Author Note: Hi all I managed to finish nine chapters over the last week. This is the last one.
"Hi there" Normal Speech
"Hi There" Thought
"Hi There" Biju and techniques
"Hi There" Biju thoughts and techniques in head
Flashbacks
"Hi There" Normal speech
"Hi There" Thought
"Hi There" Biju and Techniques
"Hi There," Bijuu thought and techniques in head
Chapter 20: Return of the Dragon
"Kaze Kaze Muchi (Wind Wind Whip)!" A stream of wind cut through the air towards a training post in the middle of a Uzushio Training field surrounded by a thick forest. The wind struck the post slicing it in half and throwing the top up into the air. The stream of wind lashed out striking upwards towards the flying post. The wind began to vibrate as it wrapped around the wooden post and coiled slicing it into pieces. The wind stream retracted towards a boy who wasn't just controlling it, his entire right arm was the wind. His arm had morphed into a spiralling twister and wind had streamed out with a cutting edge at his command to slice the post in two. The boy pulled his shoulder back, and the wind retracted the moment it did the wind shaped itself into his arm. The boy stretched out his fingers; he hadn't had the chance to flex his devil fruit powers in a long time.
"I see you have recovered." A voice from behind made the boy jump. Spinning around the boy was faced with none other than the most influential man alive, Uzumaki Naruto. The Shodai Uzukage shared a smile with the boy as he walked up to him dressed from head to toe in his Kage robes, his right hand holding a Shakujo Staff with nine rings at the top. The Uzukage robes were just a symbol white monk robe that covered the entire body with a white Kage cloak over the top with the symbol '渦' meaning whirlpool on the back, accompanied by a wide-brimmed navy blue straw hat.
"It feels nice to be permanently out of that seastone prison. I can use my mother's gift whenever I want now." The boy was none other than Houjin a second generation devil fruit user that had been rescued by Naruto. The boy was healthy, and fighting fit after a few months of recovery. No longer in a plain white gown but he now wore a blood red kimono designed similar to a martial artist's gi, accompanied by only a pair of black hakama pants. His feet were bare to the world.
"Uzukage-sama if you don't mind me asking, how are your students?" Word had travelled fast throughout Uzushio about the condition of Yamato, Odin and Shiina who lay in their hospital beds.
"It's been a week since their return, and only Shiina has awoken. My prime student Suzuka is currently attending to her. Shiina is quite shaken from the experience, but it is to be expected from her first life and death experience. Many shinobi and Kunoichi have experienced the same, some surrender to it while others owned it and became stronger because of it. It may be harsh to say, but I desire to see all my shinobi suffer such an experience. One cannot continue in our line of work without one." Naruto may have been concerned about the condition of his students and what they had suffered, by he ultimately believed it would be good for not only them but every shinobi of Uzushio. A near death experience would push them beyond their limits to break the barrier and become stronger. Naruto couldn't remember the number of near-death experiences he had. Naruto had even gone a step forward and died, on more than one occasion. Luckily he had brought back each time through some miracle, or someone dying in his place so he could come back.
"You could have healed them completely of their injuries right? Why didn't you?" Houjin continued with his questioning; he wasn't critical he was merely curious to the Kage's answer. The natural born devil fruit user had only interacted with the Sage on a few occasions, but everything the Kage did had some meaning to it.
"If I healed them completely every time this happened they would become too reliant and think themselves immortal. Yes and I could completely restore them to peak condition, but this is to teach them a lesson. I restored what needed to be healed and left the rest to their bodies. The damage will make their wills and bodies stronger. Sadly as their teacher, I am disappointed by their actions. They had the opportunity to retreat and call for backup. Perhaps being my students, they thought they were strong enough to handle the situation thinking themselves immortal. This will remind them never to underestimate the enemy. A harsh but necessary lesson to be learned, especially for Yamato. As the leader of the team, he must show the qualities to lead them to victory, this time he chose defeat. I will not make an exception due to his age. While he showed the qualities of a Chunin in rescuing the client and getting the jump on Blacktooth multiple times, the negatives outway the positives." While the Kage's words were harsh, they were true. His students needed to learn to take responsibility for their actions. Naruto would not cuddle them; he could not afford to in this harsh environment that had been created by the fractions that exist.
Houjin didn't say a word, as he understood where the sage was coming from. The devil fruit use while young was advanced for his age, he had grown up in a harsh environment and had been forced to grow up early. While he had retained his sanity and traits of his personality, he had often been forced to toss them aside to take care of the others Miyuki and Mariko who were far younger than him. Without their parents around he had become their older brother to help shoulder the burden of what they were going through.
"Enough about my students, are you enjoying your time here in Uzushio?" Naruto changed the focus of the conversation as he walked up to Houjin and stood beside him. The sage lowered his staff allowing the end to tap the earth. The wooden post that had been cut in half grew back to full size in an instant.
"If I had to pick between Uzu and that laboratory there's no contest. Everyone has been surprisingly welcoming. I didn't expect to see such a diverse culture it is a nice change." Houjin was pleasantly surprised within the first week of living in Uzushio. Everyone had welcomed him with open arms; there had been no hostility. Houjin had been greeted by citizens of all races, and none had shown any bigotry or racism for him being human. There was such a peaceful atmosphere over Uzu as people of all races worked together for prosperity.
"Seeing everyone acting so peaceful, I decided to join the Shinobi Academy. After experience the tranquillity of Uzushio, I want to make sure that never changes, so I plan to do my part. I've seen the evil this world has to offer; I plan to make sure future generations of Uzu never experience what I had to. If I have to sacrifice my peace so other's don't so be it." The boy clenched a tight fist as members of the experiments conducted on him flashed before his eyes. A great rage bubbled within as the surrounding temperature began to increase and the wind picked up turning violent. The tip of Naruto's staff swung down and cracked Houjin atop the head bringing him back to reality.
"Calm yourself; you will have the chance to obtain revenge against those who wronged you. When you are strong enough, I will personally ensure you meet with your father and end his life with your own two hands." Naruto retracted his staff as he laid down a promise to the boy. Houjin had a deep hatred for the man who sired him. The man had been the cause of the treatment Houjin had received. But above all the man had caused the death of Houjin's mother, personally ending her life when she attempted to fight back to stop her son being taken.
Naruto didn't have children nor a wife of his own, but he had experienced what should be the love from one's parents. His had given their lives to protect him and give him a future. The feelings Houjin had for his father was understandable, not only betrayal but an unrivalled hatred for taking away the one person he had loved with all his heart. A man who killed the woman who sired his child, could not be allowed to live especially if he did it for some misguided act of justice.
"I'm rather annoyed you let him live, but I'm also glad you did, this means I can end his life with my own hands. I did however particularly enjoy the fact you cut off one of his arms. That must have been excruciatingly painful for that pig, especially knowing the fact as a logia he couldn't do a thing to stop it." A satisfied grin formed on Houjin's lips when he thought about his father having his arm removed. He may not have personally witnessed it but hearing it from Naruto's mouth gave him great joy.
"Sakazuki will have nightmares for years after what I did to him." The sage couldn't help but smirk as he recalled the feel of cutting the Admiral's arm off. That's right Houjin's father was none other than Admiral Sakazuki better known as his alias Akainu. Houjin released a barking laugh at the sage's word pleasantly pleased to hear it. The boy had no love at all for Sakazuki.
"Good luck with your training. I hope to see you graduate and become a proud Shinobi of Uzushio. I expect great things from you Houjin. Just remember this, while you may hate your father and all he stands for, what he passed on to you, don't reject it. As a Shinobi you must use all the tools at your disposal. Master his curse and use it alongside your mother's gift. If you master them both there will be no one who can stop you." The sage began to leave and as he left gave fed words of advice for the young devil fruit user. The Sage His back disappearing into the surrounding forest.
Houjin looked down at his left hand, his palm opened as heat began to radiate. His fingers began to change shape becoming liquid magma that dripped to the green grass burning it away. Houjin clenched his hand gritting his teeth in anger at the sight of the molten liquid. His arm transformed into lava that boiled with such intense heat the surroundings began to wilt. Houjin in his rage roared as he swung his fist towards the training posts. His arm grew in size as did his fist. A giant fist of lava crashed down onto the training post smashing them to smithereens before incinerating their remains down to ash.
Houjin pulled his fist back, and his arm returned to normal. The boy lifted his other hand his fingers began to dissolve into a stream of wind. "Mother I swear upon your grave, I will kill that man for what he did to you! This I vow!"
Meanwhile, in another part of the world, a man in a hospital bed with only one arm sneezed violently as a shiver went down his spine as him an ominous omen had fallen on his head.
Uzukage Tower
The air distorted as the form of the Shodai Uzukage appeared in his office, transporting himself with the use of the Kamui. The sage dusted his robe off and made his way to the Uzukage's chair. The Uzukage sat down leaning back into it enjoying the comfort it had to offer. The chair was a recliner on a swivel and felt like heaven as the Kage relaxed into it Sadly the Sage wasn't able to enjoy his luxury for much longer as the door to his office opened up. Walking in was none other than his prime disciple and sexy secretary slash girlfriend Suzuka. The charming young woman approached her leader and partner with a cold but beautiful smile resting on her rosy red lips, in her arms a yellow folder. The woman stood on the other side of the desk and bowed.
"Greetings Uzukage-sama. I have come to deliver the weekly reports from our genin teams." The young woman spoke in a polite tone, even though the two were dating they still had a business relationship during work hours. Her eyes twinkled as she gazed lovingly at his majestic form.
Naruto gave a wave of her hand, signalling her to continue. He had hoped he would be able to relax a little longer, but the life of a Kage was never-ending. With her order's given the young woman opened the file to begin her report.
"Team's 1 and 4 were successful in their assigned missions. Team 1 on Yoni island prevented the pirate band from making off with the island's children while eliminating eighty percent of their forces. The clone assigned to the team watched from the side, as there was no requirement for him to interfere. The only time your Kakashi clone interfered was to steal the pirate's flag. Team 4 assigned to the Ao clone eliminated all enemies forces that invaded Nora Village, all but one, they sent him back as a warning. Both teams will return shortly. The flags stolen from the slave traders are in hand and will soon be hung on the gates of Uzushio. Thanks to their deeds the people of Yoni and Nora have begun spreading wording about Uzushiogakure."
Naruto was pleased to hear this. Forming bonds with clients was vital to the growth of a Shinobi Village. Clients would pass on positive feedback to their friends, family and allies, helping to advertise the village and its prospects to new clients. The input would then come back to the village in the form of missions. As long as the teams continued to be successful and impress clients, Uzushio would be able to grow.
Not only were clients advertising the village, but a guild that had formed a trading pact with Uzushio in recent days. Naruto had met personally with the guild head Oishi, Shiro, an old man in his late sixties. The man had a respectable reputation as did his Black Crows Guild. Thus Naruto chose to ally with the merchant's guild forming a trade pact with them. Uzu would supply them with shipments from every resource it had. Uzushio's resources were in abundance. Uzu shipped everything from wool to silk, fruit to meat, fish to octopus, timber to metal and even herbal medicines.
The metal was gathered from mines within the Kage mountain created by Naruto. The mines had different types of metals specifically Iron, Copper, Gold and Silver to be used in Uzu and shipped out to sea. There was one other metal that was mined, a unique metal created by Naruto. Thanks to seals nature chakra would gather in the mines into the different elements and produce a metal ore that could then be mined. This unique ore was stronger than any metal that existed; it was stronger than even seastone while being easily malleable. This metal ore was only used in Uzushio and would never be sold outside Uzu's shore. It was a metal like none the world had ever seen. Naruto couldn't run the risk of it falling into the wrong hands.
Meanwhile, the timber came from the giant Oak trees that grew all around Uzushiogakure. Due to the amount of Mokuton chakra in the ground and nature chakra in the air seedlings would sprout and germinate to fully grown adult Oak's over thirty feet tall within months. The nature chakra made the timber from these Oak's one of the hardest woods in existence, close to rivalling that of Treasure Tree Adam Wood. This, however, was merely the young, immature trees. There were trees on Uzu no Kuni who had been saturated in chakra for years, even before the island's expansion. Then there were oaks who came after, that had been created personally by Naruto. These trees not only contained nature chakra and mokuton chakra that they absorbed after coming to life but chakra from Naruto. The wood from these trees was on a level Treasure Tree Adam Wood could not even compare to, and it was personally used by Naruto for a particular project.
The timber that was sold to the guild came with an exclusive contract drafted up by Naruto himself. The timber could only be sold to civilians, not to marines, pirates or any military organisation. Anyone who bought the timber had to sign a contract that was a detailed construct created by combining Fuuinjutsu (Sealing Techniques) and Juuinjutsu (Cursed Seals). The buyer and everyone employed under them would sign the contract in blood making seals on the paper light up. Seals would make their way onto the targets back and engrave a Curse Seal in the shape of the Uzushio Swirl. This mark would light up if anyone attempted to sell the wood or use it for military use. When it lit up the users entire body would be paralysed, and a beacon would be sent to Naruto alerting him. When he arrived, only death would follow. Naruto like the Uzu ore would never allow the timber to fall into the wrong hands.
"How goes Project Maelstrom?" asked the Sage as he leaned forward, Project 'Maelstrom' was something he was eager to see come to fruition.
"The shipwright we contacted to build it has refused, claiming he must first finish a promise to save his dying home." Naruto clicked his teeth in mild annoyance; he attempted to recruit the renowned Shipwright Tom, the same man who had built Gol D Roger's ship the Ora Jackson. After all project "Maelstrom' was the construction of a single ship and not just any ship, a ship to surpass all others.
What exactly was the Maelstrom? It was to be a ship of titanic proportions, surpassing that of Whitebeards Moby Dick. But it wasn't just any ship; it was a battleship one designed purely for war. It was a ship whose firepower would be unmatched. The ship's frame would be made out of the most reliable metal in existence, Uzu ore. The metal would be light but stronger then seastone and as flexible a nitinol or hi-carbon. The metal was unmatched throughout the world. The ship's body would then be made from the timber Naruto kept aside for the project. The wood was incredibly durable only something along the lines of a Bijuudama (Tailed Beast Bomb) could scratch it. Even if it was damaged, the wood could absorb nature chakra from the air and repair itself. This would make an almost indestructible ship.
Naruto had hoped to recruit Tom for its construction, but it would seem he would have to find another, this would delay the Maelstroms construction.
"Find me another shipwright then. But keep an eye on Tom. I've heard word he apparently has a copy of the blueprints for the Ancient Weapon Pluton, and I'm not the only one who knows. While I care not for the blueprints, others might have nefarious ideas and may try something. The moment something happens let me know." Naruto issued his orders to his secretary. The young woman bowed to her Kage and retreated out the door closing it behind her, leaving the Sage to his thoughts.
The moment Suzuka was gone it began to rain. Lightning flashed by the window, and the Sage frowned. "Why is it every time you make an appearance it rains?"
A figure appeared from the shadows behind Naruto stepping around his desk and in front of him. The figure was none other than the revolutionary himself, Dragon. Dragon laughed as he threw himself down into a chair and relaxed into it, "That's for me to know." The revolutionary only grinned as he looked at the Immortal Sage opposite him.
"You were here a week ago, why have you returned?" The Sage was beginning to grow annoyed with the antics of Dragon and was tempted to throw up a barrier that would block the man from entering Uzushiogakure no Sato. But for some reason he suspected the man would somehow find a way around it, so the Sage would allow the man to do as he pleased as long as it didn't harm the citizens of Uzu. However, the moment Dragon intended harm, Naruto would deal with him.
"Can't a man visit a friend," Dragon asked with a shit-eating grin, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Don't push it." Naruto's mood had soured at the man's appearance, and he wasn't going to deal with any of his antics.
"Don't be like that, smile!" The man laughed as he leaned back in the air kicking his feet up onto the Kage's desk. "I must say you've certainly been proactive since you started building Uzushio. What with your talks with Kings Nefeltari, Riku and Neptune. They'll be strong allies to your ever-growing Kingdom."
Naruto's brows clenched into a frown as he glared at the man sitting opposite him. The Sage wasn't interested in the man's antics. With a wave of a hand, a gust of wind blew Dragon's feet off his desk.
"Let me be frank then." Dragon's grin remained in place not bothered by the Uzukage's actions one bit; it was as if everything was one big joke. "I have a job for you."
"The great Dragon has a job for me? Who's the client?" The Kage was intrigued, he hadn't expected Dragon to want to hire Uzu for a job. What would make one of the most fearsome men in the world come to him for help?
"Me. I am applying for two missions. You can decide on the fee after I explain th details. Deal?"
"Very well I'm listening." The Kage opened his top left drawer to remove paper and pen. He laid them on the table and got ready to jot the details down.
"The first is simple enough; I want Uzu to track and keep an eye on a certain person for me." Dragon reached into his green robe and removed a wanted poster. On the wanted poster was a twenty-year-old woman with black shoulder length hair, wide dark eyes and a long, thin, defined nose.
"Nico Robin, eighty million beri bounty." Naruto read what was on the poster out loud. He looked up towards Dragon; he was curious about just why Dragon wanted Uzu to find this young woman. Naruto grabbed the poster to take another look at the woman.
"Wait, Nico Robin, that name sounds familiar." The Sage rubbed his chin trying to recall where he had heard the name before; then it clicked she was the so-called Devil Child who had a bounty on her head since she was only eight years old. There was some rumour floating around that she had sunk six ships belonging to the World Government that was why there was a bounty on her head. The World Government labelled her the Demon of Ohara; they told the public that the Oharans were trying to find the Ancient Weapons to destroy the world. Out of paranoia of what would become of her, the World Government let the word out that she posed a threat and soon the world was brainwashed into thinking that Robin was trying to destroy the world, Naruto thought it to be a load of crap, so he had his clones do a little digging.
With a bit of digging, Naruto had discovered the truths. The Oharans hadn't wanted to find the Ancient Weapons to the destroy the world at all. The Oharan's had only been studying the poneglyphs mysterious steles with history inscribed on them written in a language from ancient times. They had also been looking into the history of the void century. The World Government weren't impressed, so they ordered the island and the scholars studying the poneglyphs be destroyed. Robin had been the only one to escape the massacre, the sole survivor who happened to know how to read the poneglyphs.
"What does the Revolutionary army want with Nico Robin?" Asked the Sage turning back to the current situation. He wanted to know just what intentions Dragon had for her. Naruto didn't know the man all that well and had a suspicious feeling that perhaps he wanted her so the revolutionaries could obtain the Ancient Weapons of the past, weapons to be used against the World Government.
"I want to recruit her when the time is right. She could be a valuable asset." Naruto had guessed as much. The entire world knew the man had a deep hatred for the World Government, as did his revolutionaries. Legends said the Ancient Weapons held such power they could start a global war. It was no wonder the Revolutionary Army was seeking Nico out, if they could get a hold of just one then they could overthrow the World Government with ease.
"She can read the poneglyphs, with this knowledge she would be able to help us find Pluton, Poseidon or Uranus. Even if we can't get ahold of those three, there are legends of other weapons out there that are equal to the great three. If we can get our hands on them, overthrowing the World Government won't just be a dream. Will you help us?" Dragon looked at Naruto, all signs of playful antics gone as he adopted a serious look. The Revolutionary was dead serious about the job he wanted to hire Naruto and his village for. One might call him insane for wanting to find an Ancient Weapon, but Dragon would do what it took to get rid of the World Government and free the people fro their tyranny.
"I can agree to the mission; it will be an A-rank. The World Government will be tracking Nico no doubt. This increases the rank of the mission. If it were someone else, I'd only issue it as a C or perhaps a B. But because it's Nico Robin I can't afford to rank it as anything else but A. That's a five hundred million belly fee."
"Deal!" The revolutionary dug into his robe removing a bag full of beri's and placed it down on the desk. Naruto raised an eyebrow as Dragon opened the back and began counting out beri's before handing them over to the Sage. Naruto accepted the money and checked it making sure it was the correct amount.
"And your second mission?" Naruto got to the point, he was happy to get the money especially if Dragon was paying up front, but he wanted to know what the second job Dragon had for him was.
Dragon looked at Naruto with a cold hard gaze and spoke, "I want you to distract Whitebeard."
"As in Edward Newgate Whitebeard, the Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, one of the Yonko and one of the most feared men in the world? That Whitebeard." The man had peeked Naruto's curiosity yet again, just what reason could Dragon possibly have to ask Uzushio to distract Whitebeard for, and just what kind of distraction was the question on Naruto's mind.
"The same one. Whitebeard has an item that leads to the location to a Poneglyph on his ship that I want to seize. However, the man knows me all to well and would stop my efforts. I want someone to confront him in one on one combat to keep his attention away from the map so I can sneak aboard his ship and steal it." Naruto had to admit Dragon had balls to want to steal from Whitebeard, however just what was on the Poneglyph that would cause even Dragon to risk his life to obtain it from Whitebeard.
"If I accept this you realise I will have to do it myself, meaning it won't even be an S rank mission but beyond. It won't be cheap either as your hiring the personal services of the Uzukage of Uzushiogakure. One hundred billion beri, nor more no less. Half up front and the other half after the job is done, non-negotiable" Naruto would not back down on the price. He was confident enough to fight Whitebeard one on one and even beat the man, but the price to do so wouldn't be low. Naruto wasn't a bleeding heart; he would make sure Dragon paid the price for the job. And hiring the Uzukage himself was not cheap. Naruto was also going to make sure he paid in full, half before the job and the rest after, not in instalments like he offered other clients. Naruto didn't trust Dragon at all, especially once he got himself on a map that would lead him to a power weapon.
"Agreed, it will be done. It will take some time to gather the funds; I will leave for now and return when I have the money to pay" Dragon climbed to his feet grabbing the rest of his beri's and placed the bag in his robes. It would take some time for the Revolutionaries to collect that much money, but it could be done. Dragon retreated into the shadows as lightning flashed back the window, darkness followed after and the man was gone having vanished from the Uzukage tower and Uzu no Kuni. As he left so did the rain.
"I hate that man." Naruto sneered as he leaned back in his chair looking down at the beri in his right hand. He tossed the wad of beris onto his desk. The man was certainly beginning to earn Naruto ire what with his constant popping in and out like he owned the place.
"That man's starting to get on my nerves. But he is a paying client. One hundred billion beri, ha, it will certainly go a long way."
The Sage shut his eyes and began to meditate. Naruto reached out all over the world to connect with his army of spy clones that covered the globe. Naruto connected with each of them and the moment he did he began to relay an order, track down Nico Robin and keep a close eye on her. The Sage transferred a mental picture before explaining the reasoning behind his desire to find her, once all the clones were informed the Sage cut the connection off with them. Naruto's head spun as he had connected with over a million clones, it didn't help he had stretched his conscious over such a great distance, even as an immortal chakra being it had put a strain on him.
"Let's see if you can hide from me, Nico Robin."
On the other side of the world, the young Nico Robin sat outside of a cafe reading a book, only to suddenly sneeze. "Is someone talking about me?" The confused young woman looked around, but nothing was out of place. The woman shrugged and returned to her novel, unaware that the strongest being in existence was looking for her.
