A/N: Chapter 10 has landed! Chapter 10 on the 10th day of the 10th month. Happy birthday, Naruto!
Kishimoto owns Naruto, I do not.
Chapter X: The Outer Path
Three days had passed since Naruto began training with his new summons. Konoha's library had recently been reopened, so he took advantage of his time after training to hit the books. His search for information had been relatively fruitless. He scoured for books and scrolls on Konoha's early history, and even decided to look for books that catalogued the recorded history of the Land of Fire.
The history books all said much of the same thing: Konohagakure was founded by Hashirama Senju, who later became the First Hokage. He was known for his rare Kekkei Genkai, Mokuton, which he used to create the forest surrounding Konoha. The texts did mention another name in regard to the founding of Konoha: Madara Uchiha. The name sounded vaguely familiar, which puzzled Naruto at first, but he chalked it up to having heard it in class one time at the academy. Hashirama's younger brother, Tobirama, would later become the Second Hokage. There was never any mention of the Rinnegan or the Sage of Six Paths.
Naruto had tried his luck with books on mythology, which didn't yield any more results than the history books. Most of the books and scrolls he found were geared more towards the study of religion: something he had neither the patience nor the aptitude to even begin to comprehend. He managed to find some texts that examined mythology through a less academic lens, which really only tried to explain away legends of creation and debunk myths regarding unusual phenomena like solar eclipses and blood moons.
He had found a hidden gem: an epic poem of sorts that chronicled the known history of shinobi. Unfortunately, the gem turned out to be a fool's boon; it only mentioned the Sage of Six Paths in passing, and never elaborated on him in terms of his strength and abilities. It was information he already knew: The Sage was the ancestor of shinobi. Naruto had decided he would try to look through the village archives to see if there was even a smidgeon of information relevant to the Rinnegan, but his expectations were low. That, and he would need to get clearance from the ANBU that managed the archives. The prospect of looking through the Forbidden Scrolls became more and more tempting with every dead end he hit. Sure, his training was going well, but he felt strangely compelled to know what his eyes meant. He tried not to dwell on it too much, knowing he had to keep focused.
Konan was right: Naruto would take to utilizing the summons granted to him by the Rinnegan quickly. Over the course of the three days he had spent training, he had learned to utilize the multi-headed dog more effectively. Konan had told him of its ability to split into multiple dogs, which he had a vague memory of from his fight with Nagato. His experience with his visually linked shadow clones came in handy, as he had been able to control multiple dogs with ease.
Naruto had also managed to summon a few other creatures as well. He had summoned a giant panda, a giant centipede, a giant crab, and a giant snake-tailed chameleon. The chameleon had given him some trouble, since it was an odd fusion of animals: a chameleon with a snake for a tail. The shared field of vision was simple enough to handle, but controlling the tail while also controlling the rest of the beast had proved to be more difficult than he expected. Konan had chalked it up to a combination of lack of experience and the fact that the chameleon is essentially two animals sharing one body, more so than the multi-headed dog. The chameleon half only having one working eye didn't help, either.
Naruto had just finished a spar with Konan; it wasn't quite an all-out spar, but Konan allowed the use of Naruto's Rinnegan abilities, namely the abilities of Tendō and Chikushōdō. Kakashi and Sasuke were going through kenjutsu warm-up exercises. As usual, they were within eye and earshot of Naruto and Konan. Though, Kakashi had begun to loosen the reigns a bit, spending less time monitoring Konan and more time mentoring Sasuke. Naruto stood panting, sweat beading on his brow. Konan looked like she had barely broken a sweat, the only indicator of her fatigue was that her breathing was quicker than when they had started.
The azure-haired woman nodded as she approached her blond protégé. "You're getting better. You almost had me a couple of times. I have to hand it to you, that was good thinking using the panda to block my paper shuriken."
Naruto flashed a smile and gave a thumbs up. "Thanks! I think I'm really getting the hang of using the summons on the fly. So, what's next? Another spar? More shadow clone training?"
Konan shook her head. "I think we should talk about a couple of things."
The duo found a tree not far off from where Kakashi and Sasuke were training and sat, enjoying the shade. Naruto, ever curious, broke the comfortable silence. "So, what things are we going to talk about?"
Konan took a sip of water from her canteen before she spoke, a hint of solemnity in her tone. "There's another summon that I haven't told you about yet because of how dangerous it is."
Naruto's jaw set as he stared at the woman. The two Sharingan users paused their training, their ears parking up at Konan's words. "The summon is called the Gedō Mazō. It's an immensely powerful summon, but it feeds off the chakra and life force of the summoner. Nagato deliberately summoned it once: after Yahiko died. You remember how Nagato looked, don't you?"
Naruto gave a small nod. "He was nearly skin and bone…and he had all those black rods sticking out of his back. Did…the Gedō Mazō do that to him?"
Konan spoke quietly. "Yes, it did. After he was stabbed…" A far-off look appeared in her amber eyes. "I saw something that still haunts me sometimes." Naruto waited patiently as Konan drew a quivering breath. "A kind of ethereal dragon emerged from its mouth. It passed through the Ame shinobi who were loyal to Hanzō the Salamander. When it did…it ripped their souls from their bodies."
Naruto's eyes widened beneath his sunglasses, his breath hitching. He tried to picture the sight in his head, but he knew it wouldn't equate to what Konan had witnessed firsthand. He swallowed hard as she continued. "Before that day, the statue only ever appeared when Nagato felt that we were about to die. Even then, it seemed to manifest on its own; I don't remember him ever summoning it before that day. It just…appeared."
Naruto nodded slowly, mentally noting the similarities between this Gedō Mazō and the Nine-Tailed Fox, at least in terms of when they appear. While he didn't like the idea of being stabbed like Nagato had, and the thought of ripping out people's souls with an ethereal dragon made him shudder, Naruto couldn't help but wonder just how powerful this summon could be. He was brought out of his ruminations by Konan's soft voice.
"That's not what makes it dangerous to you, though. Or rather…the two of you."
Naruto stiffened. "What…do you mean?"
"You're the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox. The Gedō Mazō can also be used to extract Tailed Beasts from their hosts. That was what the Akatsuki was doing, as I'm sure you remember."
The blond nodded stiffly, remembering what happened when they went searching for Gaara. He was slightly taken aback by Konan's knowledge of his tenant, but given that they knew about Gaara and his own tenant, he figured it wasn't too far of a stretch to assume they knew about the Nine Tails. He chose his next words carefully, his voice soft but full of trepidation. "So…does that mean…?"
Konan took a deep breath. "It's possible, if not likely, that you could die if you summoned the Gedō Mazō, Naruto. Not only would it drain your life energy from you, but it's very possible that it could extract your Tailed Beast in the process."
Naruto stared at the blue haired woman before he turned his gaze to the grass in front of him. The immense ramifications of summoning the Gedō Mazō, even as a last resort, hit Naruto like one of Sakura's chakra-enhanced punches. The prospect of death wasn't unfamiliar to him, but he still didn't like the thought of dying and leaving everyone behind. He wanted to protect all of his precious people and the village, and he couldn't do that if he was dead. Death was one thing, but losing his Tailed Beast could have many unforeseen consequences. It could be let loose, or worse: fall into the wrong hands and be sealed into or used by someone who could only wish destruction upon the world.
Konan gently placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder, causing the blond to visibly flinch. He stared into her soft amber eyes as she spoke softly. "Naruto. If only for yourself, I need you to promise that you won't summon that thing."
The blond gave a small nod. "I promise. Not even as a last resort." Konan regarded him with a small smile and a gentle squeeze of his shoulder.
"Thank you. Now that we've had that conversation, I think we can move on to something else. The next path we'll go over is Gakidō." Konan rose to her feet, making her way over to Kakashi and Sasuke with Naruto in tow. "Defense is just as important as offense, as I'm sure you've been told. Do you remember what Gakidō's ability was?"
Naruto hummed, cupping his chin. "Was that the one with the weapons and the extra arms?"
"Not quite; that was Shuradō. Gakidō has the ability to absorb chakra."
The blond snapped his fingers as he remembered. "Oh yeah! It absorbs chakra from ninjutsu, right?"
Konan nodded as Sasuke and Kakashi turned their attention to the duo that had approached them. "That's right. That includes elemental ninjutsu along with pure chakra." The azure haired woman turned to the two Sharingan users. "I'll need your help with this, if you two don't mind."
Kakashi responded after Sasuke gave him an expectant look. "What did you have in mind?"
A sheet of paper emerged from the Ame woman's sleeve, folding itself into a small crane and landing in her hand. "Well, since my specialization is in my paper usage, perhaps you and Sasuke could use some of your elemental jutsu on Naruto."
"Wait, is this a spar or something?" The blond piped up.
Sasuke doubled down on his friend's inquiry. "Is it?"
Konan shook her head as Kakashi cocked an eyebrow. "Not quite. Naruto, you'll stand there while Kakashi and Sasuke use elemental ninjutsu on you. You'll have to put up the barrier to absorb them using Gakidō. If you fail, you'll either be injured or you'll have to use a substitution to get out of harm's way."
Kakashi's eyebrow remained in its raised position as a wry grin crept across Sasuke's face. Naruto, however, was less than satisfied with the arrangement. "Wait, what?! You mean I'm just target practice for these two?! How is that supposed to help me?!" He fumed.
Konan simply admired the paper crane in her palm as she spoke calmly. "Simple. I'll tell you how Nagato explained it to me first, then you'll get a chance to do a dry run, then your teammate and sensei will use their jutsu on you. Does that sound fair?"
Naruto grumbled in reluctant agreement as Kakashi's eyebrow lowered back to its original position. He had to admit, her idea was strikingly similar to something he would have come up with. 'Maybe she has a future as a sensei,' he mused to himself. "Very well then. Sasuke and I will be on standby while you give it a shot, Naruto."
The Rinnegan user nodded, turning his attention to Konan. Her paper crane unfolded itself, returning back into her sleeve as she spoke. "Creating the chakra absorption barrier is similar to creating a barrier with Shinra Tensei. The difference is that instead of constantly pushing away from you, you focus on using the barrier as a buffer."
Naruto cocked his head, a puzzled expression on his face. "I don't get it. I make a barrier to absorb? That doesn't really make sense to me."
Konan pondered for a moment, choosing her next words carefully. "You're a sage, yes?" Naruto nodded his head quickly, a grin plastered on his face. "When you use Senjutsu, how do you gather chakra for that?"
"Well, I have to gather natural energy first by sitting really still and tuning myself into nature. Then I combine it with my own chakra, and boom! Sage chakra!"
"So, you absorb natural energy, then?"
"Well, yeah. The thing is, I have to take a second and tune into nature first. It's not instant like Pervy Sage had talked about for a master."
Konan blinked. "'Pervy Sage'?"
The blond rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Ah, yeah. I meant Master Jiraiya. I called him Pervy Sage because of his 'research.'"
Konan nodded slowly; her eyebrow raised. "I…see. Well. Using the absorption barrier can be compared to gathering natural energy, except you're absorbing chakra. From what Nagato told me, you should feel the chakra being pulled into you. As far as I could tell, the chakra that's absorbed can be integrated directly into your own chakra network."
Naruto hummed. "That makes sense. It sounds like a quicker version of gathering nature energy. So, I just focus on absorbing and pulling instead of pushing away?"
"Yes. Let's do a dry run first: try raising both of your hands like you were about to perform Shinra Tensei, but focus on trying to absorb, like you said."
Naruto brought a palm over his fist before bringing both of his hands up, palms facing away from him. He focused his chakra in front of him, envisioning the barrier. Once he felt the barrier, he immediately flipped the mental switch. For a moment, he felt the air around him pulse like when he had first tried Shinra Tensei. This time, however, the pulse continued as a low thrum. He looked to see the that the air around him was almost shimmering, not at all like what happened with Shinra Tensei. He dropped the barrier to see Konan and Kakashi regarding him with their usual stoicism, while Sasuke had stopped sharpening his ninjato to stare at him.
"Like that?" Naruto asked.
Konan nodded before turning to Kakashi and Sasuke. "Would you two do the honors?"
Kakashi hummed as Sasuke sheathed his ninjato. The duo approached Naruto as he braced himself, his hands raised in preparation. Konan stepped back to avoid getting caught in the middle. The two Sharingan users exchanged a glance before flying through hand seals and bringing a hand to their mouths and breathing deeply. A massive fireball barreled towards Naruto, making his eyes widen underneath his sunglasses, which glowed orange with the reflection of the fireball.
Naruto immediately focused his chakra, forming the barrier and flipping the switch. He saw the air shimmering, and braced himself for the fireball, ready to perform a substitution to avoid being cooked. Instead of a searing pain, he felt a rush of chakra entering his system. The fireball in front of him collided with the shimmering barrier, vanishing into his hands. Naruto's eyes widened even more under his sunglasses.
Just as the last of the fire was absorbed, Naruto heard what sounded like a massive flock of birds chirping. Not a split second later, he saw Sasuke charging towards him, left hand enveloped with lightning chakra, his Sharingan blazing. Naruto braced himself again as Sasuke roared. "Chidori!"
Just as Sasuke collided with the barrier, he looked down to see the lightning chakra being sucked away from his hand, his crimson eyes widening. Naruto felt the jolt of the electrically charged chakra entering his system. The absorption barrier didn't stop Sasuke's momentum, however. Naruto acted quickly. "Shinra Tensei!"
Sasuke was sent flying backwards. He managed to gain his bearings in the nick of time, skidding backwards on his feet. Sasuke stared at his teammate, his wide crimson eyes returning back to their normal onyx color. Naruto breathed deeply, trying to steady his pounding heartbeat that was fueled by the adrenaline coursing through his veins. "H-holy shit," he breathed.
Naruto was broken out of his stupor by two sets of footsteps. He snapped his head towards Kakashi and Konan, their faces unmarred by the surprise they were feeling internally. Sasuke trailed behind them, having regained his bearings.
Kakashi was the first to speak. "I have to admit, Naruto, even though I haven't been as present as I would have liked, it's quite remarkable how quickly you've been able to hone your abilities." His tone was even, as expected, but Naruto could tell by the glint in his eye how proud his sensei was.
Sasuke nodded in agreement as Konan spoke. "Kakashi is right: it is remarkable how quickly you've taken to the abilities granted to you by the Rinnegan. To be honest, you almost rival Nagato in how quickly you've achieved proficiency." Naruto flashed his signature grin as she continued. "There are a couple more things I want to cover before we call it a day." Konan turned to her silver-haired counterpart. "Do you have some chakra paper?"
Kakashi produced a sheet, which Konan took and thanked him for before presenting it to Naruto. The blond cocked his head as he took it, a puzzled expression on his face. "Chakra paper? But I already know my affinity: it's wind."
Konan was quick to correct him. "Was wind. Try channeling chakra into the paper now."
Naruto frowned before shrugging his shoulders and channeling chakra into the paper. Instead of the paper splitting in half lengthwise like he had expected, it split into four squares. Each of the squares reacted differently: one turned to dust, one dampened, one was set aflame, and one crumpled up. Naruto and Sasuke's jaws went slack, while Kakashi's visible eye widened. Konan simply nodded.
"Impossible…" Kakashi muttered.
"That's what I thought at first, too. But Nagato had immense control over all the basic nature transformations. He also learned the jutsu that Jiraiya-sensei taught him remarkably quick."
The two Sharingan users snapped their attention to Konan, who stiffened slightly under their gaze. "Did you just say 'Jiraiya-sensei?'" Kakashi probed. Naruto quickly told the condensed version of the history of Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato. He cursed himself for not telling them sooner, but saw them visibly relax after he finished.
Naruto turned his attention back to Konan. "So, what does this mean?"
"This means that you should be able to learn elemental ninjutsu faster than before, particularly those that weren't your primary affinity beforehand."
"In other words, you'd have an easier time learning jutsu like Chidori, Gōkakyu, Mizurappa…you get the idea," Kakashi explained, finishing on a bit of a resigned note.
Naruto cupped his chin, humming as he nodded.
"Kakashi is correct. Now then, before we go over the last thing, send a few shadow clones off to practice the chakra absorption barrier." Naruto nodded and created fourteen clones, sending them off to practice slamming a Rasengan into absorption barriers. Konan gestured for him to follow. "Come on, let's let these two have some time for more kenjutsu training." Konan and her protégé went back towards the stream as Kakashi and Sasuke returned to drilling kenjutsu techniques.
"The last thing we'll work on today is something that you've seen and experienced before. This ability isn't from any of the six paths I've mentioned, either," the azure haired woman began.
Naruto cocked his head. "It's not? Then which path is it? Wait, is it the whole enhanced perception thing? Cause I already know that. That was one of the first things I figured out, actually."
Konan shook her head. "Not exactly. Though, good on you for discovering that for yourself. The ability we'll work on next is part of Gedō." Naruto stiffened at the mention of the seventh path as the woman continued. "Summoning the Gedō Mazō is, obviously, one of the abilities of the Gedō. We've already had our discussion about that summon, so don't worry. The ability I'm referring to is the ability to create the black rods."
"Black rods? You mean…those things that Pain stabbed me with?"
Konan winced slightly, remembering that Nagato had used them against the jinchūriki. "Yes…those rods."
Naruto stared at the ground, remembering being pinned down and seeing Hinata impaled by one of the black rods that Pain had produced. He was brought out of his thoughts by Konan's voice. "Those very same rods had pierced Nagato's back when he communed with the Gedō Mazō. They were also the way that Nagato was able to control the bodies. He would send chakra through them at a distance."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I remember. That was how I found you two. I, uh…stabbed myself with one of the rods and traced his chakra signature."
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck as she continued. "Do you remember what happened when you were stabbed with them?"
"I…think so. I remember being able to feel his chakra. I, uh…also saw his eyes." Naruto shuddered as Konan's eyes softened. "It… sort of felt like they were looking into my soul…"
Konan let out a sigh, taking note of how his mind was somewhere else. "I won't pretend to understand, but I know that must have been jarring for you." Naruto gave a small nod and composed himself before the blue haired woman continued. "The rods can be used as weapons; you can use them as swords, a staff, or throw them like kunai or senbon needles. You experienced the secondary use of them: injecting an opponent with chakra to disrupt their chakra network and incapacitate them."
"So, how do I use them? Or, create them, I guess?" Naruto remembered seeing said rods grow out of Pain's sleeve and being snapped off once they reached the desired length.
"The best explanation that Nagato could give me was that he willed them into existence." Her voice carried a hint of dejectedness. Naruto blew a raspberry.
"Well that's helpful," he said sardonically.
Konan shrugged. "Well, maybe simplicity is the key here. It could work just as well for you. Just face your palm outwards and will the rod into existence. Give it a try."
Naruto's face contorted into a doubtful expression, but he conceded with a shrug and brought his hand up in front of him. He focused, concentrating on willing the rod to appear. Just as he was about to drop his hand, a dull black rod grew from the middle of his palm to about the size of Sasuke's ninjato. With a yelp, Naruto fell back onto his rear and stared at the rod that was still attached to his hand, horrified.
Konan was quick to try and calm him down. "It's alright. Just grab onto it and it will break and separate from your hand."
Naruto shakily tightened his grip around the cool, metal rod. It snapped from its point of emergence with surprising ease, leaving a jagged point where it had broken and no evidence of where it emerged from his hand. He spun the rod around, so the pointed end was facing away from him, examining the makeshift weapon with wide eyes. "Holy shit…"
"Well, looks like I was right." Konan's voice carried a touch of mirth.
The blond grumbled in reluctant agreement, giving the rod a few cursory swings. It was surprisingly lightweight, making it easy to maneuver. 'Maybe I should ask Kakashi-sensei for kenjutsu lessons,' he mused. He had never considered the possibility of using a sword of any kind, much less one that could quite literally grow out of his arm, but the thought of being able to create weapons on the fly did intrigue him. That, and there was a great degree of practicality in being able to disrupt an opponent's chakra system, especially if he were to be assigned to a capture mission.
"Well, I think this is a good place to call it for today," Konan announced, breaking Naruto out of his ruminations. He smiled and gave a single, quick nod before turning his attention back to the rod in his hand.
"Er, how do I get rid of this thing?" He waved the rod around.
"Nagato never told me exactly how, but I would imagine it's no different than dispelling a clone," she offered.
Naruto hummed, focusing on trying to dispel the rod. Not a moment later, the rod disintegrated into a black powder that faded into the breeze. He turned to Konan, who simply shrugged. Naruto returned the shrug before making his way towards his Sharingan-wielding comrades, with Konan in tow.
"Hey sensei! We're done for the day!" He called, causing both Kakashi and Sasuke to pause their small spar. Sasuke sheathed his ninjato while Kakashi stowed his kunai and turned to Konan, who nodded in acknowledgment.
"Ah. Well then. I suppose we ought to break for today as well, Sasuke." The Uchiha hummed in agreement.
"I have a proposal, Sasuke," Kakashi began.
"What sort of proposal, sensei?"
"We've been doing a lot of kenjutsu training, which is all fine and good. But, to be honest, kenjutsu was never really my area of expertise."
Sasuke frowned slightly. "You've taught me quite a bit, though. Using the Sharingan and sparring with it active was especially helpful."
Kakashi nodded. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I'm able to help you with that. Especially as a fellow Sharingan user. However, I think I know someone who can take your skills in kenjutsu to the next level." Sasuke's brows shot up, Naruto cooed in anticipation.
The silver haired jōnin smiled beneath his mask. "Let's meet here again tomorrow. Same time, as usual. Naruto, I think we'll start working on learning some other jutsu. Maybe I'll even teach you Chidori." He finished with a wink. Naruto beamed, wearing a face-splitting smile. Kakashi turned to Konan, who nodded once again. "Great. See you tomorrow." Kakashi and Konan disappeared in a swirl of leaves and paper, respectively.
Naruto turned to his friend. "I'm gonna head to the library to see if I can find any more books that even mention the Rinnegan or the Sage. You gonna stay here and train?"
"I was gonna head to the Hokage Tower and see if I could bother Lady Tsunade about getting access to the archives."
"Don't you think she'll kick your ass for bothering her?"
Sasuke shrugged. "Not if I'm polite. That way if I piss her off, she'll just smash her desk or something."
Naruto snorted. "Or she'll smash you."
Sasuke visibly tensed, shuddering at the thought of being on the receiving end of one of her beatings. "I…well, maybe. But still. I need to get access to them. Who knows what kind of information is in there that I never knew about? I'll see you at home. Do you mind making dinner?"
"Sure. Fish?"
"Yeah, sounds good. Later, blondie." With that, Sasuke disappeared in a swirl of small electrical sparks.
Naruto blinked and wondered just when Sasuke had learned to use Shunshin. He shrugged it off, making a note to learn it for himself later. Naruto dispelled his clones, taking a moment to process all the information from their memories before setting off for the Konoha Library.
As fruitless as his search had been, Naruto kept looking. He wanted to be thorough and leave no stone unturned. He thumbed through the reference section, looking for an encyclopedia, a collection of memoirs, or even an old history textbook that had the possibility of mentioning the Sage of Six Paths or the Rinnegan. He grabbed a few books and was about to sit down when he heard a familiar voice.
"Naruto?"
He turned to the voice's origin: a head of shoulder length coal-colored hair. "Haku?" Naruto regarded his friend. He wore a teal blue short-sleeved kimono with cream colored trim that was secured with a brown obi. It looked similar to what he had worn when Naruto first met him, but he had forgone the long sleeves in favor of a mesh armor undershirt that was visible through the V-neck of his kimono. He also wore a brown hakama, which he had tucked into a pair of high-topped sandals that looked like Sasuke's. His Konoha headband was the same shade of blue that Naruto and his teammates had worn when they were genin.
Haku gave a small smile, setting his books down on the table as they both sat. "It's a pleasant surprise to see you here. Sticking with the sunglasses, huh?"
Naruto returned the small smile and shrugged. "Yeah, I, uh, I like the look. I figured I should get more serious about stuff, so, uh, yeah. I decided to hit the books. What about you? You studying things that Granny told you to?"
A small chuckle escaped the androgynous young man. "You know she hates it when you call her that. But yes, she assigned me to read up on medical techniques that aren't medical ninjutsu. That and chakra control theories; she said my control has been solid, but it's nowhere near Sakura's." Haku eyed the thick books and scrolls that Naruto had gathered. "I see you've taken to the reference section?"
Naruto scratched his cheek, a sheepish grin on his face. "Er, yeah. I wanted to, uh…research some older ninja. And stuff." He opened one of the books, an encyclopedia, to the index.
Haku cocked an eyebrow. "I…see." He opened his own book, scanning through the table of contents for the section he was looking for. The next few moments were quiet, save for the ruffle of pages turning and a few frustrated groans from Naruto.
The coal haired medic broke the silence first. "Can I ask why you're researching ninja of the past?"
Naruto froze mid page turn as his jaw set. He swallowed hard as he tried to think of the best answer to give without revealing his secret. "I…want to learn more about the Sage of Six Paths." He winced internally, knowing it was only a half truth.
"The Sage of Six Paths? What piqued your interest in him?" Haku cocked his head.
Sweat beaded on Naruto's forehead. "I—well, y'see—the thing is—I'm hoping to—" He finished with an exasperated sigh, hanging his head slightly. Haku merely watched his friend, his expression slowly twisting into one of concern.
Naruto struggled to keep his thoughts under control. His Rinnegan were made an S-class secret, which meant nobody was to know about them unless given the proper clearance or the circumstances demanded it. Haku was also his friend and one of his most precious people. He hated keeping secrets from his friends; he also hated lying to them or telling half-truths. Naruto wanted to tell Haku, who was no doubt suspicious by now, the real reason why he wore sunglasses all the time and why he was researching topics he normally wouldn't have cared for.
Naruto's jaw set before he met Haku's chocolate eyes. To hell with the S-class secret, Haku was his friend and he trusted him. His voice was barely above a whisper. "Haku, I need to show you something. But you can't react in any way. Okay?"
Haku's face set into a neutral expression, though his eyes conveyed his understanding of the situation. He gave a single small nod.
Naruto looked around to make sure they weren't being watched. Once he deemed the coast was clear, he took a deep breath and pulled his sunglasses down his nose, peering over the top of them at his friend. Haku caught Naruto's purple rippled gaze. His poker face was impeccable, and his only reaction was a barely noticeable hitch in his breathing. He gave another small nod, prompting Naruto to return his sunglasses to their original position on his face.
Haku took a deep breath, turning a page in the book laid in front of him. His voice was quiet, but carried a hint of curiosity. "Should I ask?"
Naruto kept his voice low. "You can, but I can't tell you everything…yet."
The coal haired medic nodded. "Dōjutsu?"
"Yep. Rinnegan."
"Is this connected to the Sage of Six Paths somehow?"
The two friends relaxed slightly, though they still kept their voices down so as not to disturb others. Naruto turned a page as he answered. "Well. He was super powerful, being the ancestor of shinobi and all. He also had the Rinnegan, and I was hoping I could find some stuff about him."
Haku nodded as he opened a notepad, jotting down some information from the book he was reading. "What were you hoping to find?"
Naruto heaved an exasperated sigh as he shut the encyclopedia. He unrolled a scroll containing memoirs of a shinobi from the early days of Konoha. "Anything, really. Even a mention of his eyes. I know they were part of the reason he became legendary, but I want to know what they mean, ya know?"
Haku nodded, jotting down more notes. He looked back up at Naruto as he spoke sheepishly. "Oh yeah. Uh, don't…mention this to Granny. She might flip her lid. If anything, I'll tell her the next time I see her. Which might be soon. But yeah. My…eyes are supposed to be secret. So, yeah. Keep it quiet, okay?"
The coal haired young man regarded his friend with a small smile. "Of course, Naruto. Though, I'm afraid if Lady Tsunade decides to discipline you, I likely won't be able to help." His tone was apologetic, if a little too chipper. Naruto chuckled nervously as he thanked Haku.
Naruto spent a couple of more hours poring over various texts while Haku studied his own materials. As expected, the Sage of Six Paths was either never mentioned, or was merely mentioned in passing. Of course, there was also no mention of the Rinnegan in any book or scroll. Haku empathized with his friend, as he had spent many an hour poring over medical texts hoping to learn something that would help him improve, only to find himself more frustrated.
The two parted ways amicably, with Haku staying behind to finish his studying while Naruto went home to fix dinner. He had beaten Sasuke home, but only just. The Uchiha arrived just as Naruto was beginning to cook the fish.
Sasuke had pestered Tsunade plenty about gaining access to the Uchiha archives, but bureaucracy had a way of making things more difficult than they should be. However, being in the good graces of the Hokage did mean that she was willing to pull some strings to make things move faster. He anticipated it would take no more than two days before he had full, unrestricted access to all the information the Uchiha clan had collected over the years.
Naruto had proven himself to be a good cook, and Sasuke had nothing but praise for his roommate's ability to prepare fish in such a simple but delicious way. Naruto hadn't told Sasuke about his encounter with Haku, much less the fact that he revealed his S-class secret to him. He figured he would cross that bridge when they came to it.
The blond was restless for a little while; his mind was abuzz with questions and thoughts of how his abilities had been progressing, but a dreamless sleep eventually took him.
A/N: And so, Naruto's secret is revealed to Haku. I hope you're enjoying this training arc I've got going, it's a lot of fun to write interactions between Naruto and Konan and him discovering his new abilities. That, and I think it makes sense that he would take time to figure out what the Rinnegan can do before just jumping into a bunch of missions. Thanks for reading! Fav if you enjoyed, follow for updates, and feel free to leave a review! Chapter 11 in the works!
