HIDDEN STONE SECRETS I

Onoki hands Akatsuchi a scroll to be stored away. "Hrmm…" The Tsuchikage looks up to Naruto and Hinata and their 3 apprentices. "A Teshin, huh? I'd hoped if the Teshin clan decided to produce shinobi once more it'd be for the Hidden Stone, but…"

Hinata eyes the Tsuchikage. "But wasn't it the Hidden Stone who exiled them, years ago?"

"It was… a mutual disagreement. When they began parading around and acting superior to the other clans, Lord Mu had a… conversation with them that did not go well, as I can remember. Both Lord Mu and the clan leader at the time had strong beliefs and values. But. When they started continuously losing fights against the Hyuga, they began lowering their head more until their pride could no longer take it, and they stopped being shinobi by their own volition."

"That's… really sad, y'know? Even though they were that strong, they gave it up. Couldn't you just invite 'em back or something?"

"It is sad, but that's how it is. It was their choice to remain isolated, just as it was their choice to become a dojo." The old man looks to Shoto. "And you're sure you want to be an apprentice to a Hyuga, your clan's old rivals?"

"Hey, Gramps, you trying to change his mind?" Naruto crosses his arms, a playful frown on his face. He knows the Tsuchikage wouldn't actually do anything malicious.

Okoni chuckles. "I had to try."

Shoto looks between Onoki and Hinata. "There's no one else who could be my teacher."

The elder leans back in his chair. "A shame, indeed, but if that is your decision, I won't fight you on it."

"And this won't cause any issues, seeing as he's from the Land of Earth?" Hinata places a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I've already received Kurotsuchi's opinion on the matter." He wags a scroll that was arrived via carrier hawk not long ago. "And I agree with her. This little exchange that you're a part of is the first step in the Shinobi Alliance, but it's just that- the first step. We've thought long and hard how to facilitate the changing times and I see this as a good start."

"So, he's good to become a citizen of the Land of Fire?"

"Hm, well, just because I agree to it doesn't mean it's going to happen right away. It's going to take some bureaucracy, but it should be done by the time you leave for the next Village." He gives an affirmative nod.

Naruto grins to Shoto. "Ya hear that? You're basically all set to be a shinobi!"

The boy tries his best to hold his excitement. He bows to the Tsuchikage. "Thank you greatly."

Everyone smiles at Shoto's dream being on its way to become true.

Hinata turns to Onoki. "Speaking of our mission here, what is it about the Uzumaki clan that you were able to discover."

Naruto grabs his head in shock. "Oh man! I completely forgot about that!"

Onoki raises a brow. "You ought to remember these things, it's your clan, after all."

"Look, a lot happened in the meantime, okay?" The blonde grumbles. "It's been a while."

"Hrm, right." Onoki begins rummaging through some papers and scrolls, looking for something. "I knew I put it somewhere here." He throws scrolls behind his back that Akatsuchi swiftly catches and orders them. The man is plump but he's still a shinobi of the highest order.

"Um, Lord Tsuchikage?" The man tries to grab his leader's attention.

"Not now."

"But-"

"Be quiet, I'm looking."

They all patiently watch Onoki go through everything on his desk and once he's done, Akatsuchi grabs a scroll from the shelf nearby and hands it to him. "Here it is."

"Huh? What?" Onoki turns around and angrily snatches it from his hand. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I tried."

Onoki grumbles and hands Naruto the scrolls. "There's a place not far from here, an ancient temple or something or other that's been around as long as anyone can remember. We believe it to be connected to the Uzumaki clan, although any attempt to figure out its purpose has failed. We can't even enter the blasted place, it's sealed away and not one of us has managed to crack it."

"Then how can you be certain it IS connected to the Uzumaki clan if you've not been able to enter it?"

"Simply put, we can't." Onoki shrugs. "The writings and seals placed inside bear a resemblance to what we know of them, but it is old. Very old. Much older than the villages. The only reason we had to worry about what it's for is when the Hidden Leaf sent a small force of shinobi to it. And some of them managed to enter"

"Then we have a lead, right?" Naruto gets excited. "Who entered?"

"Hm, I think I can remember Tobirama Senju and… Sasuke Sarutobi being there?" Onoki wracks his brain. "There was someone else, too, the people they managed to get inside but I can't put my finger on it. Probably some nobodies."

"Old age gettin' to ya, Gramps?"

"I'd like to see you when you live as long as I have. Although you're a blasted Uzumaki, you'll probably look and feel years younger." He grumbles again. "Either way, the Leaf sought it out although the reasons remain a mystery to us. I asked your Slug Princess to look into it, but there's apparently no records of such a thing ever happening. So, you go there and look into it."

"Sooo we got nothing? We don't even know what it is, or how to get inside! What good is any of this?"

Meanwhile, Akatsuchi goes around the desk and hands out rock cakes and drinks to the kids, sitting on a sofa to the side. This is taking a while.

"Perhaps the Tsuchikage is correct, Naruto. If we go there, we could see what's present and then investigate further what its purpose is. I believe it's worth giving it a chance."

"I guess you're right. And we still gotta visit the ruins of the Hidden Whirlpool, see what's over there, too. Maybe what we find here will help us there." He scratches his chin.

"My sentiments exactly." She nods in agreement.

"But isn't it kinda weird the Hidden Leaf went there but didn't leave info why?" Naruto furrows his brow.

"Hrm, Tobirama Senju was a meticulous man, right to his core. If he'd found something out, he'd have left behind instructions to it. The fact that he apparently didn't makes me think this is something overly sensitive that even he dared not meddle with it. And he's the man who created the Edo Tensei, so that's saying a lot." Onoki can't help but grimly chuckle.

Kotori perks up. "So we're going on a trip?"

Hinata gives a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, Kotori, I'm not certain how safe it is to bring you along with us."

Shoto jumps to his feet. "But we're here to learn, aren't we? And we can't learn from you unless we're with you!"

Yokumaru's looking down, not shoulders slumped. "I'd like to come, too."

Naruto turns to Hinata. "We can take 'em. It shouldn't be any different from us walking from village to village. Like the Tsuchikage said, people can't even enter, so we'll just go there to look around and be on our way back. We probably won't have any trouble on the way."

Well, that jinxed it.

Hinata nervously looks between them and the Tsuchikage as if expecting the old man to confirm or deny.

Onoki shrugs. "It's a simple trip, we're not sending you to fight or anything."

Hinata sighs. "Very well." And holds Naruto's hand. A part of her is still worried about the unknown nature of their current mission, but the two of them are there to protect them, as they have been all this time.

Kotori pumps her fist. "Yes!"

Yokumaru smiles.

Shoto bows. "We won't cause trouble, I swear it."

"Akatsuchi, you're going as their guide. Prepare to leave first thing tomorrow."

The man stands up and bows. "Yes, sir."

"Ittan!" Onoki yells so he can be heard from outside and on cue, a man sporting a goatee opens the door and stands at attention. "Show Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga where they'll be staying for the duration of their mission."

Ittan gives a firm nod. "Yes, sir."

Onoki turns to Naruto and Hinata. "We did have to make some last minute changes, seeing as you have three children with you now, but I hope you find it comfortable."

Hinata bows politely. "Thank you for your consideration."

With that, they're all led away, into the streets of the Hidden Stone Village. As the name suggests, it's a natural stronghold, built into a ravine and surrounded by tall cliff sides. Not unlike the Hidden Cloud, it makes use of the landscape for housing, but whereas that village uses the mountains as a base to build their homes on, this village uses the rocky terrain itself as houses. Either carved naturally or with the use of Earth Style jutsu, nearly every building is carved into massive protruding earthen structures.

They're taken to an apartment complex, handed their keys, and wished a good evening. Inside is a fairly cosy home, considering it's carved from bedrock. Fully furnished with everything they need, and with 2 rooms. One room with a king bed, and one with three separate beds apparently for the kids. There's evidence of that room being tampered with Earth Style; this was possibly a 3-room apartment before, but then one of the three would have to sleep separately.

They all get their things in order and make themselves feel as at home as they can. Naruto and Hinata sit on the couch, Naruto with his hand over her shoulders and Hinata resting her head on his chest. The kids were getting their room ready until recently and are now on the balcony, looking out into the village.

"So I guess this is gonna be home for the next 2 months." Naruto rubs her shoulder, getting cosy.

"It still feels surreal. And we'll still have the Hidden Sand and Hidden Mist after that. And then… we can finally go home." She snuggles under his arm.

"Hah, 'finally'? We only just started the mission."

"True, but it was just the two of us. Now we have Kotori, and Yokumaru, and Shoto to think about. And there's still our living situation after we get to the Hidden Leaf." She holds his hand and wraps it around her like a shawl.

"Still worried about that? Granny Tsunade said she'd take care of it, and we'll have a home of our own when we get back." He talks about their life together as if it's always been like this. "Or is something else bothering you?" He looks down at her inquisitively.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm still nervous about moving too fast. Aren't you?" She looks up to him, almost apologetically for thinking this way.

"Hmm." He thinks for a second. "Nope. 'Cause every time I think about it, I get really happy, y'know? Worrying never crosses my mind when I think about you."

Her cheeks flush with red and she buries her face. "You can't just say something sweet like that, it's not fair."

Naruto grins and kisses her on the temple. "We'll be fine. You're incredibly strong, caring, thoughtful, brave." She can't help but smile, all her worries washed away. "Second only to me, of course." They both break into laughter.

"Naruto-shisho!" Shoto calls out as the three of them come running into the living room. Although the moment they see how snuggly Naruto and Hinata are, they turn around. "Actually, maybe later."

"No, come back." Naruto beckons them to return, as Hinata sits in a more… presentable position. "What is it?"

The three of them look between each other and nod, and Shoto is the one to bring it up. "We saw a training ground not far from here."

"Hah, and ya wanna give it a whirl?"

They all nod.

"Well." Naruto looks to Hinata. "I see no reason not to."

She nods in agreement. "And we do need to buy at least some groceries. We'd need to go out, either way."

"Alright!" Naruto jumps to his feet. "Let's go." He makes his way to the balcony and looks around, followed by the kids and then Hinata. "Where is it?"

Kotori points. "Over there."

He nods. "Alright." He grabs Shoto and Yokumaru, who yelp in surprise. "Hinata, grab Kotori." And he Flickers away.

Kotori looked confused before she saw what Naruto did.

Hinata chuckles and grabs Kotori. "Hold right." And she follows.

-x-

"Ninja Art: Feather Kunai"

Two feathers fly at Shoto, who manages to swat them away with a simple kata with his darkened hands.

"Crystal Style: Crystal Wall"

The small wall juts out under him, but he manages to step back. With his vision blocked, Yokumaru jumps on top and just as Shoto is about to strike at him, he Flickers just behind the Teshin ready to attack. Shoto's attack cracks the wall, and Yokumaru uses the opening to attack. Shoto is pushed against the wall, but his more extensive training kicks in and he manages to counter and push back.

Kotori uses the wall as a prop, as well, appearing behind and over him.

"Ninja Art: Feather Curtain"

Shoto's vision becomes obscured by multiple sparrow feathers. Both Kotori and Yokumaru use this chance to get in close and they manage to get Shoto off his balance and knock him back a bit, but the boy's taijutsu proves superior. His Earth Spear really does hurt but he's not hitting at full strength, holding back at a reasonable level. He regains the upper hand in terms of taijutsu and they back off.

Kotori grins. "You're really good."

Shoto smirks and brushes his cheek with his sleeve. "You two're pretty good. Naruto-shisho has taught you well, but you're not there yet." He runs forward and forms seals.

"Earth Style: Earth Flowing Spear"

"You can do that, too?!" Kotori shouts out as they dodge out of the way of a large rock spike piercing up from the ground.

Seeing that, Yokumaru gets an idea. His walls were used against them before, and he might be able to do the same. Although the person who cracked his walls was a Hyuga with a special form of taijutsu, and he doesn't have anything of the sort. He can't crack his own walls and this stone looks far too sturdy for him. His mind wavers for a moment, and Shoto takes advantage of that.

Instead, Shoto swings his arm and roughly brushes his dark fingers against the Flowing Spear. Part of it cracks and he sends dust flying in Yokumaru's eyes, allowing Shoto to down him.

"Ninja Art Aviary: Peacock"

A young male peacock materializes and runs toward Shoto. It's nowhere near as colourful or big as an adult, but she's still far off from getting a larger one. Its tail is also a dull colour and much shorter, but it still takes up much of Shoto's field of vision when it spreads it. He tries to shove to the side, but it's vicious and intent on getting right up in his face.

Before he can deal with it, Kotori comes running at him from the side of the peacock.

"Too rash." He takes a stance, ready to face her.

When he tries to hit, though, his hand goes right through and her form disappears. Clone. Another 2 Kotoris come at him- one from the other side of the peacock, and one jumping above it.

Unable to discern which one is real in time, he tries to counter both of them at once but they both disappear. The real Kotori reveals herself to be just behind the Clone that came from the side. Shoto tries to punch at her, but she immediately fires 2 Feather Kunai and they strike right into his fist.

Shoto cries out in pain. His Earth Spear is effective, but it's still not at the level it can be and the Feather Kunai were enough to pierce through his skin and draw blood.

At this point, Naruto and Hinata intervene.

"Shoto, I'm so sorry..." Kotori panics around him as he gets the feathers unstuck from his fist.

"It's fine." He grunts in pain. It's not really fine, but he'll live.

Naruto helps Yokumaru get off his butt.

Hinata takes out a med kit and begins treating their wounds- applying ointment, wrapping it in a bandage. "It's nothing serious. It should heal in a day or so." She gives a warm smile that reminds Shoto of his own mother.

He looks away shyly and mutters. "Thanks."

Yokumaru rubs his shoulder. "I guess we can't exactly beat you taijutsu."

Shoto raises his wrapped fist. "Sure you can." He clenches it. "But I'll make sure this won't happen again." His face becomes… odd after that. His cheeks are puffed and he's breathing through his nose.

"Good!" Kotori chimes in. "Cause we'll be trying something different next time." Kotori leans in closer to him, seeing his changed expression. "... It hurt when you closed your fist?"

He gives a pained nod. "It did. It really did."

Naruto ruffles their heads and laughs. "Alright, let's get back… well, home, I guess."

They return the same way they left- by Flickering up the stone structures and into their apartment. Naruto and Hinata leave them alone for a bit to go shopping. They only need dinner for now, and maybe some non-perishables, since they're all going away tomorrow and won't really be around for a few days.

When they get back, Hinata cooks a meal with the help of Kotori. Naruto, bless his heart, tried to help but maybe that'll require some separate training on its own. They sit down and share a proper meal for the first time, all five of them.

They talk and they laugh, and for some, this truly feels like home.

First thing in the morning, the group meets up with Akatsuchi at the village's main road, prepared to head out with all their essentials packed.

When Naruto and Hinata first met Kotori, she had no training in the ninja arts and she had to be carried if they were to reach their destination in time, but now? They're all able to hold their own fairly well. They're obviously still not at the speeds they can be and progress is still slow, but Kotori, Yokumaru, and Shoto do a good job keeping up and they push through their exhaustion and break their limits. In its own way, this is better training than the spars and lessons they do.

It took them 2 days to reach this mysterious temple.

Looking at it from afar, it could easily be confused as another mountain or hilltop but approaching it makes it clear that it's artificial. It's an odd shape, with many geometrical parts dotted over it, and many caves that lead inside.

Akatsuchi has been taking the lead so far and he's the first to recognize it. "Welcome to the Temple of the Stone's Song."

Hinata looks it over. "Stone's Song?"

Their guide nods. "Yep. We don't really know the full details, but it seems like it's an extremely intricate tunnel system. It's quiet now, but when the wind picks up and passes through the caves, it howls and whistles like a song. It's kind of beautiful but also kind of eerie. People of the past thought it to be haunted."

Naruto tenses up. "H-haunted? It's… not really, right?"

Kotori grabs onto Naruto's shirt. "T-that's just a story, right?"

Shoto looks between the two of them. "Don't tell me, you two…"

Akatsuchi waves dismissively and continues to the entrance. "It's just superstition. We know better now."

Naruto pats Kotori on the head. "See? Nothing to worry about."

"I wasn't worried at all! I just thought it might be some very old complex jutsu!"

Hinata giggles and ushers them all along. Coming right up to the entrance, Akatsuchi presses his hand against the open pathway but meets resistance from seemingly nothing.

"That's how every path is. We've tried everything, and not even Lord Tsuchikage's Dust Style can break it."

Naruto whistles. "That's pretty strong. I saw what he can do in a fight."

Hinata activates her Byakugan to scan the area, but quickly deactivates it and shakes her head. "I can't see anything inside, either. It completely blocks my vision."

The kids tilt their heads back to look at the very tall structure. "It's so big…"

"Uhhh, guys?" Everyone snaps their heads to Naruto, only to see him standing inside, where Akatsuchi was just unable to pass. "I got in."

"WHAT?" Akatsuchi hurries over and tries to pass but is met by the same resistance. "How did you get in?"

"I don't know! I just walked and entered, like normal." Naruto steps out and back to demonstrate.

Hinata approaches. "Lord Tsuchikage said this was possibly built by the Uzumaki. Could it be that a powerful seal was placed to only allow Uzumaki to enter?"

"That's… possible. It's one thing we've never really tried, as we don't have any Uzumaki that we know of."

"Umm…" Yokumaru's voice breaks the conversation. Akatsuchi and Hinata turn to where his voice is coming from- inside, right next to Naruto, along with Kotori and Shoto. "We got in, too."

Akatsuchi scratches his head. "There goes that theory."

Seeing as the others had luck, Hinata steps forward and enters just fine. She turns around to their guide. "It… seems like only you're not allowed to enter."

"Maybe if you guys are allowed to enter, you can pull me in?" Akatsuchi presses himself against the invisible wall that exists only for him.

Naruto and Hinata reach out to try and pull him inside, but it's no use. Their hands and arms can pass just fine to grab the Stone ninja but when it comes to trying to get him inside- nothing. Naruto keeps on pulling, squishing the other shinobi against the air.

Akatsuchi taps out and is let go, finally able to catch his breath. His cheeks are a little reddened from where they were pressed. He sighs. "Alright, I guess it's up to you two. Figure out this place's purpose if you can. I'll wait out here and be on the lookout for any changes to the structure."

Akatsuchi taps at his walkie-talkie and checks that it's still working. "Testing, testing."

Naruto and Hinata's react. Hinata responds on her own radio. "It seems like they still work beyond the barrier."

Naruto looks around further down the corridor. "They didn't have radios back then, right? Guess they couldn't protect against the future."

"No, I guess not. Stay in touch, you two."

They nod and head on further inside. Hinata activates her Byakugan once again and this time, she can see just fine. The tunnels truly are complex and many of them twist and bend and don't actually go anywhere. It takes her a bit of time to make a mental map of the place and scan every area.

Thankfully, it doesn't look trapped in any way, so they're perfectly safe. The structure itself is stable enough, so there's not a whole lot to worry about there. The main, and only, thing of note is a room in the middle, drenched in sealing formulae. The team reaches the room safely thanks to Hinata's guidance and look around. The formulae are vast and numerous, covering basically the entire wall and floor with markings.

Hinata furrows her brow. "I don't recognize any of these seals or what they're for. They've chakra flowing through them, though, so whatever they do, they can be activated."

Naruto, not really familiar with seals, tries to test something. He sits down to meditate and after a few moments, enters Sage Mode. He opens his eyes and scans the room. "Whatever they are, they're infused with natural energy, too. They're not ordinary seals."

The kids are in completely uncharted territory for them. Kotori sticks with her mom. "So what should we do? Why were we even allowed to enter?"

"I don't know, honey. But for now, we should at least take note of the seals. Ah." She activates her radio. "Akatsuchi?"

"I hear you." A distorted voice comes from the machine.

"There's only one main room, full of sealing formulae. We don't know for what purpose but we'll write them down. It may take a while."

"Take as much time as needed. You're the first people to enter, since the incident with the Hidden Leaf."

She deactivates the radio and brings out her scrolls, ready to begin. This really will take a while.

Naruto's not the most eager to write, especially when it's this much, but there's little else they can do. As he sets up his backpack, a voice echoes in his mind.

"Naruto. Let me out. This… I think I know what this is."

"What?" Naruto turns around in his mindscape to take a look at Kurama. "For real? What is it then?"

"I can't say for certain. Let me out so I can take a closer room. I can't focus like this." Something about Kurama's voice is different. If Naruto didn't know any better, he'd say the Fox' voice is trembling and nervous. But that can't be true, right?

Naruto creates a Shadow Clone of himself that bears some differences. His facial markings are more pronounced, his eyes are red, and his nails much sharper and longer.

"Uhh, Naruto-shisho?" Shoto, and Yokumaru beside him, are a bit taken aback by the change in their teacher.

Kurama turns around, eyeing the boys. "Not quite."

The real Naruto smiles reassuringly. "It's alright. That's...a friend. I guess I'll have to properly explain what that's all about, huh? But for now, you have nothing to worry about, alright?"

They both nod. "Alright."

Naruto pats them on the shoulders and goes to meet up with Kurama.

Hinata, seeing that the Nine-Tailed Fox is out, approaches them. "Do you know something, Kurama?"

The Fox runs his fingers across the seals on the wall. "I might." With furrowed brows he examines them and then moves on to the next ones. He steps back and gets a closer look of the room. The more he looks at it, the more his face becomes… panicked and worried. "It's a song."

"A… song?" Naruto crosses his arms and looks around. He doesn't see it. "I mean, I guess that makes sense, Akatsuchi said this place is called the Stone's Song, right?"

"You recognize it, Kurama?" As Hinata approaches Kurama, she spots a single tear running down his cheek, before he turns away from her to wipe it away. She didn't even know the Nine-Tails could cry, or why he would in this situation.

Kurama kneels down in the centre of the room and mumbles to himself. "This… can't be you, can it? Tamamo…" Kurama begins humming a melody. As he does, the seals light up in order, going along with his signing. It's a soft, calming melody and the formulae hum along with him as they light up, creating an orchestra.

"Ey, Kurama, this is safe, right?" Naruto brings everyone closer together, making sure they don't lose each other.

Kurama doesn't respond and keeps humming. The seals grow louder and brighter as he continues the song until eventually it becomes deafening and blinding. Everyone calls out to each other and make sure they're in as much contact as they can be.

When the sound and light dies down, they open their eyes and find themselves on a road. Naruto and Hinata's first instinct is to make sure the kids are okay. No one seems harmed.

"Where… are we?" Naruto turns around to see the giant gates of the Hidden Leaf right in front of them. "What? We got back home?"

"Was it a teleportation formula, like the Fourth Hokage's?"

In his mindscape, Nartuo turns to Kurama, ready to scold his teammate. "A little warning woulda been-" he stops when he gets a better look at the Fox. He looks dejected and the fur around his eyes seems… wet. "Kurama?"

Kurama lies down and looks away. "It's nothing. I'm sorry. I acted without thinking."

"It's weird hearing you apologize, but it ain't nothing, right? Who's Tamamo?"

Kurama huffs and his claws scratch against the floor. "Look, we can talk about it later. I don't want to-" He lifts his head. "Wait, can you feel that?"

"That's not a good way to change the subject, y'know!" Naruto protests.

"No, actually feel it. It's my chakra! Coming from inside the village."

Naruto looks inside and as Kurama pointed out, it's there. "But… how? Hinata." Naruto turns around. "Something's wrong. I can feel Kurama's chakra inside."

Hinata places a hand on her boyfriend's arm. "There's something else wrong." She noticed it from the beginning but couldn't exactly place it. It all looks vaguely similar to the Hidden Leaf, but at the same time, it didn't. Minor details that seemed off and now she finally sees what's wrong. "Look." She points to the cliffside that overlooks the village.

There's only one face on the Hokage monument.