Chapter 7 – I Know the Pieces Fit….
What has gone before… Unbeknownst to anyone in the Elemental Lands, there were many survivors from Uzushio, who were able to flee to a distant colony on the Island of Glass, far across the ocean. The Uzumaki main branch kept in touch with Kushina who was working to restore a clan establishment in Konoha, but lost contact with her. Uzumaki Mariko sent spies and scouts to the mainland to see what happened to Kushina and learned that she had died in the Kyuubi attack. Mariko, in consultation with her clan elders decided to send secret forces to locate and help evacuate any surviving people from Uzushio, particularly clan members. Several years after this had begun, she learned of Uzumaki Naruto, in Konoha, who just happened to have been the correct age to be her nephew. Investigation led to the discovery that he was the Kyuubi jinchuriki, which meant that they could not simply claim him and take him away to Urobune. Konoha would do anything to follow and recover him. So, the plan was made to take the part of the expediary force which was building over decades to reclaim Uzushio and instead send it to Konoha, establishing the main branch of the Uzumaki clan in Konoha. The events revealed in prior chapters documented the return of Mariko establishing with Konoha that the Uzumaki would become a clan there and the adoption of her nephew Naruto. She also initiated the proper treatments to help Naruto deal with the peculiarities of his physiology. In our last chapter, 6, the bulk of the Uzumaki expedition arrived at Konoha…
Time - Decades ago, at the Uzushio marine command bunker. A tired and desperate looking group of the shinobi of Uzu stood in a circle, around a table that bore a masterwork of fuinjutsu, a living, actively updating map of the city and the island around it. They could see that the city was surrounded. The only opening was the secondary harbor where the rescue fleet from Urobune was picking up evacuees. The fleet was guarded by the remaining fleet of Uzushio and almost the entirety of the Island of Glass' naval forces. The mission commander who came back with the rescue expedition, Uzumaki-Tezzo Anzo, the Mountain Breaker stood at attention. Occasionally both rage and relief would flow across his features.
Anzo had been sent to Urobune two years prior to assess the military and see what if anything could be sent to help in the Second Great Shinobi War. When they found out at Urobune about the genocidal attack on Uzushio, led by Iwa with partial support from Kumo, Anzo had put together a relief fleet to evacuate Uzushio. He assessed that even with all of Uzushio's defenses, Konoha would not arrive in time due to the land blockade and the sheet amount of military power being thrown at Uzushio. It would fall.
To his right was his future father-in-law, Uzumaki Ashina, the father of Anzo's fiance Mariko. Mariko and Kushina, who was already in Kohona to take up Mito-sama's burden, would be his only children to survive. The older sons and daughters of Ashina had already decided to remain in the suicide defense force that would hold off the attackers until the fleet had gotten clean away and then lure the attackers into the city before the Final Option was released, which would destroy Uzushio, killing most of the attackers and making even venturing into Uzushio if you were not an Uzumaki of enough blood, pure suicide.
Following the circle from Ashina, were the commanders of each walls defense forces, the overall shinobi forces commander, the commander of Uzu's ANBU forces and the members of the Uzumaki-Orinko who protected Ashina and his family. Mariko stood to Ashina's left. The teenage girl, a full jonin and burgeoning elite mednin, steeled her features. Only her dedication and practice of Ninshu allowed her to maintain her focus.
Ashina spoke, "The Fall will begin shortly. Our defenses have been either side stepped, broken or somehow negated. We still do not know how the Five Guardian Elementals were exiled from the physical universe even temporarily. The Konoha relief force just broke through the military blockade and could be here in about a week, but by then it would be tool late. I am sending them a message via summons that they will not make it. And that with our Fuinjutsu, we will make Uzushio into a memorial for the people of Uzushio who have and will die here. But it will be a memorial that will kill any non-Uzumaki who gets with ten miles of the ruins."
It was the commander of ANBU who spoke, "Ashina-sama, you are not going to tell the Hokage about Urobune?"
"No, Urobune is a resource that we have built with those allies we found on the Isle of Glass, but it is in no way capable of fighting in a war yet. It and the survival of most of our people will be hidden. Only Kushina knows and we bound her by seal never to reveal it to a non-Uzumaki. She does not even know where it is. And the only means of communication she has is with the blood bound communications fuinjustu that we have established for her and Mito with Mariko. Someday when we are strong, Mariko and Anzo will lead a great force back to reclaim our homeland. And those refugees who have had to scatter inland, they will rescue over time. We will, however, honor our agreement with the Senju and Konoha and if they need another to become a jinchuriki before we return, one will be sent. Until the return however, Konoha will have to survive on its own."
The Fall began shortly after. Due to advanced ninjutsu, genjutsu and fuinjutsu, the rescue fleet's arrival, pickup and departure remained completely secret. Uzumaki Ashina, the head of the Uzumaki clan led what had been dubbed as the suicide force in the final defense of Uzushio. A small force made last minute searches to ensure that any Uzumaki or Uzushio secrets were sealed away or destroyed and that nothing of value remained. The defenders fought with everything they had. Though it seemed strange to the assaulting shinobi. So long as the walls stood, the defenders killed as many as the could. But once the walls fell, the defenders seemed to be staging a staggered retreat. The leader of the assault shinobi, Onoki of Iwa thought that the defenders were trying to protect surviving treasures, secrets, and civilians. He repeatedly sent out offers of conditional surrender, because both Iwa and Kumo wanted Uzumaki secrets and blood introduced into their homes. The assaulting shinobi never noticed that the defenders only killed when the had no choice.
The real goal once the walls had been breached was to lure as many of the attacking shinobi in as possible and then to trap or cripple them so that a speedy retreat by most of the force was impossible. And the defenders died one by one. Until only a small force remained, led by Ashina. They made a spirited defense of the main commander bunker towards the village archive. The trap was perfect. Ashina made the decision.
"Defenders, it is time. I have activated the Final Option. No more strategy is needed. Kill our enemies at your pleasure."
What happened next was something the survivors of the invading shinobi had nightmares about until the day they died. For a moment, an intense wind arose, which if it could be seen would have been swirling in the Uzumaki clan symbol across the city. But this was not wind, it was wind chakra, and the chakra began shredding the attackers, slicing again and again. And then it ended. Had it just been that, almost 75% of the force would have survived. As the invading shinobi tried to assess the wounded and recover the dead, the brief quiet ended with a roar from above them, appearing in the sky was a mass of lighting and fire that quickly took the form of a gigantic three headed dragon. The dragon roared from all its heads and then pointed them down at Uzushio. The three heads then unleased a storm of lightning from their mouth, surrounded by spirals of fire. The beams strafed everything and everyone. As that occurred an immense purple barrier surrounded Uzushio at five miles. Anyone that touched it was turned to dust. Being shinobi from Iwa and Kumo, they had some defenses against the assault from above.
But that was accounted for by the final option. For you see the lightning barriers that many of the Kumo shinobi brought up had a charge, being made of chakra manifest electricity. And the fuinjutsu masters created seals that exploded not with fire but with air, sending millions upon millions of tiny metallic constructs which were themselves explosive seals… that all had the opposite charge of the lighting. And that flew towards anyone who had a lighting shield of any sort up and then exploded. For the Iwa shinobi, the Final Option had a plan to. As they engaged their barriers of earth, stone, mud and metal, the ground for twenty-five feet around any of those barriers sunk twenty-five feet down in seconds. And then a powerful acid poured into those holes.
And then at the last, thousands of explosions occurred across the remains of Uzushio. A calm came across the land, as the wails of the living, the few who were left rose across the fields of the dead. The leaders of the invading force, who had been the most protected did not trust that the Final Option of the Uzumaki was complete, so they ordered that all those alive retreat to the shore. The dead and those who could not be moved were left behind. The survivors, less than 10% of those who had attacked Uzu, made it out just in time as the final protective seals activated. A deadly, permanent acidic mist arose. Anyone not of Uzumaki blood began to dissolve over time. Roving chakra constructs patrol the area, smashing anything living not protected by Uzumaki blood or fuinjutsu. The deadly shredding winds began blowing through the ruins.
The survivors of the invading force, at the shore, looked forlorn at what had occurred. They had embarked on this venture with thoughts of eliminating an ally of the hated Village Hidden in the Leaves, gaining the Uzumaki bloodlines and the Uzumaki lore and returning home in triumph. Instead, they could not even carry the dead home… The departure of the Uzumaki Clan that day was the last time any gathering of the Uzumaki was seen by anyone from the great villages until decades later, outside Konoha the Uzumaki caravan approached their new home.
Decades later outside Konoha…
"Kaa-chan? Is that them?"
"Yes, Naruto-kun. Our clan is topping the last hill before Konoha now." Mariko stood besides Naruto, holding his hand. He had been released from the hospital for two days now. He wore a variant of his orange outfit, though this time he had a haori over it, colored dark orange, with bright orange seams, with the Uzumaki swirl on it in blood red. He had a boken at his left side. Mariko had begun getting him used to carrying the weight and doing some basic forms to help him burn off his excess energy. In truth she wanted to wait another week before beginning any physical training. Naruto had taken to her treatments wonderfully. And with the Kyuubi now at least not actively working to subvert Naruto, his treatment and recovery from the years of neglect and abuse was moving forward nicely.
"What is tou-san like?"
"My Anzo is a fierce protector of all in his sphere of influence. His nindo is to be the wall which stands to protects all those under his care." Mariko smiled, "Of course he is very handsome, dattabane" Naruto looked a little confused. Mariko blushed slightly. Thinking about Anzo still made her feel like that teenage girl who watched him starry eyed. "And he is an intelligent, skilled and courageous shinobi." She patted Naruto on the shoulder. "Most importantly in terms of skill, he is the highest ranking and most skilled seal master since my father in the Uzumaki clan."
"What's a seal master kaa-chan?"
"Ah Naruto, do you remember when we were discussing some of the history and lore of our clan?"
"Yatta! I remember now. We are supposed to be good at fuinjutsu, dattabayo!"
"Not simply good Naruto. The best. Once the rest of our clan gets settled in and we catch you up on the basics, Anzo will begin teaching you fuinjustu."
Naruto felt happy. Every day with his adopted mother and his clan, made him feel safer and more at peace. And that made him feel happier too every day. He held his adopted mother's hand as they watched the caravan make its way to the main gates of Konoha. Standing across the road was the delegation from Konoha, led by the Hokage. With him was the head of each clan and their wife, both from the shinobi and civilian clans. The three village elders stood there along with representatives of the major city organizations and guilds. There had been talk of presenting gifts, but Mariko had asked that that be deferred until the entire caravan was safely within the walls. Mariko had stated that about a week after the clan had settled into their compound area, she would have a gathering. Instead Hiruzen would give a brief welcome speech and a gift would be presented from the village itself.
As the caravan approached, Hiruzen gave some quiet hand signals. He had ANBU as well as elite shinobi teams stationed within and without the village to ensure that nothing attached the Uzumaki as they arrived at and entered the village. Not that he expected much with Anzo the Mountain breaker leading a caravan that on its own would be considered to have one of the stronger shinobi armies ever assembled accompanying plus the addition of a strong supporting force led by two of the most powerful shinobi the Hidden Leaf had.
Slowly but inexorably the caravan made its way to the gates and stopped. Hiruzen stepped forward accompanied by Mariko and Naruto, who held onto his new adopted mother's hand. He had a hopeful smile on his face. Guy and Kakashi stepped forward. Guy spoke, "Mission accomplished without incident Hokage-sama. We will prepare written reports for presentation later."
"Good work Guy, Kakashi and your team. Now spread out with the other protective forces and keep an eye open until the caravan is inside Konoha. Then you are relieved for two weeks other than to provide your reports tomorrow morning." The team of Konoha shinobi that had accompanies the caravan nodded and spread out around the gates, observing everything around them.
After that, Anzo stepped forward before the Hokage and went to one knee. "Hiruzen-sama, I pledge my loyalty to Konoha. The Uzumaki clan has returned."
"Welcome back Anzo. It is good to see old friends alive who one had thought were dead. Now get up off your knee. And cut the formality old friend."
Anzo rose and clasped arms with his old friend. "Its good to see you too Hiru. I am glad that you survived the wars and challenges you had to face."
"Now I think that you should greet your wonderful wife and your new adopted son, before I introduce you to the clan leaders and officials accompanying us at this welcoming. But let's get your caravan moving into the city and heading towards your new clan grounds first."
Anzo nodded and gestured for the caravan to continue. "Uzumaki's get your rears into Konoha, dattabayo!" Mariko's assistant Kana was waiting with a team of chunin to lead the caravan along a barricaded path towards the new clan grounds. Anzo took several steps over to Mariko and Naruto. He embraced his wife and gave her a kiss.
"Hey, cut that out, dattabayo! Leave kaa-chan alone!"
Anzo and Mariko smiled at Naruto. "Oh ho! Protective of Mariko-chan already. I am proud of you gaki." They could see a small vein pulsing above Naruto's left eye. "You definitely have the Uzumaki temper, kid." Before Naruto could explode like a verbal bomb, Anzo went down to one knee in front of him. He reached out an arm, offering a clasp to Naruto. "Naruto, thank you for protecting my wife while I was not here."
This seemed to confuse and defuse Naruto at the same time. "She's my aunt who adopted me, dattabayo! It's the right thing to do. You must protect your family. That's why kaa-chan came back for me."
"And Naruto that is why I am here, as well as the entire expedition that is settling in Konoha. Now Naruto, I have to ask something of you."
"What?"
"I am asking you to allow me to take on a special responsibility for you."
"What responsibility?"
"Naruto, Mariko-chan is your mother's sister, she had a born in responsibility to step in for you. However, I am asking permission to honor your father. To step in, and protect and teach you, provide for you. And I will learn everything I can about your father and teach you what he would have."
Naruto, it could be said was doing a lot better for many reasons over the last week or so. Every day it seemed, after those two days in the hospital at least, he had a new reason, sometimes more than one, to be happier. Seeing hundreds of Uzumaki's parading by him, while this man, his new adoptive father, was asking him permission to accept the role of his father… he was happy. A little bit conflicted, not because he did not want anyone to replace his mystery father, but because he still did not know who he was. Kaa-chan and Jiji had both emphasized in two follow up conversations that the reason his father was still being concealed was because Naruto had to be a power in his own right, capable of putting the same fear in his enemies that his mystery father did, before it could be told. They did tell Naruto however that once his Uzumaki body seals were in place over the next couple of years and the information could no longer be taken from his mind, he would be told.
Naruto took a big step, and stepped forward hugging his second, adopted father. "Thank you, tou-san. I am so happy that I have a big family now."
After a moment or two, they released and then Anzo spoke, "After we get settled in, we will introduce you to your siblings. They watched as Naruto brightened up even more. One thing that Mariko had learned, which she relayed to Anzo, was that Naruto was almost like a furnace of good cheer, his chakra radiating positivity, even overcoming the weight of mental illness that he bore from how he had been treated over the years. After the caravan has passed, Mariko, Anzo and Naruto had a small ceremony with the Hokage and the welcome committee from Konoha. Then Mariko led Anzo and Naruto to their new home.
End Part I. Part II begins in Chapter 8, after a time skip.
Chapter 7 Notes
Well here it is. I have literally written 1 to 5 chapters each in like 20 to 25 other Naruto fictions to get content out of my head so there could be room to get back to generating this one. Most of those are just to get it out, but 3 of them have potential that I will probably, eventually post them. But I don't have any idea how the end or how they progress there, just have some concepts. I know exactly how this one ends and how to get there in general.
Part 1 is the return and settling of the Uzumaki clan in Konoha
Part 2 begins one year later and our story protagonist begins to take a larger role, however it will be his Academy days. We will also explore the cascading effects of the Uzumaki presence in Konoha. And Canon Blows up.
- At the advice of a reviewer I will be doing my best to start each chapter with a "what has gone before" ala Supernatural. If you want the theme song for it, its Senbonzakura by the Wagakki Band.
- To clear up any confusion, and thanks to two reviewers who pointed out my boo boos, I meant Elder Koharu. I have a take on her personality and viewpoint that I gained from reading another fanfic where she mentored a female Naruto. I have no idea what if anything I am doing with Homara.
- This is basically the end of part 1. There will be a time skip one year. So, Chapter 8 will begin part 2. This will essentially be the beginning of the next year at the Academy.
- I am stating it here, because its probably not going to be told directly in this story, though I have a bug in my head about doing a couple of chapters on some characters backgrounds and how they got to this point maybe in a side story. The reason Mariko is a ninshu practitioner is due to here basically suffering a psychotic break when Uzu feel. While many of her family and her people did make it out in the rescue mission, the loses she suffered overwhelmed her. They actually had to place powerful seals to suppress her chakra abilities and physically restrain her. She received some counseling and at the advice of some older Uzumaki, began the practice of Ninshu. It allowed her to balance our her intense Uzumaki nature which had been overloaded by the Fall. This is a strong part of why she is considered reserved for an Uzumaki. The better description would be serene. Go listen to the song Serenity by Godsmack. That is essentially her theme song. Yes, ninshu has made Mariko even more powerful. She also knows of Sage mode but had no access to the Slug, Snake or Toad contracts. I hold to canon on this. The only way to learn senjutsu is with one of the three Sage animal clans, from the spirit of the Sage of Six Paths or Asura if Naruto were to get any of his prior life's memories back (not likely unless this fix makes it to the point when we encounter Isshiki (and this is my fanon explanation for how the First Hokage did his sage mode) or possible from Edo Hashirama. I am honestly leaning towards Mariko being somewhat mentored by Tsunade and getting the Slug contract.
- The Uzumaki in general dress somewhat formally in more traditional Japanese stylings. Their clothing appears how you see the Hyuga, and when they manifest or for those who can't yet do that, put on their armor, they look like the Senju. The Uzumaki do the more traditional Japanese style footwear and not the Naruto open toed sandals.
- The Five Guardian Elementals are elemental spirits of water chakra who inhabited the whirlpools surrounding the island and protected it as a first line of defense. This is part of my story's fanon, it has no basis in Naruto itself.
- Yes, the giant three headed lightning fire dragon is King Ghidorah. Kishimoto loves kaiju films so consider this in the spirit of Kishimoto. It is 99% chance that this is a one-off appearance. Well, when I get to the higher end confrontations…maybe…just maybe…damn it, its floating in my head now! Grrr… well it won't happen for something like 100 more chapters and more than 15 years in story anyway.
- If I have not said this before, this story is decompressing the events of Shippuden. There will be a Fourth, Fifth and possibly Sixth Great Shinobi War.