Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto Franchise that belongs solely to Masashi Kishimoto; I do not own Heaven's lost Property, High School DxD or any other Anime I borrow themes from. The only thing I claim is my OC's and original Story Plot.
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys I'm back with another chapter and here we depict the actual journey to the Land of Snow and the resolutions and monumental revelations that occur. Resolutions and loose ends are tied up with the inner thoughts and feelings of our characters being brought to light with the end results for some being heartfelt and well deserved while some end up opening doors that perhaps should've stayed closed. The ability to be open and transparent with those you are close too is a theme that will play a central role in this chapter as the innermost feelings of the characters are exposed to the world and are forced to be confronted.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Chapter 85
Mending Hearts of Love
'The sea breeze is really nice… but the hectic hustle and bustle of this crew is ruining the mood for me.' Naruto sighed to himself as he leaned against the balcony on the top deck of the Dawn Theatre which was the name of actress Yukie Fujikaze's personal ship. The massive ship was the mobile home and standard filming location for the crew who makes all of their movies in house on board the massive ship that houses several highly customizable and modular movie sets that could be renovated and changed on a dime to reflect a new scene in less than an hour making production time very short in this day and age.
The world renown actress was currently getting ready to shoot another scene and in doing so the crew were using the open top deck for the chosen location. The tall dark-haired woman was dressed in an elaborate robe and make up that the art and cosmetic departments were supplying her with. Yukie was sitting in her chair with several assistants hovering around her pampering her with their attention and skills as they transformed the actress for her next scene.
Naruto would be lying if he said Yukie didn't look beautiful with the current arrangement of cosmetics on her face and the clothes she was being made to wear. He could see her co-star getting the same treatment across from her with his own team as the director and his assistants were conversing with the filming technicians in preparations for the scene to start. Several bulky but portable and mobile camera rigs were being set up on tripods with wheels while several steady fixed camera positions and artificial light sources were being placed into their final positions as the filming scene was about to get underway.
Naruto wasn't alone in watching this scene unfold. As expected, Iris was latched onto his pants leg with her adorable porcelain doll like face reflecting the inner feelings she was experiencing right now. She had an expressive visage of interest on her face at the unfamiliar environment unfolding before her. Her naturally bioluminescent eyes were casting a dull glow in the bright afternoon sun, so it wasn't very noticeable but to Naruto it was always the highlight of his day to looking into his daughter's eyes and see the sheer amount of beautiful power and divinity glowing within them. It was the only characteristic of herself that she couldn't mask that denoted her as being non-human.
"Interested…?" Naruto cooed as he gently poked at Iris's cheek causing a predictable blush of contentment and bashfulness to spread across her face. His attention was her life blood. "Uh huh… there is so much going on daddy. Who knew so much went into making just one scene for a movie." Iris expressed while tilting her head up to look into Naruto's matching blue eyes that became more gentler as he gazed down at her. "It's really something else isn't it Iris? One day soon I hope I can take you and all of your siblings to the movies. It's something I've always wanted to share with you all since I couldn't go when I was younger." Naruto admitted to the smaller girl who tugged on his flak jacket in the universal sign that all children make which Naruto instantly understood on instinct as he picked up his most serene and affectionate daughter into his arms.
"I want that too… it would be nice…" Iris mumbled out uncertainty catching Naruto's attention who used his hand that was placed underneath her chin to turn her head towards him. "What's wrong honey?" The little princess was feeling insecure or uncertain about something. They've been down this road many times before and now Naruto was becoming an expert on reading his daughters emotions and thoughts without relying on their spiritual and telepathic link towards each other.
Uncertainty and insecurity were prominent in Iris's eyes as she averted her gaze from Naruto who nuzzled his cheek against hers to loosen up the feeble mental barriers that she was trying to place down between them. She couldn't keep secrets from him for long to begin with, she was a terrible liar and had an even worst poker face. If something was bothering one of his children, then he wanted to know about it.
"Maybe we could… you know… do it between just us?" Iris mumbled out while pressing her face into Naruto's chest. She couldn't face him now, but that didn't stop the small gasp from escaping her father's lips. 'Wait, is this jealousy… no… not quite that I don't think? Insecurity and a sense of longing and need? She's lonely… she misses me.' Naruto concluded as he refrained from tapping into their shared psyche to solve this problem for him. He didn't want the answer just given to him. He wanted to discover it on his own and now he had a strong idea on what was bothering the humanoid deity.
"Iris do you feel left out now that I've adopted your foster siblings?" Naruto on the first try managed to hit the nail on the head as Iris's expressive and pure facial expressions spoke a million words. Her poker face with him has always been pretty much non-existent and now was no exception as the pained feelings swimming around in Iris's glowing sapphire colored eyes spoke out to Naruto who squeezed his original daughter to his chest tighter.
"I… I mean… it's not like…" The ethereal deity didn't have the words to aid her in her time of need but feeling the warmth from her father's skin as he nuzzled her own childish chubby cheeks was enough to scrub away any of her lingering hesitation. "Yes…" It wasn't an admission that she wanted to freely make as it made her feel terrible for harboring these impure thoughts about her foster siblings, but the young bright-eyed princess couldn't help how her heart felt in this matter, it was out of her control.
'In all of this time ever since coming back from Hōrai Island I've never once thought to ask how Iris and Chaos feel in all of this with now having to share my attention with six other children. It was just us in the beginning and now they have to compete for my attention. Their feelings are the most important thing in the world to me, yet I discarded them to the side as if they don't have a voice. I know Iris and I were in that very rough patch back then, but I should have done something sooner. I'm a terrible father.' Naruto thought to himself bitterly as he came upon an epiphany in the heat of the moment. He never asked how Iris and Chaos felt about having new siblings entering their life.
It wasn't like it was a new infant baby, these children were of various ages with half of them being physically older than the twin sisters. Biologically and in terms of the supernatural realm the girls were eons older than all of their new siblings combined which is the hierarchy that the children go by as their supernatural instincts recognizes the twin girls for what they are. But their various ages were irrelevant as it didn't change the fact that Iris and Chaos now have actual competition for his attention.
"Oh god… Iris, I'm so sorry for not noticing how you were feeling sooner. I should have asked you how you felt about having so many siblings now. From the very beginning it's just been me and you two. I can't blame you for feeling jealous or insecure about the others. You never had to compete with Chaos for my attention since you shared me equally, besides you and Chaos are always so in sync in the exact same way that Eva and I are that it never phased you. Now the others need a lot of my attention due to their mental health and its left you behind. For that I'm sorry, it used to be just us three." Naruto apologized in a heartfelt tone of voice that caused the gentle little girl to begin crying. She was an emotional and gentle little girl at heart and uncommon situations like these were prime examples of times when Iris would let down her guard.
"I'm sorry Daddy… I don't mean to feel this way. It's bad to feel jealousy and stuff like that. I should be better." Iris whined into Naruto's flak jacket while the much older boy shook his head in the negative. "No… all you have to do is be yourself. You don't have to be better because you've done nothing wrong. It's not a crime to feel envious and jealous of your siblings when you've spent your entire life without competition. I should be the one apologizing Iris, I should have been more attentive to your feelings." Naruto shushed gently while pressing Iris further into his chest. The tiny little girl was submerged deep within Naruto's lap as he used his arms to cover up Iris in his protective embrace.
'No one ever said parenthood was going to be easy… but I consider this to be a real screw up on my part as their father. I would feel the same way she does now if our roles were reversed. It was selfish of me to make such a monumental decision without asking them how they would feel about it first. I pretty much expected them to accept this new change to their life without complaint.' Naruto groveled within his mind as he cradled Iris in his lap. This wasn't his finest moment as a father in his opinion and his failure was only compounded by the fact it took him this long to come to this epiphany. Chaos and in particular Iris have been putting on a brave face and half-hearted smiles this entire time since the beginning with all of the drama and hectic chaos that has transpired since the arrival of their foster siblings. They were keeping their true inner feelings and thoughts about the new dynamic in the house to themselves this entire time.
"Iris… sweetheart… I'm so, so sorry for how you've been treated and by what you've been feeling all this time. I can strongly assume you feel the same way Chaos?" Naruto pondered as he felt a familiar and comforting weight settle down on his back in the form of Chaos who appeared the second her name was called. She wasn't even on the top deck with everyone else right now. She was actually busy stalking Sasuke down below deck who was being followed by Sakura in a not so unusual scene. She had placed a Hex down on him that she was using to absorb his negative emotions after he turned down Sakura's advances for spending alone time together in their room. Just because he went on a date with her didn't mean he was ready to continuously spend time with her on a regular basis. Chaos's misguided adventures would-be put-on hold for the time being as she warped reality using Kayros to appear in her claimed spot on Naruto's back the second he called out her name.
The usual dopey facial expression on Chaos's face was currently lacking it's typical spark of life which was the only indication that Naruto needed to see to know that the emotionally unhinged girl felt the same way that her beloved twin sister did. Their feelings and inner thoughts were usually in sync with each other due to their extremely close-knit relationship and now this demonstration was no different. "I don't really like to share my favorite dolly with anyone besides Iris… but I've had to for a while now. I don't mind them being with us as I have more dollies to play with but… things have changed." Chaos admitted in her own unique brand of stylized speech, but the true meaning was easily deciphered by her father who is used to her personality and quirky nature. He understood what she was trying to say… it wasn't that hard to understand.
"You shouldn't have to feel that way either honey… you're such a free spirit. These things shouldn't even bother you yet at the end of the day you are still a child and you need me. I'm sorry I've put you two to the side like this. I only hope you can forgive me?" Naruto apologized in a tearful tone as he felt Chaos tighten her grip on his neck while pressing her cheek into his. He could feel a shift in her demeanor and he knew that his negative emotions were poisoning her and making the volatile girl feel nauseous and sick. Chaos could absorb any kind of negative energy out there as long as it didn't come from him while he is experiencing true negative emotions.
"I'll always forgive you daddy… you only did what you thought was best. I can't be mad at you for that when in return even if we were normal children that mentality of yours would have caused you to pick us up in that clearing the day we were born. You took us in instead of leaving us there or turning us into the orphanage where we would have been mistreated. You have a heart of gold which is something no one should ever be angry at." Iris admitted in a heartfelt tone that caused Naruto's breathe to become hitched in his throat.
"I can never be mad at you daddy. You're my favorite dolly after all. Everything you've ever done you've done in our best interest. I've always trusted you and I can get along with them easily enough for both myself and for yours as well if you ever asked me too. I'd do it because I love you." Chaos beautifully and eloquently articulated while referring to Naruto as "daddy" instead of her childish nickname of "dada". She's only done this on a rare few occasions and it was always to denote the serious nature of her desires. As opposed to her sister who was open with her unyielding love and devotion to their father, Chaos was more subdued and abstract with her feelings regarding their blond-haired parent. She had a roundabout way of showing her love… but the truth is Chaos was just as fanatical and obsessed with her love for her father as Iris is. She loves Naruto greatly for everything that he represents in her life. Her old one serving under Minos isn't one she would wish on anyone. Naruto was everything Chaos could ever want or need in a person to fill her heart with the one crucial component that she's always longed for and that was the concept of love.
These unimaginably powerful words struck a chord within Naruto's very soul that nearly caused it to spill out of his body. Those were probably some of the sweetest words his two girls have ever spoken to him. That was a compliment of the highest order as it spoke directly to his character as a person and as a father.
Naruto felt himself become choked up as fresh tears fell down his face. He didn't even know how he was supposed to possibly respond to such devoted rebuttals. It always blew his mind but the level of devotion and love his two daughters had for him was on a level that he couldn't even properly fathom. It scared him half the time whenever he would try to peek behind the veil to catch a glimpse of just how far this devotion expands to and the fact that it always appeared endless to him was jarring.
"I love you… I love you girls so much." Naruto didn't have any fancy words or speeches prepared for the bombshell his two daughters dropped on him. He didn't have anything that could match up to the level of love and devotion they were showing him so in the end the only words that came out were the words Naruto just uttered. Smothering Iris in his embrace Naruto let his tears fall as he resolved in his mind to do better in the future. These children needed him… all of them did and his original daughter's desires and needs didn't disappear overnight just because he now has more children to take care of. They deserved his attention and him at his best and he would give them that level of commitment.
This heart melting scene was disturbed when Naruto came out of his inner thoughts to see that half of the crew were staring at him and his daughters with various expressions on their faces. Most of them including the grown men were tearing up while the woman were opening weeping in earnest while the director dabbed at his eye with a tissue. Despite that fact it didn't stop him from having a camera recording this event as he knew gold when he saw it. He could make good use of that material for the movie.
"HEY! What are you all staring at?! Mind your own business!" Naruto cried out in embarrassment as he hurried to wipe his eyes of the tears that were freely falling from them. This was extremely embarrassing, and Iris felt the same way as she buried her face into her father's chest to avoid all of the eyes on her. Chaos herself was laughing in her typical eerie way as she kissed Naruto on the cheek before disappearing once more. She was interrupted in the middle of hunting down her newest prey after all.
It took a few minutes but eventually Naruto and Iris were afforded their renewed privacy as the father/daughter duo watched Yukie begin the first take of her current scene. Everything was going well and taking this tranquil time with a new level to their relationship into account Naruto brought Iris in closer as a nagging thought was echoing at the back of his head.
"Sweetheart… we never got to talk about those guys Ms. Tsunami mentioned the other day. You know who they are and wanted to inform me about it." Naruto introduced the topic at hand and that was all it took for Iris to plop herself back down in Naruto's lap once again as her eyes began to turn their mesmerizing emerald green that signified the arrival of Sōkyoku. "Remember, no more secrets. We're honest with each other, right?" Naruto reminded as he cupped Iris's chin with his hand to center all of her attention onto him. He and Sōkyoku made up with each other and promised to always be open and transparent with each other. No more secrets… only honesty and integrity could remain in this relationship.
"It's time you know about my sister, Amaterasu."
Flashback Begin/ Hōrai Island
Miya had her hands full to say the least. With the foster children back on the island she had to split her attention from attending to them while also overseeing the initial stages of the reconstruction of the village. Reading Naruto's mind two days ago when he was leaving the island Miya was able to determine that the plans that he left with them weren't the true plans he had brewing in his mind. The grand vision he had in mind for what he wanted the new Hidden Whirlpool Village to look like was magnificent in her own opinion. It was bold, unique, ambitious, and most importantly of all it would become a one of a kind village if that vision of his were to ever come to fruition. It was still in its early stages from his point of view, so it was clearly subject to change but from what she was initially able to gleam from his mind it already had her more than impressed.
The villagers were going about their day clearing out buildings so that they could be torn down and rebuilt. Temporary essential buildings were to be constructed such as a clinic and small shopping center for everyone to store their food supply in. A few other buildings were being added in but for the most part easily constructed apartment style buildings were planed on in Naruto's blueprints. Naruto wanted everyone to have a place to stay in for the time being. From what the schematics and plans detailed the entire old run-down lakeside village would be completely scrapped and cleared away to make room for new development while the old stone ruins of the destroyed Hidden Whirlpool Village had an asterisk next to some notes and thoughts in one of the scrolls left to her care. It would seem that Naruto was unsure of what he wanted to do with the old village at this time as he didn't have time to explore it in depth like he would have wanted.
These new buildings being added were only temporary until he finalized what he wanted the new village to look like came into fruition within his mind. Until then, he wanted the refugees to have all of the essentials that they would need in the meantime. Miya was pleasantly surprised and pleased to see that Naruto even had plans for Mt. Hōrai and the sacred cave to the Cauldron of Resonance. He had initial plans to build a shrine in the cave and if that was the case, she would be very pleased. She was a priestess after all, she needed a shrine to run and maintain.
Taking a break from her duties Miya left the villagers to their vices as she slipped away from anyone's notice while Aria was tasked with looking after the children. Phasing out of existence Miya reappeared in the cave to the Cauldron without warning while looking around. The cave was in a state of despair following the destructive clash between Naruto and the Four War Gods. The stone pedestal that the Cauldron rested upon was heavily damaged with most of the columns broken or outright destroyed while the giant tree roots that held the pot shaped relic in place were withered away and burned by the previous battle.
Looking up to the opening at the top of the cave Miya saw three human sized seven-foot-long black feathers fall out of the sky into the cave where they landed before her in small thuds. Black fire erupted from the feathers before they turned into three familiar individuals that Miya knew since before the dawn of time. It was Hone, Ren, and Wanyuudou.
They looked the same as always but once they finished materializing into their normal forms, they all took stock of their relative in front of them. "Miya it has been far to long…" Hone spoke as she laid eyes on her cousin for the first time in thousands of millennia. "It has… but I must say. I'm very displeased by your presence. What are you doing here?" Miya asked as a certain edge came to her eyes. It wasn't that there was bad blood between her and her cousins. On the contrary she loved them dearly and their relationship was very much intact. It was their presence here in this world that was the problem. They shouldn't be here…
A frown worked its way onto Ren's face in offense while Hone herself stepped forward with a concerned look in her eyes. "We've been searching for Lady Sōkyoku all this time. It's to our great confusion that she would be here in this world with you. We would like to know why?" Hone asked as Wanyuudou hummed in thought. "This world isn't natural. It's an artificially created world that you've constructed. You've gone to a lot of trouble my dear. We just want to know what is going on." The old shriveled man added on as he could sense that this world didn't naturally exist in conjunction with the rest of the multiverse. It was an artificially created construct and the enigmatic priestess before them was someone with the power to do such a thing effortlessly.
"You are right Wanyuudou, this world is of my creation and mother asked me to do so in her time of need. She has set a plan in motion and required my aid to carry it out. What I want to know is why you were sent out to look for my mother? She gave aunty Amaterasu clear instructions to lay low. The fact she used her power to summon you three is counterintuitive. She could reveal her location by accident with such careless actions." Miya probed with a hard tone to her voice as she didn't like the fact that her aunty would so carelessly disobey the direct orders from her mother. Lady Sōkyoku only wanted what was in her precious twin sisters best interest and being incognito for her own protection was the right thing to do.
This was a reckless action to take and what made it worst was the fact that despite how good these three were there was always the small possibility that they could be tracked and unintentionally lead the worst possible entities here to this world. That was the worst-case scenario as everything Miya has worked towards on behalf of Sōkyoku could come undone if that were the case.
"Remember your place Miya. Do not speak so familiarly of our divine creators. In case you haven't noticed we wouldn't be here if something didn't happen." Ren glared with his lone visible eye towards Miya who's face became shadowed by the shadows of the cave. Hone sent a chastising glare towards her brother for his insensitive and uncalled for choice of words, but the damage had already been done. A monumental presence slammed down onto the shoulders of the three black feathers causing them to come crashing down to their knees in surprise. They haven't felt such power in eons and this presence was being solely contained to the confines of the cave they were in. Not a single drop of this monstrous aura could be felt from the villagers down in the village and that was a good thing. They would have instantly been vaporized on the spot down to their very soul if they did.
A magenta aura of raw power was shimmering around Miya's body as her eyes took on a razor-sharp quality to them that caused sweat to build up on the faces of her relatives. "Remember my place?" Miya mused in a low tone as she leveled her cousins with a glare that rooted them to their spots. "I think it's best if you remember your place Ren. Don't forget who the older twin is of the two of them and who is currently doing everything she can to ensure her sister stays safe. Lady Amaterasu is in a very weak and vulnerable position right now. Do you know how much that tears my mother up inside? They are the original Par Animo. They are two halves of the same entity. What one feels the other will too. They share a bond that nothing else can even come close to comprehending or replicating. Do not presume to think that I don't know that things aren't in a stable place right now." Miya snapped as she laced every word with venom that asphyxiated the three feathers before her. Her raw power in combination with the sheer amount of passion contained within her body made Miya's very words weapons that tore into those opposite of her.
Bowing his head in shame Ren had no words for his cousin while Hone and Wanyuudou shared concerned looks with each other. It wasn't often that they witnessed Miya lose her composure like that. She was a very calm and composed individual. Of course, that wasn't including her more darker and vicious persona that only comes on during battle. She was deadly and brutal in combat, but she never let that temperament bleed over into her everyday life. It was jarring to be on the receiving end of her wrath… a wrath that they've seen tear apart things that even gods would freeze at.
"Lady Sōkyoku is my mother in the same vein that Lady Amaterasu is yours. Don't put such an informal distance between yourselves. You should know very well that they cannot conceive children of their own, they can only create. It means more to them to have us by their sides." Miya lectured in a slightly softer tone as she was very attached to Sōkyoku who lived a lonely existence. They were primordial entities and actually genderless contrary to how they are perceived. They had no real gender or actual form. They chose to identify themselves as female for their own preference. They couldn't conceive children on their own, nor could they enjoy the simple things in life that mortals take for granted. They existed on a plane of existence that was solely theirs and theirs alone, but it came at the very steep and entirely unfair price of it being a very lonely existence in which they only had each other.
"I'm sorry Miya, I didn't mean to cause any trouble." Ren whispered out in remorse as he himself didn't need to be reminded of the uncomfortable and unfortunate fate of his creator. The twin phoenix's suffered greatly in silence and there was nothing anyone could do to help them other than simply being there for them.
"Now… please tell me what happened." Miya asked in a soft tone as her agitated aura disappeared allowing her three cousins to return to their feet now that Miya's power was back under wraps. Even combined the three of them could never oppose Miya's overwhelming primordial levels of power. Amaterasu created them not to be beyond godlike fighters but as her personal servants. Of course, their powers was above that of the gods due to Amaterasu personally creating them, but they weren't actual combat fighters in the same league as Miya who Sōkyoku created for that specific purpose. Miya was simply on a whole different level.
"The presence has found Lady Amaterasu, and she was forced to flee from her hiding place." Hone revealed causing a murderous glare to appear on Miya's face once more. This time the release of power from the peaceful woman's body was staggering. The entire mountain shook under her wrath as she quickly scrambled to reign in her power before she scared to villagers below. They were blissfully ignorant to the meeting between these primordial gods up above them on the mountain that overlooks their peaceful island and Miya would rather it stay that way.
"How!?" It was the only question Miya asked and her cousins didn't have an answer for her. They themselves didn't know how their sworn enemy could find Amaterasu. Sōkyoku took every precaution in hiding away her sister. "It was a spectral avatar of that vile creature, but it forced Lady Amaterasu from her shelter and in return she destroyed the planet when it became overrun with dark creatures under his command. She's hiding out in the Dimensional Gap once more, but she can't stay there for long all things considered. We need a solution." Wanyuudou explained as Miya dropped to the ground in an unceremonious heap with stress marks creasing her brow.
"I need time to think. How long will it take Lady Amaterasu to get here if she's aware of this pocket dimension I created?" Miya asked as the gears in her head began to turn. She needed to think fast to modify the plan Sōkyoku entrusted her with. "Three years tops… but we haven't told her yet." Hone answered as the unnatural displacement of this artificial dimension would cause a lapse in time to pass in travel time if Amaterasu were to come. "I will think of something… I just need time." Miya conceded as she was in an impossible situation now.
"Miya… who is that boy you bound yourself too. Why is Lady Sōkyoku so interested in him to the point she did the same thing? What is your plan?" Hone asked in concern as she wasn't sure on their future course of actions either. After visiting Tsunami and her family in the Land of Waves, Hone and her siblings silently kept tabs on Naruto ever since. They've witnessed everything that's happened to him since then and they briefly lost track of him when he was taken to Hōrai Island which tipped the three god like beings that something was unnatural about the land mass. They couldn't enter last time as it cloaked itself after Naruto and the rescue team left but this time, they silently followed him back to the island without him or anything else being none the wiser. They doubt even Lady Sōkyoku knew.
"That boy is the key to mother's plan. He is a child of prophecy… I've modified him to suit our needs. With the special power lying dormant inside of him he can seal the gates of Purgatory once more and trap that disgusting plague back in his cage once more." Miya revealed to a stunned trio of gods as they weren't expecting such a development. Naruto was a Child of Prophecy? They held within them a very sublime and special power that could be wielded as a key that could be used to seal or tighten the lock on the gates of purgatory. That was their purpose as Sōkyoku and Amaterasu intended long ago. The side effect of having such a potent and unknown power inside of them comes at the price of being at the center of all of the major events to transpire within their world. These lucky or unlucky individuals were forced by destiny to face the trials and tribulations thrown at them by their world. Some met this challenge while others did not.
"Incredible… and I assume you've modified this boy by cultivating him in this artificial dimension that you've created. It's like an incubator that will nurture him without his knowing." Ren speculated as he pulled back the bangs from his covered eye to look around the world around him. He could see things that no mortal or god could. He could see the truth of this fake world and its true purpose. "Every trial and tribulation he comes up against will strengthen his vessel and soul. In the end it will strengthen the power of his sealing abilities and make him the ripe candidate to be used as the instrument that will fight our nemesis. This is a carefully cultivated plan and I can't have anything interfering. I don't want you going anywhere near him. On the off chance that you were tracked here I can't have the presence finding out about the boy. It could compromise everything we've ever done." Miya instructed as the trio of siblings shared looks between each other.
"That's a tall order to ask of us but we will do our best. What of our mother's Nexus Crystal? Has Lady Sōkyoku found it yet?" Hone asked as that was the whole original point in Sōkyoku leaving Amaterasu's side in the very beginning. Her crystal was forced from her body following the fateful events of their climactic battle against the great evil. The two sisters were heavily wounded and weakened but they managed to seal away their nemesis for good. But it costed them dearly with Amaterasu being crippled and Sōkyoku burning out a massive portion of her original power. Not to mention the lost of several of the original feathers that the two sisters created to serve them.
"Yes… it's inside of the little Angeloid girl. She is it's vessel and as long as she remains by Lady Sōkyoku's side everything will be fine. Mother is cultivating and recuperating her lost power by using Naruto's body as a battery to recharge. She's also secretly cultivating and nurturing Lady Amaterasu's core to safely return it to her when the time is right." Miya unveiled with a distant look in her eyes as the trio of gods looked towards their older cousin for guidance.
"So… what do we do now Miya?" The High Priestess had a weary look to her eyes following that question as the weight of the world settled down on her shoulders. She leveled her cousins with a tired gaze.
"I don't know."
Flashback End/ Dawn Theatre – Northern Coast of the Land of Fire
"So… that's it huh?" Naruto mumbled as he just sat in silence while absorbing the information given to him by Sōkyoku. These three deities were Lady Amaterasu's feathers and the titanic raven colored Phoenix was missing her Nexus Chaos Crystal. Not only that but this supposed crystal was actually hidden away inside of Chaos. That would explain the dull glow he saw on her chest that night they were traveling back from the Land of Waves all those months ago when he had that vivid nightmare. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him but apparently not.
Sōkyoku also explained to him that they were more than likely looking for her because something must have happened to her sister. The nail-biting concern that the giant phoenix was showing for her twin sister tore at Naruto's heart strings. He could only imagine what she was going through with not being able to contact her sister. She explained that she cut off her mental link with Amaterasu because apparently that too could be intercepted if enough concentration was placed down by their mortal nemesis.
She also informed him that it would be risky for him to meet the trio of gods due to the fact that they were foreign to this world and their very presence could potentially be tracked as well. He would be put in jeopardy if somehow her nemesis was able to backtrack their location by using Amaterasu's feather's as a relay point.
"It's a lot to take in but I want you to know that I will stand with you in this… just as I promised I would." Sōkyoku reassured as she began to let her overall presence fade from Iris's vessel with Naruto nodding his head in gratitude. Returning to her own senses Iris peered up into her father's matching blue eyes with her own with a sense of worry shimmering in their depths. "Don't worry Iris… I won't let anything happen to either you or Chaos. I will protect you with my life in necessary." Naruto promised with the most serious gaze he could muster. He would gladly die if it meant his children could live. He lived for them for the vast majority of his life to being with. They gave his life purpose and a beautiful guiding light to follow. They were worth the sacrifice if need be.
"That's what I'm worried about the most daddy." Iris whimpered as tears started to pool in her eyes. That was the last thing she wanted for him. She needed him in her life… she didn't want him going off to sacrifice himself needlessly on her account. She would be beyond devastated and at a lost in life without his love and guidance. Frowning sadly down at the delicate little princess in his lap Naruto rubbed his nose against her own in a cute and affectionate eskimo kiss.
"Hey… I'm as strong as I need to be because of you. It doesn't matter how steep the opposition is. If I'm ever to overcome it for you and your sisters sake, then I'll grow stronger on your behalf. That's how it's always been and that's how it will always be. Now come on, lets go make some ramen. It will cheer you up." Naruto suggested after shoring up Iris's confidence in him. He meant every word he spoke as he's always found that he gains greater spouts of strength when his feelings for protecting them were at their apex rather than any other time. They were his source of strength.
Standing to his feet Naruto tried to take Iris with him but she wouldn't budge as the same worried look was still in her eyes. "Hey kiddo… I will never let anything happen to either you or your sister. And if there's even the slightest bit of a chance for me to grow strong enough to help Lady Sōkyoku and Lady Amaterasu then I'll take it, no matter how dangerous or difficult it will be. Now come on sweetheart. Ramen is calling our names. It's Ramen! It's Ramen! It's Ramen!" Naruto gently spoke as he cupped Iris's chin with his hand and got her to focus solely on his face. He wanted to convey his feelings properly to his emotional daughter who needed his reassurance right now more than ever.
Grabbing her around her thin waist Naruto started to tickle Iris while chanting about ramen in a mantra that managed to get giggles to escape from her lips without her consent. She wasn't at 100% right now, but her father's words were her salvation as it made the fear in her heart recoil in pain. It couldn't poison her heart while he was here. He wouldn't let it. "Thank you, daddy… I love you." Those magical words were like the very blood that coursed through his veins as Naruto grinned his infectious grin at Iris who leaned forward and planted a quick affectionate and innocent kiss onto Naruto's lips who didn't flinch back in the slightest. The lovable girl did this much more than what people would think. She just didn't do it in public often.
"I love you too princess."
Dawn Theatre / Communal Kitchen
30 Minutes later Naruto could be seen with Iris attached to his hip in the kitchen of this luxury Yacht with ingredients littering the place. He was making ramen for everyone and because of this fact he had his two wonderful helpers in the form of Iris and Chaos by his side. Cooking together was a family tradition that would never go away in the Uzumaki household and now was no different. "With these new ingredients that we picked from Ilex Forest I'm sure this ramen is going to be the best yet. If it turns out good, I'm going to give the rest of this to Old Man Teuchi and Ayame for them to make at the shop." Naruto preened as he had a knife in hand and was masterfully chopping up the rare and mysterious fruits and vegetables that he picked from the magical forest. These ingredients didn't look anything like what a traditional bowl of ramen would have, but that was the fun in experimenting. It would either turn out fantastic or it would be an abomination that would comically poison everyone who ate it. Only time would tell.
"I'll start the fire." Iris suggested while conjuring up a very small candle sized flame onto her index finger. Her fire magic was extremely powerful after all and could easily catch anything in its immediate vicinity on fire just from its mere presence. The first batch of ramen was already in a pan on the stove and now after having it lit Iris hovered her own finger over the pan which reacted to its presence. Golden flames erupted out of the pan casting an ethereal glow around the room that was a typical yet novel sight to see in the Uzumaki household.
The aroma tingled at the noses of those in the kitchen as some of the chefs and cooks marveled at the spectacle before them. They would surely be asking Naruto for his opinion on his culinary skills later. "The ingredients for this batch are about the be ready Iris. Get ready to do your thing." Naruto notified as he chopped up the last remaining vestiges of exotic vegetables to be placed into the latest batch. "Dada… can we add despair as an ingredient?" Chaos's creepy yet comforting tone from Naruto's own biased opinion sounded off in his ear causing him to turn to his unhinged daughter in bewilderment which only increased to exasperation when he saw her holding one of the strange fruits from Ilex Forest in her hand which was surrounded by her insidious miasma.
'She just hexed someone… I can tell.' Naruto deadpanned inside of his mind as it was getting to the point that he was able to read Chaos's own actions and personality ques without the use of their psychic bond as well. It wasn't that she was becoming predictable… he was just getting too good at this.
"Uh… no." Naruto was quick to shut this insane idea down as even Iris was looking at her sister with a creeped-out expression on her face. "Aww… come on! It will taste delicious. We could eat all of this despair together. We would be like this one three eyed person I know who always talked about despair and how he was better than humans. He was a battle maniac with some really sharp teeth that reminds me of Mr. Kisame." Chaos pouted with a cute expression on her face which quickly turned into a mocking façade when she suddenly dodged a gust of wind from her sister.
"CHAOS! What have I told you about doing that?!" Iris screamed in indignant outrage as she blasted Chaos with several more streams of wind that managed to box the tiny terror into a corner who was laughing the entire time. "Do what exactly? I don't know what you're talking about. Why are you despairing so much?" Chaos taunted before being forced to absorb a thunderous flame covered punch from her sister with her ever present Aegis Shield.
'There they go again… Chaos starts spouting off on one of her strange tangents and Iris tries to cover it up as if it's taboo. Looks like I'm finishing lunch by myself again today.' Naruto mused in his mind without even batting an eyelash as he created two shadow clones to pick up the slack that his twin daughters were leaving behind. "Girls don't break anything in this ship. We'll get in trouble." Naruto offhandedly warned in a parting shot as he knew the two all-powerful twins were too enthralled in their roughhousing to give him a verbal reply, but he knew the two blond haired girls heard him.
"It looks like you have your hands full. Do you mind if I give you a helping hand?" A familiar voice spoke up breaking Naruto of his inner thought to see Henrietta standing in the doorway to the large communal kitchen on the ship. She had a warm smile on her face that subconsciously brought one to Naruto's face as well. She looked healthier than usual which was a cause for celebration all on its own.
Henrietta had her typical black hairband in her hair that was fixing it into its usual style while her expressive brown eyes granted Naruto all of her attention. A dark grey dress was her choice on this mission with a dark maroon colored crop top long sleeve shirt going over it while she had thigh-high stockings in place. From her exposed skin Naruto could see the almost unnoticeable but tale tell signs of her fake graphed on skin and the new metallic prosthetic exoskeleton system beneath it. It was better than the old half wooden half metal ones being used before.
"I definitely could… you look great." Naruto innocently complimented but as soon as he did, he immediately realized he put his foot in his mouth when Henrietta as predicted blushed and squirmed in her spot. "Oh…! Really? I uh… thanks Naruto." She was thrown for a loop and now tucking a strand of hair behind her ear in embarrassment and flattery the young marionette didn't know what to do now. "Oh… god. I didn't mean for it to sound like that. Of course, you look great; but I didn't mean to make things awkward between us." Naruto stuttered as he tried to do damage control but all he did was make this worse as Henrietta covered her face with her hands.
"I get it… please stop trying Naruto." Henrietta squeaked as she had to do everything that she could possibly do to stop Naruto from embarrassing the two of them any further or else it would only serve to complicate things between them even more. Coming to stand next to her partner in the mafia organization the brown-haired girl ounce over the chaotic cooking mess usually associated with Naruto's ministrations in the kitchen. "How were things with your surgery? I'm sorry I wasn't there in person when it went down. As it turns out I was on that mission to escort Shion around the country and when it was finally over the rest of the week went by in a blur before my date with Hinata. Things have been hectic, and you were confined to your bed that whole time." Naruto explained in a softer tone as he watched Henrietta wash her hands before taking over from one of his clones that dispelled now that it wasn't needed.
"It's okay… it went well. I feel better that I thought I would. I still have to get used to how responsive my limbs are and the new strength that I have in them. The weapon upgrades are also a bonus." Henrietta answered as she began stirring the noodles in the pan. "I'm happy things went well Henrietta. I'm only glad that I was able to keep my promise to you guys in the end. I told you I would find a way to help your conditions improve and I'm happy to see that everything worked out." Naruto grinned as a feeling of triumph filled his heart when he was told the good news by Shoko and Tsunade the other day after returning from Hōrai Island to meet the rest of his team and clients back in the village.
"It's all thanks to you that my sisters and I are being granted this new lease on life Naruto. I can't thank you enough." Henrietta genuinely thanked while leaning her head against Naruto's shoulder in an affectionate gesture. A blush was on both young kids faces as they turned to look at each other. Their faces were very close to each other right now and seeing this Naruto backed away slowly with Henrietta taking the hint. "So… how was your date with Hinata? I hope you treated her well?" The living super soldier asked with a cute pout by placing her hands against her hips.
"It was amazing Henrietta. It was everything I could have ever imagined and more… and yes for the record I treated her like the perfect gentlemen." Naruto smiled an honest smile that turned teasing towards the end. The date he had with Hinata was something he would never forget for as long as he lived. A proud smile worked its way onto his companions face but even still Naruto could see the very lightning quick flickers of sadness flashing within her eyes. Her eyes were asking why it couldn't have been her?
"I know what you are thinking Henrietta… I didn't mean to get all enthusiastic like that." Naruto apologized as he placed his cooking utensils down and brought his close companion into a hug. "It's okay to feel that way Naruto. You're in love right now. I could never fault you for that. Besides I really am happy that you enjoyed yourself you know." The brown-haired girl giggled while placing her head against the crook of his neck. The cooking was completely forgotten at this point as Naruto's own clone had to make two duplicates of itself to pick up the slack its creator left behind with a grumble and irritated expression on its face. What was its creator's problem with getting easily distracted by women? By extension it was his problem as well. If it didn't have a task to do the clone would probably dispel itself in aggravation.
"Thanks… uh… should we you know be holding this hug like this?" Naruto nervously pondered as he could feel every inch of Henrietta's body melded into his own right now. She hadn't developed any breast yet as that was a modification that would have to artificially be implanted upon her request but that didn't change the fact that there were in fact organic parts to the lovely girl and she still retained a very feminine shape to herself. She had well pronounced hips in a very similar way to Chaos who had once explained to Iris that she had gyroscopic systems located in her hip and pelvis area to help her move her legs. The same could be said for Henrietta who had a similar type of artificial articulation system implanted into her pelvic area to help move her lower appendages. It had the side effect of giving her a little bit more noticeable hips than her lithe figure would normally have.
Despite these modifications she still retained organic areas on her body which was a piece of knowledge Naruto was very familiar with. "I don't really know. My hearts racing just by you holding me. I know we smoothed things over with Hinata the last time this came up, but I still feel this irresistible pull towards you. I want more even though I know you told us to wait until you were ready. I know it's lust that is driving us together before we're ready… I just can't help but give into those desires you know." Henrietta eloquently put in a way that summed up what was really happening between the two friends.
The look in Naruto's eyes confirmed it as well as he couldn't deny the small but growing response his body was experiencing to having Henrietta so closely pressed against him. It was the same thing he's been feeling recently with Hinata and it's only become stronger since they became a couple. It was sexual arousal and just that notion alone was enough to send him over the moon in mortification and embarrassment. It was a sign that he was growing up and having these extensive and complicated feelings for multiple girls were driving him insane. But his partner was right… it was lust that he was feeling anytime he saw her.
It was the forbidden notion of getting closer to her now that he was in a relationship with Hinata that was bringing up these new and foreign impulses within him. Even before getting together with Hinata officially they still existed as he's always been so singularly focused on his relationship with Hinata since before he even recognized the fact that he had feelings for her. The notion of straying from the path with her at the end of the tunnel to seek out another girl was a sinful temptation that only now Naruto was starting to realize was partially being influenced by his more demonic instincts. He has been tapping into the usage of his Winter Fairy Kind Mode more frequently lately and ever since the invasion and incident on Hōrai Island he's changed both physically and spiritually.
Eva's always loved and lusted after Naruto… that much was a fact that the two halves have acknowledged for a long time now. But Eva's demonic instincts have always rubbed off on Naruto since the very beginning. It was only their size difference that prevented Naruto from displaying this kind of behavior towards his beloved partner 24/7. They lived together all their lives and have taken baths every single day naked. They are so comfortable and intimate with each other's bodies that Naruto knew if Eva was human sized it would create some very uncomfortable and drastic situations between them. Their demonic instincts would bounce off of each other so much that you'd be able to cut the tension with a large Fūma Shuriken and who knew where that would take them in the end. Naruto knew… it would be to a place he didn't think he was mentally and physically ready to go with a girl yet. He was far too young… even if it were with Eva.
Now coming to this epiphany helped Naruto a lot as he gently pushed Henrietta back a bit. "I know what you're saying… I feel the same way. I just don't know how to stop myself." Naruto admitted with a soft tone as uncertainty flowed from Henrietta's eyes. "How does Hinata feel about all this? You talked to her before we left, right?" This was a concern of Henrietta going into this long-distance mission. What would Hinata think of all this despite the fact they were able to mend their friendship following the very intimate confession between Henrietta and Naruto. Would she approve of them spending this entire time together with the emotional and romantic tension between them? It wouldn't be fair to the Hyūga heiress if Naruto continuously flirted with and cheated with the brown-haired girl over Hinata. It would be a betrayal of her trust and the powerful bond she shared with Naruto.
"I spoke to her about it… I could sense the slight hesitation coming from her but knowing this she admitted to me that she trusted us and our judgement. I could tell it was hard on her to admit this, but I don't want to take advantage of the trust she's placed in me. I believe we should try and control ourselves." Naruto concluded as he would freely admit that with the temptation to kiss his partner swirling around in the back of his mind and heart it made him feel guilty that he actually wanted to pursue this avenue with her. He needed to get a hold of his emotions and instincts that as time goes on has been colored by his demonic heritage. He needs to control himself for the betterment of his relationship with Hinata and his future relationships with his female friends.
A small smile came to Henrietta's face as she cupped Naruto's cheeks with her smaller hands. "I knew you loved her so much… I'm happy to hear you say that." The marionette praised as the tiniest embers of disappointment showed in her eyes. She would have to wait a lot longer before she could finally have her shot at Naruto but if it came at the price that he was sticking to his morals and beliefs then so be it. His moral compass was a major attractive quality to her as he's always stared her right ever since she first met him. He stuck to his word and defended what he believed in.
If that was the only thing standing between them then she could happily wait a little while longer. She couldn't love and admire Naruto the way she does if he could so easily abandon his morals and beliefs. He wouldn't be the best friend that he has become to her if that were the case and she wouldn't want him to give that up even for the world. It was the staple of his integrity as a person after all.
"Are you okay with this?" Naruto just had to make sure his friend was okay with this turn of events. While it was true her surgery was a success with the new prototype chakra exoskeleton being implanted inside of them, the fact of the matter is the whole situation was still in a prototype stage. Everyone didn't know how they would hold up during combat or long stretches of time which was why the girl's handlers were coming along and Naruto was briefed heavily on the in's and out's of their surgery by the ones who performed it being Tsunade, Shizune, and Shoko in particular.
They gave him a full rundown of everything relatable to the entire procedure so that in the event of anything malfunctioning or going terribly wrong out in the field Naruto and the others would have the best chance of aiding the fragile girls. They were being required to go along on the mission in the first place as this client of theirs wanted to see some of the mafia's "other" products as it was so eloquently articulated. The three medical ninja drilled these lessons and emergency procedures into Naruto's mind the day he came back from Hōrai Island which forced him to use dozens upon dozens of shadow clones to study up on all of the information the three women left to him and also lectured to him about. It was a lot to take in and if it weren't for his shadow clones and previous extensive education in the medical field curtesy of Shoko while growing up this absurd cramming study session would have been a failure.
"Thanks to you I now have more time on my hands to explore a possible relationship with you. I don't know all the ins and outs of the procedure done to me, but I haven't felt this good in years. Whatever time this bought me is time that I'll always treasure because of you." Henrietta smiled with a fountain of love overflowing from her eyes that was threatening to drown Naruto in its depths. It was to powerful of an emotion for the boy to properly get a grasp on. But the sentiment was there as Naruto smiled in return and hugged the grateful girl back. The urge to lean down and kiss her was there but Naruto ignored it in favor of sticking to his decision. They now had time.
"You're welcome, Henrietta."
1 Month, 10 Days Later (Northwestern Coast of the Land of Lightning/ Southeastern Coast of the Land of Snow)
'This feeling… it's growing stronger the closer we get to the Land of Snow. The country is only about a hundred miles away now and the energy that I'm feeling is stronger than ever.' Naruto noted to himself as he stood on the top deck of the ship letting the cold frigid air blow past his face. It felt natural to him who wasn't wearing any of his heavier clothing like most of the crew were. He was still in his normal shinobi attire while even his teammates switched to using thicker clothes with a standard issue climate-controlled shinobi cloak draped over their bodies. They weren't even in the country yet and the climate was already drastically colder than any weather they've felt before. It was even colder than the winters they would get in the Land of Fire. Being this close to the north pole would do that to natives of a country with a warm tropical and temperate climate.
"Naru… that sensation is growing stronger… I'm starting to think that it's Yōki." Eva mumbled with uncertainty in her voice. She wasn't sure what this nagging sensation she and Naruto was feeling was supposed to be. It was such a unique phenomenon to happen to them that they didn't even know to go about describing it. "I know what you mean… I can't put my finger on it Eva, but it almost feels like we're missing a part of ourselves. It's spooky to be honest." Naruto admitted as he hated the notion of these strange occurrences happening to him. They unnerved him because of his inability to control them or understand them. It was out of his control… just like a lot of things have been in his life.
"We'll have to keep an eye out for whatever this is… I just hope it isn't anything bad." The Winter Fairy mused as she basked in the cold air washing over their skins. She hasn't felt weather this cold in forever. "Knowing our luck anything is possible so let's not jinx it this time." Naruto grumbled as he sat down on a raised-up section near the railings of the edge of the ship. Crossing his legs Naruto closed his eyes as he began to meditate. He wanted to gain better control over his demonic transformation so that he could better control and filter out his own Yōki. He didn't want his chaotic energy that's been apart of his ever since Eva merged with him to be the source of his relationship problems. His instincts were being jaded and skewered by the more primal and instinctual nature of his Yōki that acted differently compared to Chakra.
"Winter Fairy King Mode." Naruto whispered out as Eva felt the Aqua Stone on her body react to her partners activation of their Yōki. Both human and fairy underwent the physical changes of their transformation causing Naruto's hair to turn snow white with crystalized frost building up at the ends of his spiky hair giving him the appearance of wearing a crystal crown. His nails gained frosted claws on them with a shimmering aura of white Yōki briefly flaring to life before fizzling out of existence as Naruto didn't want to flare his power up too much. This mode could match his One Tailed State in raw power and energy. Such intense chakra could damage the ship or disturb the sea around them.
Black storm clouds rolled in as per custom of Naruto activating his powers as black snow began to fall from the sky in a three-mile radius around the ship as that was the furthest extent of Naruto's influence. Taking a deep breath Naruto entered a Zen like state of being as he focused on filtering out his emotions and feelings to detach himself from them. Slowly the black snow which was filled with corrosive Yōki were being painted with blotches of pure white coloring signifying the progress of Naruto's training.
"He's at it again…" Sakura's voice whispered out as she refused to step foot outside from the warmth and safety of the cabin of the ship. Not only was it freezing cold out there in the open air but with the black snow falling from the sky it was now dangerous to be under its domain. She remembered what happened back in the Forest of Death. The way Naruto lost control because of her interference when Orochimaru tried to seal away his power was perhaps the scariest moment of her life. The sheer amount of killing intent and energy rolling off of him on that day was much more than what she's ever felt up until that point. Excluding the time on the bridge during the Land of Wave's mission when Naruto lost control after the severe injury Iris took at the hands of Jūra. The amount of tainted chakra from his resident tailed beast that he released upon the world was monumental for his development so far but luckily enough Sakura's memory and that of everyone else present except for Hinata's was erased to protect Naruto's privacy and feelings as the Jinchūriki of the Nine Tailed Fox. It wasn't anyone's secret to tell other than Naruto and the Third Hokage's law was still in effect and currently still is to this day.
Sasuke's Sharingan was active as he watched albeit with some difficult the turbulent waves of Yōki surrounding Naruto's body slowly become pacified over time by his blond-haired teammate who was doing his best in his training. It wasn't easy on Sasuke's part but with his extended exposure to Naruto and his own intense training with Kakashi he has finally matured his Dōjutsu to the point he could now visually detect the presence of Yōki with his eyes. He still couldn't see Mana for magic or Divine Energy from beings like Iris and Chaos, but his progress was worth noting.
"He's gotten better…" Sasuke commented with a slant of tone in his voice that Sakura missed as she didn't see Sasuke clenching his fist behind her. He could see Naruto growing more and more powerful with each day and this last month stuck on the ship with his closest friend was allowing the raven haired Uchiha a front row seat to Naruto's progression. The young Uzumaki Clan Head was focusing more on controlling his Yōki and developing techniques for it in conjunction with Eva who was gradually expanding her massive reserves of Yōki for a demon her size steadily over time each time Naruto practiced with his demonic form.
On a side note he was also practicing more on expanding his repertoire in Water Nature Chakra considering the fact they've been surrounded by the ocean for the last month now. Kakashi was a big help in this regard as he helped all three of his students with their individual training. Sasuke himself who was keeping most of his developments to himself has expanded upon his repertoire of Fire Nature Ninjutsu along with Lightning Nature Ninjutsu. He's also dramatically increased his skill in Shurikenjutsu along with polishing up on his impressive Taijutsu skills that were an even match for Naruto's at full power.
As far as Sakura was concerned both Naruto and Sasuke were in the dark about their pink haired teammate's improvements as far as her training is concerned. She's been tight lipped about it for the entire trip even at the occasional prodding from Sasuke who she has been spending quite a lot of time with much to Naruto's immense joy and amusement who never wasted an opportunity to tease his two friends over their steadily growing and budding relationship. Nothing official has been declared as they only went on one date which was the same day that Naruto went on his with Hinata and the two didn't have a mutual and reciprocated friendship and love for one another beforehand.
They didn't have the same type of powerful young love that Naruto and Hinata shared who have developed by massive leaps and bounds in terms of their feelings for each other which was far to powerful for either of them to ignore. The odd couple was taking it very slow as of now… almost to a snail's pace but this traffic jam was being caused by Sasuke who happened to not be an easy person to connect with. He was making this an uphill battle for Sakura to fight against, but Naruto had no doubt in his mind that the pink haired girl would get through to the last Uchiha.
'Why am I falling behind you Naruto? The strength you say you draw from your friends and family… from even someone like me… is it really that powerful? Why do I feel that if we were to fight right now you would still be the victor?' Sasuke contemplated within his mind with a frustrated storm of uncertainty battering the inner confines of his psyche. These poisonous thoughts caused the long dormant curse mark on his neck left to him by Orochimaru to begin to throb and pulse in an ominous rhythmic tempo of temptation.
"Sasuke… are you ok?" Sakura fussed in concern as she saw him reaching up to what she could only assume was either his neck or head, but that hand abruptly came to an end by Sasuke's own willpower who quickly walked past Sakura without looking back. "I'm fine…"
Naruto felt his presence approaching long before he opened his mouth, but he decided to wait until his teammate got closer to him. "Hey Naruto…" Sasuke's voice was detached and filled with an emotion Naruto wasn't used to hearing from the black-haired boy as he opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder at the boy staring down at him with a peculiar look in his eyes.
"Hey Sasuke. What's up?" The look in the Uchiha's eyes were drawing Naruto in as he wasn't sure what the other boy had in mind. "Let's have a spar right here, right now." Of all the things he was expecting to hear come out of Sasuke's mouth right then and there this was definitely not on that list. 'What the heck? Where is this coming from? But… that look in his eye.' Naruto thought to himself as an ever so slight frown began to bend his lips downwards. Something was bothering his teammate and Naruto was smart enough to know what it might possibly be. They've had spars many times over the months before their team was put on hiatus following the failed Sand/Sound invasion. Those were the fun days for Naruto as this was the first official mission Team 7 has been on in all that time.
"This is out of the blue… we're soon going to reach the crew's next filming destination. Can't this wait?" Naruto pondered as he wanted to test his teammates reaction to his inquiry and he wasn't surprised to see an irritated and frustrated look cross his eyes in an instant. "No! I need to test myself against an opponent and all we've been doing this last month has been training independently without the ability to demonstrate our power. I need to know where I stand with you." A certain forcefulness was in Sasuke's voice as Naruto came out of his meditative position while cutting his connection to his Yōki causing his demonic form to recede along with its physical changes to his body and environment. Sasuke was serious about this. Something was itching at the back of the Uchiha and Naruto was holding out on his inner thoughts as the competitive shine in the boy's eyes were clouded over and jaded as he subtly eyed his Chūnin flak jacket.
"If that's how you really feel then ok then. But we'll do it off the ship, we don't want to damage it or any of the crew's equipment." Naruto didn't want to risk the possibility of Sasuke getting into a fight with him because he refused his request or for their team dynamic and synergy to be messed up in the face of a possible enemy attack. It was best to let him get whatever was bothering him out of his system in a controlled environment.
"It will be a quick spar and we'll keep any of our destructive Ninjutsu to a responsible minimum. We'll stick mostly to Taijutsu. How does that sound?" Naruto suggested as his reclusive teammate grunted in his typical one syllable Uchiha language. Those were agreeable terms and it was enough for him as long as they got to fight. He needed it right now.
A few minutes later after the others were informed of what was about to transpire Naruto and Sasuke could be seen standing on the cold water next to the ship with determined glares on each other's faces. "Go Daddy!" Iris cheered from the top balcony of the ship with Chaos next to her jittering in place with a dark expression of glee and joy on her face. The little Angeloid was feeding off of the not so hidden cold jealous and envious vibes rolling off of Sasuke's body. She could tell what was going on and it was enough to cause her to smile a cruel smile.
'I wonder what's gotten into Sasuke all of a sudden? He seems angry right now… come to think of it he's been like that this entire mission and even before that when we went on our date. Is something going on between those two?' Sakura questioned to herself as she couldn't shake the feeling that something was slightly off with Sasuke and in particular the dynamic and friendship that has been forged between those two. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she was almost positive that something wasn't as it used to be.
'So, he's finally cracked huh? He's been silently brooding and consolidating his insecurities about the gap between him and Naruto for a long while now. But it only became apparent after his encounter with Itachi. Seeing him again after all this time must have made him feel inferior and measuring himself against Naruto who is his closest friend must be adding additional unneeded stress and frustration considering how much more advanced Naruto is compared to him. Whatever the outcome of this spar may end up being I need to finally approach Sasuke on this subject.' Kakashi mused to himself while leaning against the railing of the ship. The crew wasn't doing any production today as they were taking a break in preparation for their land fall to the mainland of the Land of Snow where they would begin the large bulk of their filming. With the progress they were making it would only take them three days to reach the actual mainland.
'I can't believe I'm returning to this land after all this time. It's been around 10 years since I've been there. To think the throne was seized in a coup. The princess went into hiding after I rescued her from her enemies, but I wonder where she is now? I only hope we don't run into any hostile forces while there.' Kakashi pondered as he's traveled to the Land of Snow once before, it was a long time ago when he was still a Captain in the ANBU Black Ops and he was given an important VIP extraction mission to rescue the crowned princess of the Land of Snow's Daimyō Sosetsu Kazahana. He was a kind ruler and long-time ally and supporter of Saitou Madoka the Daimyō of the Land of Fire and as such he had extended ties and relationships towards the Hidden Leaf Village. He even had a strong friendship with Dino and the Jasmine Dragon Mafia.
"Naru you ready?" Eva whispered to Naruto from inside of his hair as the two partners synced up their respective energies in preparation for the upcoming challenge. "Always partner… but it seems to me that I'm getting a lot of spars in these days." Naruto joked as he just sparred against Tsukuyomaru last month. It would seem everyone has awakened their fighting spirit including him. He wasn't opposed to fighting Sasuke… if this helped him get whatever chip was on his shoulder off than so be it.
"Ready?" Naruto called out to Sasuke who slipped into his Taijutsu stance in response to this. "I'll take that as a yes then…" Naruto sweat dropped while looking over to Kakashi for permission to start the fight. Their lazy and nonchalant Jōnin sensei was more than willing to give his visible nod of consent as he too wanted to see the outcome of this engagement. He wanted to measure the synergy between the two strong members of Team 7 and prepare for the fallout of their clash. He had a lot of heavy lifting and emotional management to do with the team since they've been separated on missions for a long time and things have changed in all of that time. Sure, they've spent time together outside of missions since the team has been on hiatus but that didn't translate over onto their performance while on duty. This spar was much more important than you'd think of off of first glance.
In an instant the two young shinobi shot off like bullets as a clash of kunai and a rumbling shockwave displaced the water beneath their feet. Sparks flew as they pushed against each other in a contest of strength with Sasuke edging out ever so slightly with his taller height and stronger physique. Breaking off from their stalemate the two friends entered a knife fight with each other that was deadlier than anything the civilians watching the battle could imagine as Naruto ducked under a powerful swing of Sasuke's arm before diving in with a thrusting stab that was knocked off course with a rapidly raised knee strike from Sasuke that disrupted Naruto's balance who had to readjust just in time to bring out another kunai to block Sasuke's incoming strike.
Now with two kunai in hand Naruto kept striking and canceling out with Sasuke who was knocking his forearm into Naruto's own neutralizing each other's strikes. Throwing out a casual roundhouse kick Sasuke purposefully threw Naruto off balance who pulled back to avoid getting hit in the side of the head which left him open to the sleight of hand Sasuke pulled when he flicked and twisted his wrist at just the right moment when his body blocked his arm from Naruto's view.
Tossing his kunai from one hand to the other in the blink of an eye Sasuke then flicked his wrist and launched his kunai from the blind spot his body was creating in Naruto's point of view. The kunai was like a missile as it zoomed in at Naruto's midsection while Sasuke watched the surprised look cross Naruto's face at the shocking move as he slowly reacted to this attack by forming a thick sheet of ice on his forearm that caused the metal knife to bounce off of the makeshift shield at the last second. Celebration wasn't even something Naruto could contemplate as Sasuke with speed that Naruto didn't remember him having used his dominant leg that was lifting off of the watery surface below them now that his attacking leg was coming down from his roundhouse kick to catch the deflected kunai with the sole of his foot that was charged with the use of chakra's magnetic properties.
In an instant Sasuke had the kunai stuck to the bottom of his shoe as he spun around for a second time with more centripetal force at his disposal before lashing out with a secondary roundhouse kick that he timed to perfection to launch the kunai at the apex of his spin that flew through the air so fast that it cut Naruto straight across his whiskered cheek and took off a chunk of his left ear in a bloody spray of flesh and blood. "Ahhh!" Naruto was caught completely off guard by Sasuke's more advanced and intricate usage of martial arts and Taijutsu as he reeled in blistering pain from his new wound and that was all the opening his teammate needed to land a devastating thrust kick to Naruto's ice covered forearm that shattered the ice and sent the young Shī-ō skidding back over two dozen yards away clutching at his bleeding ear that was missing a good chunk of its flesh.
"No way…" Sakura mumbled in absolute shock as she never would have thought she'd see Sasuke outmaneuver Naruto in such an overbearing way. The blond haired Uzumaki was undisputedly the strongest member of the squad and his advanced skills outpaced both Sasuke's and Sakura's by a longshot and practically combined considering Sakura's lack of shinobi skill back in their earlier days. While Taijutsu wasn't Naruto's primary skill as he was a Ninjutsu specialist that didn't mean he wasn't good at it. He had a complex hybrid style of combat that applied aspects of the standard Dancing Leaf Style taught to them at the academy with elements from the Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist; the Sarutobi Clan's Iron Monkey Fist; the hard-hitting Strong Style favored by Might Guy and his apprentice; and the slippery and evasive Striking Shadow Viper Style of Anko and her former master Orochimaru.
He blended all of them together under the guidance of Shoko and the Third Hokage when he was younger, so he was no slouch in a pure Taijutsu fight. He had multiple ways to approach hand to hand combat which made him at the time one of the most dangerous Genin in the entire village which has increased now that he is a Chūnin. Of course, due to his physical stature he relied on Shadow Clones a lot during combat but to best him in an exchange of Taijutsu with such finesse was a rare occurrence.
'Impressive… all of those lessons that I've taught him are sinking in, but that attack was quite out there for just a simple spar. He's drawn first blood now but the question I now need to ask is was that necessary?' Kakashi mused as he watched the worried look on Iris's face along with Henrietta and the other members of the Mafia. It wasn't often that they got to see their colleague fight so to see him injured wasn't a good sight to see.
"Son of a bit-!" Naruto growled as he held his bleeding ear in hand with a snarl working its way onto his face. As a shinobi he was expecting many things to happen during a spar with a partner and training accidents were much more common than the average ninja would like to admit due to their pride and embarrassment but inflicting serious deliberate wounds onto your partner was definitely frowned upon. The goal of the spar wasn't to use lethal moves or dangerous ones that was guaranteed to inflict serious injury. Realistically Sasuke should have backed off once his first roundhouse kick failed… but he went with his momentum and completed his attack combo knowing full well that Naruto would never be able to dodge it in time.
"What the hell was that Sasuke!?" Eva cried out as she surrounded Naruto's ear in her healing water which ultimately proved to be unnecessary as the sizzling sound typically associated with the Nine Tails was heard as the cartilage and flesh of Naruto's ear began to regenerate at an alarming rate. The blood was still pouring down the side of his face and dripping onto his prized hoody and flak jacket, but his actual ear was now mending itself back together.
"Tsk… he should have dodged that!" Sasuke barked back as Eva let out a low threatening growl in response to this. A quick flicker of killing intent briefly flared out from Naruto's body before it was reigned back in when he stood up. A glare was on Naruto's face now as he stared into Sasuke's eyes that were narrowed down into focus now that he could sense a change in his teammate. Naruto's eyes were blood red which was a tale tell sign of the Nine Tails influence but just as quickly as it appeared it disappeared as he managed to reign it back in to gain some self-control over himself. "I see someone is a little too eager to fight. I get that something must be going on in your head right now but don't take that crap out on me Sasuke!" Naruto yelled out causing Sasuke to grit his teeth in frustration. The cold polar air from being near the north pole was nipping at the skins of everyone present but it did nothing to cool down the fire burning in Sasuke's soul right now. He had a lot of pent up frustration bothering him and it wouldn't go away so easily.
"It shouldn't be a problem seeing as how you're better than this! Quit complaining and fight me dammit!" Sasuke roared back as he watched a deadly glare fall upon Naruto's face. 'This attitude of his… if only he would just talk to me instead of sulking around in his own misery. I know his encounter with Itachi has been on his mind all this time, but I was there to. I could help if he'd only let me.' Naruto fumed in his inner thoughts as the negative feelings the young Uchiha felt from seeing his older brother has completely flipped all of the progression in their friendship that the two have been working on for months. There was definitely an air of tension shimmering just below the surface ever since Naruto came back from retrieving Tsunade and receiving a promotion. Their dynamic has shifted ever so slightly… but Naruto could sense it where most others couldn't.
"Okay… you want to fight! I'll fight you then!" Naruto roared back as he started to circulate an active current of chakra through his body. He would give Sasuke the fight he was looking for. At this admission Sasuke's scowl became more permanent as his Sharingan came to life opening up the world around him to his purview. "Tempest Turn!" In an instant four shimmering light blue glowing clones shot off from Naruto's body as his hastily created cloak of chakra dissipated in need of recharge.
The kinetic clones created a lot of vibrations and friction across the water's surface as they closed the distance between them and Sasuke in an instant leaving an ordinary opponent with little time to react. However, if that opponent just so happened to have a Sharingan as Sasuke does then that disadvantage suddenly becomes null and void. Naruto's Tempest Clones were very fast, but they didn't travel at the same speed as Naruto himself does when using a burst of his own Accel Turn which was this technique's inherent natural flaw… a flaw Sasuke was eager to take advantage of as he channeled static electricity around his body in preparation. "Lightning Style: Static Jutsu." This was the very beginning E – Rank technique that all students trying to learn the Lightning Chakra Nature would have to learn as the gateway to more advanced techniques.
Most people forgot all about this technique as they write it off as useless or they simply lack the battlefield creativity and ingenuity to use it to its full potential. Sasuke didn't have this shortsightedness as he punched the first tempest clone in the face faster than it could react causing it to become paralyzed by the electrified contact. It stumbled past Sasuke who lashed out with a backwards thrust kick that sent the volatile clone skidding away from him before it detonated after losing form. The spray of water splashed onto the other three clones that all became electrified once Sasuke changed tactics. "Lightning Style: Discharge Jutsu!" The built-up static electricity within his body jumped to the closest sources which just so happened to be the three remaining clones who all received an electrified jolt that disrupted their fragile internal balance.
Dropping down low Sasuke lashed out with a resounded leg sweep that took all three clones off their feet where two of them fell on top of each other causing them to explode just as Sasuke had cleared the area by jumping high into the air for safety. Sasuke's reprieve would come to an end as Naruto was right there in his face within an instant causing the Uchiha to lash out with a crackling hand of leftover static electricity that was met by Naruto who had the hard counter to this assault. "Wind Style: Hurricane Fist Jutsu!" A devastating punch thrown by Naruto tore through the electricity gathered around Sasuke's hand before launching the boy down to the cold water below with a prominent splash accompanying his rough landing.
Creating a shadow clone next to him Naruto grabbed it before throwing it down at the landing zone after Sasuke who was more than ready for any kind of retaliation. Heavy hissing clouds of steam erupted from Sasuke's rough landing that obscured the view of Naruto's clone who landed in the water who narrowly had his head blasted off by his opponent who had his hands covered in scarlet flames. "Fire Style: Phoenix Interceptor Flame Fist Jutsu!" The last Uchiha's fist were like a continuous fire storm as he launched intricate punch after punch in an attempt to pop Naruto's clone while the real one landed behind Sasuke with an attack of his own ready. Seeing his original in position the clone launched another Hurricane Fist attack at Sasuke that reacted to the prominent heat source being generated by his hands.
As far as the rock, paper, scissor aspect is concerned when it comes to the chakra natures and how they interact with each other Fire Nature Chakra is stronger against Wind Nature Chakra but also in reverse Wind can help fuel and enhance Fire attacks which was exactly what happened in this situation as a spark of flames erupted from Sasuke's hands after Naruto's clones purposefully grabbed his hands with its own. The billowing plume of fire erupted between the two fighters causing the clone to pop while Sasuke stumbled back flailing as the flames burned at his skin.
"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!" The original Naruto was ready for his que as he unleashed a tall column of water at Sasuke that extinguished the flames licking at his skin and swallowing him up in its incoming surge. Frothy white water slammed into the side of the Dawn Theatre shaking the ship ever so slightly while an interesting retaliatory attack was already in progress by Sasuke who went through a quick chain of signs while he was being obscured from Naruto's vision by the very water he created.
"Lightning Style: Shockwave Jutsu!" Just like when Shoko herself used this technique a large discharge of electricity flowed from her body and conducted itself through the chakra enhanced water and followed its source all the way back to Naruto who didn't even have time to properly react considering the nature of the attack itself. "Aaahhhhh!" Naruto screamed in searing pain as the lightning flowed up the stream of water he was launching from his mouth and entered his body through his throat. Lightning blasted through his body as he could faintly hear Eva screaming in pain as well. 'Damnit! I'm not done yet Sasuke! You want to play rough then so be it!' Naruto challenged in his mind as he changed the sequence of hand signs he was holding in an instant as his chakra spiked to visible levels.
"Water Style: Water Shockwave Jutsu!" Just like with the recent time against the fake Stone Shinobi Naruto generated a massive chakra enhanced rumbling wall of water that surged out in all directions that grounded the lightning coursing through his body and conducting it through the chakra wave itself as it surged out and slammed into Sasuke who wasn't expecting such a massive comeback from Naruto as he got a taste of what he just put his teammate through as lightning shocked him in return. This time the water that slammed into the side of the ship was enough to rock it uncomfortably from side to side as a few people lost their footing while things that weren't tied down or secured by their own heavy weight rattled inside the ship.
Splashing through the freezing cold water Sasuke coughed up the salt water from his lungs as he looked up to see a flying knee strike coming straight at his face. It impacted despite the fact his Sharingan was active as his body was still being rattled by the previous damage he just finished taking and as such he had no way of dodging Naruto's follow up attack that smashed into his face without defiance. Stumbling back in pain Sasuke was unprepared for the flurry of jumping rapid fire peppering kicks to the ribs, shins, stomach, and legs that Naruto unleashed upon him with a vengeance in his eyes that culminated in him jumping off of Sasuke's chest to deliver a devastating spinning Pele Bicycle Kick to the very top of Sasuke's head that dunked Sasuke beneath the water with a resounding splash.
'Did I do too much? I felt this anger in me from what he did… my Yōki is fluctuating rapidly in my body right now trying to get out and I know Eva isn't too happy about my injury either.' Naruto worried as his legs were being enhanced by his potent hybrid chakra during that flurry of kicks. He had no doubt that Sasuke had bruised ribs and welts all across his body by now. Those weren't ordinary kicks after all.
'The tension is building between them. Dada just doesn't realize it yet.' Chaos mused to herself as she was beginning to sense a dramatic rise in the negative energy pooling within Sasuke's heart. His insecurities and frustrations were building at a steady rate. "You're enjoying this a little too much Chaos… control yourself." Iris whispered out in a warning towards her sister while grabbing onto her hand to suppress the girl's darker psyche. A grin was on Chaos's face at this admission as she cuddled up next to her beloved twin with giddiness in her eyes. "But you know I live for this stuff sis." Chaos whined while Iris admonished her with a look. "And you know what this eventually leads up too and that's nothing to celebrate about. I can sense you also feeding into Sasuke's darkness with a Hex of yours… don't interfere." Iris warned while tapping her finger against Chaos's palm causing a dull purple glow to dispel itself. Chaos's Hex was now broken. But the damage was already done.
Meanwhile beneath the surface of the water Sasuke's mind was being plagued by the images of Itachi completely overpowering him and Naruto back in the hotel of Firebend Town. The ease at which he was outmatched was burning at his soul and having to relive the dreadful night of the Uchiha Massacre over again due to the Tsukuyomi used on him by his enigmatic older brother has caused severe damage to Sasuke's psyche. He had no one to take his frustration out on and seeing Naruto also being hurt by Itachi scratched at a place in Sasuke's heart that he didn't reserve for anyone else.
It pained him to see Naruto hurt for being associated with him at the hands of Itachi and the lengths Naruto went through to try and stand by his side left a deep impression on him. But these positive feelings were marred by the insecurity and inferiority he's felt towards Naruto from the very first time he started to hint at being far more powerful than he was letting on. With each instance of Naruto displaying his superior talent out in the open an ugly feeling of jealousy aroused inside of Sasuke's heart at these demonstrations. After coming out of his coma from the treatment Tsunade administered onto him he was shocked to see Naruto receive a promotion for everything he's done up until this point.
The feelings of inferiority came back with a vengeance right away and swept aside any of the feelings of gratitude and relief he felt for knowing that Naruto was ok after the encounter with Itachi. These feelings would only grow more once he heard of the dangerous and life-threatening missions Naruto's participated in since then with the False Invasion as it was being dubbed as a prime example of this envy and anger.
Now this anger was starting to boil over and a searing pain from his neck was calling out to Sasuke who willingly let this sensation take over him as the curse mark that was previously sealed became active again after all this time. A dark miasma permeated Sasuke's body and began to pollute the water around him as tiny black seals that burned a bright orange-red began to spread across Sasuke's neck and extend up to the side of his face in flame like patterns.
'Why? Why do I always fall behind you and everyone else? For all of my training I can't catch up to you and even then, for all of your power you were still hurt trying to protect me against Itachi? The power you spoke of that you harness from me and those in your heart… was that the extent of your power Naruto or were you holding back even then. I want more power… power strong enough that I can surpass you and never let you or anyone else ever be hurt by Itachi ever again. I want a power that can destroy him completely… a power that can surpass yours!' Sasuke prayed and raged within his mind that began to grow hazy and distorted as the curse mark fully poisoned his psyche.
Right away Naruto could feel a change in the air around him as a foul chakra began to bubble beneath the surface of the water. 'What is this feeling… it feels familiar?' Stress was beginning to build up in Naruto's heart as he sensed an attack coming long before he could see it. A lightning quick Body Flicker technique saved Naruto from an untimely attack on Sasuke's end. The water broke with a violent upheaval as Sasuke appeared with sparks of lightning arcing off of his hand as the curse seal spreading across his face immediately grabbed everyone's attention.
'Is that the curse mark… I warned him long ago not to give into its influence.' Kakashi surmised in his mind as he gripped the railing in preparation for jumping over it, but a sudden paralysis overcame him and looking over Kakashi saw that his shadow was connected with Chaos's who was staring down at the fight with a serious gaze in her large eyes this time. The expression on her face along with Iris's were far different than what was usually their norm. 'No way… this can't possibly be… is this the Shadow Possession Jutsu?' Kakashi was shocked more than he cared to admit at this strange technique that seemed to mimic the Nara Clan's signature technique. It was clear that the girls didn't want anyone interfering with what was to come so he decided to watch the events unfold beneath them.
"Sasuke! What is going on?" Sakura herself never thought she'd see the curse mark come back into play and definitely not in a scenario such as this as she looked like she too wanted to hop the railing of the ship but just like Kakashi she found herself unable to move while under Chaos's influence.
"Sasuke… can you hear me? You've got to snap out of this!" Naruto called out, but it would all be for naught as Sasuke took off like a bullet far faster than Naruto's ever seen him do before as he crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye. A thunderous punch slammed into Naruto's gut that knocked the wind out of him as this opening salvo was followed up by several lightning quick jabs that battered Naruto's body before he could properly defend himself. These punches were heavier than what the slim young boy has ever produced under normal circumstances as he transitioned straight into a leg sweep that Naruto was finally able to react to.
Jumping over the incoming leg Naruto slammed his foot into Sasuke's shoulder where it immediately began to freeze over. 'Ice Style: Frost Step Jutsu! Sasuke's whole demeanor has changed. So, this is the cure mark that Sakura and the others spoke about. It's unbelievable. It's like my Winter Fairy King Mode. It changes up my whole demeanor and characteristics; So, I can only imagine what kind of psychological effect it must be having on Sasuke's mind right now. I have to do something to suppress him before it's too late. Who knew his emotions were this clouded that it would lead to this?' Naruto agonized over in his mind as he launched himself away from Sasuke after locking up his shoulder with a thick patch of frost which would ultimately prove moot as Sasuke slammed a flame covered fist into his shoulder that melted the pesky ice immediately.
"Eva! We need to stop him and quick!" Naruto called out to his beloved partner as he felt her Yōki mix with his own just as Sasuke charged back in. "Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu!" Charged with Yōki the ice that formed in the water was amethyst in color as opposed to its normal clear white saturation. Thick blocks of glacial ice sprang up from the water beneath their feet which captured Sasuke in its frozen clutches, but this wouldn't be enough as Naruto sensed a massive spike in Sasuke's chakra that culminated in a destructive inferno blasting apart his sturdy ice prison. "Fire Style: Running Fire Jutsu!" A trail of crimson red flames raced down the length of chakra laced water and ice connecting the two fighters together and thinking quick with little time on his side Naruto spat out a surge of water in response. "Water Style: Wild Water Wave Jutsu!" It was the only thing he could do with the very little time he had as a massive steam cloud of water vapor exploded from this clash of elements.
Every instinct in Naruto's body told him to jump back and listening to his body he did just as Sasuke came through the cloud of steam with an outstretched hand filled with crackling lightning. "Come here Naruto and fight me!" Racing through a set of hand signs Naruto was completely unfamiliar with but one that Kakashi recognized due to teaching him this technique right before the trip Sasuke unleashed a massive amount of chakra that was enhanced by his curse mark that began to spiral around him in the shape of a spiraling disk.
"Fire Style: Flame Hurricane Jutsu!" Sasuke roared as he sent the powerful A – Rank Jutsu barreling down at Naruto with a forceful push of his hands that was expanding in size the further it got from Sasuke's body. "Eva!" Naruto called out as he ran through a fast sequence of hand signs with panic in his eyes. He couldn't believe the lengths his supposed best friend was willing to go through just for this spar which was clearly not a spar anymore. He's lost control of himself and since he didn't see Kakashi or anyone else jumping in to intervene it looked like it was up to him to resolve this matter on his own.
"Yōjutsu: Water Festival!" Eva roared as she produced a magic circle to enhance the power of her technique which launched three powerful water spouts of cerulean colored water that glittered and sparkled in the late afternoon sun that reflected the rainbow into the air. The two attacks met in the middle with a thunderous clash that resulted in a shockwave of steam and chakra that knocked everyone off their feet. Eva's water managed to overpower the powerful hurricane of fire that Sasuke sent at them, but it came at the cost of her entire attack being dispelled in the process with a massive cloud of steam large enough to envelope the entire area near the ship shrouding everyone's view of the battle.
Naruto himself had erected one of his thick ice walls around him in a large 270-degree radius that managed to protect him from the massive back surge of water that would have swept him away further out to sea. He didn't even have time to think after this point as his sensory abilities warned him of an attack that he couldn't defend himself against. Popping out of the water beneath Naruto with a glare reflecting in his Sharingan, Sasuke delivered a devastating rising knee strike to Naruto's chin that rattled his brain and lifted him up into the air with saliva and blood spurting out of his mouth and right where Sasuke wanted him.
Grabbing onto Naruto's ankles he spun around with rage in his heart as he threw the blond haired Uzumaki straight through his own ice wall that shattered upon the forceful impact of its creator, but that did nothing to slow down Naruto's momentum as he skidded and bounced across the water's surface several times before slamming into the side of the ship with such force that it cracked the reinforced wooden hull of the vessel and this time successfully knocked everyone standing up above on the decks of the ship clear off their feet from the sheer force of Naruto's impact.
An agonizing groan of pain escaped Naruto's lips as he opened his eyes to see blood dripping down his entire body as splinters and shards of wood shredded most of the clothing on his arms and legs lending to his injuries while his flak jacket had wooden splinters embedded deep with it. "Daddy!" Iris called out in agonizing worry while deep inside her mind Sōkyoku and Chaos were sharing a look with each other. This fight was the beginning of the end for these two and it broke their hearts that it had to happen. Nothing could prevent what was to come.
Looking ahead of him Naruto felt a hand press down on his stomach and seeing Sasuke inches away from him he tried to utter out a word… anything to say but nothing would form as Sasuke's hand crackled with electricity. "Lightning Style: Electromagnetic Murder Jutsu!" Unconsciousness awaited Naruto as he was blasted by thousands of volts of electricity that assaulted his body just as Kakashi, Sakura, Iris, Chaos, and Henrietta jumped over the railing of the ship.
Land of Snow / Unknown Cave
Unconsciousness would greet Naruto in these final moments but that wasn't the end of the story as an interesting reaction happened at the same time a hundred miles away on the mainland of the Land of Snow. In a desolate tundra of wildlands north of the capital city of the country a small little four-legged creature popped its head up in alarm once it felt the spike in energy from out in the world. It was distinct and profound enough that the little creature instantly recognized it as something very familiar. Something that it's been searching for since its birth.
The wave of shock, pain, anger, and sadness that it just experienced were all foreign emotions to the little unknown and mysterious creature especially in such a large quantity. It was so profound that it felt like it was the one being hurt. Sitting up from its resting position on a bed of soft mossy grass and snow that it had surrounded with rocks the creature let out a very faint animalistic growl as it sniffed the air with its powerful nose. Two light blue colored bangles of fur fell down the side of its face that ended in teal colored tips while the whole end of the appendage was diamond shaped.
These feelers twitched a quivered in the frigid air as it tried to sense out what it had just sensed. It's pure white slit like pupils darted back and forth in concentration as it finally locked onto a faint signature about 100 miles away from it. The source was in pain with a sense of betrayal ebbing at its heart. The little creature decided that it didn't like this feeling as a low growl rumbled in the back of its throat before it reared back and unleashed a thunderous roar that carried with it its own feelings as well as a wave of its own energy that was a unique hybrid that was unheard of in the world. One of the components of this entities energy was Yōki and it had a lot of it as the wave transmitted itself over the land and hopefully to its intended target.
With its task done the little creature loitered around the area near its cave after leaving for a little while where it soon discovered a set of four small foot tracks belonging to one of the few creatures that could survive the unforgiving and harsh climate of the north pole. If there were four of these little entities, then the little predatorial like creature knew that it was going to be eating well in the next few days. It hasn't had to hunt for any food in the last week or so which was a bummer, but this brightened its spirits at the prospect of a good meal.
It stalked its way back to its cave where it settled down in its mossy green bed to wait. Either its food would soon foolishly make its way back over closer to his cave or he will get a new update on the mysterious source of energy out in the world that was causing its heart to beat faster and his soul to warm up with excitement. Whatever was out there was something that it has been searching for since the day it was first born nearly three months ago. Hopefully all would be revealed to it in time during the next few days. For the first time since its birth it's felt true and unchained excitement for something in its life… and it couldn't wait to discover what it had always hoped it would be… its creator.
To be continued...
[Land of Snow Arc]
Jutsu Library
1.) Hex - This is a versatile and multipurpose technique of Chaos that makes her incredibly dangerous. In its base form Chaos can use this technique subtly to place a spell on a person's body that allows her to inflict either damage or bad luck to her victim over a long period of time that is unspecified and undetermined. Chaos can then passively absorb the negative energy her victims are giving off over long distances for the entire duration of the spell. In its more combative nature, Chaos creates a sphere of black energy with a red eye in the middle. The eye then releases multiple dark blue rings of energy at the intended target. If the victim is under the effects of one of Chaos's other techniques: Confuse Ray, Destiny Bond, Dark Void. Then the attack does double the original amount of damage.
2.) Kayros - Chaos has the passive ability that is always active to manipulate reality in a relatively small radius of 50m around her and with this ability she can control the events within this predefined space. The most common use of this power that Chaos employs is the ability to teleport short distances towards things and locations that she has scanned and memorized beforehand or that happen to fall within her line of sight. Because of Chaos's ability to warp reality around her not only is the teleportation instant but it is also untraceable not to mention others can't sense her presence. However, Chaos doesn't seem to be able use her other powers while this one is active.
3.) Aegis - A unique ability that Chaos demonstrates. She creates a light blue shield that has hexagonal shapes as its pattern. The shield is in the shape of a large sphere that increases its diameter and can encompass anything Chaos wishes it to. Chaos can also summon her Aegis shield at long ranges to encompass objects that are not connected to her; effectively allowing her to trap people, objects, and targets within an inescapable prison.
4.) Winter Fairy King Mode - Naruto's advanced Demonic transformation that allows him to turn into a full demon. His skin turns a a dull pale color while his hair turns pure snow white. Ice starts to build up in his hair forming a crown with icicle claws forming on his hands. While in this form Naruto is a full demon and his power matches that of his Version 1 State with One Tail. His domain and power over his Ice Style Kekkei Genkai are brought up to their maximum capabilities allowing Naruto to unleash ice attacks at a level he normally would be incapable of. However, the strain of converting the entirety of his Chakra into Yōki puts an immense strain on Naruto's body who can't maintain this form for long.
5.) Tempest Turn - Tempest Turn works by storing Kinetic energy in one's own body, reinforced by their own internal energy (Chakra, Yōki, etc.), and then giving form to that energy using their internal energy and shooting it out of their body. With this technique that is unique to only Naruto he can create multiple afterimages of himself that function similarly to Shadow Clones. However, they cannot interact with their environment like normal Shadow Clones. They are literally made up of the energy cloak Naruto creates whenever he activates his Accel Turn. The after images energy wise are indistinguishable from their creator but visually they have a light blue glow to them. The copies have a sizable speed advantage, but they are not moving at the same speed as when Naruto uses Acceleration. Also, the copies take up so much energy that Naruto can only create up to four copies with this move. Also, while using this move to its fullest Naruto is unable to use Acceleration because all of it is being used to maintain Tempest Turn.
6.) Lightning Style: Static Jutsu - A basic Lightning Style Jutsu in which the intention is to create and generate a static electricity in your body. You are to generate and then stockpile a continuous stream of static inside of your body. It is not good as an offensive Jutsu and it's not meant to be. It is the beginning tier in Lightning Style Jutsu and it's meant to teach users how to perform Lightning Style Ninjutsu. However creative minds can come up with an infinite amount of uses for the static electricity that they store up in their bodies using this Jutsu.
7.) Lightning Style: Discharge Jutsu - The second step to the Lightning Style: Static Jutsu. This Jutsu takes the stored up static electricity inside of your body and discharges it through your body outwards into the surrounding area or anything connected to your body. This Jutsu is simply meant to not only get rid of the built up static electricity inside of your body but also to teach users of Lightning Style how to discharge electricity from their bodies which is what many Lightning Style Ninjutsu are based around. Again, creative minds can come up with an infinite amount of uses for the static electricity that they store up in their bodies.
8.) Wind Style: Hurricane Fist Jutsu - A low level Wind Style Jutsu that causes swirling winds to form around the user's fist. Although it is a Ninjutsu it is mostly used in Taijutsu combat to augment the users punching strength. The winds generated by the Jutsu are strong enough to launch opponents away and send them flying. The winds can also be concentrated in the user's hands to palm thrust opponents or to grip, catch, or push things away from the user.
9.) Fire Style: Phoenix Interceptor Flame Fist Jutsu - A strong Taijutsu oriented attack that was created by the Uchiha Clan that allows the user to cover their hands in scarlet flames that can burn and singe the skin off of an opponent who may be caught in the users grasp. It is a more basic C - Rank technique in difficulty and power to use.
10.) Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu - This defensive technique creates a wall of water around the user. Enemy attacks are completely intercepted by a fence of water blown out from the mouth and is raised from below with tremendous might. The water is blown out in the form of a circle around the user, and it makes for a defense without openings. It is also possible for the user to control the amount of water and duration at will. The wall's strength and resistance change following the quantity of chakra poured down into the water, so a skillful shinobi will be able to build a sturdy one. Furthermore, because the field of vision is maintained even while defending one can easily go on to the next move, which is a great advantage. The wall can also be formed from a pre-existing water source.
11.) Lightning Style: Shockwave Jutsu - A very basic Lightning Style Jutsu that allows the user to send a surge of electricity out of their body into the surrounding area. They can send it into the ground where it can spread via conductive properties underneath the surface or they can send it out as a shockwave in midair.
12.) Water Style: Water Shockwave Jutsu - This technique allows the user to make a spiraling vortex of water. The vortex then proceeds to explode from the top in the form of a wave. The user can also control the direction the wave goes with hand movements.
13.) Body Flicker Jutsu - A high speed ninja technique that allows the user to travel at high speeds in short microbursts. Usually the technique is accompanied by a special effect that masks the movement of the user.
14.) Ice Style: Frost Step Jutsu - A move used by Naruto that allows him to freeze an opponent's feet or any object that his feet come into contact with.
15.) Ice Style: Ice Prison Jutsu - This technique allows the user to infuse their chakra with ice on the ground and bring it to the surface. The user can then trap their opponent within the ice by controlling its movements and completely surrounding them in the ice. It is strong enough to withstand basic Fire Release techniques, because the ice has already been infused with the user's chakra. The user can also surround themselves with the ice prison to act as a shield. Additionally, any piece of ice that Naruto is controlling can be used to immobilize a target. If he hits you with ice from any Ice Style Jutsu then he can freeze you in place.
16.) Water Style: Wild Water Wave Jutsu - A basic water style Ninjutsu the user molds water nature chakra into their mouth before spitting it out into a small-scale wave powerful enough to sweep grown men off their feet and knock down lightweight objects not tied down or secure to the ground.
17.) Fire Style: Flame Hurricane Jutsu - This technique is a powerful A - Rank technique of incredible power that could easily match the likes of the dragon based elemental attacks of Ninjutsu on destructive power and scale. Fire erupts around the user's body in a spiralling manner which is then launched with his hands towards the target. Once the technique hits the target, the opponent is sent into the air in a spiraling manner and their body burns into ashes.
18.) Yōjutsu: Water Festival - The first variation and advanced form of Eva's signature Water Celebration Technique. Eva summons copious amounts of water from the surrounding air and through the generation of her Yōki. Eva separates the water and fires them off in multiple blast that are three times the size of a regular Water Celebration attack. Eva can also just launch the attack as one large blast instead of firing multiple shots.
19.) Lightning Style: Electromagnetic Murder Jutsu - A basic Lightning Release technique that allows the user to create a wave of electricity from their hands. The user can vary its power from a small surge to shock an opponent to a powerful stream of lightning capable of ripping through solid rock.
Author's Note (A/N): Hey guys how was that? A lot of deep seeded feelings are uncovered in this chapter as Iris reveals to Naruto that both she and Chaos have been repressing their feelings and opinions on the subject concerning their new foster siblings. They never got a say in whether or not they would be comfortable having more children in the house with them. From the very beginning it has always been Naruto with Iris and Chaos. Now there are six more children added to the equation and both from a story perspective and from a writer's admission the twins have become lost in the mix. This is my way of addressing this fact as well as acknowledging it in a tasteful way within the story. The girls and their dynamic relationship towards Naruto has always been the central focus of the story and with the addition of six extra child characters into the mix it has given Iris and Chaos significantly less important screen time which is an issue I wanted brought to light.
Naruto is able to learn more about his own daughters and himself within this conversation as he resolves to do better in the future about managing their feelings against his own decisions and desires. The twins feelings of jealousy and insecurity in the face of their new siblings is a mature story element that I wanted to incorporate into the story for a dosage of realism that will expand upon both their characterization and family dynamic which is a staple of the story. Iris under the influence of her true persona Sōkyoku also takes this time after reconciling with her father to explain the relationship between her and her true twin sister Lady Amaterasu.
While Sōkyoku is revealing the lore and history behind her relationship with her twin sister we get a flashback showing what happened after Naruto left Hōrai Island. Amaterasu's three feathers Hone, Ren, and Wanyuudou travel to the island where they meet up with Miya who greets them. It is here that it is revealed that they are cousins as it has already been established that Miya views Lady Sōkyoku as her mother. Miya is shown to be displeased about seeing them their as the implications are explained away and the potential danger that they could bring to Naruto is brought to light. It is reaffirmed in this conversation that Miya created this dimension which makes it an artificial creation that exists outside the natural boundaries of the multiverse. She has orchestrated all of the events in this world through her command over fate allowing Naruto to be born in the exact way she wanted. His development as a person is being personally shaped by Miya as a result of this as she explains to her cousins that she specially created Naruto and imbued him with an enhanced version of the energy inside his body that was bestowed upon him for being the Child of Prophecy. This was done as they intend to use Naruto as the key that will close the Gates of Purgatory and seal away the dreaded evil that plagues them.
Ren and Miya get off to a rough start as he and the others reveal that Lady Amaterasu was forced from her hiding spot by the "presence" that is hunting them down. It will take her three years to reach the world that Miya has created which throws a monkey wrench into to plans Miya and Sōkyoku have been planning. Ren makes note of the fact that the artificial dimension that Miya has created acts like a nursery that is nurturing Naruto in specific.
After Iris and Naruto share a tender moment between them he decides to cheer them up by making Ramen in the kitchen of the ship with his two daughters by his side using the special produce that he picked from Ilex Forest as the ingredients. Iris and Chaos soon begin to squabble between each other in a typical sibling manner when Chaos references a anime character from another anime in a 4th Wall breaking segment. With them out of the picture Henrietta makes her appearance which sparks Naruto's usual feelings towards her. This subsequent conversation between the two brings to light the real source of the tension brewing between them. It is lust and it's being caused by Naruto's demonic instincts. The two friends maturely decide to put their feelings aside for Hinata's sake who is trusting Naruto to make the proper decisions while on this long term mission with Henrietta.
A month long time skip occurs and now the ship has traveled all the way around the giant peninsula of the Land of Lightning and is now on it's northwestern coast and in relative position to the Land of Snow's southeastern coast that is now finally within reach after this long journey. Naruto has been training with his hybrid chakra to gain control of his more demonic instincts and to that effect he has been training extensively with his Winter Fairy King Mode transformation to control it and its influences better. The strange energy signature that he has been sensing is growing stronger the closer they get to the Land of Snow which begs the question of what is drawing Naruto to the country.
It is as this point that he is approached by Sasuke who has had enough. Jealousy and insecurities are tearing away at Sasuke's heart who has been agonizing over his confrontation with Itachi since it happened. His inner feelings are brought to light and he does genuinely care about Naruto and appreciates the support that he has given him throughout his struggles and the inferiority that he feels towards him is beginning to put cracks in the seams of their friendship from his perspective. He challenges Naruto to a spar which he doesn't want to refuse Sasuke on as it would only cause unnecessary drama and tension in their team dynamic.
The fight gets underway with it being immediately apparent that Sasuke has made tremendous improvements and advancements to his skills as he effortlessly outpaces Naruto in a bout of Taijutsu that culminates with Sasuke inflicting a serious injury to Naruto that prompts Kakashi to worry about Sasuke's mental state. Eva doesn't take to kindly to Sasuke's attitude and Sakura shows her own concern as well. Naruto decides to take Sasuke seriously as they exchange a clash of Ninjutsu that allows Sasuke to show off his expansive library of Ninjutsu that he lacked before. He is able to keep up with Naruto who is the true Ninjutsu specialist of the squad which comes as a shock to the spectators watching with ends up with Sasuke injuring Naruto once again that prompts Naruto to unleash a devastating combo assault on Sasuke in retaliation which sheds concern on Naruto's part as he didn't mean to escalate things further. This assault forces Sasuke to activate his curse mark for the first time voluntarily while his inner thoughts are brought to light.
Sasuke quickly begins a new assault on Naruto in which he easily starts to overpower and overwhelm Naruto who now understands the full depth of Sasuke's inner turmoil. Chaos is shown to be preventing anyone from interfering with the incident happening below while Iris hints at the fact Chaos has been feeding Sasuke's darkness all month. She also alludes to the fact that this conflict will lead to the end of their friendship. Naruto despite his efforts as he didn't want to unleash his true power or use lethal force against Sasuke is brutally overpowered by his teammate who incapacitates him and then proceeds to knock Naruto unconscious to end the spar and chapter on a cliffhanger. This marks the first time Naruto has been thoroughly overwhelmed since the Four War Gods as even the fake Stone Shinobi weren't able to knock him unconscious.
The last segment of the chapter is a mysterious one that shows the point of view of a mysterious creature that resides in the land of snow and has been there since its birth. It felt a wave of emotions that it's not used to experiencing on its own and they were so powerful that it felt as if it were being affected in person. The little creature releases its own response in the form of a beacon like signal before returning to its abode to wait. One thing and one thing only is on its mind at that is the prospect of meeting what its instincts refer to as its "creator".
The chapter ends on an abrupt cliffhanger but the question now to ask is what happens next and how will Naruto and Sasuke's relationship be affected by this moving forward from this point on, and what is this mysterious creature making an appearance and more importantly have we seen it before?
Next Chapter: Chapter 86 (Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow)
That's the end of Chapter 85 I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it.
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Published: 5/1/2019
