A/N: Helloooooo beautiful people!
So I've been noticing something in this story, is that while it did get a lot of followers, as chapters progress, it's getting less traction. And while the number of followers itself doesn't bother me, the lower interest might mean that my writing style needs some improvements.
I know I'm not the best at writing long descriptions and sometimes leave the decor and the shape of the characters to the viewer's imagination. I blame the fact English is simply not my first language (it's my third) and I've never really gotten any courses in creative writing.
So, if you have suggestions for me to improve myself, anything I can add, do not hesitate to review, or PM me, I am very much eager to hear your thoughts.
With that said, on with the chapter!
"Ahhhhhh this is the life"
Blubublub
"Just me, my boy, and nothing to bother us while we catch dinner. Ain't that right Zetsu-chan?"
Blublublu- "PWAH" Zetsu exclaimed as he pulled his head out of the water.
Both Naruto and Zetsu were seated in a small boat. Or more accurately, the elder of the two was lounging with his legs propped up, a straw hat on his face, and a fishing rod held in his hands. The younger Uzumaki on the other hand sat at the edge of the vessel and kept dunking his head in the water. Zetsu was both trying to look for fish by stretching his neck down and holding his breath at the same time. Of course, he could simply grow gills or use a technique to generate oxygen but the boy was as eccentric as his dad and liked to challenge himself sometimes.
The boat itself was a double-hulled canoe and a gift to the two travelers from a distant island. The people there called themselves the Ivatans and were generally welcoming and hospitable if a little too superstitious. Naruto had decided to take the boat and sail it towards the east without any sort of map or navigation tools.
Getting lost in the world was how one had fun after all...
It's been a few months since their departure, and if Zetsu was right, they'd have to have drifted far to the east, probably further than any human civilization had ever been. Entire weeks would pass without any sight of landmass and it would sometimes prompt both father and son to go into a deep slumber.
On the upside, the peace allowed Naruto to work on his fishing skills or meditate… whichever helped alleviate the boredom.
"Pops! I saw something big! It's coming from that way" Zetsu pointed in a direction to Naruto's right.
That jolted Naruto awake and he got up in a crouch, before reeling in his line. A dead bird attached to the fishing hook emerged from the water and was shot into the air by the blond's tug. The man rotated the pole and directed the bait he was using in the direction Zetsu pointed at.
Not even a moment after the bait was plunged into the water, did the line go taut.
"Ooooooh! Looks like I got it! I got it! Aha! Zetsu my boy! Prepare to witness the greatness that is Naruto N. Uzumaki! Best Fisherman!" the blond yelled while doing some exaggerated tugging motions, seemingly fighting a tug of war with the animal. Said tug of war was causing the ship to sway dangerously and water to splash into the vessel.
"Stop playing around with it and just pull it out Pops! You'll capsize the ship!" the green-haired boy screamed as he kicked at his father.
"Awww! But I just want my boy to be amazed! Your dad is super strong you know?" the father whined.
"I know you're strong Pops! But I don't want to get all our stuff wet!" the boy pleaded as he held onto the mast for dear life.
The man paused and sighed.
"...Fine"
He stopped his tugging as he suddenly stood straight, the boat even stopped swaying and the water around them went completely still. The man then reeled the fishing pole back quickly and the sea exploded in front of them as a giant sea monster emerged, pulled up by the line.
Naruto did not blink in surprise at the creature, which looked like a giant tuna fish. He simply pointed two fingers at its head and fired a small electric bullet.
'[Lightning Style: Bee Sting]'
The bullet struck the creature under the mouth and came out from the other side, effectively hitting and frying its brain in the process. The giant tuna dish landed on its side, floating lifelessly next to the boat.
Before both travelers could say anything, the fish's side opened up and a large cloud of steam erupted from within the wound. The corpse itself shriveled before morphing into another shape. Looking more akin to a large egg, the fish's new form cracked and an inscription appeared on its side. Seeing as the fishing hook was now stuck in the egg, Naruto tugged the object towards the boat before peering into it with his son.
It came to both Uzumakis' surprise as within the egg, lied a sleeping, pudgy dark-skinned baby. The boy, as was apparent from his naked state, looked to be a few months old and had a thick tuft of curly black hair sitting upon his head. The little one opened his eyes at the sudden movement of his 'crib', before spotting a man and a monster gazing at him curiously.
He began crying and wailing in fright.
Naruto immediately reached into the egg and took the -surprisingly heavy- baby out before holding him in his arms, something which calmed the boy somewhat.
Zetsu for his part noticed the inscription on the side of the egg, which shockingly enough, was written in Chinese script.
"Māui" the boy read, surprised.
The entire situation looked eerily familiar to the short Uzumaki and he couldn't help to think that it was no coincidence. What were the odds of a baby not only emerging from the fish but having a familiar script written on its crib?
Someone or something had sent the infant to them.
"Huh? What's this? Oi! What the hell?" Naruto's shout snapped Zetsu out of his thoughts.
"Oi oi! Who the hell were this kid's shitty parents?" the man shouted as his energy flared from his apparent anger. The waves around the boat picked up violently and the boat itself started swaying from the onslaught of energy.
The Sage had seen something blue imprinted on the child's shoulder and out of curiosity, had turned the boy around to look at his back.
What he saw, made his blood boil.
Whoever it was that sent the child, they'd seen fit to tattoo its back with an image of two silhouettes throwing a smaller one to the sea. One did not need to be a genius to figure out this meant the child was abandoned to die.
Said chid, as if sensing the immense show of power, had started crying again. Something that had the Sage quell his rage almost immediately.
The man reached up with his hand and started tickling the baby's belly, making its cries of fright turn into giggles of mirth.
"Ugh… this is bad, what are we going to do?" Zetsu asked the more obvious question.
Naruto looked at the now laughing boy with kindness.
Not even a year old and already hated by the world huh?
"Welp… looks like I'm a dad again huh? Bahahaha!" The blond laughed as he made his decision.
'Uggghhhhhh' the younger Uzumaki thought in annoyance. Yes, he could understand where his father came from, but couldn't he see someone out there was trying to order them around? Or had a path laid out to the kid?
"Māui huh? A great name for a brave warrior of the sea! Bahahahaha!"
Naruto simply did not care, he was quite happy being a father, and the baby himself was happy to find a family as well.
~~The Adventurer meets the Sage~
Auntie Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, 3rd of September, 2000
As Apollo's chariot peeked over the horizon, the building and the surrounding forest were bathed in its ray of warmth, prompting the rise of various animals and the chirps of the early birds. Away from any urban noise pollution, the Emporium was instead exposed to nature's lullaby.
All in all, it looked like a very peaceful morning.
"YOU DID WHAT?" a scream came out and shook the front sign off the building.
Naruto paced with his arms held behind his back and sporting an angry look on his face. Zetsu on the other hand stood to the side in his true form. The younger Uzumaki held one of his arms as he looked at the floor. He held himself more akin to a guilty child than anything else.
The group had spent the night at the Emporium, using Medusa's old mattress, some of her cushions, and their own sleeping bags to get comfortable. While the girls had taken a room, Luke had opted to sleep in the same room as the Uzumakis.
Naruto for his part had been a tad worried. Zetsu had remained eerily silent throughout the evening, even as his negative emotions spiked at random intervals. The son had eventually talked to his father and convinced him to put a privacy seal on both rooms so they could have a conversation outside without worrying about the demigods eavesdropping. Zetsu had pulled Naruto outside, morphed back into his inky-black, three-foot self and proceeded to let out what was bothering him all night.
Evidently, Naruto's worries were very much valid.
"ONE THING! There was ONE THING we had to avoid Zetsu!" the father raised a finger for emphasis.
"I know Pops-"
"YOU made a technique just so WE could get in and out undetected" the man did not stop, even as he interrupted his son.
"Yes I did-"
"I don't need a second Heavenly War on my hands! Do you know how much was destroyed last time? I don't need to see half the country burned to cinders!" Naruto waved his hands as he ranted.
"They won't-"
"Of course they will! Do you think they give a shit if millions perish in the crossfire? Okhwang and his posse didn't! That fucker Mara didn't! And I'm not willing to take that risk!" Naruto held his hands to his face.
Memories of a past war he'd long repressed briefly surged back.
...
Forests in ashes, mountains decimated, the bodies of thousands of creatures lying in various mangled states, the smell of death prevalent in the air…
All that unnecessary, avoidable loss of life…
"Boss! Help us!"
…
"POPS!" Zetsu's shout snapped the man out of his brief episode.
The man looked at his son in surprise, eyes glowing gold and expression frantic.
"IT'S OKAY! Ze-two -my stupid duplicate- told me the one who found us just wants to meet us and talk" the smaller Uzumaki said with his hand up in an effort to calm his father down.
An eyebrow raised in interest, Naruto asked the most obvious question.
"Eh? And who's that?"
"Hestia" Zetsu replied simply.
"Hestiaaaaa?" the man stretched her name out, expecting his son to elaborate.
The green-haired Uzumaki's palm met his face in a wet slap as he sighed.
"The eldest olympian, goddess of the family and home, hearth, domesticity, virginity, and the state…" he trailed off, noticing a flash of recognition light up in the man's eyes.
"Oh!" the man clapped his fist with his palm in realization "You mean the good one!" he said.
Zetsu's hands twitched before he made a strangling motion, whilst muttering curses under his breath.
"Yes… the good one" the son nodded resignedly.
Naruto did have a point since Hestia was the only Olympian without any innocent blood on her hands. But it frustrated Zetsu to no end that his father never seemed to take information gathering as seriously as he did.
"So uh, what did you mean before? About her coming to meet us?" the Sage asked.
"Well, she asked to come immediately, but my clone briefed her on the other kids, so they decided to come in the morning" the younger Uzumaki explained.
"Cool, cool… so err… Is your clone gonna bring her here ooorrr" Naruto trailed off, unsure of the next course of action.
"We already said her name twice, she should know where we are" Zetsu explained matter-of-factly.
The Greeks could, like other 'gods', sense when they were being talked about, which did make their infiltration harder than it had to. But that sense only applied to their names and names alone and in the areas, they had influence in.
Just as Zetsu predicted, a swirl of fire appeared in the air in front of the duo, and a young woman materialized from it. Hestia had taken an older appearance, now looking more like an adolescent, while Ze-Two hitched a ride on her shoulders like a child.
Zetsu's eyes zeroed in on his clone who for his part, dropped from his perch and hid behind the goddess's legs in fear of what his creator would do.
"Original… umm Hi?" Ze-Two peeked out from behind Hestia.
The deity in question held a hand to her mouth to stifle her giggles at the display before regaining her composure.
"Ahem, hello there. You must be Zetsu and Mr. Naruto, this little one told me much about you" she gestured to Ze-Two.
"Oh did he now?" Zetsu hissed, making the clone eep and hide back behind the veiled woman.
"Don't let him kill me, Big Sis!" the clone cried out.
That last part prompted a raised eyebrow from Naruto.
'Big Sis?'
"Ufufufu" the woman giggled again at the little creature before looking at the blond subject of interest.
"So… you're the one behind all the recent ruckus." She smiled at the man.
Naruto smiled back, sensing no negative emotions coming from the woman, and approached her with his hand out.
"Eyup! Naruto N. Uzumaki! Nice to meet'cha!" he said cheerily, seemingly forgetting about his earlier reservation.
Oh don't get him wrong, he was still mad at his son for his stunt and apprehensive of the potential risk of blowing their cover. But sensing no negativity coming from Hestia alleviated some of his worries, which prompted a more diplomatic response...
Annnnd he needed physical contact to get a complete readout of the woman…Yessir, dumb high IQ move indeed...
Hestia looked at him amusedly, as if she knew what he was thinking, before raising her smaller hand and let it be enveloped in his larger one.
Several things happened for both parties in that instant.
Both Naruto and Hestia's eyes widened, one in pleasant surprise and the other in muted shock.
'Such a beautiful soul' Naruto's eyes began to water at what he had felt. Anything he might have read did not do the woman justice, all the myths could not come close to describing the sheer purity of her soul, of her very essence.
Everything about her screamed 'wholesome', so much so that Naruto had to reign in every fiber of his being that demanded he gives the goddess hugs and headpats.
'Ah' a brief surge of rage overtook him when he got glimpses of her early life.
Of Kronos.
Forget any reservations he might've had, after this, he was going to drown her in his Fatherly Affection™.
It's the least he could do.
Hestia's thoughts on the other hand, while similar, were also overwhelmed by a feeling of dread, for she had been exposed to the man's true self. Meaning she had come to know just who she was dealing with.
The legendary Gallant Sage of the East, one of the more obscure figures in the Asian continent. She hadn't much thought about him, since he seemed to never make too much of an appearance other than in texts and hearsay. She had even gone as far as to, ironically enough, label him a myth.
That was before the Heavenly War which had sent ripples of fear and apprehension through the supernatural world. An event that had resulted in one of the strongest pantheons in history to capitulate to, from what she had known, a single entity. The fact that said entity did not belong to a pantheon had almost sent panic through their ranks as it had done to so many others.
With that into account, it was quite surprising that the day Hestia finally met the Sage, he had completely blown her expectations aside. Were she to ever meet him, she had expected an arrogant, selfish, and cruel person not this…
This saint!
Regardless of the frightening amount of power he possessed and how eerily similar his energy felt to that of her grandmother, his aura, his emotions, everything about him pointed towards a genuinely kindhearted man.
Humble despite the abilities he possessed and forgiving despite his dark past, he was the sort of person she had, sadly enough only ever seen a very small handful of.
In fact, the person most similar to him would be, surprisingly enough, her own mother.
With what her ex-husband had done to her, one would think the former Titan Queen would've become a bitter woman. Instead, the Olympians had thankfully gained a woman so kind and gentle, Hestia genuinely felt overwhelmed whenever her dear mother visited them, whether individually or on Olympus.
Rhea was simply one of a kind, or at least she was until she'd met Naruto here.
...
Ah… why did she feel a sudden chill at the thought of the two ever crossing paths?
While both Naruto and Hestia were occupied in their own thoughts, Ze-Two, seeing his only protection had disappeared eeked as several spikes attempted to pierce him. The clone shifted his body around the sharp extensions and moved back, almost blurring from sight as he scrambled to escape his original's rage.
"COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Zetsu screamed as he shifted and grew, resembling an eldritch horror as several black spikes and tentacles launched themselves at the clone.
The spikes struck true before a poof of smoke enveloped the clone, leaving behind a punctured wooden log. Zetsu quickly looked around and found an open window, with a black tendril barely getting out of it.
The green-haired Uzumaki saw red.
"ZE-TWOOOOOOOOO" he screeched and took chase, leaving both his father and the goddess behind in their trance-like state.
Meanwhile, Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth remained blissfully unaware to the happenings outside. They were content to have a good night's sleep under a roof after a month spent under the stars.
A/N: Welp, that was a short one...
I feel like I need to add a chronology of events so people don't get confused. I made a timeline on a separate google doc which I will post at the end here.
I might end up making an information chapter or a Q&A chapter to clear up some confusion y'all might have since I feel like I'm throwing a lot of random information in.
You can also ask me to mention or explain something you feel is confusing.
Oh and here's a silly Omake I thought of…
Didn't know what came over me when I did it...
OMAKE
The words "The Tonight Show with Bonan O'Crian" flashed on the screen with the words "for supernaturals" being written in tinier script under it. A Jazzy introduction themed played accompanied by the applause of a live audience.
A pale-looking man with striking orange hair and pointed ears sat on an oak desk in a corner of the stage, clad in a fancy green suit and sporting a winning smile. Looking quite similar to a tall leprechaun, he waited a few moments for the audience to calm down.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to -wait for it- tonight's show" Bonan winked at the crowd.
BA DUM TSS
cue audience dying of laughter
"Jokes aside, I have the pleasure to inform you that today, we've got something good. It was pretty difficult to get into contact with them but tonight's guests are one-of-a-kind. Now I know I'm supposed to present their resume but we don't have enough air-time for that" the man's teeth sparkled as he smiled at the crowd.
BA DUM TSS
cue audience dying of laughter
"Ahaa I'm too much I know" the leprechaun wiped a fake tear from his eye before gesturing to the far left of the stage "So without further ado, please give it up for the Legendary Gallant Sage of the East and his Son, the famous Naruto, and Zetsu!"
APPLAUSE
Naruto and Zetsu, dressed in a pair of black suits with an orange and green tie respectively came out from backstage and waved at the audience. They both walked towards the host and shook his hand before taking a seat on the large leather couch next to the desk.
The host walked back towards his own seat and greeted them, beginning a classic string of scripted questions before getting to a particularly interesting one.
"Say, Mr. Naruto, I'm sure the people at home would love to know the answer to this particular question, but which of the two of you is stronger?"
"Well Bonan, that's actually a pretty easy one to answer. You see, it's simple-" the Sage began before his son cut in.
"I'm the stronger one"
cue audience oohs
"Excuse me?" the father said offended.
"I'm the strongest Pops and I can prove it" the son did not relent on his stance, if anything he seemed more sure of himself.
"What's the one thing you or anyone, no matter how powerful cannot do? What is the one event that every creature on Earth fears like armageddon?" Zetsu elaborated looking at Naruto and Bonan questionably.
GASP
"Zetsu No! You can't mean-" Naruto went pale as he saw where his son was heading.
"ZETSU YES! The truth is, I am the only person alive on Earth who cannot fear such a thing!" the younger Uzumaki said, his eyes widening.
"Look at me! Look at what I can do!" the small imp took on various shapes, all of them crazier than the last.
"Big deal! I can do that too!" Naruto transformed into Zetsu to prove his point.
"But you cannot change your very nature! It is indeed unfortunate Pops, but unlike you, I CANNOT BE CANCELLED" the boy screamed out.
"I AM A THREE-FOOT-TALL BLACK ASIAN MONSTER WHO CAN SHAPESHIFT INTO LITERALLY ANYTHING!" Zetsu raved.
"I CAN SAY ANYTHING I WANT! I CAN EVEN SAY THE WORD!" he exclaimed, prompting the other men to jump on surprise.
"ANYTHING BUT THE WORD!" Bonan yelled, fearing for his ratings but Zetsu was unabashed.
"FOOL! WITNESS MY POWER NI-"
PSSSSSSHHHHHH
The show was abruptly cut, a sign with the words "Technical Difficulties" being left in place.
Timeline of Naruto's Life:
10000 BCE: End of the Shinobi Age at Gaea's hands. Naruto unwillingly gains immortality and goes into a deep slumber.
7000 BCE: A long period of solitude, Naruto ends up freeing the Bijuu and attaining Perfect Sagehood (1).
5000 BCE: Humanity is reborn into the Bronze Age
4900 BCE: Naruto meets the early humans as well as Yokai and other creatures and guides them in Yamato (Japan's ancient name).
4950 BCE: Naruto defeats Mara after the latter attempted to take over the South-East of Asia.
4800 BCE: Naruto goes back to Yamato and creates Zetsu to keep him company.
4700 BCE: Naruto begins his plans for an interspecies city located in the middle of the landmass connecting Yamato to Eastern Asia.
4650 BCE: Naruto meets the Taoist gods and attempts to forge an alliance.
4600 BCE: The alliance is broken when the Jade Emperor sees the city Naruto has been building, that houses all creatures and puts an emphasis on equality between races. Something that goes against the Taoist classist and elitist policies. The Heavenly War occurs with the destruction of the entire landmass connecting Japan and Asia and the creation of the East Sea. Naruto, Zetsu, and the Bijuu save the residents and take the fight against the Taoists.
4500 BCE: Naruto and co win, resulting in an unbreakable treaty to be signed, in which the Taoists swear non-interference with Naruto's affairs. Naruto creates the Sage Realm, a pocket dimension containing a small habitable planet on which he lets the Bijuu and the Yokai with any willing human residents live. (2)
4100 BCE: Naruto goes back to Yamato and goes back into slumber from fatigue, while Zetsu spends years watching over his father and going back and forth in the Sage Realm, attaining Sagehood in that time.
3050 BCE: Naruto wakes up. He and Zetsu travel around Yamato and eventually come across baby Amaterasu whom Naruto raises.
3000 BCE: Amaterasu rises to godhood and takes her place as the chief goddess of the Shinto, swearing herself and the Shinto as Naruto's allies.
2900 BCE: Seeing Yamato in good hands, Naruto and Zetsu leave for the South-East.
2500 BCE: Naruto meets baby Māui who was sent to him by the Polynesian pantheon to raise.
2400 BCE: Naruto and Zetsu continue their travels and arrive in South America. They come across the early Norte Chico civilization and meet a small rainbow-colored serpent in the woods, which they decide to keep as a pet.
2350 BCE: The serpent had grown to ridiculous size and gained consciousness as well as the ability to turn into a human form: She names herself Quetzalcoatl. Meanwhile, the humans who've met Naruto and his family came to view them as gods.
2250 BCE: Naruto and Zetsu leave South America and Quetzalcoatl, who decides to remain in an effort to build a great civilization.
2200 BCE: Naruto and Zetsu travel in North America.
2000 BCE: Naruto and Zetsu leave the Americas for the East, arriving in North Africa soon after.
1800 BCE: Naruto and Zetsu travel south in the African continent and meet the various tribes and people inhabiting it.
1750 BCE: Naruto and Zetsu come across a god-turned mortal and help him on a journey of self-discovery and eventually regain his position. His name was Anansi.
1000 BCE: Naruto and Zetsu leave the African continent and head to Asia, they avoid North Africa and Europe due to the rise of the Greek, Nordic and Egyptian pantheons.
200 AD: Naruto and Zetsu, having traveled across Asia, opt to return to Yamato or Wa, as the Chinese had started calling the island.
1500 AD: Naruto and Zetsu meet Miyamoto Musashi, a young troublemaker, and take him as a student. The boy would grow to become History's Strongest Samurai.
2000 AD: Current events. Naruto and Zetsu leave Nippon/Japan for North America.
(1) Perfect Sagehood: Essentially the ability to remain in Sage mode permanently, one could compare it to a full-on evolution of the human body, where it becomes adapted to the various Natural Energies (Domains) of the Universe.
(2) Look up "Oraeguk" from god of high school