils were ever transitioning between a slit and horizontal yellow bar and on his stomach, his Eight trigrams seal seemed to be completely visible.
"Here is the world of folklore, Naruto. This is where you approach entirety and become whole again".Naruto could hear the Kyubi's voice in his mind. It felt as if everything was back in order, from the Kurama being conscious again, to him feeling the dept of power in his body without declining in health.
Looking up in the sky, he could make out a black scaled dragon that seemed frozen in time and all around him, strange creatures, grimoires, structures and objects stood still, frozen.
In this mystical world, only the whispers in the air counted for presence, Naruto was the only living entity here and in here, he would understand his predicament a little more.
"Blend in, you have to become one with the statues"The Kyuubi instructed to which Naruto obeyed and his body immediately began releasing Nature energy that would form a thick layer around his skin. This layer would then begin transforming into a solid construct, thick and earth like.
"Sage Art's, Gargoyle" Naruto's skin became dark like the earth. His entire body had become frozen like the statues around him and suddenly a bright light would swallow the world.
Covering his outer appearance in stone made his sight pointless as it was covered by the earth layer. So instead of relying on his sight to understand what was happening on the outside, Naruto amped up his senses.
He could feel thunderclap after thunderclap. The world had become swallowed in rain and each drop was accompanied by a non-negligible force that threatened to break through his sage enhanced earth layer. How convenient. Now he understood Kurama's warnings.
Concentrating deeper, Naruto focused on reinforcing his statue appearance, he wasn't particularly sure if it was wise to increase the energy he was outputting by a tenfold because he understood something.
The rain was a living entity and if it felt threatened by Naruto's power, there was no telling how much more intense the rain could get. So, Naruto continued to steady the output by as little energy as he could maintain. All around him he was surrounded and he could feel the familiarity echoing off some of the statue-creatures.
'Human, Dragon, …' And then Naruto would feel much greater ties. 'Gods, Kitsune … '
"Naruto, listen carefully,"The Kyuubi spoke.
"We have landed in a different world and things have become unique. You became a God on reaching their atmosphere and because of that, a series of rules held you in place."
"What rules? Naruto questioned.
"The rules are unknown to me also, but a couple of rules have been placed upon you and they have diminished your strength, essence and most importantly, your being whole." Kurama answered. True to his world's regardless of the reason's Naruto thought that his weakness had stemmed from, true or false, they had come from interferences placed on him by the rules.
"I know of one rule that is in effect. The rule of Contradiction!" The Kyuubi paused before continuing. "These rules have placed limits on you Naruto so be aware that this is a dangerous place but the answers to becoming whole again and escaping the rules is through the World of Folklore. There is a lot we can find out together here but your time is running out Naruto."
True to the Kyubi's word, Naruto felt the outer layers of his earth amour begin to crack and dissolve in the rain. The rain did not feel any more intense and his strength didn't seem to be wavering but it just felt like the resistance could not be held for much longer.
"How do I come back?" Naruto asked the Kyuubi through their mind link. He was now in his mindscape and instead of a sleeping Kurama, this time he could see the beast fully awake, a smile on his face as he answered Naruto.
"Follow the old stories Naruto, this new world is really invested in magical beliefs. There are countless magical creatures that exist in tales and many of them exist in the real world but only a few hold the power to travel back and forth between the mortal realm and the folklore. You are one of those creatures Naruto, and there are a few other's like you"
"Like me?" Naruto pondered what the Kyuubi meant.
"While not completely like you, there are Kitsunes in this world. And they have the means to travel between realms." The Kyuubi spoke, his voice was beginning to fade away from Naruto's mindscape but before his consciousness would completely slip away, Naruto would speak up, a statement that would bring a smile to the Kyubi's. "I miss you, Kurama"
"As do I, kit" And with those words, the Kyubi's consciousness would slip away from Naruto's mind. Naruto could feel the beast's presence but it felt like he didn't have enough power to communicate with his tailed friend.
crack crack ...
And with that Naruto's earth skin gave away. As the first rain droplet would come in contact with his bare skin, Naruto would feel anguish as a black dot would appear on the surface on his skin. More rain drops and the black dots were increasingly spreading on his skin.
Gathering his thoughts, Naruto feet like he was about to be ejected from the folklore realm. He now understood that the dots were his eviction notice and once his skin became entirely covered in dots, he would forcibly fade away from Folklore.
He gritted his teeth's as rain drop after rain drop collided with his skin and then he heard a voice whisper in his hear. "Human, you have overstayed your welcome".
"Human huh" Naruto whispered as he regained consciousness. It felt like he had only just given into Irene's sleep magic a second ago, and in that same time, he had crossed the boundaries of the physical world and had belonged to the Folklore.
So brief and yet so enlightening.
Naruto tried to hold in a scream but found that he couldn't, in an instant he was overcome with pain. While flying, Irene noticed Naruto's anguish and immediately began to descend. The bird-like creature that Irene had conjured up to carry Naruto would take the lead, descending faster and dropping to the ground.
A second later, Irene would land next to it, her hand steading Naruto as he held his head with both hands. She watched as black dots would appear all over Naruto's body and just as they appeared, they would fade away.
As the black dots disappeared, Naruto's anguish look would relax a little. Irene watched him closely, she was curious and wondered if she needed to place him in some sort of enchantment to lesser the pain.
Naruto took deep breaths. He now had a puzzled look. There were a number of emotions that could describe his state of mind at the moment but one feeling was more stuck closer to the surface.
'Human. I was a human today 'Naruto whispered. He felt different now. Another realm away and he felt stronger and more powerful, but here, he felt more complete and his ability to comprehend all things was becoming much clearer.
Now that he knew he hadn't exaggerated the Folklore and Kurama talking to him, he knew that there was more to this world. The world of magic wasn't just a land where creatures with destructive tendencies walked around. It was a world closely bound and strapped by unshakable rules.
Naruto smiled and looked at Irene. This woman had become his protector and he understood a lot about her just by being near her.
'Kind protector' Naruto thought. Yes, she was kind. He understood that. She was a protector, now she was his protector.
Irene looked at Naruto, wondering what was going through his mind. She felt the air around him shift slightly. He was not becoming any healthier or magically becoming stronger, but certain patterns like his presence were becoming more pronounced.
'Deceitful protector'. Yes again, she was suppressing something.
'Irene, I do not know of all the rules holding me in place, but I know of one and I can feel it all around you as well. The Rule of Contradiction'. Naruto wasn't sure if it would be wise to tell Irene what he thought without being entirely sure himself.
He continued to think, there were inferences that he could arrive at that made the Kyubi's suspected Rule of Contradiction to make sense.
He continued, 'I came to this world seeking to solidify, strengthen and save my ties with Hinata. I came here seeking to save the bonds I had worked so hard to forge. But now I understand that the rules of contradiction have turned those desires around.'
'I came with her, but I can no longer find her. Kurama and I were bound together by our seal and we had become friends, we cherish each other and we can never truly be alone because we have each other. I also wanted to save and preserve that bond but now, he's consciousness is gone, I have almost become alone'.
'I gathered and absorbed so much power so I could protect them both but on getting here, I have become a fraction of that godly entity that I became prior to executing the space travel.'
'Truly, all my motives have had contradictive results. This isn't a curse, just a harsh implementation of misdirection. I feel this same misdirection all over you - Irene. What could you have done to be placed in such a loop and what effects does this rule have on you?' Naruto wondered for it was too soon to start asking personal questions.
Whatever effects the rules had on Irene; it was clear that she thought it was a curse. Obviously, anyone would think the same.
Irene noticed a smile on Naruto's face. It seemed that the pain was gone. She wondered what those patterns were but was more interested in why Naruto was smiling.
"Did you find a cause to be happy about?" Irene questioned.
"No, not quite. I just realized that the technique that I used to transport us earlier is indeed perfect" Naruto answered. Truth be told, it was indeed a perfect technique, he thought earlier that its implementation had left him stranded in space and time, and travelling for years upon years and feeling that movement in one instance. But he was wrong, the technique, Leap of Faith was perfect. All and any undesirable outcomes that resulted from its application were only placed on him by the rules of the Magic world.
Irene snorted almost playfully. She found her behavior weird but she went with it.
"I wouldn't call that perfect. You can only travel to where you have marked previously" She replied.
"I guess I haven't really told you my story Irene. When I do then you would know that in a way, the technique may not really have limits" Naruto replied.
"But until then, it does have limits, and those limits are quite crippling" She answered.
Naruto thought about it for a few seconds before continuing the conversation. "I guess I could start drawing markings everywhere I go"
"That would be stupid and a very huge waste of time." She responded as she began to help Naruto off the magic bird.
"Yeah, maybe. Because then I would have countless of markers all over the land and wouldn't know which one to teleport to at any given time." Naruto replied as he finally got on his feet.
"Precisely, it would be a good way to escape from powerful enemies though" She replied.
Naruto scratched his head a little. His glowing blue eyes now focused on Irene. "I guess so, but say Irene, why do you help and protect me?" He asked.
Irene looked at him closely, pondering what to say and not say. She closed her eyes, thinking of the growing child in her stomach, the thoughts and plans she didn't want to have, the 'her' before now and her new life. Who was she really and what was she doing?
She concluded; it didn't matter 'why'.
Ignoring the question, Irene started to walk. They had landed in a random town on the way to the kingdom and just like many of the towns along the path, it had many guilds which had been forcefully absorbed by the Alvarez Empire. The aftermath of this saw that many would migrate to the empire, following their local guilds in hopes of protection.
Alvarez offered them this protection and convinced them that while their local guilds were absorbed, it was for the sake creating one nation where the people could live in peace.
It wasn't entirely a lie but at the same time, it was not the entire truth.
It was very unlikely to find anyone in these sorts of places yet she could sense not one but two humans. It was a mother cradling her child. Irene chose not to look instead opting to continuing her journey but Naruto had different plans.
"Irene, I have to see something" Naruto stated as he stared into the distance. The town was well in rubbles and only a few buildings stood. Over a distance Naruto could make the appearance of a woman sitting on a rocking chair, her hand wrapped around a small child.
A mother and her child. Naruto smiled at the sight, but he felt that there was something more. There was sadness in the air. In an instant, he would appear next to the mother, startling her.
She looked frightened, rightfully so and Naruto felt that she would have reacted more outwardly if she hadn't already lost all hope. He could see so much as he looked at her.
She was crying. Her long yellow-blond hair that reached over her back and rested on the ground looked dirty. Her child's face was buried into her neck, arms around her mother's neck.
Naruto said in a caring voice? "You shouldn't cry" Perhaps not the right thing to say because he could very well feel the life force of the child slipping away. An extremely sick child.
The mother's eyes had tears in them as she glared at Naruto.
"Haven't you taken enough from us?" She shouted. "You took our guilds, our people, destroyed my world. What more do you want?"
"These people that took so much from you, maybe they caused so much change but what is important right now is here with you. She's in your arms" Naruto replied.
The woman lowered her gaze to the child in her arms. The tears would not stop coming out but she knew what was more important. Truly her child was everything to her, but even if the strange man was right, her child's life was slipping away.
"You're not one of them?" She asked trying to find a semblance of goodness in the man before her.
Naruto bent, putting a knee to the ground so they could both communicate with a level gaze.
"This town is right in the path towards where I'm supposed to be. So, I could very well be one of those that took everything from you. But none of that matters now because in this instance, I am about to give you back your 'world'".
The woman smiled. She seemed to find Naruto's words amusing. She replied, "You speak like you're some god that breathes life into the sick and dying".
"Today, I am whatever will make you happy but in actuality, I could be a god, or something else entirely." Naruto replied.
"Then what are you? "She asked as she looked into his glowing blue eyes.
"I am what I am" Naruto replied as he began reaching, his hands moving forward to touch the child. The mother flinched, a semblance of fear in her eyes as Naruto reached but immediately, she would feel warmth and comfort creeping into her chest.
Her baby was now covered in a yellow glow. It gave her a familiar feeling, one that she hadn't felt since her child was inside her belly. It was the feeling of being 'one' with her child. She looked at Naruto with a look of disbelief, his glowing yes felt so reassuring.
"I am here to help" He said.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, what is yours?" She felt compelled to respond and without a moment's hesitation, she would answer. "I am Sara Vermillion".
So much peace. Sara could feel the comfort that her child was in. She was so oblivious to the critical condition that she had always been in. Alongside that peace, she could feel her daughter's heart, its process so slow and constrained. She had seen several healers and had been informed about the problem but no remedy had acted strong enough.
Naruto's rested his hand on the child's head. He continued, "Sara, you don't have to be sad. The bond between a mother and her child would never crumble by my might, it would only strengthen."
Naruto closed his eyes in concentration, just by touching and extending his chakra all around the child, he could feel her plight. There was still a need for the deductive powers of his six-paths sage mode to understand what should be done and after a few seconds of conducting this search he would arrive at the answer.
Lowering his hand down, Naruto placed it on the child's back. Since her back was the only position exposed to Naruto, he rested his hand on the spot closest to her heart and then he breathed.
"Hinata, I never fully appreciated these powers of mine. With just a touch, I can feel one's emotions, with closer inspection, I could map out their physical struggles and if I so wanted, I could try to take away as much as their pain as I can." Naruto paused as he looked into Sara's eyes.
"This is a power one should take lightly. Because as a healer, all one has to do is 'try' to 'heal' but as a holder of the six paths sage mode, all I have to do is care enough to want to 'heal'."
'How strange' Naruto thought to himself. 'Strange that we crossed each other's path, strange that I am here right now and still now, the strangest thing is about to happen for you '.
"Yang release".
Just like he did with Guy, Naruto wrapped his yang chakra around the child's heart, making it stronger as seconds went by and for the real problem, he concentrated even more. Pouring more yin chakra till he covered what he was sure was a magic container inside the child.
This container was the main source of her problems. It seemed to be a natural occupant in her body but it seemed to be too small to contain the amount of magic that flowed in the child's body. This made the power to flow out and spread to parts of her body where it produced recurring damages.
The result of this was a weaker heart and poor breathing.
"This is a gift" Naruto said to Sara as the yang chakra around the magic container morphed into a complex array of seals before constricting at a point and leaving a diamond shaped mark on the container.
"Yang release, Reserve Seal" Naruto muttered and Sara immediately felt a change in her child's body. Something and everything seemed intact now.
"I'm glad I crossed paths with you and your daughter, Sara. Even if I'm so powerless, I am always glad to be of little help but this help I have extended to your child, it is no small feat and she will come to understand that one day. She is different and one day she will have the power to change everything around her."
Sara looked at Naruto in confusion, she swallowed every word Naruto said but could not begin to understand them but it didn't matter much. She could feel that her child had been saved and that was all that mattered.
"cough, cough" The child stirred in her mother's arms.
"Tha ..." Before she could respond to Naruto's words and thank him, he had disappeared. She looked around her, searching for any signs of him but it was pointless. Just as he had appeared in front of her, pale, glowing eyes, and a creature bound in mystery, he had disappeared in the same way.
To think there are those that actually care. What was he anyways? Sara didn't know what to think but if her daughter ever asked about him, she would say she met a truly special being.
…. …
Naruto appeared next to Irene; he had a nose bleed but a smile on his face nonetheless.
They continued to walk as Irene spoke, "I felt what you did, Naruto."
Naruto nodded. "Where I grew up, even though there were some outstanding characters that were born with large energy reserves, it never was a problem. I guess things are different here" He replied.
"Yes, perhaps they are. But what you did for her was a feat considered almost impossible. Normally, when one has much more magic than they could possibly handle, they are advised to attempt acquiring a second magic container known as the Second Origin. But you didn't give her that, what exactly did you do? "Irene questioned.
"I doubt if another magic container can be fitted just inside anyone, perhaps if she was older then her body would naturally develop one. That seemed like a way out but even while I made her heart stronger to manage the strain, it would have been very unlikely for her to survive the coming years. For that very reason, I placed a seal on her magic container that makes it almost bottomless."
"Very well then" Irene said. She, just like all other mages that knew about the logic binding magic containers could never have known that there were ways to bypass how much power one could hold at any given time in any container. Different individuals acquired their different powers at different rates, and the potency of the power was what determined the output. Dragon slayers ultimately could draw out more magic as opposed to other individuals due to the potency of the power.
"Irene" Naruto spoke. "There's a place I'd have to go someday soon. It's a place that has all the answers but only the strong and invited can undergo this journey. I'm inviting you to come with me, so we can find answers to every question we have."
"A place of answers?" Irene questioned.
"Yes Irene" Naruto responded before appearing in front of her. His hand on her chest as he pressed his yang chakra deep into her body. For the first time, he finally got a clear picture as to how powerful Irene was but regardless of how outstanding this power was, she focused a vast majority of it towards her stomach, leaving her primary and second origin container half filled.
This woman had insanely crippling magic powers and it didn't seem like she would be one to rely on a bottomless magic container but Naruto knew that his travel to the folklore and their survival would require way more power than she was used to.
So, he carved similar seals into both her magic containers before whispering. "I've given you something of powerful value Irene. Please be strong, stronger for both of us and when the time is right, please come with me to the Folklore".
And with that, Naruto passed out, falling forward into Irene's frame and being caught by her.
"The Folklore", She whispered.
- END
Another chapter here, thanks for the reviews and support everyone. This chapter more than answers questions directed to Kurama's appearance in the story. Also, please note that the Rules of Contradiction and the Curse of Contradiction are not the same.
I also introduced the concept that is Kitsunes in this chapter.
I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks.