Author's Note: Some people asked why Gaara wasn't promoted in the last chapter, given that he won the tournament. If you guys didn't notice, all the promotions were for Konoha ninja. He will be promoted, once he gets back to Sun, and the same goes for the other foreign Genin. In fact, I did some stories in which the Hokage gets to decide the promotion of every ninja, not just those from Konoha, which makes absolutely no sense.
Anyway, here's the next chapter, and the beginning of the end of Part I. I know that there's a part that's going to be a bit controversial, but hope the majority of readers agree with me. Anyway, enjoy, and see you at the bottom notes.
Chapter 32:
The Coming Storm
or
Blast from the Past
Land of Sound, Orochimaru's Lair
In a vast, cavernous underground chamber, two young men fought each other with everything they got. The chamber shook with each fist that connected, with every kick that landed, with every jutsu that was cast.
Giant snakes made of stone witnessed the fight that took place between two of the most promising Konoha ninja. One fought with hatred and lies in his heart, the other with the pain of betrayal and steel-hard determination.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Sasuke Uchiha breathed a huge fireball at his target, who pulled out a kunai with a blue paper seal and tossed it. Kunai and fireball met midway, and the seal attached to the kunai burst in a watery explosion, putting the Uchiha's attack out, creating a wall of steam.
Coming from the steam, Naruto dashed at Sasuke, his trusty chakra blade in hand, ready to cut his former friend open. Sasuke was quick to unsheathe his own katana, and after infusing it with his own chakra, used it to block the attack. Before Naruto had any time to react, Sasuke delivered a painful kick to Naruto's gut, which pushed him a couple meters backwards.
"Sasuke," Naruto spoke, looking at him with pleading eyes. "It doesn't have to be like this."
Sasuke's eyes flared with anger. "Shut up. You have no idea what you're talking about!" the Uchiha angrily protested.
"I do. I admit that I used to be quite dense back then, but now...now I know the truth. Now I see everything the way it is, and I know the way to fix it. If you only let me..." Naruto continued.
"Let you? LET YOU!?" Sasuke roared. "To let you help the man responsible for the death of my clan!?"
"That's why you need to help me, Sasuke! To make sure that such a tragedy won't happen again!" Naruto protested. "I can't be Hokage and let something like that happen again!"
"You won't be Hokage if you follow your actual path. Only death awaits you," Sasuke grimly reminded him.
"Perhaps. But a Hokage should be willing to die for the greater good," Naruto adopted a fighting stance. "But my death won't come today, Sasuke, nor it will come by your hand."
"We'll see about that," Sasuke replied as he adopted a fighting stance as well.
"We already fought once, I proved to be stronger than you. Even that jutsu with two elements wasn't enough to defeat me. You have no chance of winning against me," Naruto stated, hoping that maybe he could make Sasuke to stand down, but deep down he knew the Uchiha was as stubborn as himself.
"Things change. That jutsu was incomplete, and it's not the case anymore. And this isn't a mere fight for a promotion. There's too much at a stake for me to hold back, even if it ends in your death," Sasuke replied.
Naruto chuckled. "So, you are willing to kill me? It is true what they say about you Uchiha. You'd kill your friends without remorse."
"Do not dare to insult my clan!" Sasuke roared as he charged against Naruto.
Naruto smirked, as he prepared for Sasuke's onslaught. Even if the situation was dire, he was going to enjoy the fight.
…
Konoha, Two Days Earlier
Things were quiet in Konoha after the Chunin Exams. The four newly minted Chunin slipped into their roles nicely. All of them took no time to notice that their new rank carried a lot more responsibilities and workload, something they hadn't quite got used to.
If a Genin wasn't doing a mission, they could do whatever they wanted (any Genin that took their job seriously used at least some of that spare time for training), however, if a Chunin had no current assignments, they were often tasked with patrolling the village, keeping the peace, or guard the gates. And unlike Genin, Chunin sometimes were required to work on weekends as well.
Even then, the four of them were proud of their newly attained rank, and showed that pride by wearing their flak jackets. Sasuke wore it over his usual clothes, as so did Tenten. Hinata used it as a replacement for her coat, destroyed by Tamaki during their fight in the Finals, while Naruto replaced the upper part of his track suit with an orange short sleeved shirt under the flak jacket.
It was six in the afternoon, and after finishing his patrol duty for the day, Naruto decided to head home. Lucky for him, that day Jiraiya also left the Hokage's office earlier than usual, and as they were doing for the past few days, went to their usual training ground in order to continue developing a new jutsu they were creating.
It all started the day after the Chunin Exams, when Naruto approached Jiraiya and talked him about a new kind training he wanted to undergo...
Two Weeks Earlier
"So, what do you want to do? Do you want something specific for me to teach you?" an interested Jiraiya asked.
"You can bet on it," Naruto had replied. "You see, now that I'm a Chunin, I think I need a new jutsu to reflect my new status, you know? Something way stronger that what I already have."
Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh in return. "Something stronger than the Rasengan? Well, I don't think that there are many Chunin, or even Jonin for that matter, that have something with more packing power than that, haha!"
"I know, but listen to my idea. Hinata-hime, followed by Choji and other of my former classmates, started combining elemental ninjutsu with their clan jutsu. And I thought that maybe I could do the same with the Rasengan?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya looked pensive, before smiling. "You know kid, your father and I had the same idea. Problem is, doing it requires such amount of focus that it is pretty much impossible."
"Impossible just means that it hasn't been tried yet," Naruto sharply replied.
"Oh, we did try, I can tell you that we did try and gave our all, but see," Jiraiya had formed a Rasengan on his hand to better illustrate his point. "It takes quite a lot of focus to create a normal Rasengan. And if we try to infuse it with elemental chakra..." Jiraiya did so, and the Rasengan expanded and began to turn a golden-orange color. However, as it expanded, the Rasengan quickly destabilized and exploded.
"Dad!" Naruto cried.
When the smoke dispelled, Naruto could see that Jiraiya had some minor burns, but he was otherwise fine.
"See what I meant? Keeping a Rasengan stable is hard enough, and if we add the extra difficulty of the elemental chakra..."
"Yeah, I know," Naruto had conceded. "I remember that I took me a while to do the Rasengan one-handed, and needed the help of a clone to pull it off..." it was that moment when a brilliant, but surprisingly simple idea dawned upon the blond. "Hey, why don't you use a clone to help stabilize the elemental chakra?"
Jiraiya opened his mouth ready to shoot down the idea, but words didn't come out. He opened his mouth again, but he couldn't say anything. He remained pensive for quite a few time, until he admitted defeat.
"You know Naruto, there are some times in my life in which I feel like a fool," the Sannin began. "Then there was this time twenty years ago in which somebody made me feel like the biggest fool alive. Well, congratulations, you now made me feel even a bigger fool than that."
Naruto couldn't help but chuckle, and swell his chest with pride. And from that day onwards, both Naruto and Jiraiya had tried to dedicate an hour or two to create an elemental Rasengan.
Back to the present...
While they used multiple clones in the previous days, this time they only created a single one each. As the original created the Rasengan, the clone began to infuse elemental chakra into it. It appeared that the result would be the same and it would destabilize, but this time, after so many tries, they successfully created an elemental Rasengan.
"Look at that, Naruto, we did it!" Jiraiya cheered in joy.
Both Rasengan had doubled in size. However, Naruto's was bluish white, and had visible air currents spinning around it, while Jiraiya's was golden red, almost like he was holding a miniature sun on his hand.
"Yes!" the blond replied, just as excited, and he readied as if about to fight. "Come on, let's see which one is stronger!"
"Naruto, no," Jiraiya flatly denied. "Mine is fire. Yours is wind. If they clash, yours will make mine even bigger and...well, it might not end up good for you."
"You're no fun," Naruto childishly replied as he canceled the jutsu, with Jiraiya following suit. "Anyway, now I already have a new powerful jutsu worth my rank!"
"Can't help but wonder what would you want to learn once you reach Jonin," Jiraiya commented, and shuddered in terror as he imagined a Naruto trying to create a jutsu the same level as a Tailed Beast Bomb.
"I know, right? We just improved an A-Rank jutsu created by the Fourth of all people. This is going to be something hard to top," Naruto replied as he grew pensive. "I guess he didn't have more jutsu in need of completion, did he?"
"Well, not exactly that needed to be completed, but the knowledge of the Flying Thunder God Jutsu was lost the night he died, since he didn't teach it to anybody," Jiraiya began. "I have Minato's notes and tried to recreate it with them, but I had no luck. Maybe you can try that."
"Alright, a new challenge!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air. "I won't rest until I learn the Flying Thunder God!"
Jiraiya chuckled. Naruto's unbound enthusiasm never failed to both amuse and please him. "Then again, that might be a bit too much for you right now. Let's keep honing your overall skills, fuinjutsu included, before we tackle that beast, alright?"
"Yeah!"
…
Uchiha Training Grounds
"Alright Sasuke, let's try it again. Remember, calmness is the key," Itachi instructed his younger brother.
Sasuke nodded, and once again began to channel elemental chakra through his sword. First the blade was coated in flames, followed shortly after blue electric sparks. Once the second element was added, keeping the jutsu active became ten times harder.
"Your chakra control is good enough, you only need to focus," Itachi reminded him.
"I know!" Sasuke snapped.
After a few seconds, the electricity flickered away, leaving only the fire. The youngest Uchiha sighed in defeat and canceled the fire as well.
"Don't feel too bad. The more times you try, the longer you're able to maintain it," Itachi reassured,
Sasuke shook his head. "It's still not good enough. Naruto has no problem maintaining the Rasengan."
"From what Hokage-sama told me, he needed to use clones first before he got the full grasp of it," Itachi reminded. "Maybe that's the solution. Use a clone to add the second element."
Sasuke rejected the idea as well. "I don't want, nor need any crutch. I can do this on my own,"
"While striving for independence is admirable, you shouldn't try to do everything on your own," Itachi advised him. "Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. Sometimes is good to let others help you. Even when said others are mere clones."
"Hmph. I'll do it if I see that there's nothing else I can do on my own," Sasuke replied.
Itachi sighed in defeat. "How I wish Shisui was here. Between the two of us, dealing with you was way easier. But guess that now all the 'fun' is entirely mine."
Since they announced their impending marriage, alongside their future child, Shizune and Shisui spent most of their time looking for homes to move into. At first it appeared that they were going to live on their own away from the brothers, but Shisui convinced Shizune to live all of them together, since that was the way of the ninja clans.
So it was decided that they would buy a plot of land to buy a completely new clan compound that would house every present and future Uchiha. But while the compound was built, the two of them and their child would rent a flat, away from Itachi and Sasuke.
Shisui claimed that, since this baby symbolized the rebirth of the clan, he thought that maybe they could build a new place to live in order to symbolize their new beginnings.
Naturally, the news of Shizune's pregnancy quickly spread once it became public, and left nobody indifferent. Some people wished the "Red Eyed Demons" would disappear forever, and that letting them recover meant giving them another chance to betray the village. Others were more optimistic, and hoped that more Uchiha babies followed, so Konoha could once again have several Sharingan wielders among its ranks.
This made Sasuke realize that, if he wanted to restore the clan, both Itachi and him should marry and produce children. Sasuke always thought that girls were only a needless distraction –not helped by how most of his fan girls usually behaved towards him–, and while never said it out loud, he found Naruto's romantic woes worth laughing. Not so much now that he and Hinata had officially become a couple.
"But then again, there's no girl I could have the kind of relationship Naruto and Hinata had for most of their lives" Sasuke thought.
Sasuke often avoided girls given how much they annoyed him, and only started to deal with them on a regular basis after graduating the Academy. At first, it seemed that Sakura and Karin were trying to see which one could be even more obnoxious and annoying than the other, but as time went by, they started to get better, mostly thanks to Shizune-sensei's influence.
And then, sometime before the Chunin Exam Finals, Sasuke didn't know when or how it happened, but Karin started dating Neji. Sasuke thought that the Hyuga prodigy would have a better taste in women, but hey, he seemed happy –or all the happy his perpetually sour face could reflect– and Sasuke got one less problem to deal with, leaving Sakura as thankfully the only girl vying for his affections.
He had to admit that the pinkette was less of a burden than what he initially had imagined. The girl had natural talent for medical jutsu, and as her training with Kurenai proved, she also had a gift for genjutsu –not as good as an Uchiha, of course, but for a civilian-born girl that was remarkable–, and was willing to seek help in order to improve the areas she was lacking, such as physical prowess.
The Uchiha was surprised when he realized that he was entertaining the idea that maybe, just maybe, he could give Sakura a chance and see if it worked.
"Sasuke?" Itachi snapped his younger brother out of his thoughts.
"Sorry. I was just thinking," Sasuke replied.
"Mind to tell me what?" Itachi politely asked.
"The future of the clan," was Sasuke's laconic answer.
Itachi couldn't help but smile. "So, already thinking in following Shisui's example? Is there a girl you like?" Itachi thought that getting a girlfriend would benefit his brother immensely.
"It's not that. I was just wondering how it long it would take for the clan to achieve enough numbers," Sasuke wondered.
"Probably very long," Itachi answered matter-o-factly. "But don't worry about that now. Even if we won't live to see it, the clan will live long enough to recover his former glory."
Sasuke nodded, and resumed his training.
…
Training Ground Nine
Speaking of said pinkette, she was also doing her own share of training. Even if she already had the idea of training under Gai before Shizune announced her pregnancy and temporary retirement, now it was her only option. Then again, she couldn't help but remember that it was Shizune herself who suggested and encouraged her to do so.
Sakura also wondered what Karin would do now (she wasn't worried about Sasuke since he had his older brother to train him, and in fact, he got more training from Itachi than he did from Shizune) that the team was sensei-less. After her defeat at Fu's hand, the sensible thing would be to find another mentor to help her become stronger.
When she heard the gruesome training the Close Combat Squad underwent, she always thought that it was an exaggeration. It took her a mere day of training to realize that no, nobody exaggerated. Even worse, due to her subpar physical condition, Gai mentioned how he would "go easier than usual" on her, something that didn't evoke hopeful thoughts for the future.
"Come on, Sakura-san, you're doing it fine! Just seventeen more laps!" Lee, who was running alongside her, enthusiastically cheered.
She had to admit that, despite the fact that Gai's training regime would make a hardened Warring States Era veteran cry like a baby, he put a lot of care in building confidence and self esteem of his students, and Sakura was no exception. And when Gai wasn't there, Lee took his place.
"You said seventeen...as if it is nothing!" the pinkette protested between pants.
"Well, you made thirty four laps already, you're more than halfway there!" Lee was always able to see the positive side of everything.
Despite the unending amount of suffering, Sakura also had to admit that Gai's training worked. In a couple weeks, she went from barely doing five laps around the training field with the weights on, to do fifty and not end up crying for the sweet release of death.
"By the way, where is Hinata-san?" Lee asked.
Sakura just shrugged. Unlike the pinkette, the Hyuga heiress didn't come every day. Given that she still had her own sensei, plus training with her clan, it was understandable that she didn't have the time or the energy to come to train with Gai every day.
Eventually, after what appeared to be an eternity, with her lungs unable to breathe enough air, her muscles completely sore, and her heart working overtime, Sakura finished her lap number fifty, and allowed herself to collapse on the ground.
"See? I told you I could do it," Lee, on the other hand, didn't look any worse for the wear.
"How do you do it, Lee?" Sakura asked between pants. "How can you do all this hellish exercises, and then ask for more?"
The green clad Genin merely shrugged. "I don't know. I guess that I got used to it. But don't worry, Sakura-san, keep working hard and your flames of youth will burn as bright as mine!"
"Yes, but..." Sakura continued. "You said that when you started, your training was even more intense. How were you able to keep going? Weren't you tempted to just toss the towel and go home?"
Lee's usually cheerful demeanor disappeared, and was replaced by a serious, and even solemn expression."I did, plenty of times. But that's what they wanted me to do."
"They?" Sakura asked, quizzically tilting her head.
"All the people who told me that I couldn't be a ninja because of my...shortcomings," Lee replied, his voice laced with pain, and Sakura immediately understood. "You know, both my parents were ninja who died the night the Nine Tails attacked. They died protecting me, or that's what I was told. So that's why I wanted to follow their path, so I could in turn protect others. That way my parents' sacrifice would extend to more people besides me."
Sakura couldn't help but smile. "That's...really noble of you."
"But that's not all," Lee continued. "You know, besides wanting to honor my parents and proving all the people who discouraged me wrong...there's also another reason for me to push beyond my limits: the one person who did believe in me."
"Gai-sensei?" Sakura tentatively guessed.
"Correct!" Lee grew excited again. "Among all the people who told me I couldn't do it, he told me I could, if I worked hard. So how could I disappoint the only person to ever believe in me when I had nothing to show?"
A lot of people considered Lee one of the strongest ninja of his generation, but that was only after his intense training. Sakura knew that a lot of people, probably herself included, wouldn't have seen any potential in the green clad boy if they had seen him at the beginning of his ninja career. Lee's comically extreme admiration for Gai didn't become as laughable after that.
"Gai-sensei always said you should always encourage people who try to better themselves. That's why, as long as you train with us, I will always cheer for both you and Hinata-san," Lee added.
Sakura smiled softly at him. "Thank you. That...means a lot."
Lee replied with his and Gai's trademark "nice guy" pose. Then, he realized of something, and grew serious.
"Okay, now that we've rested enough, our training has to continue! One thousand sit ups, one thousand pushups, one thousand squats and a fifty kilometer race! Come on go!" Lee cheerfully stated.
Sakura's smile turned into a grimace of hate and horror, as she groaned while she pulled herself up and prepared for the torture disguised as training.
…
Hyuga Estate
"Channel your chakra into the paper, and by the way it reacts, we can determine your elemental affinity," Hinata instructed as she handed her little sister a litmus paper.
Hikari's two daughters were in one of the estate's backyards for a special training session. Hanabi wanted to learn elemental manipulation, something she had been promised to do whenever she had some free time. And now it was time to fulfill that promise.
"Got it!" Hanabi cheerfully replied. The paper started to burn, and Hanabi instinctively dropped the burning paper the moment the fire licked her fingers. "Ouch!"
"If the paper burns, then your affinity is fire," Hinata told her.
"Dammit! Now I won't be able to learn the Heavenly Thunderstorm!" Hanabi protested.
"Language," her older sister chided. "No, but you will be able to create your own version of it using fire chakra instead."
"Right, sorry," Hanabi replied. "So...what do I do now?"
Hinata flipped through the pages of the book that was resting on her lap. While the Hyuga Clan library was extensive, most of its books regarding combat focused on taijutsu for obvious reasons, and very few on ninjutsu or genjutsu. And the few who did never covered anything beyond intermediate level. But for what they were trying to do, a beginner's manual would work.
"According to this, your first exercise is to burn a leaf with the force of your chakra," Hinata read from the book. She got up, plucked a leaf from one of the backyard's trees, and handed it to Hanabi.
"Alright!" Hanabi excitedly said as she took the leaf and tried to complete the exercise.
Hinata watched as her little sister tried to burn the leaf, to no avail. As the minutes passed, patience disappeared from her face and was replaced by frustration. Her mouth curved down, and her eyes narrowed. Beads of sweat started to appear on her forehead and temples. And after half an hour trying, she gave up.
"Ugh! This is impossible!" the little girl shouted as she tossed the leaf into the ground.
"Don't get so frustrated. It's not easy the first time," Hinata softly reassured her. "It took both Naruto-kun and I some time to get it down."
Hanabi seethed and went to sit down besides her sister.
"By the way, what did you two have to do instead of burning a leaf?" Hanabi asked.
"Naruto-kun had to cut a leaf in two using his chakra. I had to keep a light-bulb on for five minutes, without overloading it," Hinata replied.
"Ohhhhhhh...so that's why you kept a light-bulb with you all the time that time those years ago," Hanabi said in realization. "Well, then you did take a lot of time."
"Five minutes was the first part. In the end, I had to kept it on for half an hour," Hinata clarified.
"And what did ninja from the times before light-bulbs do to practice lightning chakra control?" Hanabi asked.
Hinata grew pensive. "That's a good question. Unfortunately, I don't have the answer. Maybe the answer is inside a history book?"
Hanabi didn't reply. She just looked at her feet, as thoughts drifted through her head, until a new question popped in.
"Nee-chan," Hanabi suddenly said, turning at Hinata. "What is being Chunin like?"
"Well..." Hinata began as she recollected her thoughts. "It's a superior rank, and thus it entails superior responsibilities. On the plus side, Chunin don't have to do any D-Rank missions anymore, but on the other hand, we have other duties besides taking missions, such as patrolling the village, guard the gates, and fill the duties of the Military Police."
Turns out that the Uchiha Insurrection had affected the village in more ways than one. There were some people who wished for the Military Police to return, so regular Chunin and Jonin wouldn't have to fulfill their duties, but others weren't so eager, due the Police being so closely related to the Uchiha Clan, and the insurrection.
"No wonder I see so little of you nowadays..." Hanabi said, a little crestfallen.
Hinata smiled. She got up, walked towards her sister, and wrapped her arms around Hanabi's shoulders. "You know that I will always find time to spend with you, Hanabi-chan."
"I know," Hanabi replied, resting her head on Hinata's chest.. "Even if that means spending less time with Naruto-kun?"
Hinata was a bit startled, but her smile didn't waver. She nodded. "Even if it means spending less time with him."
"And...now that he's your boyfriend...is there any difference from when you were just friends?" Hanabi asked.
Hinata grew a bit pensive. "Well...we haven't been dating for that long, so I couldn't tell. We do spend less time together, but that's because of our new ranks. But yes, we do things we didn't do before, such as walking holding hands...or kiss."
"Ew!" Hanabi shuddered. "Gross!"
Hinata giggled at her sister's reaction. "When you grow older, you will change your mind, you'll see."
…
Senju Residence
Somebody knocked the door. Eager to see who it was, Kaida rushed to the door. Upon opening it, she saw a bespectacled redhead awkwardly standing there.
"Oh, hi," the white haired girl greeted. "Who are you?"
"My name's Karin. Karin Uzumaki," the redhead said. "Don't you remember me? I used to babysit you not that long ago."
The white haired girl jogged her memory, and after a few seconds, she realized that indeed, the redhead was telling the truth.
"Ah, yes, I do remember you!" Kaida said, smiling eagerly. "Did you came here to play with me again?"
Karin cringed at the memory of the girl playing with her and Sakura with her Wood Release, and suppressed a shiver. "Eh, maybe another time. Is Naruto home?"
Kaida took a deep breath, and turned her head indoors."NARUTO-NIISAN! SOMEBODY'S ASKING FOR YOU!"
"Wow..." Karin said. "You have a nice pair of lungs."
"Thanks," Kaida smiled at her, as if she considered the magnitude of her yells a proud achivement.
Naruto didn't take long to appear.
"Who's asking for me...? Oh hey, Karin-neechan!" Naruto smiled upon seeing his only known clansman.
"Wait, she's your neechan too?" a confused Kaida asked.
"Yeah, we're from the same clan," Naruto told her.
"Didn't you notice that I have the same last name as him?" Karin pointed out.
"If she's your family, then how she isn't living with us?" Kaida asked.
"Well, that's...complicated. I'll explain you sometime later," Naruto told Kaida, while at the same time realizing that she made a good point.
"Okay then," Kaida said before finally returning inside.
Naruto closed the door behind him. He started to walk, and Karin trailed alongside him. "So, what do you want? You got lucky you caught me on my spare time. I never knew being Chunin could be so insane, hehe!" Naruto chuckled.
"Well, it's that, since Shizune-sensei is no longer available, I have nobody to train with," Karin explained. "I know Sakura is training with Neji-kun's team, and he suggested me to train with them as well, but something so physical isn't what I'm looking for. Plus I don't need to increase my chakra reserves. I'm looking forward improving my ninjutsu and medical jutsu."
"Well, I can help with the ninjutsu part, but I'm not that good with medical jutsu," Naruto admitted.
"I know. I was hoping if you could ask Tsunade-sama to train me outside our regular medical lessons," Karin asked. "After all, she has Uzumaki blood, right? I'm sure that she can help a clansman in need."
"I can ask her. She's always willing to train people who want to learn and improve, but she's kind of busy," Naruto told her.
"Thank you. You'd help me a lot," Karin replied.
"By the way, how are things between you and Neji? I almost didn't believe it when Hinata-hime told me you were dating him. I mean, you used to drool over Sasuke a lot," Naruto reminded.
"Yeah, I did," Karin admitted, blushing a little, as she rubbed her arm. "Sasuke is pretty cute...but hey, Neji-kun is also pretty cute too, and he's interested in me to boot, so in the end the choice was a no brainer. Sakura can have Sasuke all for herself as far as I'm concerned."
The fact the Karin no longer used the "-kun" honorific with Sasuke didn't go unnoticed by the blond. Then, the two of them started to walk, heading to nowhere in particular.
"You know, I just noticed something," Naruto said.
"And that would be...?" Karin asked, mildly interested.
"That we're cousins who are dating two people who happen to be cousins too," Naruto pointed out.
Karin couldn't help but chuckle. "You're right! Wonder if there's something in our family that make us attracted to Hyugas."
"There may be. Clans are weird like that," Naruto replied. "Anyway, besides training you, we can use this as an opportunity to spend time with each other. As far as I know, we might be the last Uzumaki on Earth, yet we barely speak to each other!"
"I admit that I could have spend a little more time with you instead of futilely chasing Sasuke," Karin stated. "You know, there was a time in which my mom and I dreamed to find a permanent home, hopefully alongside other members of our clan. And now that we found it...maybe I should get to know that family a bit better."
"This reminds me," Naruto began, as he started to think. "I remember that one day you showed up at the Academy alongside Haku and Tamaki, but I never asked you where have you been before you arrived at Konoha..."
"I don't remember much of my childhood before arriving Konoha, but what little I remember..." Karin tried to remind, and she grimaced. "...it sucked."
"That bad?"
Karin nodded. "We never stayed in the same place for long. My mom said that if people knew who we are and what can we do, a lot of people would try to kidnap us and force to use our abilities for them. My mom always wanted to find more clansmen, and was always trying to look for any other surviving members across these lands."
"Wait, 'surviving'?" Naruto noticed. "Did something happened to our clan?"
"I don't know the whole story..." Karin began. "Mom was born in another village...a village where our Clan originally lived...but the village was destroyed during the Second Ninja War. She somehow managed to escape. Eventually she grew up, fell in love with a man, and had me. Despite keeping her identity a secret from everybody bar my father, somehow somebody learned about her, and tried to kidnap both her and me. My father died protecting us..."
"I'm sorry..." Naruto told her. "You know...my biological parents also died protecting me..."
"Heh, another thing we have in common," Karin chuckled sadly. "Anyway, one day, when we were having breakfast at an inn at some small town, we heard some ninja talking about this 'Tsunade' woman who had returned to Konoha. The name didn't say anything to me, but the way my mom reacted...it was as if her prayers were answered. After that, we decided to come here and...well, the rest is history."
"Fascinating," Naruto told her. "Boy, I have so many questions! However, what draws my attention the most is this village your mom was from. What can you tell me about it?"
Karin shrugged. "Nothing, really. Mom never talked me about it. I think it's too painful for her to remember, and truth be told, I don't want to make her to. Besides, as for myself, Konoha is my home."
"What about other Uzumaki? Do you think they survived...whatever killed the rest of the clan?"
Karin shook her head. "If there are other members out there, we never met them. Like I told you, the closest thing we found was Tsuande-sama. The fact that there was an actual Uzumaki survivor living in Konoha was something we weren't aware of. Speaking of which, what about you? How did you arrived here?"
"My parents were from Konoha. I think," after what Karin said about the Uzumaki village, he wasn't so sure anymore. "My mom was an Uzumaki, my father a civilian born ninja, that's why I got her last name instead of his. They died the night the Kyubi attacked."
"And you don't know anything more about them?" Karin asked.
"I do but...well, it's kind of an S-Rank secret, so I'd have to kill you if I told you," Naruto awkwardly chuckled after saying this.
"Geez, was your father a Hokage, or what?" Karin asked. "I mean, another one. I know Jiraiya-sama is the current Hokage."
Neji's words about Naruto being close to the Hokage echoed in his mind.
"You know, I'm glad I had this talk with you. Now I know a lot more about my origins...and there's a certain somebody I need to have a chat with," determined, Naruto headed back to his home.
"Hey, wait a minute! What about the training?" Karin asked.
"Oh, that! Yeah, sure, we can train together! And I'll ask mom about giving you an extra course, don't worry about it!" Naruto assured as he walked away.
…
Senju Residence
Sitting in the living room, Jiraiya and Tsunade were enjoying the rare opportunity of having the house all for themselves. Shizune was with Shisui looking for a new place to live, Naruto had left after somebody came looking for him, and Kaida an Hagane had left shortly after him to a friend's house. Even if they were tempted to have sex in a place other than their bed, they knew that the kids could be back any moment, so they settled for their usual pastime of sharing a bottle of sake together.
"Boy, I'm so glad that the Chunin Exams are finally over," Jiraiya said in relief, as he gulped his cup of sake in one go. "Next time they will be somebody else's problem."
"Don't remind me," Tsunade sourly replied, as he followed Jiraiya's example with her sake. "I lost so much money...I swear I won't bet again."
Jiraiya chuckled. "Tsunade, we both know that's not true."
A tick appeared on Tsunade's forehead, and turned angrily at her husband. "What are you implying? That I can't overcome my vices? If you were able to shed all your perverseness away, unbelievable as it is, I can do the same with my gambling!"
"It's not the same situation. In my case it was easy," Jiraiya countered. "Going out to eat suddenly becomes much less appealing when you have the best chef in the world in your house, right?"
"Flattery will get you nowhere," Tsunade angrily replied.
"Flattery often takes me very far," Jiraiya shot her a very sly grin. "And seriously, you were a gambler since the very first moment I met you. Which is pretty insane, now that I think about. What kind of kid loves to bet so much?"
"Well...Grandfather liked to go to casinos and such, and since he couldn't take me with him, he taught me how to play cards, the roulette and stuff like that whenever we spend time together."
"When you say 'Grandfather', you don't mean Hashirama, don't you?" Jiraiya asked.
"I do mean him," Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Jiraiya was taken aback by the revelation. "Well, it's kind of hard imagining the God of Ninja as a gambling addict," Jiraiya then began to chuckle. "And now that I did, way funnier than it sounds!"
Tsunade snorted and punched Jiraiya in the shoulder. "Don't mock my grandfather, understood!? He was a great man."
"Nobody doubts that," Jiraiya tried to suppress his snicker. "But you have to admit it's kind of hard not to find funny that such a legend had those vices. Then again, I wonder if you'd pass gambling to our children."
"I tried, but they suck at it," Tsunade replied, shaking her head. "They're such disappointments."
"Kinda like their mother, don't you think so?" Jiraiya laughed.
Tsunade's scowl deepened and punched Jiraiya in the shoulder again.
"Next time you make fun of me, the punch will be a chakra-enhanced one," Tsunade hissed.
"Come on, don't get mad. If they're anything like you, they'd be awful gamblers but kickass ninjas. Especially with those Bloodline Limits of theirs. You know, wonder if Kaida and Hagane will become Chunin on their first try, just like Naruto did," Jiraiya pondered.
Before Tsunade had any time to answer, they heard the door opening, and somebody coming in. Soon Naruto's frame appeared in front of them.
"Hey kid, you're back. Who was that who wanted to speak with you? Was it Hinata?" Jiraiya asked.
"No, it was Karin-neechan. She wanted some help with her training," Naruto looked at Tsunade. "She also asked if you could give her a more intensive training as well, now that Shizune-neechan is no longer her sensei."
"I'll talk with her about it," Tsunade replied. Then she noticed something odd about Naruto. He looked as if something was bothering him. "Something wrong, kid?"
"Well, after that, Karin-neechan and I have been talking...about our clan," Naruto said.
A deafening silence fell upon the living room as the two Sannin processed Naruto's words.
"And what did she tell you?" Jiraiya cautiously asked.
"Not much," was Naruto's answer. "Her mom doesn't want to talk about it since it brings her painful memories, so Karin-neechan doesn't know much either. And I was wondering...if you guys know something?"
Jiraiya and Tsunade shared a glance, and they moved a bit to the side, and motioned Naruto to sit between them. Naruto did so.
"You never asked us about the Uzumaki Clan, Naruto. What's with the sudden interest?" Tsunade asked.
Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. Guess that talking with Karin-neechan peaked my curiosity. And well...since you guys raised me since I was a baby, guess that I never had the need to know about my origins. But now...I do want to know."
"Okay then," Jiraiya nodded. He looked at Tsunade. "Given that you have Uzumaki blood as well, I believe that you might be the best one to tell Naruto about his clan."
"Alright," Tsunade cleared her throat before beginning. "As with most Clans, nobody really knows where the Uzumaki Clan truly came into existence. But we do know quite a few certain things about them: they hail from an island to the east named the Land of Whirlpools, named after the many whirlpools that surrounded the island and acted as a natural defense. Despite having their base there, it wasn't rare to see them in the main continent.
"This is because, as far as recorded history, the Uzumaki and Senju clans were close allies. While there are no proof, many believed both clans shared the same ancestor. Their relationship was so tight, that Grandfather, upon founding the village, wanted the Uzumaki clan to join as well. The Uzumaki declined, opting to join other clans of the Land of Whirlpools and form another village, Uzushiogakure, to defend their country. The relationship between both clans was so tight that Konoha's flak jackets have the Uzumaki Clan symbol, a swirl, as a way to symbolize their ties.
"The Uzumaki Clan were master sealers –that's where your talent for fuinjutsu comes from–, and their alliance was invaluable to Konoha."
"And what happened then? How is that their village doesn't exist anymore?" Naruto asked, antsy to know the fate of the village.
Tsunade began to recollect her memories. "I believe it was the beginning of the Second War. Konoha was fighting in multiple fronts against Suna, Ame and Kumo, while Uzushio was handling the threats coming from the sea, mostly from Kiri."
"Wait a minute, Suna?" Naruto asked, confused. "I thought they were our allies."
"Back in the Second War, they weren't. It wasn't until the Third War when an alliance was made,'" Jiraiya interceded. "Just like how Ame weren't our allies either. In fact, we did tell you our epic fight against Hanzo the Salamander, didn't we?"
"Multiple times," Naruto replied.
Tsunade cleared her throat once again before continuing. "Anyway, I won't bother you with the details, but there was a plan to take advantage of the war in order to force one of the enemy villages to give up kageship, and promote Uzushio as one of the Five Great Villages in its place.
"As you know, only the major villages have the right to call their leaders a Kage. It's seen as a symbol of power and prestige. If a minor village did such thing, it would be seen as an insult and the other villages would retaliate."
"Which explains why Orochimaru didn't appoint himself 'otokage' or something like that," Jiraiya intervened once again. "The snake bastard might be an insane sociopath, but he isn't stupid."
"Of the minor villages, Uzushio was among the strongest, despite its low numbers, mostly thanks to the Uzumaki's sealing prowess, and thus had a nice shot of being recognized as a Great Village if one of the other five suffered enough loses. Then, something happened that would change the course of war: due to some kind of dispute, Kumo and Kiri terminated their alliance and declared war on each other.
"Kumo was busy also fighting on multiple fronts against Konoha and Taki, so Kiri saw it as an opportunity, and launched an invasion on the unprotected coast of Lightning Country. And this is where the end of Uzushio began," Tsunade gravely said, much to Naruto's confusion. "Kuninotoko Uzumaki, leader of Uzushiogakure, saw it as an opportunity to accelerate his village's ascension. He proclaimed himself 'Uzukage', and launched an invasion on the Land of Water, taking advantage Kiri and Kumo's situation. Sarutobi-sensei tried by all means to convince him not to do such a stupid thing, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
"Unfortunately, Kuninotoko's audacity was seen as a grave insult to both the Raikage and the Mizukage. It made them to repair their alliance, and together managed to repel the invasion of the Land of Water. But it didn't end there, oh no. Seeing it as a golden chance to acquire Uzushio's secrets of fuinjutsu, they launched a joint invasion on the Land of Whirlpools.
"Most of the village's forces had been decimated in the failed invasion attempt, so Kuninotoko asked help to Konoha. However, Konoha already had its forces spread thin and couldn't spare a single ninja. And thus, Uzushio fell to the might of two of the great villages. Many Uzumaki clansmen died, though some of them managed to flee to the continent. Ironically, this proved to be Kumo and Kiri's undoing, since while they were focused plundering Uzushio, they were pushed back in other fronts, which helped Konoha's achieve victory in the long run.
"However, it was too late for Uzushio. The Uzumaki Clan had been decimated, and their village was razed to the ground. When the war ended, Sarutobi-sensei tried to locate and gather the survivors, but he didn't find any. The only silver lining is that the Uzumaki Clan managed to somehow protect their secrets, and the invaders didn't get anything meaningful out of the invasion, aside from common goods.
"And to this day, only you and that Karin girl, as well as her mother, are the only Uzumaki we have knowledge of. Sad as it is, we have reasons to believe that you three might as well be the last members of the Uzumaki clan," Tsunade finished her tale. "Now that you know the history of your clan, what do you think?"
Naruto remained uncharacteristically silent for a few seconds, before he replied.
"You know...it kind of surprised me that the village leader would make such a stupid move. Was being a Kage so important to him? I mean, yeah, I want to be Hokage, but if being one came at the expense of other people, especially people from my own village, I wouldn't do it," Naruto said.
"What, did you think that unbridled pride and ambition were an exclusive domain of the Uchiha?" Jiraiya asked. "Any leader can fall prey to the temptations of power and glory. Let this be a lesson if you ever want to lead this village one day."
"I see..." Naruto replied, pensive, until a realization dawned upon him. "Wait, you said that the Old Man was unable to find any survivors. What about my biological mother?"
"Kushina was already here long before Uzushio's fall," Jiraiya mentioned. "You see, besides their talent for fuinjutsu, members of the Uzumaki clan were known for their very long life spans, large chakra pools...and a very potent chakra, which was the only thing that could only contain the Nine Tails.
"The very first jinchuriki of the Kyubi, Mito Uzumaki, was my grandmother, and Hashirama's wife. When her life was close to its end, it was necessary to bring another Uzumaki to keep the Kyubi contained."
It took Naruto no time to make the connection. "Wait a minute! Then that means...that my biological mom was also a jinchruiki!"
"Correct," Tsunade said. "We kept Kushina's status as a Jinchuriki a secret, so that's why most people think the Kyubi appeared out of nowhere and attacked us for no reason."
"You see, the seal that held the Nine-Tails weakened during childbirth. And somehow, that Akatsuki member who spurned the Uchiha into rebelling, managed to learn when and where Kushina was about to give birth. He was successful in his endeavor, and released the Kyubi. Even if Kushina survived the extraction process, I presumed she was too weak to hold the monster a second time, so I guess that's the reason Minato chose to seal it within you instead," Jiraiya finished the explanation.
Another moment of silence. Naruto looked down, his sight darkened.
"You know, I shouldn't feel anything, given that you're talking about people who died when I was a newborn..." Naruto began. "But knowing what happened to my clan...and what happened to my biological parents...it makes me feel...a bit sad."
Tsunade put a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder. "It's only natural. I would worry if you didn't feel anything."
"If you want to talk about it, we're always willing to listen," Jiraiya added, echoing Tsunade's gesture.
"No, it's okay," Naruto told them. "I mean, it was a sad tale, but it would had more impact if I was on Karin-neechan's shoes, but to me, Konoha had always been my home. But I'm sure that there are more Uzumaki out there hiding. The Old Man didn't find them because, like Karin-neechan and her mom, were always on the move and never trusted anybody." Naruto then turned at Tsunade. "Did you know that you were the reason they came to Konoha?" Naruto asked.
"Yes. The mother, Mariko, asked for me when they arrived. I helped them to set them in, but I didn't have much contact with Mariko after that. Maybe I can drop by and ask her how everything's going," Tsunade mused.
"That would be nice," Naruto told her.
…
Next Day, Undisclosed Location
Black clouds covered the night sky, accentuating the existing darkness. A multitude of corpses wearing Kirigakure's ANBU mask and uniforms were scattered around. The corpses were still fresh, hinting a previous battle not long ago. Rain poured from the sky, turned the soil into mud, and inundating the air with a smell of wet grass.
However, none of those corpses mattered. Only one did. The only one which belonged to a Konoha ninja. A brown haired girl with purple marks on her cheeks, and a huge, bloody hole in her chest. Said girl was being cradled by a one eyed boy the same age as her.
"This...this is hell..." the boy cried.
Darkness and rain. It was a fitting image for Obito Uchiha, equating the darkness of his heart and the tears pouring from his eyes. He clutched the girl's corpse near him.
"Rin..."
"RIN!"
Obito Uchiha opened his eyes, and saw his hand extended upwards, trying to grab something that wasn't there. He was panting, and his body was drenched in sweat, despite the fact that he had been sleeping for the past hours. Grunting, he sit up, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
A White Zetsu emerged from the ground.
"Is everything okay, boss? I heard you scream," the White Zetsu worriedly asked.
"It's nothing," was Obito's answer.
"Another nightmare?" the plant being guessed.
Obito didn't reply, but the answer was obvious. There wasn't a single time in which he didn't relive Rin's death. At this rate, he would turn insane, if he wasn't insane already. Even if he didn't have the Sharingan active that night, the image would still be burned into his brain. The Mangekyo Sharingan only made it worse.
"This is why I don't want to sleep," Obito hatefully said.
The White Zetsu tilted his head. "Yes, but your species need sleep. Even if Madara-sama's enhancements removed your need to eat and drink, your brain and body need several hours of rest. While not lacking in imagination, your alternatives to sleeping are...insufficient. And we need you rested for today's operation. Orochimaru and his army already left."
"I see. What time is it?" Obito asked.
"The sun will rise in less than an hour," the creature informed him.
"Then we still have plenty of time until I have to play my part," Obito stated.
…
Outskirts of Konoha, shortly after sunrise
Perched on a tree branch, the Snake Sannin stared at his target, the village of Konoha, with lustful eyes. Soon, the proud village wouldn't be more than a smoking ruin. He had been waiting for this moment for such a long time.
Orochimaru's second in command, Kabuto gracefully landed besides him.
"The army is in position, Orochimaru-sama. We can start when you give the order," the silver haired medic informed.
"Good," Orochimaru replied. "What about the Sound Five?"
"They're in position too. They will infiltrate the village exactly fifteen minutes after the invasion commences, just as you ordered," Kabuto told him.
Orochimaru licked his lips in anticipation. "In that case, then there's no point in waiting any further. I had delayed this long enough already," the Snake Sanin said as both he and Kabuto jumped from the tree and landed on the grassy ground. He made several hand seals before slamming his hand into the ground. "Summoning Jutsu: Impure World Resurrection!"
Two wooden coffins emerged from the ground below. Their lids falling on their own, letting their occupants walk free. Said occupants were two men who were way older than they looked. One had long straight black hair, tan skin and was wearing a red armor. The other, almost his complete opposite: very pale skin, short spiky white hair, and wearing a blue armor.
"Hashirama, Tobirama," Orochimaru addressed the resurrected Hokage. "You've been brought here for a very special event: helping me destroy Konoha. Given that you played an instrumental part in its creation, I believe that it's appropriate you play an equally large role in its destruction."
"So this is the reason for you to resurrect us, snake," Hashirama snarled.
"Konoha is a strong village. Even with us as your puppets, you won't destroy it as easily as you think," Tobirama warned.
"Konoha has already suffered its own share of misfortunes. I'm here to merely give it the final blow. And truth be told, even in your weakened state, I don't expect anybody being able to fight any of you as equals, especially given that you're now impossible to kill and have unlimited chakra.," Orochimaru told them in delight.
Hashirama shot Orochimaru a bone-chilling glare, but the Sannin remained impervious. "Mark my words, one way of another, I will make you pay for this!"
"Somehow, I find that just as doubtful," Orochimaru chuckled. "Now go. Pry Konoha's gates open, and secure a passage for my troops to enter the village. Then kill every Konoha citizen that crosses your path, both ninja and civilian, men and women, adults and children. Spare no one. On second thought, try to spare some if they have a Bloodline Limit."
Unable to resist, the Senju brothers moved towards their target.
"Dammit! There has to be something we can do!" Hashirama cursed as he futilely tried to regain control of his body. "Brother, it was you who created this accursed jutsu! Didn't you put any kind of failsafe in case something like this happened?"
"No. I was unable to complete this jutsu within my lifetime," Tobirama replied. If he was regretful, he didn't look the part. "Our only hopes is that their current ninjas are strong enough to deal with us," the Second grimly said.
The gates of Konoha, still closed, appeared before them, and they stopped. The guards barely had any time to react before Hashirama made several hand seals.
"Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
...
Omake: Naruto Elseworlds #1
It was a dark and quiet night. The Akatsuki known as Tobi contemplated the village of Konoha, as he was about to start his evil plan.
"Alright, time to start!" Tobi pulled out a red and black pokeball from within his robe. "With this legendary Pokémon I stole, Konoha will be destroyed! Go, Nine Tails!"
Tobi tossed the pokeball, releasing the nine tailed beast, landing with a big crash.
"KURAMA!" The Nine Tails cried.
"Nine Tails, destroy Konoha now!" obi ordered.
"KUR!KURAMA!" The Nine tails growled as he was about to do as ordered.
"Not so fast, villain!" A blond man said as he landed in front of Tobi and his pet. "I, Minato Namikaze, Fourth Gym Leader of Konoha, won't allow you to carry on your nefarious plan! Especially not with my wife's stolen Legendary Pokémon!"
"Oh really? And what do you plan to do about it, huh?" Tobi asked.
"Obviously, I challenge you to a Pokémon battle! Go Gamabunta!" Minato said as he tossed a Pokeball, releasing the giant Toad.
"BUNTA!" Gamabunta croaked.
"The Nine Tails is Fire/Dark, while Gamabunta is Water/Fighting! I have type advantage in two different ways!" Minato boasted.
"Maybe, but the Nine Tails has better stats, befitting a Legendary! Besides, I'm sure your Gamabunta isn't even IV trained!" Tobi angrily replied. "Nine tails, use Flamethrower!"
"KURAMA!" the Nine tails roared before taking a deep breath, and releasing a wave of fire from his mouth.
"Gamabunta, counter with Water Pulse!" Minato ordered.
"GAMABUNTA!" the toad replied as he released a powerful water blast from his mouth, cancelling the fire attack.
"Excellent! Follow with Karate Chop!"
Gamabunta leaped into the air, and was about to smack the Fox with a hand chop. Of course, Tobi wasn't going to have any of it.
"Use Smokescreen!" Tobi ordered.
This time, the Nine Tails released a cloud of smoke from his mouth, blinding Gamabunta, who missed the attack. Tobi smiled under his mask.
"Okay, now let's finish with Tailed Beast B-"
But Tobi was interrupted by a punch to the gut, followed by a kick, which knocked him on his back. Much to his shock, Minato was now besides him, holding the Nine Tails' pokeball.
"Wait a minute, did you just attack a trainer during a Pokémon battle!?" Tobi asked, incredulous.
"I did. What about it?" Minato asked.
"That's against the rules!"
"Screw the rules, I have money!"
"We're parodying Pokémon, not Yugi-Oh, you dumbass!"
"Besides, you're the villain, you don't give a damn about the rules. And now that I have the Nine Tails Pokeball, I can stop it from destroying Konoha," Minato declared.
"Ha, you'd wish! That's a special Uchiha pokeball that can only be used by a single person, namely me!" Tobi retorted.
"Okay then," Minato then dropped the poke ball, and stomped it into pieces. "Now the Nine Tails is no longer under your control!"
"No… but he reverted now to its wild state, and will destroy anything in his sight. Have fun with that," Tobi said before vanishing.
"...shit," Minato cursed. "Anyway, let's not panic, I'm sure I can capture it myself and...SHIT! I'm out of pokeballs" Minato noticed when his hand reached his pocket.
Kushina then appeared, holding baby Naruto in her arms.
"Don't worry, Minato, use this!" Kushina said as she tossed Naruto at her husband. "Newborn babies can be used as pokeballs!"
"Really? How convenient! Okay then, go Naruto, catch the Nine Tails!" Minato said before tossing Naruto at the now free Tailed Beast.
Upon hitting the kyubi, Naruto split in two by his midsection, turning the Legendary beast into pure energy, which was absorbed into the baby. Naruto struggled to contain the beast, but after a few seconds of wobbling Naruto remained still and a spiraling seal appeared on his bellybutton, hinting that he had successfully trapped the beast.
"Yes, we captured the Nine Tails!" Minato cheered, pumping a fist into the air.
"Wait, I remember that using a baby as a pokeball had a negative side effect," Kushina said, as she started to remember. "Oh yeah, the baby's parents will die of a heart attack after the Pokémon has been captured."
Minato stopped cheering. "…oh shi-"
End Omake
Author's Note: Okay, a lot of things to discuss here. First of all, I hope you guys found my second omake funny. I have more ideas for future omakes, both elseword parodies, aleternate endings, and many more.
Now, let's talk about something that took up nearly half the chapter: the Uzumakis. I always wanted to write more Naruto/Karin scenes in which they bond over their blood ties, but I just couldn't find the right moment. Hope those who (rightfully) asked for more Naruto/Karin moments are satisfied with this chapter, and don't worry, it won't be the last time these two have a meaningful conversation.
Now, to address the topic I'm sure it will raise some controversy: my depiction of the Uzumaki Clan's history and demise. Let me tell you something, and tired, TIRED I tell you, of reading fanfics that depict the Uzumaki Clan as these perfect, angelical beings capable of doing no wrong (depite Pain and Karin debunking that notion in canon), while at the same time portraying Konoha as these uncaring jerks who didn't move a finger to save them in time. Also, Uzushio being ruled by an "Uzukage". No, people, NO! There are only FIVE Kages, no more, no less! Get that in your head!
So yeah, to address those personal pet peeves, I decided to have the Uzumakis bringing their doom upon themselves, and show that they're as fallible as other human being (or at the very least, their leader is), and what happens when a leader of a minor village decides to call himself or herself a Kage, while at the same time answering the question of why Konoha didn't help Uzushio in time. I know a lot of people won't agree with this, but I will stand by it.
Anyway, now that's out of the way...yeah, the invasion of Konoha had just begun, and yes, Orochimaru has yet to show all his cards. Like the Chunin Exams, this arc will feature a lot of fights (thought thankfully it won't be as long), plot twists, betrayals, revelations, and the appearance of a certain character I'm sure no one will see coming ;)
While you wait for the next chapter, leave a review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!