HIDDEN DREAM II - FAMILIAL BONDS
With the Hidden Dream Village partially in ruins, everyone was scurrying about in a panicked state over the loss of their leaders.
Enzo Tenrō's decisiveness got everyone under control. With him in charge of protecting the survivors and the injured and Mōkin in charge of scouting the woods for the Nine Tails' jinchuriki or any other attackers, the village is secure.
Unfortunately for Enzo, he doesn't know how misplaced his trust is.
Mōkin has set up a rotation of skilled shinobi primarily from the Amagiri clan, what would be the equivalent of other villages' ANBU. Their stealthed movements would normally be indecipherable as they stick to the shadows and keep their patterns seemingly random.
However, a trained eye can decipher their movements. Someone who'd spent years in hiding from ANBU and trained assassins can read them like a book.
Yaizu didn't have a reason to suspect foul play on anyone's part, but living on the very edge of town means that he catches the occasional glimpse of Mōkin's groups leaving and entering the village. They're trained well enough and do their jobs well, but Yaizu is better.
For him it starts off as just a gut feeling that led to him making note of when they leave, how many leave, and for how long.
'It's weird…' Yaizu muses, doing his best not to alert Mōkin's people that he's well aware of their presence. 'These rotations don't sit well with me. They're too short to be tracking the attacker and they're hardly enough to act as a defence…'
Years of experience mean that he's gotten to know many special task forces over the years. He knows how they act in a given situation and these shinobi aren't acting appropriately.
He walks back into his tiny abode to give the appearance of a man going home to rest. However, once he knows there're no prying eyes, he Flickers out the window and into the forest.
-x-
Naruto breathes in the fresh air and exhales deeply.
Despite the forest in front of them having a somewhat gloomy appearance, what with being covered in fog, there's still a certain freshness to it that's difficult to deny. The air just hits different here compared to back home.
"So this is the forest?" Shoto asks. "Doesn't look like much."
"Well, it's a genjutsu-inducing forest. Most genjutsu are meant to look unassuming so you'd fall for it."
"True enough."
Yokumaru eyes the forest with suspicion. "Are we actually going to be okay here?"
"Sure we are." Naruto grins. "Mission scroll gave us exact instructions where to wait for our escort; we're safe here. Then someone will safely guide us through it."
"So we're like on the edge?" Kotori waves her hands in front of her with great speed, her efforts to blow the fog away proving unsuccessful. "If we take one step closer, we'll fall under a genjutsu?"
"Well it's not that severe." Naruto's voice breaks into the beginning of a laugh until he realizes he's not actually certain. "... It isn't, right?"
"You tell us, dad." Kotori cocks her head.
"Eh, I'm sure it'll be fine." He waves it off. "Scroll says we're safe from the genjutsu, so we're good. Also, we're on official business here, so call me 'sensei'."
Team Nine make themselves comfortable at their designated spot, waiting for whoever is meant to escort them to the Hidden Dream. Naruto sits down on a rock and looks into the forest, looking for any signs of movement, while the kids entertain themselves as best they can. Shoto kneels on the grass to meditate, while Kotori and Yokumaru calmly throw a kunai between each other in the absence of something more normal like a ball.
"I wonder what the people here are like?" Kotori muses as she passes the kunai to Yokumaru. "I hope we can be friends."
"I hope so, too." Yokumaru catches the kunai by its hook and throws it back with a bit of a flourish. "They must want to be if they called us?"
"Yeah, exactly! They'll be friendly and we'll become pals real quick." Kotori flashes a grin.
"Or they could be hardasses who don't like anyone." Shoto chimes in from his meditation spot.
"In that case, you'll get along great." Kotori chuckles.
Shoto slowly opens his eyes, taking her words into consideration. "You're right. We'll bond over how stubborn we are while ignoring and isolating you."
Kotori drops her kunai in shock, her mouth agape. "You wouldn't do that. Dad-sensei, tell him he can't do that!"
From his spot of looking into the forest, Naruto laughs, having been listening to their bickering. "Nah, I'm staying outta this one."
Kotori glares and puffs out her cheeks at an amused Shoto who returns to his meditation.
As they continue to wait for a few more minutes, a sudden tiredness hits all of them. The kids lie down on the ground barely able to keep their eyes open.
"Guess I was more tired than I thought." Yokumaru yawns. "Why're they taking so long…"
"Come on, now…" Naruto sighs and stands up to his feet. "We gotta make sure we're presentable, y'know? Can't have 'em… see us…" He drops to one knee. "Like this?"
"Dad?" Kotori tries to stand up but finds herself unable to. She falls to the ground and not even a second later, falls asleep along with Yokumaru and Shoto.
Naruto tries to focus his eyes on the kids but his dizziness makes that a difficult task. "This… isn't normal." The forms the hand sign to summon his [Shadow Clones]. "Is it… the forest?"
Before he can mold any of his chakra, he crumples to the ground, unconscious.
"Oi." A loud voice booms from within his mindscape. "What do you think you're doing getting caught by a genjutsu?" Kurama looms over Naruto's passed out body and lets out an exasperated sigh. "What a rookie mistake to not notice. Well, it's a good thing for you a jinchūriki isn't that easily held by such simple tricks."
As Kurama brings out a single claw in an attempt to jostle Naruto awake, he finds himself unable to find Naruto. Just as he's about to to disrupt Naruto's chakra and break him free of the illusion, a fog surrounds both of them and hides Naruto's body from sight.
"What?!" Kurama frantically searches for Naruto within the fog but is unable to find him, even though he knows exactly where he was just lying on the ground.
Kurama looks around in a mild panic, having never experienced something like this. For a free Tailed Beast to be unable to interact with their own host… Whatever's happening is beyond anything he's seen before.
When he looks up at the increasing fog, it morphs its appearance. It unnoticeable at first but as more fog gathers, it takes on some very clear characteristics. A quadrupedal form, long tail swishing behind its body. A canine snout inching closer to Kurama whose eyes widen at the realization of what this may be.
"No…" Kurama growls. "It can't be you… You should be locked away with the rest of them!" He swings his tails with as much power as he can to blow away the fog but it's persistent.
It remains in place with still no sight of Naruto.
Meanwhile, out in the real world, a single person approaches Team Nine. They step out of the forest and move toward the unconscious forms of the Leaf shinobi.
It hasn't been the greatest day for Mōkin. There was a plan and it was meant to be executed on time. Naruto Uzumaki was definitely meant to arrive yesterday, the reports said he was making good time on his travel, and yet he's nowhere to be seen.
It was supposed to go swimmingly and yet…
"Lord Mōkin." A member of the Amagiri clan Flickers behind him and kneels.
"I swear, if you tell me one more time you've not found him…" Mōkin hisses from beneath his tengu mask.
The woman stammers and looks away.
Mōkin slams his fists on the table. "Don't come to me unless you have any actual news. We need the jinchūriki here to continue our plans, but if he's nowhere to be seen, that gives time for emotions to cool. Thinking isn't Enzo Tenrō's strong suit but given the time, even he might start doing it."
"We, um, did find out the reason for his absence." She says while looking at the ground, fearful of meeting Mōkin's gaze. Or him meeting hers, since she wouldn't be able to see him from that damn mask. "There was a heavy thunderstorm during the last leg of his journey. That was… after you recalled our men."
Mōkin takes a step forward, stomping his foot on the ground with his wooden geta shoes. "Are you saying this is my fault?" He hisses
"No!" She rushes to defend herself. "Not at all, sir. Merely… giving a timeline of the events."
Mōkin clicks his tongue. "Forget it. I'll head out myself to look for him."
He heads out the door and makes a sharp turn, but doesn't get that far before he hears the familiar voice of Enzo.
"Mōkin." Enzo walks up to him. "Have you received any news?"
Mōkin sighs to himself, disgruntled at the continued interruptions. "No, sir." He turns around to greet Enzo. "No sign of the jinchūriki, but our scouts are prepared for further attacks."
"Good. We'll not be made fools of a second time."
"No, we will not."
"Will you walk with me, Mōkin? I'd like your opinion on something. With the Amagiri and Hirasaka clans still reeling from their loss, we're the only ones remaining to ensure our village doesn't fall."
'Damnit, more interruptions.' Mōkin feels like hitting something, or someone, in his frustration but can't afford to right now. "Of course. Lead the way."
"Honestly, I also worry for poor Taisa and Yomito." Enzo admits. "The boys have had a rough couple of days and I don't think they're coping well."
"It's understandable, given everything that happened. To lose their fathers so suddenly at the hands of the treacherous Shinobi Union. They received a harsh lesson that they did not deserve."
"Ryuka says they've been pulling away and becoming distant. I worry they might do something rash, such as try and take matters into their own hands." Enzo sighs. "I know you have a lot on your plate already, but…"
Mōkin nods. "I'll have my people keep an eye out for them. In case they wander off."
"Thank you." Enzo clasps him on the shoulder. "I'm glad to still have you, Mōkin."
And I, you, Enzo. You don't know how valuable your presence is." Mōkin says with a hidden sneer, mocking the man without his knowledge.
In Hokage's office, it's business as usual. A calm day of paperwork, of sun blaring through the overly large windows, of the sounds of merriment as people walk past the Hokage's Tower to go about their days.
It's moments like this that make the Sixth Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, happy to be alive as he looks out the windows.
"Lord Sixth." Shikamaru enters the office. "The guests are here."
Naruto winces and swerves around in his chair. "I told you there's no need to be that formal, Shikamaru. Least of all when it's just us."
"That won't do. You're the Hokage; I can't treat you as anything less." Shikamaru gives a teasing wink. "Come on, they're waiting for us."
Naruto sighs and pushes himself off his chair. "If I'm the Hokage, shouldn't you respect my wishes or something?"
"That's not quite how it works." Shikamaru laughs.
As the two leave the room, Naruto creates five [Shadow Clones] to stay behind and tend to the unfinished work. As they walk along the corridor, he can't help but feels like something's off.
'-uto…'
It's almost like he can hear someone very distant calling out to him. He instinctively turns around but there's clearly no one there.
Shikamaru raises a brow at the sudden stop. "Something wrong?"
Naruto furrows his brow, thinking that maybe if he stares long enough, he'll be able to see whoever's calling his name. "Nah, it's nothing."
Only slightly concerned, they make their way to a meeting room, where two people are already seated.
Gaara and Sasuke turn and greet him with a smile.
"Lord Hokage." Gaara stands up. "It's good to see you again."
"Lord Kazekage." Naruto chuckles. "It's been too long, brother." He walks up to him and wraps him in a tight hug.
Gaara awkwardly returns with a light laugh.
"I'll leave you to it, then." Shikamaru moves to head back out.
"Ey, where you goin'?" Naruto lets go of Gaara to Shikamaru. "You're part of this, too, so sit down. You could use the break."
Shikamaru takes a moment to consider it, stroking his chin. "Maybe I could…"
"That's the spirit!"
The four of them sit around the table, cups of sake filled and plates filled with dried squid for a light snack.
"Your kids," Gaara looks at the three of them, "They've already become Genin, have they not? How are they faring?"
"It's becoming more of a drag." Shikamaru sighs. "Shikasa takes more after Temari with every passing day."
Sasuke laughs. "I could say the same with Kamae. She has the Sharingan but in almost every other way she's like Sakura."
"From the reports, that seems like a powerful combination." Shikamaru notes.
"That's true."
"What of Hiroto?" Gaara then turns to Naruto.
"Hiroto is-" Naruto winces in pain.
'-ruto…'
"Naruto?" Sasuke places a hand on his shoulder, concerned for his friend.
"What's wrong?" Gaara asks.
"I don't know." Naruto rubs his temple. "Something's just… kinda off."
'-RUTO!'
He crumbles to the ground, crying and convulsing in pain.
"Naruto?" Gaara pushes his chair back and kneels down to check on him.
"Are you okay, Naruto?" Shikamaru looks him over.
Sasuke tries to get him still so he doesn't hurt himself. "Naruto?"
"NARUTO!" Kurama's voice finally breaks through.
Naruto takes in a sharp breath and when he comes to, he finds himself in a light place, surrounded by nine torii gates. Under the gate marked with 一, Shukaku looms over him, under the gate marked with 四, Son Goku is leaning down as close to the ground as he can get while propping himself on his knuckles, and under the gate marked with 十, Kurama gives an exasperated sigh.
"Finally." Kurama sits on the ground. "Took you long enough to wake up.'
"Welcome back." Son straightens himself.
"Wha…" Naruto looks between the three of them. "What's going on? Why're you two here?"
"You got yourself caught in a nasty genjutsu." Shukaku explains. "Lucky for you, your pet learned how to swallow his pride and asked for help."
"I didn't ask anything from you, you damn tanuki. And I'm no one's pet, you got that?!"
"You mean the genjutsu from the forest?" Naruto rubs his head and gets up to his feet. "If I was caught in it, why didn't you just disturb my chakra to get me out?"
"You think I didn't try that?" Kurama growls. "Look, I'll explain it to you later, you got things in the real world you gotta deal with first."
"... Right…" Naruto still looks at them with confusion.
"You need us to come?" Son asks. "In case things go south."
Kurama shakes his head. "I don't think that'll be needed. I still don't know if that thing actually is around or not. If it is, I'll call you."
"Swallowing your pride twice in a day? How rare." Shukaku laughs.
"I sure hope you're good at explaining." Naruto shakes his head. "What about the kids? What happened to them?"
"You'll see in a second."
Ending their conversation, the three Tailed Beasts knock Naruto out of their shared consciousness. He jostles awake on the cold ground of a dark and damp place.
-x-
As soon as the Academy bell rings, Yokumaru just tosses all his belongings in his backpack and makes a run for it.
"Hey, where're you going?" Kotori calls out to him.
Yokumaru stops at the door and proceeds to run in place, "Sorry, guys, we'll train later, okay?" Before zooming out.
With the eagerness of a puppy and the dexterity of a cat, he takes to the rooftops for maximum efficiency. Deftly jumping over the streets of the Hidden Leaf, he makes it back home in record time.
The two joined houses, much bigger than the simple shack they used to live in. He walks in through the unlocked front door and heads straight for the living room where from the back of the couch he sees two familiar heads of hair- the long silver hair of his mother Yoi and the short blue hair of his father Kū.
"Hey, champ." Kū turns around to greet his son.
Yokumaru grins and jumps over the couch to sit right next to them. "Hey, dad, mom."
Yoi chuckles at his display. "What have we said about jumping the couch, Yoku?"
"Sorry, mom." He rubs the back of his neck.
"Ah, it's alright!" Kū ruffles his hair and pulls him into a hug. "It's good to be energetic. How about we practice some Crystal Style after this?"
"Sure!" Yokumaru snuggles close.
"You're too soft on him, you know." Yoi reprimands her husband but her laugh betrays her tone. She snuggles with Kū and Yokumaru.
"That's because I love you both so much." Kū grins.
"Love you, too, dad."
At this point, the front door creaks open. It's not exactly an usual sound, as Guren and her family often drop by to visit; make it a family event.
"Yoi, I'm home." The older male voice that calls out is very much not Guren's, or Gozu's or Yukimaru's.
Teuchi walks into the room with an unassuming and cheerful demeanor, whistling a tune. When he spots Kū sitting on the couch, he drops the bag of groceries he's holding.
"Who… are you?" Teuchi furrows his brow.
"Who am I?" Kū stands up from the couch, pulling himself away from Yokumaru and Yoi. "Who are you?"
They both inch closer to each other, taking slow and calculated steps.
"Dad, no." Yokumaru clings to his father's arm. "This is Teuchi. He's… uh, he's…"
"He's what, Yoku?" Kū glares down. "What is he?"
Yokumaru frantically looks between the two of them, his breathing becoming shallower and his eyes getting foggier.
"Yokumaru," Teuchi turns to him, "Tell this man he needs to leave. He doesn't belong here."
"No! He does! He's… he's my dad."
"That's right!" Kū growls. "You leave."
"No!" Yokumaru shouts. "It's… you're…" He takes a step back. "Mom?"
Yoi remains unmoving on the couch, staring into the wall with a completely empty expression.
"Yoku." Kū steps toward him.
"Yokumaru." Teuchi steps toward him.
They both demand in unison. "Tell him he needs to leave."
"NO!" He screams at the top of his lungs, louder than he's ever screamed before, more afraid than he's ever been before.
He takes another step back and his leg catches on the carpet causing him to fall on his back as he screams in a panic. He jostles awake from the impact, on the cold ground of a dark and damp place.
-x-
Sitting cross-legged in the middle of a field, Kotori meditates. She has her hands in a 'Bird' hand sign, moulding her chakra to the point where it's creating a visible lair over her body.
Without making any additional movements, the area around her is filled with large black feathers which join to form a whole flock of condors, each of them as large as a horse.
They fly up to join hundreds of other overly large birds, ranging from sparrows to parrots to hawks. Each of them part of a large flock and practically blanketing the sky above her to block the sun from fully shining.
"That's amazing, Kotori." Naruto walks up to her as he claps.
She turns around with a wide grin. "Isn't it?" She floats up in the air from her sitting position. "I've already mastered it all!"
Hinata smiles warmly and extends her hands to Kotori. "Yes, you have. We're so proud of you."
Kotori flies toward Hinata and hugs her tightly. "It's all thanks to you."
"It's all thanks to how strong you've become." Hinata brushes her hair as they embrace.
"And we have a special surprise for you." Naruto leans forward with a grin.
"You do?" Kotori gasps in surprise.
"Mhm. Come with us."
Naruto begins walking away, motioning for them to follow. Hinata and Kotori go hand-in-hand with Kotori still flying through the air. As they catch up, Kotori takes Naruto's other hand.
He doesn't lead her too far away, just a short walk through the nearby forest which leads to a different clearing. There, she sees two unknown to her figures, a man and a woman, but she's most shocked to see a figure that is known to her- the woman who raised Kotori along with the rest of the kids at the Kusatsu Orphanage.
"Ms Shina!" Kotori flies up to her in a rush and wraps her in a big hug. "What are you doing here?"
"Why, I'm here for your surprise, of course!" Shina says with a laugh. "Kotori." She pulls away from the hug and motions to the people standing next to her. "Meet your parents."
"My… parents?" Kotori furrows her brow.
"That's right." The man steps forward. "We've been looking for you for a long time, Kotori. And now we can be a family again."
"But…" She frantically looks back to Naruto and Hinata who are gradually stepping back. "I… I already… have a family."
"Don't be silly, dear." The woman walks up to her. "You're a Hōyoku."
Kotori floats back. "But… no, I'm… I'm an Uzumaki."
"You don't have to be any longer." Naruto says. "You can be with your real family now." He walks away with Hinata.
"But if you don't want us, then…" The man and woman turn around and walk away, as well.
"No, wait…" Kotori looks between the two couples, each getting smaller as they walk into the distance and leave her behind. "No, please don't leave."
She floats toward her birth parents but a nagging at the back of head tells her to go the other way. In a panic, she turns around and begins floating to her adoptive parents. She goes back and forth, tears rolling down her eyes, until she finally breaks and falls to the ground.
She jostles awake on the cold ground of a dark and damp place.
-x-
Shoto looks around at the packed arena, everyone cheering and yelling at the top of their lungs in anticipation for the bout to come.
He takes a deep breath, taking the time to admire the overwhelming atmosphere. After a moment of silent contemplation, he takes his battle stance, prepared to face his foe.
Jiriki slowly walks out in the arena to take his position opposite of Shoto.
Once the audience calms their cheering, the two lunge at each other and exchange vicious blows. Shoto's skin gradually turns dark brown, hardening under the effect of his [Earth Spear]. His strikes become stronger with the enhancement while Jiriki's become weaker from injuring himself on Shoto's stone-like skin.
Even when Jiriki tries to pierce through with [64 Palms], there's no reaction. Shoto's fierce assault continues uninterrupted, his chakra points untouched due to the protection of his Earth Style.
The fight continues in Shoto's favour as he pushes Jiriki back further and further, forcing him to go on the defensive. Unfortunately for him, there's little he can do to defend against Shoto.
With one final solid punch, Jiriki falls to the ground.
Shoto is declared the winner and the crowd once again explodes with a standing ovation.
As Jiriki is carried out by the medical team, a wave of people descend into the arena to congratulate him.
With Itosuke and Asami at the front, almost the entirety of the Teshin clan join him; all of his cousins, uncles, and aunts beaming from joy.
"Congratulations, Shoto." Itosuke clasps his shoulder. "You've brought great honour to the clan."
The clan head, Sokon, and his son, Nabe, step forward and bow deeply. "The Teshin clan owes you a great debt. No longer will we be known as the clan who quit. From this day forth, we're shinobi once more."
Every member of the clan bows to Shoto.
"Thank you." Shoto bows to them in return.
From the stands, more specifically the Kages' box, the elderly Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki gently floats to him.
"You've demonstrated great ability, young Shoto. Far greater than anything I ever expected." He solemnly lowers his head. "When the Teshin clan fell, I stood by and did nothing. I tried to analyze what happened from all sides, a habit that earned me the nickname Fence-Sitter. However!" Ōnoki raises his voice. "I see where I've erred and how I've wronged your legacy. Please, Lord Teshin, forgive this old fool." He bows, as well.
"Your apology is accepted, Lord Third. In a way, I owe you my gratitude. It's because of where I am right now that I was able to rise to heights that may have been otherwise unachievable." Shoto looks to the stands, finding where his sensei, Naruto and Hinata, are, both looking down to him with proud smiles.
Shoto nods to the Tsuchikage and the Teshin clan, and takes his leave from the arena. The cheers intensify once more, particularly on the side where he's headed. There, by the opening, Kotori and Yokumaru wait for him.
"You were awesome, Shoto!" Kotori beams.
"Yeah!" Yokumaru gives a bright smile. "You really showed them what you're made of."
Shoto stifles a chuckle. "I just did what I had to. Nothing more, nothing less." He pats them both on the back and leads them further inside, away from prying eyes.
As he does, however, he feels a sharp pain in the back of his head. He reaches over to apply pressure and find the source of it but doesn't manage to. 'Is it from Jiriki's strikes? Well, whatever.'
Another sharp strike of pain.
He falls to his knees.
"Shoto?" Kotori kneels down to check up on him.
"Were you hurt?" Yokumaru activates his [Mystical Palm] to tend to his injuries.
Shoto groans. "I don't know. It just hit me all of a sudden."
Another sharp strike.
Shoto curls up in a ball, unable to endure the head splitting pain he's feeling. When he opens his eyes, he finds himself on the cold floor of a dark and damp place.
-x-
Completely and utterly confused, Shoto looks around at his surroundings, or as much of them as he can make out. For some reason he's now in a cave of some kind, with an old man he's never seen before kneeling next to him, dressed in shabby robes and his face covered in an unkept beard, and Naruto stood right behind him. Kotori and Yokumaru are sitting a bit to the side, with their backs against the cave wall and hugging their knees.
The sound of rumbling echoes through their little cave.
"Are you okay?" Naruto leans down and places a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"I… I think so? What just happened? Was I asleep?" He slowly straightens himself up to sit.
Naruto rubs his back. "Take it easy, Shoto."
"In a way, you were." The old man answers. "You got caught in a powerful genjutsu. It took me a while to wake you all up. You in particular."
"Sorry, who're you?" Shoto asks.
"My name's Yaizu and I'm from the Hidden Dream Village." Yaizu introduces himself.
"So," Naruto crosses his arms, "You said you'd wait until we're all awake to answer our questions. I really hope they're good answers."
"I think we could all use some good answers." Yaizu sighs and gets up to relocate himself to a nearby rock to serve as a chair. "It's been a rough few days."
Shoto musters up the strength to stand up and walk over to Kotori and Yokumaru. "You two okay?" He asks with concern.
"Yeah." Kotori answers in a quiet voice, while Yokumaru just nods.
Entirely unconvinced, Shoto decides not to probe any further and just sits down with them while the old man explains.
"Yesterday, our village was attacked. By you." Yaizu decided not to beat around the bush.
"...What?" Naruto furrows his brow. "That's impossible, we only just got here."
"And even if we hadn't, Naruto-shisho would never do that!" Shoto comes to his defence. "We're here for peaceful negotiations."
"I know that now," Yaizu nods, "But I know what I saw. What we all saw. It was you, clear as day, standing in the middle of the village when you turned into the Nine Tails and destroyed half the village, killing our leader Lord Gensui."
"That's…" Naruto grips his pants. "There's no way. There's gotta be some mix up!"
"More like a set up, I suspect." Yaizu says. "I had my suspicions but they're mostly all confirmed now." He reaches over to the ground where all their items had been collected and picks up a scroll from the batch. "I read through your mission report. The fact that you were specifically requested when we were told we don't know who'd be arriving, the fact that you were delayed by a day…"
"Yeah, we ran into a big storm yesterday and had to take shelter." Naruto explains. "We were supposed to get here yesterday."
A thunderous boom can be heard outside, warning them that their meetings with storms have not come to an end.
"Also the fact you were told to stand at a dangerous spot. The genjutsu there isn't as strong as in the forest itself. It took a bit of time for you to fall to it, right?"
"Yeah." Naruto confirms. "We were there for a few minutes and then it just kinda… hit us. So that's what happened, we were standing in the wrong spot?"
"Precisely."
"So why did you help?" Naruto asks the burning question. "If you were under the belief that I attacked your village, why didn't you just deal with me then and there?"
"Let's just say I… had my reasons to believe you were innocent." Yaizu decides to keep some information to himself. "There were odd search patterns after the attack. It felt like our shinobi were ordered not to track someone but to wait for someone. Odd tactic if you're supposedly chasing after the person who attacked your village. So I decided to do some snooping of my own and found you by the edge of the forest."
"You're saying this is an inside job? Someone from your own village faked an attack and wanted to pin it on me?"
"That's what I now firmly believe, yes. The question now being 'Why?'."
"Naruto." Kurama calls out from their shared mindscape. "Let me talk to him for a second."
"Uh, sure?" Naruto says out loud which Yaizu raises a brow at.
Naruto forms his signature hand sign.
[Shadow Clone]
A single other Naruto appears in a puff of smoke, dissimilar only in his red eyes and more prominent whisker marks.
"Hey, kid." Kurama addresses the obviously-not-a-kid. "What do you know about this genjutsu fog?"
Yaizu remains stunned for a moment at the shift in personality. "Haven't been called a kid in a long while now." He cocks his head. "Are you…"
"The Nine Tailed Demon Fox, yeah. Rage incarnate, bringer of doom. Don't care about introductions. What's the fog's source of power?"
"Kurama?" Naruto raises a brow.
"I don't really know, myself. Far as I know, the genjutsu fog is just… present and has been for hundreds of years. I've never heard of it having any particular source."
Kurama growls at the lack of information.
"Why're you asking, Kurama?" Naruto asks.
"When you were caught in it and I couldn't snap you out right away? I felt a familiar presence, a particular chakra mixed in with the fog. This is the power of a Great Beast."
"A… A Great Beast, here? You're saying there's one right here, after they've been silent for 5 years?"
"Although if what this kid's saying is true,"
"Still not a kid, though." Yaizu mumbles.
"Then this one must've been here for a long time to feed its chakra to create this fog. One that slipped by Tamamo and wasn't sealed in the Rashomon gates." Kurama dismisses the Shadow Clone he's inhabiting, returning his consciousness to Naruto's seal.
Yaizu shrugs. "I don't know anything of what you've been saying. Just know that this fog puts you under an extremely powerful genjutsu that makes you live out your biggest dream, which is why the village is called the Hidden Dream."
"Just like the Infinite Tsukuyomi?" Naruto muses.
"That's…" Kotori looks up from her curled up position. "That's like what happened a while ago. When the trees came up from the ground. We all had these pleasant dreams, but this one… wasn't."
"Yeah." Yokumaru nods. "This was different from back then."
"Then you must've experienced some kind of paradox." Yaizu notes. "When your brain realizes that what you want and what you have can't coexist, the dream becomes a nightmare. On one hand, it's enough of a shock to your system that you could die but on the other hand, it made you two easy to wake up. Seeing as your subconsciousness doesn't want to stay there."
"But you said Shoto was more difficult to wake up?" Naruto asks.
"That just means he was living out a normal dream."
"I was kicking Jiriki's ass." Shoto says.
Kotori chuckles lightly despite her lousy mood. "Sounds about right."
"I'm assuming this Jiriki deserves it." Yaizu laughs.
"I dreamt… about dad coming back." Yokumaru tries to curl up even more into a ball. "I dreamt the same thing back then, too, but… back then I didn't have Teuchi. It was so scary, I didn't know what to do." He squeaks out through a strained voice. "I'm so awful."
"Hey, it's alright." Naruto walks over to him and brushes his hair in comfort. "It's natural to want your dad back, no matter how much time's passed or what's changed. It doesn't make you awful for loving him."
"But mom now has Teuchi. I don't wanna replace either of them, but…"
Nauto pulls him into a tight hug. "It's alright. You're a good guy, Yoku. Someone awful wouldn't care this much, y'know? Just remember this was all a bad dream. Just keep loving your mom and you're golden. Okay?"
"Okay." He wipes his nose with his sleeve.
Shoto turns to Kotori. "What did you dream about?"
"I…" She averts her gaze. "I don't remember." She tries not to look at anyone as to not be caught in her lie.
"That happens sometimes." Yaizu comes in with a plausible excuse for her. "Sometimes our minds can't contain our dreams and nightmares, or doesn't want to."
Naruto reaches over and pats her on the head, while still hugging Yokumaru. "You feeling okay?"
"Yeah." Kotori nods. "Just a little tired."
"At any rate," Yaizu stands up, "I advise you leave. Tensions are pretty high right now in the village."
Without looking back, Naruto calmly speaks. "I can't do that. The people of the Hidden Dream believe they've been betrayed by the Union. If they strike back because of this misunderstanding, it's not going to end well."
"And what do you propose you do?" Yaizu asks.
"I'll go in and clear everything up."
"They'll kill you."
"They'll try." Naruto looks back to Yaizu from the corner of his eye. "And then I'll explain what happened."
"That stubbornness… You almost remind me of-" Yaizu chuckles as he shakes his head. "Never mind. Your name… It's Naruto Uzumaki, right? Of the Uzumaki clan."
"That's right. I'm… technically the leader of the Uzumaki clan." He lets go of Yokumaru to stand up and scratches his head. "Although Karin and Awaji are leading the clan while I'm on missions."
"The… clan?" Yaizu furrows his brow. "What do you mean? The Uzumaki are no more."
"Not anymore they're not. There's a whole bunch of us in the Hidden Leaf, those who've survived and come out of hiding. You don't get around much, do ya, old man?"
"I… I see. And no, I don't really get a lotta news over here." Yaizu relaxes his muscles. 'Even old man Awa…' He smiles to himself. "How'd your family find their way to the Leaf?"
"Oh, I was born in the Leaf, so I didn't really need to find my way. Although I didn't have a family growing up; my parents died when I was born."
"You were… born there?" Yaizu looks at him with confusion. 'That's impossible… Unless…' "Do you… know who your parents were?"
"Of course I do! The Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki."
Yaizu stares at him with his mouth agape. "You're their son? No, that can't be."
"You know about the Fourth, gramps?" Naruto chuckles. "Even though you don't get news here?"
Yaizu stiffly walks over and places both hands on Naruto's shoulders, looking like he'd seen a ghost.
Naruto's eyes dart around. "Um, everything okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah, no, everything's okay. You must've… been through a lot."
"I guess I have, yeah. But I don't really sweat the bad stuff, y'know?" Naruto grins. "I have a good life now and that's all that matters."
"That's a good way to look at things." Yaizu gives Naruto's shoulders a light squeeze before letting go and patting his arms absentmindedly.
"So what do we do now, shisho?" Shoto asks.
"You three will go back. I'll stick around and deal with this."
"What?!" Kotori jumps to her feet. "I'm not leaving you here, dad."
"That's exactly what you're doing." He kneels in front of her. "Listen, guys, we're talking about an entire village that thinks I attacked them and killed their leader. This is easily an A or even S-rank mission, that means it's way above anything you can handle. I'll have a Shadow Clone safely escort you out, but you have to promise me you'll stay away."
"So there's nothing we can do to help?" Kotori looks down at her feet.
"Not in this case, no." Naruto shakes his head. "I'm sorry."
"I know this might be much to ask of you, but if you'd trust them with me, I'll lead them out. I know the way, after all. But if you go further toward the village all on your own, you'll fall to the genjutsu again."
"Not a problem." Kurama huffs. "I now know what I'm dealing with, so I can snap you out of it."
"Kurama says the fog won't be a problem anymore. If you'd escort them out, I leave them in your hands. I'm sorry to put you in such a position."
"I should be the one apologizing. For… a lot of things. Thank you for trusting me." Yaizu bows his head.
"I like to think I'm a good judge of character. I know you're a good man, Yaizu." Naruto claps him on the shoulder. "Thank you for getting us out."
"We just have to be careful with scouting parties. They're getting agitated since you're so late to show up."
"I can probably help with that!" Kotori goes through the motions of her signature jutsu.
[Aviary: Sparrows]
Clumps of small brown feathers materialize around her, bonding together to form a flock of sparrows, the right more ginger colouration for the ones that live in this region. She's been doing her homework even while travelling.
"Birds?" Yaizu raises a brow. "That's an interesting jutsu."
"It gets even more interesting." Naruto smiles. "Alright, Kotori, send them away."
The sparrows fly out of the cave, scattering to all directions as Kotori sits back down to focus on scouting.
[Ninja Art: All-Encompassing Sight]
Her eyes shift to resemble her birds' as her eyesight shifts between each individual sparrow. She tries to focus her full attention on the task at hand, but something keeps interfering with her.
"It's kinda… hard to focus on them." Kotori winces.
"Is it the fog?" Shoto asks.
"The fog shouldn't be able to put them under a genjutsu since they're not living beings." Naruto surmises.
"Maybe not, but if they're held together through chakra, the fog can still disrupt it in its attempt to."
She grunts in frustration. "I lost some of them."
"That's fine." Naruto reassures her. "Do you see anyone?"
"Not in our immediate vicinity, no." Kotori answers. "I think we're safe if we go now."
"Alright, then let's not waste any time." Yaizu says. "I sure hope you know what you're doing." He addresses Naruto.
"As do I."
They quickly gather their belongings for departure, while Naruto writes a quick report on the situation.
Yaizu takes this time to walk to some particular spots in the cave and take off tags that had been perfectly camouflaged to match the cave.
"What're those?" Naruto can't help but ask.
"Barrier tags. They hid out presence and our chakra in case of any sensors looking for us." Yaizu explains. "Put them up when I dragged you here."
Naruto nods, impressed at his preparedness. When he finishes writing his report, he summons a toad to have it deliver the message to the Leaf, in case something happens to him.
"A toad?" Yaizu raises a brow. "Are you the Toad Sage's pupil?"
Naruto cocks his head. "Toad Sage? Oh, you mean Perv- I mean, Jiraiya. Yeah, he was my master. Taught me a lotta things. You know him, gramps?"
"Ah, uh, yeah, I know of him. He was pretty famous back in the day. You're… just full of surprises, Naruto Uzumaki."
"You ain't seen half of it." Naruto grins. "We all good?" He looks around at everyone. "Then let's go. Time's not on our side here."
They head out to be met by heavy rainfall and a flash of light following by loud thunder.
-x-
Somewhere out in the forest, there's a man in a tengu mask grasping a fistful of sparrow feathers.
Mōkin opens his palm to allow the feathers to scatter in the wind and battered by the rain, and disappear. "Well… isn't this surprising."
As Yaizu escorts the kids through the safe passages of the forest, buffeted by rainfall, there's one question burning at the back of Shoto's mind.
"Why are you helping us, old man?" He asks directly.
"Shoto! Don't be rude." Kotori reprimands him.
"I know shisho's a good judge of character and if he says you can be trusted, I will. But there's still the question of why'd you do it." Shoto glares at the back of his head.
"Like I said, I have plenty of reasons to help. Main one being that I just want to. Whatever's happening in the Hidden Dream Village right now is not your issue. You're just caught in the crossfires. Figure it's not fair to you kids."
"Right…" Shoto sounds unconvinced.
"Thank you for doing it." Yokumaru chimes in. "I know not everyone helps those in need."
"Maybe we should start." Yaizu smiles. He turns his head back to look at Kotori. "You called him 'dad', didn't you? Aren't you a bit too old to be his daughter?"
"Well, I'm adopted, actually. But a dad's still a dad."
"I see." Yaizu turns his attention back to the path ahead of him. 'Seems like I've missed out on a lot. So many things I didn't know while I was wasting my time here, wallowing in self pity… I hope you can forgive me, Naruto.'
Shoto continues to stare daggers into his back.
Kotori hops over next to him and elbows him. "Shoto…"
"Looks, I just…" He sighs and shakes his head. "Nevermind."
They travel for just a bit longer before reaching the very edge of the forest, around where they fell for its genjutsu. Yaizu didn't really take them that far in to the cave where they'd taken shelter so getting out wasn't that great of a task.
However, it's far too early to rejoice.
Yaizu senses something approaching their way and fast. "Scatter!" He gives the command for them to move.
Three overly large red and orange feathers impact the ground at great speed, embedding themselves deep and cracking the surroundings.
"Feathers?" Shoto looks at Kotori.
"Hey, don't look at me!"
Scanning the area, Yaizu's eyes lead him up to the skies. "Look at him."
High up in the skies above them, they see a man in light robes and wooden geta shoes, although his tengu mask with a comically long nose is by far the most catching feature. It and the jet black wings that are keeping him in the air.
Mōkin crosses his arms. "Yaizu. I didn't peg you for the traitorous sort."
"Only traitor here is you, Mōkin." Yaizu retorts. "You didn't hide your tracks well enough. If anything, you made it too obvious."
Mōkin sighs. "And yet here you are, not doing anything about it, soon to be dead."
He goes through a set of hand signs that Kotori's eyes widen at. A set she's far too familiar with.
[Aviary: Vultures]
Three of the carrion birds appear by Mōkin's side. They release a shrill squawk that sounds more like nails on a chalkboard than any living creature.
"... What…" Kotori takes a slow step backward. "That's… my jutsu?"
Mōkin slashes across the air, commanding his Vultures to go on the offensive. They squawk once more, this time somehow even more ear-piercing.
Yaizu takes a stance, gathering lightning around his arms.
Despite her state of confusion and panic, Kotori acts almost on instinct.
[Aviary: Falcons]
She summons two falcons from the Land of Wind that immediately take to the air to intercept the attacking vulture.
"So," Mōkin sneers, "You're the one."
[Ninja Art: Aerial Ace]
The falcons disappear from the sight, leaving behind only the faint twisted image of their forms as they zoom forward at blinding speeds.
The Vultures, however, are not impressed. Despite how fast the falcons are going, they easily move out of the way. One vulture catches a falcon in its large talons and crushes it back to feathers while another vulture pecks the second falcon on the back as it flies past.
The three of them continue their descent.
"So fast…" Yokumaru slightly admires how efficient the vulture proved, but prepares his own jutsu to intercept them with.
"Don't bother." Yaizu warns him from acting too rash.
When they get close enough, Yaizu jumps to intercept the birds. Even more lightning surrounding his body, he backhards one that's not fast enough to dodge. It's immediately dispersed in a clump of feathers. He grabs the second vulture by the neck and snaps it. For the third vulture, he gathers lightning to his hand and fires a bolt that hits it square in the chest.
Mōkin forms the 'Bird' hand sign.
[Feather Kunai Barrage]
All the feathers that are leftover from the vultures lunge at Yaizu, who's stuck in the air with little freedom to escape the barrage. He does, however, have his means to escape.
By slamming his fists into each other, Yaizu creates a massive thunderclap that puts even natural thunder to shame.
[Lightning Style: Thunder Wave]
From the impact and the following shockwave, the feathers' progress is halted and they're all blown back.
As Yaizu falls down, his foot touches something solid long before he should've reached the ground. Looking down, he sees a pink crystalline bridge originating from Yokumaru. Making use of the extra footing, he Flickers back to their side and stares up at Mōkin.
Mōkin clicks his tongue. "And here I thought you're just a decrepit old fool. You may end up more annoying than you're worth."
"Wait!" Kotori calls out to the flying man. "You're a Hōyoku, aren't you? I am, too! We don't have to fight!"
"Oh, I'm well aware." Mōkin descend. "I'm well aware of you, Kotori." He hisses her name.
"You.. know my name?"
"It's the only thing your parents managed to give you, when they could've given you so much more. I wondered where they hid you; to think they left you with the Hidden Leaf. If I'd known they'd do something so annoying, I'd have killed them sooner."
Kotori falls to her knees, her breathing shallow. She stares up at him in disbelief. "You… what?"
Rather than with words, Mōkin responds with action.
[Ninja Art Fire Style: Feather Kunai]
Two giant feathers like the ones he initially threw at them appear by his side, with the slight difference of these ones burning hot. What rain droplets find their way to them are immediately evaporated. He sends the flaming feathers right at Kotori.
Yokumaru and Shoto stand in front of her, prepared to raise defences of Earth and Crystal.
They won't need to as Yaizu has it handled. He gathers lightning chakra to her hand, his jutsu running wild in every direction. He swings his arm with as much force as he can, shooting the lightning bolt right at the feathers.
[Lightning Style: Thunderclap Arrow]
The feathers get diverted and crash to the side of them.
"He… He…" Kotori struggles to find any words.
"Kotori, you have to snap out of it." Shoto calls out to her.
"This is a family matter, Yaizu." Mōkin says with a cold voice. "You step aside and I'll deal with you when your time comes."
Yaizu steps in front of the kids and looks back to the trembling Kotori. "It's exactly because it's a family matter, Mōkin. And when it comes to family, you're the odd one out. I might be old but I haven't forgotten how to fight. I'll drag your birdbrain down here." He glares.
"Well, it does seem like I might have to get serious. Maybe when you're faced by an overwhelming force, you'll rethink your stance."
Mōkin goes through a set of seals longer than what he's used so far and definitely longer than anything Kotori has used.
Large feathers of random mixtures of red, orange, and yellow float around him. They sizzle with heat, eventually bursting into flames as they join together and grow in numbers.
More and more appear and join the piles to form the massive form of an unfamiliar bird. The fires that encompass its body grow more intense as more feathers make up its body. By the end, the creature is large enough to be confused for a Tailed Beast.
[Lost Aviary: Phoenix]
The Phoenix spreads its wings and screeches, a stream of flame bursting from its beak. The rain around it turns to steam at the intense heat that permeates the area. Even Yaizu and the kids can feel the temperature rising despite the cooling rain.
While the kids stare in awe at the massive bird, Yaizu remains unphased. "Maybe getting serious will be good for these old bones." He cracks his neck.
Lightning flashes across the sky, shining even more light on the blazing phoenix.
"Even at the sight of this, you don't flinch." Mōkin notes. "Looks like we severely underestimated you, old man."
"Yeah. Looks like you did."
Yaizu raises his lightning-enveloped arm, the crackling growing more and more intense. He sends a small bolt up in the air and not even a moment after that, lightning strikes him from the skies.
The entire area turns white as the bolt crashes right in front of them.
Yokumaru and Shoto pick Kotori up and drag her back as best they can with their whole field of vision whitened from the lightning striking directly in front of them. The only thing they can make out in their temporary daze in Yaizu's blurry figure, hand still stretched upward, with a golden chain appearing from his back and snaking its way up his arm.
[Seal: Bottle Lightning]
With the deafening thunder that follows, the entire clearing fills with static. It takes a moment for everyone's eyes and ears to adjust to what practically amounts to being inside a thundercloud.
When everything clears, Yaizu stands tall, covered in crackling lightning. By his side, a lion made of pure lightning stands, small bolts of electricity bursting from its body. Around its neck is a golden chain made of pure chakra that's attached to Yaizu's back.
[Lightning Style: Thunder Lion]
Yokumaru stares at the man's back. "That chain… Isn't it just like…"
Yaizu roars, his voice resonating throughout the whole forest. Any animals that had remained to seek shelter from the storm fly or skitter away, recognizing a dangerous presence in their homes.
'I'm sorry, Kushina.'
The lightning lion attached to his back joins him. The static that emanates from it sends a jolt through everyone's body.
'I didn't know. I gave up far too early.'
Their muscles tense up and their hairs stand on edge. Whether it's from the electricity or the recognition of a predator is difficult to say.
'But now I'm done giving up. This time, I'll...'
Yaizu stomps on the ground with enough force to create a small crater.
He takes a deep breath and unleashes a mighty roar. "The Whirlpool's Thunder Lion, Yaizu Uzumaki, returns to the battlefield!"
Name meaning
Yaizu Uzumaki (うずまき ヤイズ, Uzumaki Yaizu) - named after Yaizu City in Shizuoka Prefecture, famous for its narutomaki fishcakes.
Whirlpool's Thunder Lion (渦潮の雷獅, Uzushio no Raishi)