I don't own Naruto.
An: This fic is going to be yaoi or m/m so if that bothers you, please drop this now!
You are still here? ily :)
A little over a week had passed since Naruto had been visiting the library. He was quite relieved when came to find out that it wasn't the most visited places in Konoha. Naruto had been observing that non clan oriented shinobi frequented place more than the clans. He supposed that the clans' members would not want to come to the library when they had older members to personally mentor them. For them the library was more likely a safe house.
Naruto shouldn't have been surprised when he saw both Sasuke and Sakura in the library on a off day. Kakashi sensei was sent away on a mission and he hadn't assigned them to any homework or onto another sensei so they were free to do whatever they wanted. He supposed that Sasuke would be training Uchiha oriented ninja arts and Sakura not having any other source of knowledge, seeked out the library.
Or followed Sasuke.
Sakura went to say hi to Sasuke as soon as she saw him while he just brushed past them, only making awkward eye contact as the only acknowledgement of their presence.
He could see Sakura hide her sadness and frustation as both him and Sasuke went past her deeper into the library where she wasn't allowed access. Naruto understood how unfair it is for her. Not having the support to improve herself and being expected to improve. It was the same with him. The teachers and the hokage always expected him to do better without ever telling him what to do or how to do something different than he was doing.
It became more of a common thing between them, coming across each other at the library. He saw Sasuke far more often than Sakura. Sasuke had very vast set of clan jutsus and techniques just waiting for him to master so he must spend a awful lot of his time here because he never sees Sasuke around the village.
Naruto had much less but much more complicated scrolls. He need constant guidance in it but he didn't have anyone. He didn't want to take it to the old man because he was still angry at him for not providing him with the entirety of the Uzumaki archives.
He knew he would have to come up with something if he ever wanted to progress but he needed some time to cool off. He started with the adamantime chains. They didn't require writing or drawing kanji.
It was far more difficult than he thought it would be.
"I thought", Naruto panted falling on his knees, " I would never in my life would feel chakra exhausted with this much chakra "
'It was your clan that developed this. Logically they would take their reserves into account', Kurama said sarcastically.
"First I find out that dad's famous jutsu wasn't his in the first place but the second hokage's so I don't get to inherit it and then now this? ", Naruto ranted.
" All these years this much chakra was the boon of my life and now this much is not enough? "
'Why are you directly jumping to the final step? ', Kurama asked,'Don't start with nine chains from the get go. Your mother started from one but you have more chakra than what she had when she startes you could begin whith two or three'
"It would have been fun to see people when the demon kyuubi brat summoned nine chains though", Naruto pouted.
" I wish mom was here to help me with the chains", Naruto said.
'You know that no matter what you are like, I would not miss the chance to kill her again if I get one', Kurama said seriously.
Naruto didn't say anything. He knew that between all three of the the Uzumaki, Kurama's life had been the hardest with his mother. He was literally nailed into a boulder with these chains for decades! Naruto was just grateful that Kurama didn't have any problems seeing the chains again. Beast or not fear doesn't see reason. Even if Kurama knew he would never do anything like that.
Naruto shrugged it off not wanting to touch the subject and moved on.
"Okay, project the chakra to the back, shape into chains and push", Naruto repeated the vague instructions.
But this time he made reduced the number to three and it shot out of his back, pulsing pain through his back,like tearing it apart, tearing through his skin, jacket and shirt.
'It's blue? ', Kurama blurted stupefied.
Naruto turned around to see a skyish blue chains embedded into the roof and walls. He wasn't bleeding from his back as he expected though.
Naruto dispelled his chakra and plopped flat into the ground from his kneeling position.
"Does it hurt every time? ", Naruto asked weakly.
'I don't think so. She wouldn't use them to do house chores otherwise', Kurama said contemplating.
" What colour did my mother's chain have? ", Naruto asked remembering Kurama's words.
'Golden', Kurama answered.
'I think it projects the chakra colour. You have blue. Your mother's had been golden yellow', Kurama said, 'And the first one as well'
'Now that I think about it, I think my first host had more of a golden colour while your mother had a yellowish hue to it and the chains as well', Kurama said.
"Does that mean Uzumaki have a distinct chakra colour? I know that medic jutsu all show green chakra", Naruto
'I don't know', Kurama said, 'Guess you will have to find that out on your own'
'But it is possible. My first host was the clan heir so she inherited chakra far stronger than your mother who was still a pure blood but just inferior chakra while you are a half blood',Kurama theorized.
Naruto got up slowly and took off his jacket.
" Will this happen everytime? ", Naruto asked.
'Yes, that it will', Kurama said, 'She used to produce chains from hands for that reason and not her back'
" But that will be no good for combat or anything if hands would be occupied. It will be more of a disadvantage", Naruto said.
'During missions? Yes. Getting a heavy pot down to clean? No' Kurama answered.
" I just know this is going to be very expensive", Naruto sighed...
a few days later
Neji walked towards the outskirts of the village in the forest late evening. He reached a clearing where he came often to just get away from everything. Whenever he decided that he had enough of his green spandex team or whenever he thought he might strangle someone in his clan out of his frustration.
Today it was his clan. Hiashi sama had some free time today and was able to train his daughters so he had informed Hinata sama's sensei that she wouldn't be able to go and he had also done the same with him and informed Gai sensei of his absence. Both Hanabi sama and Hinata sama needed sparring partners who were around the same weight and body size.
Hinata sama had been promoted to genin just recently so she must have only D ranks now but he had been a genin for over a year now and was getting some C and B ranks very rarely. They had a short term C rank mission today which he had to miss because of it. Not that Hiashi sama knew about it. He knew that Hiashi sama must think that it was helpful for Neji as well, but sparring with inferior opponents was of no use to Neji.
He tried to push those thoughts away as he neared his destination.
What surprised him was that someone was already there. By the clothes hanging from the tree, he instantly realised who. Only one person wore that orange jacket in the entire elemental nations. He was reluctant to give away his presence because he had expected it to be empty as always, so he hadn't put on his headband or bandages to hide his seal.
The boy hadn't been aware of his presence it seemed. Did he just come for a soak in the pond? There were better ones for that purpose. This one had lotuses blooming in them and thus not good for swims. Not great for normal purposes but was helpful for water walking practice and why he had found it in the first place.
He peeked out from behind a tree to see the boy submerged in the water, bare body with just his pants on and on closer inspection he could see... chains?
Bluish sky chains were extended from his torso and moving slowly in water, cutting through it smoothly.
When he surfaced to breathe, his head snapped towards him. Neji stiffened but came out of hiding, all while ocean blue yes followed him and his own pale ones switching from his ocean blue eyes to look at the sky blue chains.
Naruto seemed to notice his eyes and then the chains disappeared in a heartbeat.
He didn't say anything and just stood there for a while not knowing what to do. Naruto stared at him all the while but then he realised that it wasn't him that Naruto was staring at, it was the curse of his life, the seal on his forehead.
"I didn't know this place was occupied", Neji broke the silence.
Naruto began swimming towards the shore and walked out of the pond water dripping from his body.
" No worries. I was about to leave anyways ", Naruto said and got his shirt on and hung the jacket off his shoulders.
" Doesn't look like it", Neji stopped Naruto from leaving.
"Huh? ", Naruto asked turning around.
Neji just pointed toward the camp fire Naruto had built and two fishes hung on sticks, cooking by the fire.
" Uh.. I forgot about those ", Naruto said making his way there. He picked them up and a lemon too which Neji had failed to notice. Naruto cut it with a kunai and squeezed it on both the fishes and handed him one.
" Here", Naruto offered.
Neji slowly took it from his hand.
"Thank you", Neji said .
" How did you know I was here? ", Neji asked what had been bothering him.
" Huh? ", Naruto asked.
" I didn't make any noise, I made sure of it and even then you were under water, you couldn't have heard me and neither smell me. You were turned around so you couldn't have seen me either ", Neji pointed out.
" Uhmm.. instincts? ", Naruto said.
Neji didn't believe him one bit. He knew Naruto was lying.He didn't push him to answer though, if he didn't want to reveal his techniques, he understood. He was the same, the chunin exams were in a couple of months and he too had been preparing secretly. Not even Gai sensei knew that he had mastered sixty four palms.
"Is that a seal? ", Naruto asked hesitantly.
Neji's defensive instincts kicked in. Non Hyuuga's weren't supposed to know about it. It wasn't the biggest secret as any team who had a Hyuuga knew about it and the high ranking people such as Hokage, the jonin commander and such people knew about it too but it was something not told to children of the village. It was something that was ignored by everybody except the one the seal was placed on.
Neji nodded, "How did you know? "
"Uh... I am an Uzumaki and I want to become a füinjutsu master", Naruto answered.
" It's a no patterned seal, that means no written seal formula...on your forehead", Naruto began nervously.
"The real seal is ingrained in your brain right? ", Naruto finished.
" How did you know? ", Neji asked frozen in place, feeling most vulnerable he has ever felt since his father died.
" I read about such seals... ", Naruto answered hesitantly.
" Most of the seals known in Konoha are brought by Uzumaki", Naruto whispered silently.
Neji's urge to strangle someone returned...
AN: Heya! Did I call out nepotism in Naruto? YES
NaruNeji? YES
I have a better things for Karin, don't worry ;)
Why did I make the chains blue? No idea...
Uzumaki are preached to be one of the most deadly clans but only a few displays of that were shown, although the colour thing is not a powerup but just better characterization of Uzumaki. I have no idea why and how of the chakra colour thing in Naruto :)