Human speaking. "This has gotten out of control."
Human thinking. "No way."
Not Human speaking. "You are dangerous."
Not Human thinking. "I was wrong."
Techniques/ Unknown names. "Genshi (Atom)."
Disclaimer of Rights: I do not own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto is.
Chapter 44
Wooden Konoha Hospital – Moments earlier
Sasuke was in his brother's room, watching him with concern as several doctors examined his wounds.
He and the others had returned just a few minutes ago, so Sasuke didn't understand anything that had happened. He didn't know why the village was destroyed, he didn't know why Naruto had lost his mind, and he also didn't know why his brother and Menma were in such delicate conditions.
"I couldn't do anything to help Nii-san..." Sasuke thought in frustration, frowning as he clenched his trembling hands in front of his face.
"Even Menma stayed to help, but I..." The Uchiha continued clenching his fists as the doctors bandaged his brother.
Then, the image of Menma attacking the dark entity came to his mind, and the memory made him wonder. "What was that? What did Naruto turn into? His power was beyond my comprehension. Was that his true power?"
His heart was filled with frustration and resentment at the thought of the power disparity between them. "Why? Why did he become so powerful? Is that the power of hatred...?"
The Uchiha's expression had then become cold as he continued with his line of thought. "But the price to pay for that power is too great." The black-haired kid remembered Naruto's burly transformation, in addition to the sensations he emitted, so he couldn't help but shudder slightly.
Then he shook his head and kept thinking. "I decided not to follow that path and help Menma change Naruto. But how would I do it? His power is far greater than mine... This feeling of helplessness is so frustrating." Sasuke then closed his eyes, frowned, gritted his teeth, and clenched his trembling fists.
At that moment, the door of the room opened, so the Uchiha looked back and saw a pink-haired girl coming in.
"Sakura...," he murmured as he watched her approach him.
"Sasuke-kun... How's your brother?" The girl asked with some sadness when seeing him bandaged almost in his entirety.
The Uchiha looked at the doctors working and answered, "I don't know yet; I'm waiting for them to finish."
Finally, the doctors had moved away from the battered older Uchiha before turning to Sasuke, who quickly stood up waiting to be informed of his condition.
"Sasuke-san, excuse us for the delay." One of the doctors apologized while the others withdrew to treat more wounded people.
"Don't apologize. What happened to my Nii-san?" he asked with a serious look.
"He received a hard blow that broke almost all of his bones, and he suffered a strong mental attack. It is a miracle that he is alive, but thanks to Bee-san's quick action and the elements that Kyofu-sama provided for this hospital, we were able to stabilize him. However, he will remain unconscious for a while until the mental load in his head is relieved. But you don't have to worry; he's out of danger."
"I see," Sasuke spoke with a serious expression, but inside he was quite relieved. Although he didn't know who those two people the doctor had mentioned were, he would thank them when he knew.
The doctor then bowed slightly as he said, "There are more patients who need care, so I can't stay in this place any longer. But if something comes up, don't hesitate to find me. See you later."
The doctor then raised his head and retreated, while Sasuke grabbed the chair where he had been sitting and brought it closer to his brother's bed before sitting on it, seeing that Sakura had stood next to him.
"How are you, Sasuke-kun?" She asked him gently, as she understood how much his brother meant to him.
"Why are you asking? It's not as if I participated in the battle. I was useless," Sasuke spoke with obvious frustration as he clenched his hands in front of his face.
"There was nothing we could do, Sasuke-kun. I think walking away was the right thing to do," Sakura replied.
"I know, but even so, Menma stayed to help, while I had to flee like a coward. I didn't even dare to try to stay and help my Nii-san... Damn it." The Uchiha once again clenched his fists in frustration.
"But we are safe and sound thanks to that...," she added in an attempt to reassure him, but the Uchiha interrupted her before she could finish.
"That's not the point, Sakura..." Sasuke sounded annoyed, but with himself.
The pink-haired girl tried to apologize because she thought she was bothering him, but Sasuke spoke before she could apologize. "Anyway, how's Menma?" His voice sounded calmer, although it was still gloomy.
"Hokage-sama's clone in his room told me he is stable," Sakura reported, calmer because Sasuke had returned to his usual tone of voice.
"Just stable?" The Uchiha inquired while looking at his sleeping brother.
At this, Sakura sighed sadly, almost on the verge of tears. "H-Hokage-sama said he has a week left at most."
Sasuke instantly stood up and turned around to run out of the room, so Sakura had followed him through the hall until they stood in front of Menma's room.
The Uchiha did not wait and entered without asking permission, seeing the Hokage and Kakashi in the room, in addition to Menma who was unconscious on a wooden bed, connected to several machines that kept him alive.
The adults turned around when hearing that the door had opened abruptly, seeing the kids of Team 7 entering the room.
"Sasuke and Sakura," Kakashi spoke as he watched the black-haired boy approach them.
"Is it true that Menma has a week left to live?" The Uchiha asked with some fatigue because of his recent sprint.
The adults bowed their heads regretfully and turned to look at the unconscious young man before nodding their heads.
"That's right...," the Hokage replied with a look of sadness, clenching his fists tightly because he felt guilty.
"Then what's the plan?! Are you going to let him die?!" Sasuke angrily asked since he was feeling the same as the night when he could do nothing to protect his family.
Kakashi tried to ask him not to speak loudly but his master replied first, "No, we have a plan to help him, and your brother too."
That information reassured the Genins in the room, so Sasuke asked calmly as he stepped forward, "What do you have in mind?"
"Some people will look for someone who will be able to heal them both," the Yondaime answered while looking at his son.
Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. "Who?"
"The Legendary Sannin Tsunade," the Hokage's clone, revealed.
Sakura's eyes widened in surprise, Sasuke, however, kept a stern expression as he said, " And who is going to look for her?"
Kakashi and Minato visibly tensed up while looking at each other, but in order not to raise suspicion, Minato quickly responded, "My master, Jiraiya."
This didn't convince the Uchiha, who couldn't help but squint as he looked at both of them suspiciously. "You said a few people. Who else?" Sasuke tried not to sound impolite, but it was difficult because of everything that was currently happening.
Kakashi knew who the people that would participate in that important mission were, but due to the delicateness of the matter, the white-haired man turned his head to his student to tell him that it was a secret, but to his surprise, the Yondaime had revealed it.
"Naruto..."
Minato didn't have to tell him, but it was information that also concerned him because of his brother's condition. In addition, he was his son's best friend.
"N-Naruto-kun?" Sakura stuttered with eyes of disbelief, eyes that had soon looked at the Uchiha.
He, however, maintained an undaunted expression as he looked at the Hokage and said firmly, "I want to go too."
"Huh?" Kakashi and Minato spoke in unison as they raised their eyebrows.
"Why do you want to go?" The Hokage asked with interest, but also seriously.
"Because I don't want to stay with my arms crossed anymore. I want to do something to help," Sasuke replied with that serious expression that did not seem to waver.
"What do you say, Kakashi?" Minato asked by turning his head to look at his student.
"I don't know. I'm worried about his Curse Mark," the Hatake answered as he looked at his student with seriousness.
"What do you mean, sensei?" Sasuke questioned with confusion as he carried his hand to his mark.
Kakashi sighed before answering, "I had already explained it to you, Sasuke. That mark feeds on negative feelings. What do you think will happen if you are near Naruto? He will do his best to make you enraged to entertain him, and if he achieves his goal, the Curse Mark will feed on those feelings to try to corrupt you."
"That's why I must go. I can't keep losing my sanity due to simple words. Otherwise, I will never be able to grow," Sasuke refuted with a decisive look.
At this, both adults in the room looked at each other, while Sakura looked at her teammate with surprised eyes because of this new behavior. Most likely, the Sasuke of a few months ago wouldn't have recognized such a flaw, let alone try to do anything to remedy it.
"It will be difficult, Sasuke. People don't change overnight." Kakashi decided to be cautious. He wanted his student to change for the better, but Naruto could get into anyone's nerves so easily that he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
"I won't know it until I try it," he replied, still with a determined expression.
The adults looked thoughtful for a few moments until Minato stepped forward to say, "Okay, you can go. But as Kakashi said, you'll need to be careful."
"I'll be," Sasuke replied.
"So..." Minato tried to speak, but Sakura's shy voice interrupted him.
"Hokage-sama..."
At the voice, the men turned to the only female in the room.
"What do you need, Sakura?" Minato questioned, watching her bow her head and putting the tip of her right foot on the ground as she moved it in circles.
"I'd like to go too," she answered without looking up.
"Why?" Minato wasted no time in asking.
Without looking up, Sakura replied shyly, "I-I would like to ask Naruto-kun what caused him to do all this."
"And what makes you think he would tell you?" Kakashi questioned as he put his fingers to his chin and recalled the mission in the Land of Waves. "I don't think Naruto holds you in high esteem."
Sakura nodded her head at that, but, even so, she couldn't help but say as she tapped her index fingers with each other in a way that Hinata would. "Because... Because he… saved me."
Saying that had been very difficult for her since it had been impossible not to remember that terrible experience when she had almost been abused.
The men, on the other hand, didn't know what she was talking about, so Kakashi asked her, "How did he save you?"
"W-Well..." Sakura tried to speak, but her mind was playing her tricks by bombarding her with images of what happened that day.
She trembled slightly, lowered her head, and shook it, squeezing her eyes in an attempt to push away those images.
Minato raised an eyebrow, suspecting the cause of her strange behavior, so he came to her and made her look up so that he could look into her eyes.
It only took a second for Minato to understand the sparkle in her eyes, sparkles he had seen countless times on missions, especially in the Third Great Ninja War.
"Sakura, don't tell me that you..." The Yondaime didn't even want to finish the idea that crossed his mind. He felt horrified, disgusted, but, above all, furious. His mind was filled with questions and doubts, as well as guilt, but he knew that he could not overwhelm her with questions. She had suffered alone for who knows how long, and he also knew that he was not the right person to ask questions about what happened, that was up to a professional, but Minato could not deny that he wanted to know everything that had happened.
"W-Well..." She then spoke as she bowed her head again, causing Minato to return to reality. "A-As I s-said, Naruto-kun saved me."
Only at that moment could Kakashi see his student's eyes, and the realization hit him like a Rasengan in the stomach. No, that couldn't be. How, when, and where did it happen? His mind told him that she had been close to his radar at all times and that it was impossible for anything like that to have happened. But then, his mind had betrayed him, and without being able to avoid it, he looked towards Sasuke.
Then, he once again felt being hit by realization. Of course, the month of training. During those days, he had completely ignored her. He, her own teacher, her mentor, the person in charge of taking care of and watching over her, pretending that she did not exist.
The Hatake was stiff in place, with his vibrant right eye being the only thing that reflected how shocked he was. Now he felt like a coward because he couldn't say or do anything.
Minato then sighed with regret and sadness; he put a hand on the shoulder of his son's teammate and said, "Sakura, I'll allow you to go. But when you come back, I need you to tell me everything that happened and talk to a professional about this. Okay?"
Upon hearing this, Sakura's expression regained all of its gloss. "Hai, Hokage-sama."
Sasuke looked at both of them curiously, wondering what they were talking about. He was still a young kid who had not experienced the atrocities of war or witnessed how decadent the Shinobi world could be.
Minato's clone then returned to its original place before responding, "If you think there is a chance that Naruto will tell you the reasons for what happened today, then I have no reason to oppose it. Of course, I would like none of you to get in the way of my master's and Naruto's mission. Understood?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama," both gennins responded.
The Yondaime nodded his head before beckoning them to approach him. "So, come over, I will take you with my original self."
Saying goodbye to Kakashi, the clone and the kids disappeared from that place in a yellow flash, while the white-haired man had finally come out of his stupor, and instantly, he had been filled with guilt and sadness. Now he didn't feel like doing anything, but his feet had moved by themselves to another room in the hospital.
Elsewhere in the ruined village, Ino and TenTen were helping the victims collect the few things they had left. They looked sad, but at the same time, grateful to the man in the smiling mask for saving their lives.
The two Kunoichis weren't an exception either, and as they approached a pile of rubble to rest for a moment, the blonde girl took the opportunity to talk about the subject.
"Who do you think that man was?"
Tenten shrugged and pouted in ignorance. "I don't know, but I'm grateful to him since we're still alive. The villagers feel the same too." She said the latter as she looked straight ahead and saw the personnel of that enigmatic person.
They had arrived just a few minutes ago in large 'automatic carriages' to hand out provisions to the villagers that waited in orderly lines and with smiles and tears of appreciation on their faces.
No one snuck in, no one pushed, no one complained; everyone waited in line for their turns. It was evident that they respected the masked man and his people too much.
Ino nodded her head as she remembered that man appearing in front of the shelters at the Hokage Rock to save them.
When they felt they had rested enough, they set out to continue with their work, but the sudden appearance of masked shinobis stopped them on the spot.
"ANBU?" They both thought with a bit of concern, asking themselves what they wanted.
"Ino Yamanaka and TenTen. We have orders from Hokage-sama for you to follow us immediately to Konoha's Intelligence Division," one of the ANBU reported while handing out each one a scroll.
"Why?" Ino couldn't help asking.
The ANBU simply replied that the details were on the scroll and that they would have to follow them immediately once they finished reading them.
Without a further alternative, both looked at each other before they started reading the contents of their scrolls, being surprised because it was indeed a direct order from the Yondaime Hokage, where he summoned each to be questioned at Konoha's Intelligence Division regarding their relationship with Uzumaki Naruto.
Reading that name caused their heart to skip a beat, but they tried to ignore it and concentrated on reading the rest of the note.
They were not accused of anything, but both could understand why they were being questioned. It was true that they had had an 'intimate' relationship with Naruto in the past, but he had put an end to it a month ago; a few days after the preliminaries.
He had given them both the same reason: I don't need you anymore.
When they each asked him what he meant, he replied to both something similar: you don't have what it takes to be with me.
They both got furious back then, but Naruto just needed to release a little bit of his killing intent so that they wouldn't get close to him again.
They had seen him again only when he fought Lee, and seeing him there had opened a wound they believed was beginning to heal. But as much as it hurt them, they could only watch until the village was engulfed in chaos.
If the authorities were subpoenaing them because they suspected they had something to do with Naruto's actions, then they would cooperate as much as possible to clear their names, not because they hated or resented him; he had already made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with them. Therefore, they had to watch over themselves from now on. That thought almost caused them to break down, but they managed to hold it back.
At that moment, both of them finished reading the scrolls, and without waiting for them to say anything, two ANBU put a hand on each other's shoulders respectively and took them in a Shunshin to Konoha's Intelligence Division.
The other ANBU spread out and went for their next targets: Anko, Hanabi, Haku, Kin, and Karin. At the moment, they were unaware that the last three were no longer in the village, but they still went to look for them.
Meanwhile, at the outskirts of Konoha, where a wooded area once was, Kurotsuchi could be seen talking to her second-in-command of the forces that betrayed Iwa.
"I need a report on the situation," she ordered.
"80% of the captives are dead or too wounded to be taken to our nearest base. As for our forces, only a few were injured thanks to your quicklime and earth walls, Kurotsuchi-sama," answered a Jounin that betrayed Iwa, who also happened to be the 'sensei' of her team in the Chunin exams.
The black-haired woman clicked her teeth at that. "We can't help it… Kill all the captives in these conditions."
Since the Yakuza seal of the Iwa Kunoichi was now a high-ranking one, they followed her order without questioning, and the disloyal Shinobis quickly disposed of the Shinobis loyal to Iwa.
The agonized groans, pleas, and curses were heard in the surroundings, but none of their fellow citizens paid attention to them and continued until the last prisoner breathed their last breath.
While Kyofu had ordered Kurotsuchi to turn them into war prisoners (which only he knew what for), due to recent events and the state of the roads, it would be difficult to move such a large number of injured people to the nearest base. She hoped her beloved would not get angry because the captives were less than planned.
"We are done, Kurotsuchi-sama. What are your next orders? "
Upon hearing the voice of her second-in-command, she shook her head to focus on the current situation and responded, "Tell them to gather the corpses and burn them. Then they will have to take the rest of the prisoners to the nearest base. You will return with me to Iwa while the others will have to request new functions at the nearest base. If they return to Iwa, my grandfather may end up murdering them all, which wouldn't be in our best interests. As for you, don't think you're safe because you weren't part of the invasion," she said while staring at her supposed sensei.
"I'm ready to die for Kyofu-sama's goals, Kurotsuchi-sama," the Jōnin replied with conviction.
The black-haired girl shrugged before telling the rest to do what she had ordered.
They nodded and proceeded to carry out her orders, while Kurotsuchi couldn't help but sigh sadly knowing that she wouldn't be able to see her beloved Kyofu-sama for a long time. Even though she had managed to fulfill her dream of becoming intimate with him, she also understood her place within the organization, so she wouldn't allow her feelings to come before her duties.
Now she had to return to Iwa, endure her grandfather's scolding for not convincing the 'bastard Namikaze' to join Iwa, and needless to say about the failure of the invasion. She would then inform her father about her meeting with Kyofu, and show him that Kyofu had granted her a high-ranking seal within the organization. Thinking about it made her chuckle as she thought about the reaction her father would have.
She waited a few more hours until the disloyal forces retreated, and subsequently, she made her way back to Iwa along with her sensei.
Nami no Kuni
The Land of Waves, a small island nation that had finally prospered. The days of uncertainty, fear, hunger, and suffering were long gone.
In addition to the wonderful walls that surrounded the island, new buildings could be seen all around the place. Clean and paved streets, and pedestrians who commuted in an orderly manner on the sidewalks.
A world-class port was at the other side of the island, with a large number of ships constantly docking and setting sail from it. A gigantic metal ship could be seen near the port: the battleship Yamato. The access was heavily guarded and forbidden to anyone who did not have a corresponding level pass, but tourists could still see it from a distance and could not help but be curious about what kind of ship it was.
A recently inaugurated beach was one of the biggest attractions of the city too.
Despite all this, it was not a perfect city; there were still people who refused to accept the changes or others who simply enjoyed making other people's lives miserable. However, the last ones were dealt with swiftly and ruthlessly by the Yakuza, and the decent locals wouldn't bat an eye about it.
At the main street (which was connected to the heavily guarded Great Naruto Bridge), a large caravan of luxurious black Lassiter cars and green trucks that followed them from behind could be seen.
All these carried small flags on each side, which the inhabitants of Nami easily recognized. Many bowed in gratitude when they saw them pass by, while the tourists stopped out of simple curiosity when seeing those unusual means of transport.
The caravan continued along the main road without stopping at any of the traffic lights, especially since the Yakuza were the only ones that owned cars, so there was no risk of a traffic accident. Pedestrians, on the other hand, gave them preference and patiently waited until the last car of the caravan had passed.
Moments later, the cars stopped at some checkpoints and arrived at a large mansion that was surrounded by large white walls.
Most of the vehicles stopped a few meters from the entrance, while three Lassiter cars kept on driving by the fine black brick driveway that led to the mansion's entrance.
Once there, the middle car stopped in front of the entrance, while people quickly got out from the rear and front cars to open the doors of the middle car.
The first person to come down was a young woman with black hair, who wore an ostentatious red dress and luxurious jewelry that highlighted her beauty.
This person thanked the men who opened the door for her, but she couldn't help but think that all of this was unnecessary.
The second person to come down was a tall man with long legs, who wore a blue suit and white gloves in both hands. On the left side of his hip, he carried a Katana, and his serious and sharp face showed total indifference.
"We have arrived, Tsunami-sama, Saito-sama," their driver informed, bowing as he carried one hand to his chest.
The man didn't pay attention to anyone and headed inside the mansion to rest for a few days. He would then embark on his journey back to Yuki no Kuni to be reunited with his wife. He came to Nami simply because he met the caravan on his way back. He decided to go with them in case they suffered an attack and to protect Naruto's woman (to avoid another catastrophe). He could also feel the presence of the people inside the mansion, and while there was one that he easily recognized, he had no intention of talking to him as he knew it was just a clone.
Tsunami, on the other hand, felt uncomfortable during the trip since she had tried to strike up a conversation with Saito, but he had not spoken a single word during the trip. She learned his name just now, but she knew that he was someone important within her lover's organization.
She then also walked inside the mansion to greet her father, unaware that a clone of Naruto was inside her home. She would be pleasantly surprised when she noticed it.
At a wooded and isolated area within the island, Kin and Haku followed another clone of Naruto in relative silence. They stopped when they found a clear area, and there the clone said.
"Very well, this place will be fine. Kin-chan, how are you doing with your Fuinjutsu?"
"I've already mastered the basics and started with the intermediate concepts. I would also like to apply my knowledge in auditory techniques."
"That sounds promising. We'll look into that later," the Uzumaki answered before looking at Haku. "And how are you going, Haku-chan? I remember you were learning Medical Ninjutsu. How much progress have you made?"
With grace and elegance, the Hyoton user apologized, "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I must admit that I have neglected my Medical Ninjutsu since you woke up from your coma. I've spent more time mastering the Kubikiribōchō and my ice techniques."
"No, you have nothing to apologize for. What's more, I think you are right about polishing those skills. You have a phenomenal Kekkei Genkai, and you've already shown me how good you are with that sword. You can continue practicing Medical Ninjutsu if you wish, but I wouldn't recommend you to specialize in it. Do you understand why I'm telling you this, Haku-chan?"
"Hai, Naruto-kun," she nodded.
The reason was simple: she belonged in the vanguard and not in the rearguard.
Following the path of a medical-nin would only diminish her attack power and current abilities. She was well aware of her limits, and she knew that she couldn't mimic Naruto's training. In short, she didn't have enough Chakra to perform the Extreme Shadow Clone Training. In addition, Naruto was already well, and learning medical ninjutsu had been a desperate attempt to help him recover from his coma.
She had no intention of leaving medical ninjutsu in oblivion; it wouldn't be a priority and she would only learn the necessary to help herself and others when needed.
"Either way, you are free to choose the path you like best, Haku-chan. The same goes for you, Kin-chan," the Uzumaki added.
They both nodded, and Naruto continued, "So, let's start training. Right now, I want you both to spar to warm up a little."
"Hai," they both said and distanced themselves from each other.
"Treat me well, Haku-san," Kin said while taking a battle stance.
"You too, Kin-san," Haku replied with a smile and imitating her action.
Naruto then stood between them, raised his hand, and when he was about to lower it, the three of them heard the footsteps of a person approaching.
The Uzumaki didn't need to turn around to know who it was, so he said before looking in that direction, "Did you decide to join us, Karin-chan?"
The redhead girl was there, approaching with heavy and sure steps towards her cousin, ignoring his question and the other two women who looked at her with confusion.
Both Uzumakis stared at each other; Naruto still didn't know what had happened to Karin in Konoha, but from the expression on her face, it seemed that she had already gotten over it to some extent.
When he was about to ask her something, she put a knee on the ground, bowed her head, and carried a hand to her chest. "Please, Naruto-kun, train me until I can talk to your original self."
Her request was not about simple training, and the clone understood it, so his gaze became more serious. "Are you sure about that, Karin-chan? There will be no turning back."
Without raising her head, the redhead replied firmly: "Hai."
At this moment, the clone took a Kunai with the inscription of the Hiraishin and threw it to the ground before disappearing into a puff of smoke.
A few seconds later, a zigzagging reddish flash appeared in front of the three females, and when the flash managed to stop (before crashing into a tree), Naruto had appeared again, with an ashamed expression on his face.
"This is so embarrassing. I must focus on perfecting the Hiraishin," the clone thought as he stood in front of Karin.
Once there, he continued, "I will correspond to your determination properly. Right now, I'm a wood clone."
That finally made Karin raise her head, and the Uzumaki man once again saw the worry in her eyes. "So, Naruto-kun's original..."
Before she could finish, the clone interrupted her. "No, another wood clone who is currently in Konoha created me. He doesn't know what happened between you and the original, so I don't know it either. Therefore, you don't have to worry about that."
"Hai!" The redhead exclaimed, now without concern and full of determination.
The clone then looked at the other two girls, crossed his fingers, and created a shadow clone.
"Excuse me girls, but he will take care of your training."
They both shook their heads and told him not to worry.
They were unaware of the events in Konoha and what had happened between the two of them. The only one who knew something was Sai, but he had no intention of revealing anything until the original ordered him to. Kitsune had a certain idea, but he also didn't want to reveal anything at the moment. The clone that had arrived in Nami did not insist on it either.
What they did know was that Karin wanted to change, and both would respect her courage, although that made them feel a little dejected because they couldn't match her determination.
They then saw Karin following the wood clone, while the shadow clone told them both to do some warm-up exercises and then face him in a spar.
About 500 meters away from that group, Naruto and Karin stopped and looked into each other's eyes briefly.
Naruto then looked away before saying: "You know, Karin-chan? There is a misconception in the Shinobi world, where it is believed that a clone is weaker than its original counterpart."
The redhead knew what he meant, so she stood in a combat stance.
"But in fact, we're just as strong…"
At that moment, Naruto disappeared from Karin's sight, and even though she guarded herself, she couldn't avoid a blow to her stomach.
She gasped as she heard something creak inside her. It was a merciless critical hit, and because she was stunned, she could do nothing to protect herself from a kick to her face that sent her crashing into a tree. The blow was just as hard, but not hard enough to knock her out.
She fell with her hands and knees to the ground, so she quickly shook her head to try to compose herself. Wasting no time, she looked up to stand up, but as she did so she saw a large fireball approaching her.
"D-Damn, he's too strong," Karin thought helplessly and could only take the attack head-on.
In the distance, Naruto could see the smoke from the attack covering the entire area, and as it dissipated, he could see a female silhouette surrounded by a healing aura.
It was Karin, who had bitten herself to recover herself from the injuries she sustained from that attack, and a few moments later, she was as good as new.
Naruto nodded approvingly at that, while Karin decided that she needed to be more proactive this time, so she went on the attack.
Upon seeing this, the Jinchūriki decided to give her an extremely difficult test. Therefore, he pointed his hand at her as she ran towards him. "Banshō Ten'in."
Karin felt the incredible force of Universal Pull for the first time, and as expected, she could not put up any resistance and her body was quickly drawn towards the hand of the Uzumaki, who was waiting for her with a kunai on his other hand.
The Uzumaki girl grunted in annoyance, but she put up no resistance and simply closed her eyes to focus on that helpless feeling when she couldn't do anything to stop Naruto when he was being controlled by the decrepit old man. "Please work." She thought.
Naruto, who didn't know what she was planning, opened his eyes with a pleasant surprise when three golden Chakra chains came out of the redhead's back. These curled themselves into three different trees behind her to stop her from advancing, while four more chains came out of her belly and headed straight at him.
Although he wanted to congratulate her when he saw the chains, he was forced to cancel the attack and move away since he knew how dangerous the adamantine chains could be with the slightest contact.
The redhead instantly regained the mobility of her body and wasted no time besieging Naruto with the rest of her chains.
Her control was almost perfect since being an Uzumaki came with natural talent, so her adamantine chains seemed to have a life of their own. She was not a master, but her level was excellent for someone who has awakened them recently.
Meanwhile, Naruto felt an indescribable emotion within him, to the point that his eyes became cloudy. Would she ever stop surprising him? He just wanted to give her a hug, a kiss, or even possess her right there. But he knew that everything had a moment, so for the moment he decided to float in the air to take distance.
"Cheater!" Karin exclaimed with a pout when she saw that her chains could no longer reach him.
Naruto couldn't help but smile and laugh with happiness. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But I didn't expect this, so let's leave this for today, my love."
The redhead blushed but said nothing about it since she saw him descending to stand in front of her.
Her Chakra chains then disappeared, and Naruto came to her to hug her, putting her head on his chest.
She put up no resistance and wrapped her arms behind his back tightly.
"It was painful, wasn't it?" the clone spoke softly as he stroked her hair.
At this, the redhead's lips and eyes trembled, and tears began flowing from her eyes. "H-Hai."
The clone could already understand the reason for Karin's current mood since he knew very well what it meant to have the adamantine chains, and since he knew it had to be something extremely painful to awaken them, he decided not to ask her about it for now.
He tenderly comforted her for a few minutes, caressing and giving her soft kisses on her head until her sobs had stopped.
"Let's go back. We will continue with your training tomorrow," he said, and Karin wiped her cheeks before raising her head to look at him.
"I can keep going," she claimed, not wanting to be a nuisance because of her weakness.
The clone shook his head and replied, "It's not that. You've already passed my test. Also, I don't want to do anything intense at the moment; I want to recover a bit of my energy to continue tomorrow properly."
"Ah, I see." Karin nodded before looking back. "What about Haku-san and Kin-san?"
"They are training on their own; my shadow clone is just guiding them. Nothing as intense as what I have in mind to do with you," Naruto replied.
For some reason, Karin couldn't help but blush at that, so she bowed her head to hide it before nodding her head.
"Now that you've awakened the Adamantine Sealing Chains, you just have to perfect Fuinjutsu and you will longer need Ninjutsu or Genjutsu," the Uzumaki stated.
"What do you mean? I think I'll need some long-range techniques," Karin replied in confusion since she remembered that she could no longer do anything once Naruto flew out of the reach of her chains.
The Jinchūriki broke away from the hug and moved away from Karin a little. "If you master Fuinjutsu, techniques like that will no longer be necessary. Pay attention," Naruto said as he turned around and closed his eyes to focus on the knowledge in his head.
He was instantly bombarded by an infinite number of principles, techniques, secrets, and so on, which caused him a great headache, but nothing compared to when he first acquired said knowledge.
Karin saw him carry a hand on his head as he staggered slightly, which made her approach him and ask if he was okay, to which the Jinchūriki replied not to worry and just pay attention.
She stepped back and at that moment she saw something incredible.
"What's that?" Karin asked herself in amazement.
In front of Naruto's right hand appeared a reddish and shiny circle, which contained different types of inscriptions which at first glance were quite complex.
There was no doubt left in Karin's mind, that was Fuinjutsu made with pure Chakra. She couldn't help but be surprised, not only because it was eye-catching, but because manifesting Chakra in such a way meant almost perfect control of it.
Expelling Chakra was already difficult enough, but manifesting it in the form of letters and characters? That was something unprecedented. But coming from someone as dedicated as Naruto, it was to be expected.
Naruto then spoke as the circle in front of his hands began to shine brighter. "You told me you wanted to learn long-range techniques... But what if, instead of attacking from a distance, you just get rid of it?"
Karin looked at him with a questioning expression but said nothing and just let him finish with his presentation.
At that moment, Naruto looked towards a bird that landed on the branch of a tree that was about three hundred meters away, and subsequently, the Uzumaki clenched his fist.
The space-time in front of Naruto and the bird instantly distorted, and at that very instant, a confused bird appeared in front of Naruto, who made the Sealing Circle disappear from his hand.
Karin was left with an O-face when she saw that, while the Jinchūriki apologized to the bird with a smile as the bird had reprimanded him for his action.
The redhead was not surprised by this, since Naruto had told her that he was able to communicate with animals when he saved her from that terrible bear in the Forest of Death.
Moments later, she saw him stagger, so this time she stood by his side to ask him with a tone of concern, "Are you okay, Naruto-kun?"
"Y-Yeah, just a little tired. I-It's still a bit hard for me to use high-level Fuinjutsu techniques," the clone responded, shaking his head.
She waited a bit for him to catch his breath, and when she noticed he was feeling better, she continued. "You sealed the space-time between you and the bird, right? How does it work?" She asked while helping the clone to stand properly.
Naruto smiled and nodded his head. "Perceptive as always. It's simple: the technique connects a point B with a point A, sealing the space-time that joins both and making it seem as if point B had been in front of point A. The 'sealed' space disappears from reality, but reality itself replaces it at the same instant, so a paradox can't appear. By the way, it only affects space-time and not physical objects, so it is not possible to dismember or make something in its way disappear. Although if I'm honest, the Uzumakis used this technique for their chores," the Jinchūriki stated with a laugh at the end.
"Huh? Are you kidding?" Karin couldn't help but say, although when she started to think, she could see its use in household chores.
Don't want to carry your garbage bags to the curb? Well, reality-warping is your solution. It sounded ridiculous, but it wasn't far-fetched since Naruto had told her that the Uzumakis used their abilities for peaceful purposes.
"That's just ridiculous... Anyway, what's its level, and what was that circle that appeared in front of you?" Karin asked.
"Master level."
Unlike Jutsu which was classified from E to S, Fuinjutsu techniques were classified into Beginner, Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Expert, Master, Grandmaster, Legendary and Mythical. There was more information about Legendary Uzumaki techniques, but their complexity was so great that even a Grandmaster could be seen as an infant trying to learn quantum physics. While there were no records on mythical techniques, it was said that the one who mastered and discovered the secrets of the Apple of Eden would be the one to manifest a level that defies reality and logic itself. But that was part of Uzumaki folklore, although perhaps there was some truth to it.
Karin was aware of that, so she couldn't help but make a gesture of surprise. "Have you already reached the master level? You are amazing, Naruto-kun." The redhead's eyes were sparkling with excitement.
At this, the Jinchūriki proudly inflated his chest and retorted, "I actually am a Grandmaster. Although I still can't effectively use techniques above the expert level because of the mental load." That was why he hadn't used these techniques as Kyofu.
In any case, that was surprising to Karin, who was just beginning to learn the concepts of Advanced Fuinjutsu.
"Regarding your other question, the Uzumakis called it a Sealing Circle and it was used to replace traditional Fuinjutsu. Instead of using paper and ink, they discovered how to use their Chakra for this purpose."
Karin nodded, and Naruto continued. "The Sealing Circle can be performed even by someone at the level of a beginner, but it requires great Chakra control where the user must be able to expel their Chakra, trace the characters with it, and contain them in a circle to stop the Chakra from leaking and end up affecting the technique."
"I guess not all Uzumakis could do it because of our immense Chakra reserves," the Uzumaki girl added.
The Uzumaki nodded his head and continued, "You're right. Back then, it was not uncommon for Grandmasters to opt for traditional Fuinjutsu because they were not able to have such fine control of their Chakra."
Interested in the story, Karin inquired, "How did you manage to control your Chakra in such a way, Naruto-kun?" She understood the complexity of creating a Sealing Circle, so she was interested in knowing her boyfriend's methods for putting them into practice.
At this, Naruto sighed. "Mastering each of my elements helped me a lot at first, but if I'm honest, the Rinnegan did a lot of the work."
This made the redhead feel a little discouraged, but the Jinchūriki continued, "But there are several methods you can put into practice. Don't worry about it; I will help you."
To put it into perspective, Naruto had about 50 times more normal Chakra than Menma, while Menma had about 20 times more Chakra than Minato. Karin on the other hand had about 25 times more Chakra than Menma. It may seem low, but they were kids that hadn't grown completely yet, which meant that the amount would keep on growing over time. That did not include the Kyūbi's Chakra, because then, Menma would have more than 100 times the Chakra of both of them put together. But of course, more normal Chakra did not equal more strength.
Upon hearing her answer, Karin nodded her head, but then she couldn't help but think of something. "I don't understand it, if the Uzumakis had all this power at their disposal, why didn't they do anything to prevent our extinction?"
"Unfortunately, it was too late, Karin-chan. And as you may know, they didn't want to antagonize anyone because they were the ones who were most aware of the danger of their abilities," Naruto responded with regret, but his gaze soon turned dark. "But I will take care of correcting that mistake in due course."
Karin nodded her head, and moments later, the two returned to Gatō's old mansion.
Konohagakure no Sato - Currently
In front of the prison, Minato and Yugao were walking to get inside, but a yellow flash suddenly appeared in front of them, revealing the people who were in Menma's room a few moments ago.
"Huh?" The original Minato pronounced with confusion upon seeing them.
"There is no time to explain it," the clone said, and moments later, it vanished into a puff of smoke.
"I see...," the original expressed after its memories came to him. He then looked towards the prison and said before walking in that direction. "Wait here."
"Hai, Hokage-sama," the ANBU responded and remained in that place.
Sasuke and Sakura waited quietly, although their gazes focused on Yugao from time to time. ANBUs were just eye-catching.
Once inside, Minato stood in front of Naruto's cell to tell him: "We are ready, son."
"About time," the Uzumaki spoke as he stood up from his bed and put the Icha-Icha inside a ninja bag.
Currently, Naruto was wearing a black battle suit, boots, a face mask, and bandages on his head that were the same color as his suit; he didn't wear a headband either. The reason? To prevent the villagers from identifying him.
The Hokage then asked for the last time, "Are you ready?"
Naruto shook his head as he stood in front of the wooden bars. "Before I leave, I want to know Sandaime-sama's condition." His gaze was, in simple terms, that of an outstanding ANBU of Root.
Minato looked for a brief moment at Tenzō, who nodded before quickly leaving the jail to find the rabbit-masked ANBU and bring her inside.
A few seconds later, Usagi entered the small prison, and there she had finally seen him, behind bars, with a dull expression, but with eyes that shone with despair and sadness, which only she could notice.
Such a vision made her heart writhe in agony and sadness. She guessed why he was like this, and she knew what the Hokage expected her to say next would only worsen his condition.
She stood in front of the cell and slightly averted her gaze. It was because she felt frustrated; she wanted to tell him something to comfort him but was unable in this situation.
"Oh, Usagi-san. It's been a while." She looked at him once he spoke, and there she could see that his eyes returned to normal; he even had a smile that resembled that of a person who hadn't seen a friend in a long time.
It was hard to understand how he was able to change his emotions so easily. She was even having a hard time looking at his face because she didn't want to cause him more grief.
Even so, she responded as naturally as she could, "Indeed, it's been a while, Naruto-kun."
The interaction did not raise suspicions, as Minato knew that Usagi had been the only one to be able to contact his son before he fell into a coma. Tenzō, on the other hand, found the interaction curious but said nothing.
"Usagi-san, please tell him the information ANBU has gathered about Sandaime-sama's whereabouts," the Hokage ordered.
Yugao hesitated for a second, but upon seeing the expectation in her partner's eyes, she replied, "We have two hypotheses. The first one is that he died during his combat with Orochimaru and then his body was destroyed during the explosion that overwhelmed the village, or he died during the explosion and his body disappeared along with the village."
Upon saying that, she bit her lower lip so strongly that it bled, the reason? Naruto's eyes suddenly became dull. It was as if something inside him had died; as if he had lost a reason to continue on living.
That made her feel guilty, so she quickly revealed the second hypothesis. "As for the second one, we believe someone was able to take him to safety before something bad happened to him. We believe that Enma-sama likely took him to the land of monkeys. We are currently trying to contact them."
Naruto's eyes instantly regained their brightness, which made the ANBU mentally sigh in relief.
"Oh, that's a good possibility. I hope you'll have more information when I return to the village," Naruto said before looking at his father and nodding his head.
Minato then looked at Tenzō to tell him. "Proceed."
The wood element user nodded and leaned slightly to create two wooden clones, one that looked like him and the other one like Naruto.
"In case anyone suspects something," the Hokage informed before his son could ask.
Naruto just shrugged, and a few seconds later, he was outside the cell while his copy was inside.
"Let's finish this," Naruto pronounced as he walked to the exit, being followed by his father, Tenzō, and Yugao; the latter feeling her heart beating uncontrollably due to the anxiety of wanting to talk to him alone.
Once outside, the presence of Sakura and Sasuke caught the attention of the Uzumaki. He noticed that both Gennins from team 7 had looked away when he tried to look them into their eyes.
Naruto assumed that Sasuke did it because he still couldn't bear to see him, while Sakura because she had fallen in love with him and was just embarrassed.
In any case, the Jinchūriki asked his father, "What are they doing here?"
"They will accompany you on this mission as they are Menma's companions and wanted to do something to help," Minato answered.
"I didn't know my mission was to be a nanny," Naruto whispered with a tone of annoyance.
"Don't worry, they won't get in the way of your mission," the Hokage stated.
With that said, the Jinchūriki slowly approached both of them.
While other people wouldn't have recognized Naruto, they could easily tell because of the way he stood and walked. In addition, the clone of the Yondaime had told them that he was going to take them with his original, and they assumed that Naruto was with him, so they did not doubt that it was Naruto.
The Jinchūriki then stood in front of them and waved. "Oi, what's up?"
His friendly tone did not convince Sasuke, who only managed to say: "Hmph..." The Uchiha didn't even look at his face, since he didn't trust him at all. Even though he wanted to help Menma change his brother, saying so was much easier than doing so.
Sakura returned the greeting with a blush. "H-Hello, Naruto-kun."
"Hi there, Sakura. Are you okay?" the Uzumaki asked as he stood in front of her.
The pink-haired woman could only look at her feet, not wanting to look up because she knew her face was quite flushed, and the thought of being seen like that made her feel embarrassed.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," she answered. "What about you?"
"Tired and starving."
"Oh, uh, I-I'm kind of hungry too," Sakura mentioned, a bit nervous.
"Really? So what do you say if we go grab a bite after we get to the nearest village?"
He didn't say that with his plan to turn Sakura into a real Kunoichi in mind, simply because he thought that since they were both hungry, then they could stop to eat something somewhere.
Sakura, on the other hand, turned red like a tomato. "A-A date?" She concluded.
"Cha! A date with Naruto-kun! Don't spoil it!" Her inner Sakura exclaimed.
Ignoring her inner self, the Haruno raised her head slightly, but after seeing that Naruto was looking at her so intensely, she lowered it again.
She wondered why he looked at her in such a way, and the answer came with the following: "You look good." Naruto praised her new appearance with honesty.
"Huh?" Sakura's head moved upwards by itself, and this time, her big green eyes were lost in the purples of her crush.
"Cha! Naruto-kun has complimented you," the inner Sakura exclaimed.
"Until a month ago..." Naruto's voice returned her to the earthly world, but this time she didn't look down, she just heard with a slight blush on her cheeks. "I could only see a girl with no future, a Kunoichi destined to fail," the Uzumaki continued.
Those words felt like a bucket of cold water but since she knew he was right, she just kept listening.
"But now I can see a faint glimmer of hope in you." He then turned around and walked towards his father. "If you keep this up, I'm certain that you will surprise me."
When he finished saying those words, a gentle breeze moved Sakura's hair, who could only look at the back of her platonic love as he walked away.
When she saw him standing in front of the Hokage, she had finally reacted, but she hadn't said anything. All she did was change her expression to one of determination and clench her fist tightly. "I will become stronger, strong enough for you to allow me to stand next to you."
Sasuke saw his teammate's reaction, and he couldn't help but sigh and roll his eyes. But hey, if that motivated her to increase her skills, then he wouldn't say anything about it, as long as she didn't do anything stupid like trying to free Naruto and escape with him from the village. While he knew that Sakura could be somewhat silly when she was in love, Sasuke was sure she wasn't brain-dead to try something like that.
On the other hand, Minato concluded that it had not been a bad decision to assign Sakura to this mission since there were not many people who managed to have a friendly conversation with his son.
He then saw his firstborn stand in front of him, and before he could tell him anything, Minato came forward. "Guys, Usagi and Tenzō, come closer."
Sakura and Sasuke and the ANBU approached, the first one blushing and looking away because of the proximity with the Uzumaki.
"Very well, we'll wait until my Sensei sends the signal. I don't think it'll take more than five minutes."
Naruto sighed in exasperation. "Five minutes? I'm starving."
"I'm sorry, son. I would have brought you something to eat, but with everything that happened, we won't have enough supplies for a few more hours."
"Then take these seals out and I will get to the nearest food stall as soon as possible."
"You know I can't do that, son. No one can know that you will leave the village. Without those seals, everyone will notice," his father replied.
Naruto sighed annoyedly but then put on a serious expression. "I can control my Chakra with ease. Besides, you know that you will have to remove these seals. Do you want me to be captured? I will be exposed to any kind of attack if I am unable to defend myself."
While the suppressor seals his father had put on him weren't suppressing anything, he wanted to have an excuse to be able to use his Chakra in case any situation that required it arose.
His father thought about it for a while, until he said. "My Sensei and two of my best ANBU will accompany you..."
Tenzō nodded, thinking that they were more than enough, besides, he didn't trust Naruto at all.
Yugao stood firm because of her training as an ANBU, although inside, she just wanted to be alone with Naruto so she could talk to him.
Sasuke understood why he hadn't been mentioned, but it was still annoying for him to know the reason: weakness.
Naruto, on the other hand, shrugged and mentioned, "Well, if you think that's enough, then whatever. I just hope you're sure about this."
Minato couldn't help but reflect, so the image of the Akatsuki members approaching the village just an hour ago came to his mind.
For this reason, he said the following: "I will need proof."
"Proof?" His son asked in confusion.
"Something that'd tell me you won't try anything and you'll be back in the village when the mission is over... Give me your Kibas."
Tenzō couldn't believe what he was hearing; he even came close to telling him that it was crazy and dangerous.
However, Naruto spoke first, "Isn't my word enough?"
He got no answer, so the Uzumaki sighed and rolled up both wrists to reveal the seals. "They're there. You must charge your Chakra, as I cannot use mine."
Minato nodded and did so, and instantly both weapons came out of the Uzumaki's wrists.
Sasuke took notes; it was an efficient way to store weapons and use them quickly in combat. When his brother recovered, he would ask him to teach him.
The Yondaime grabbed both Katanas, and a second later, he had sealed them on a scroll.
"Hokage-sama, no...," Tenzō tried to say, but it had already been too late because his leader had placed his right hand on the shoulder of the criminal, who clenched his fists repeatedly before giving a nod with his head.
The Jinchūriki then turned his head to the wood element user and said, "Easy. I can be a bastard, but I always take my missions earnestly."
"Being serious or not, that's not the question. The problem is that now nothing prevents you from escaping," Tenzō countered, with visible nervousness on his face. How could he not be? Naruto was an extremely dangerous person, and above all, a proven murderer incapable of feeling remorse for his actions.
Minato wanted to reassure him, but Naruto continued, "Escape? I already told you; I take my missions earnestly. That includes returning to the place of departure to report on the success of the mission. Also, the Yondaime has my Katanas. Or are you worried that I might murder you? Don't you trust your abilities?" He said the latter with a sinister smile.
Sakura and Sasuke gulped, while Tenzō was put on alert, but this time, the Hokage took a firm step forward and exclaimed, "Both of you! Enough! Naruto, don't force me to seal your Chakra again."
The ANBU stood firmly and changed his expression to a more serene one at his leader's order, while the Uzumaki simply told him that he was joking. In a way, it was true since he didn't dislike nor did he like Tenzō, but Naruto wouldn't hesitate to murder him if he kept on complaining and pestering him.
At that moment, the Hokage felt that his master had stuck his Kunai, so he put his fist in front of his mouth and coughed once before stating, "My sensei is in position, so the mission starts now. Search and retrieve Tsunade. Good luck."
The group nodded their heads, and then Minato asked everyone to place a hand on him. After doing so, the blond made a sign with his hands and a second later they all disappeared in a yellow flash.
Moments later, Minato was the only one to reappear in Konoha, and once alone, he couldn't help but look up at the sky and say, "Even you know that I deserve this, don't you?"
He said this to the sky since it was sunny and clear. It seemed against him, telling him that he didn't deserve a single drop that could hide the tears that he had been holding back all this time. Minato couldn't help feeling that way since he still blamed himself for everything that had happened, especially for the casualties that his negligence had caused.
But he also knew that standing still and lamenting all day would not help anyone, so he shook his head and swallowed his sorrowfulness.
He then created a few shadow clones to take care of different affairs. Among them, talking to Bee, who was still waiting for him, and visiting Itachi to get acquainted with his situation.
He also had to speak with Homura and Koharu to hold the wake of the fallen; while they were no longer part of the council, Minato could not deny their experience in these matters.
The rest of his clones would help in the village and watch the men Kyofu had sent.
Notes:
Hi there. In the end, I made the length of this chapter as usual. At first, it had about 4 thousand words, but I decided to add more things to it and it ended up with over 10k words.
Now, some clarifications:
When Kakashi is reflecting that he is the one in charge of looking after Sakura, many probably thought that Sakura's parents should do that. But you must understand that her parents are civilians and there would not be much they could do against people who could harm her daughter. That's why Kakashi feels responsible.
As for the conversation between Ino and TenTen, remember that Naruto already activated the seal that altered their memories.
Right now, I inform you that Haku is not going to be a Tsunade 2.0. She's already explained why.
In the future, I want Naruto to focus on sealing techniques. As you already saw, he is a Grand Master, but he has trouble using these techniques effectively because they put a lot of mental burden on him. I will probably be giving an explanation about the requirements to reach each level.
If I put Minato as an example, he may be a Master with Grandmaster knowledge, but he still doesn't meet the requirements to go to the next level, and as you read, going to the legendary level is extremely difficult. You can give ideas for any Fuinjutsu level if you want.
As for the technique that Naruto used in this chapter, I was inspired by JoJo's "Za Hando", although I removed the OP part (affecting physical objects) to balance it a bit. It also has a weak point, which is that the target must be still. The Banshō Ten'in is still stronger as it doesn't have that drawback, the difference is that it's not instant.
As for the Sealing Circle, I was inspired by Magic Circles from other anime universes.
Sasuke and Sakura will accompany Naruto; we'll see what happens in the next chapters.
I may have forgotten to mention something, but if you have any doubts, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.
That would be all. Until the next time!