Disclaimer: Naruto and Touhou project belong to their respective owners, and I will delete this story if requested.


The Changing of Way II


A person stalked in the dead of night near the Hokage Mountain. The bodies of past Hokage were entombed here, guarded by several of Konoha's most dedicated. But the guards were lying on the ground, needles littering where their hearts would be. Hidden under a brown, hooded cloak, the person entered the tomb, an artificial cave to the deep underground. The person carried a large scroll, which it laid open on the floor upon entering.

The cave had lamps overhead, and cameras were visible at an interval. Lightning chakra crackled from the person's hands as they groped the wall. Feeling an interaction, they allowed the chakra to discharge into the walls, frying every electrical circuit in this cave. The person bit their thumb and smeared blood on the open scroll, summoning a weak flashlight. The person, guided by a flashlight, disappeared into the cave, scroll dangling on its back.

Silence was deafening here, so much each heartbeat was palpable. Thanks to the weakness of the flashlight, no light was reflected out of the cave by the walls, and the cloaked person wasn't blinded when entering a flooded corridor. At the end of this corridor were three bodies, which entered the person's scroll before they retraced their way.

Outside waited a group of masked personnel. One intertwined their fingers in a seal, drawing a breath before releasing a jet of flame into the cave. Inside the cloaked person did an earth technique, erecting an earth wall to separate him from the corridor further outside. The person's sweating, as heat from the other side was reaching here. But the person wasn't worried. They lifted their sleeve, revealing a seal on which they then dripped their blood.

Outside, the personnel prepared. A few of them queued into the cave, confident the flame had fried everyone inside. To their horror, a massive snake with an open maw went the way they came. They tried to run, but the snake was quicker to swallow them and disappear into smoke, which the cloaked person utilised to strike everyone outside unprepared.

Meanwhile, someone punched the wall of the Hokage Residence. Everyone let it be, understanding that frustration was everywhere, as Naruto Uzumaki, their strategic weapon, had disappeared while hunting for food.

Konoha's carefully constructed plans had crumbled. The pariah made a hero, the protector and leader of Konoha, would not go further than its status as a fictional narrative. Naruto was crucial, a centrepiece of their grand strategy to emerge as the greatest among the great five. Everything they'd done regarding him was preparing him to be a great fighter with strong camaraderie and unwavering loyalty. Without him, they risked falling behind the rest.

Even worse was the news about the stolen scroll. The thief, the chūnin who had reported the disappearance, had said during interrogation that he'd given it to a team of Orochimaru's right hands. Squadrons of ANBU had been dispatched to recover the scroll, leading them straight to Orochimaru. Orochimaru had then slaughtered all but one of them to leave a message: the archive of Konoha had been compromised.

Regardless of whether it's true or false, people speculated Naruto's disappearance was linked to the theft. They theorised that Naruto had either been abducted by Orochimaru or joined him willingly after knowing his true status. The village had not rested since then.

Hiruzen watched the village from his office. The village was his life, its villagers his family. The village was peaceful, but it not would stay peaceful for long. One of its worst traitors had stolen its most guarded secret with intent obvious to everyone. Hiruzen spoke to himself, 'When he comes, I shall fight him. This is my responsibility for not finishing him years ago. Before then, I need to name a successor…. Geh! I'm talking to myself. Naruto's habit rubbed off on me.'

Naruto Uzumaki. That name returned to haunt Hiruzen. Naruto was an incarnation of disaster for most civilians, terrible memory for most personnel, and an asset for the high command. For Hiruzen, however, Naruto was more than that. Hiruzen was fond of the boy, despite never showing it. All the emotions he'd shown when spending time with the boy had been sincere. Hiruzen wanted to help him as best as he could, which was why he'd asked his son to teach him, but situations prevented him. He'd had to ensure that Naruto's loyalty rested on the village and the Land of Fire, not on him.

'Sir!' reported a jōnin with absurd, silver hair, 'The bodies of deceased Hokage have been stolen. The ANBU commander and some operatives went there and are currently fighting the culprit. They are requesting reinforcement!'

Hiruzen's eyes widened. 'Go! Take my guards with you!'

'Yes, sir!' The jōnin disappeared.

'Is that you, Orochimaru?' mumbled Hiruzen as he prepared the village's defence.


The cloaked person stood amongst corpses, his hands covered in green flickering chakra. Out of the ground shot a wooden beam, striking the cloaked person and launching them to the air. Their hood slipped off their head, revealing their identity: Kabuto Yakushi, a genin infamous for always failing chūnin exams. Thick roots emerged, wrapping the genin to restrict him.

'Who are you working for?' asked the commander.

'To think that the project left a surviving experiment. Your return will bring master a great joy.' The flickering chakra in the genin's hands lengthened and thickened to free himself. He then swung his hands to precisely cut the commander's leg and upper arm, paralysing him while leaving no permanent damage to his body. 'No more fighting now, commander. It's time to return to your master.'

Kabuto fixed his hood and approached the commander. However, a flying kunai forced him to abandon his intention. From seemingly nowhere blew a stream of fire, forcing Kabuto to substitute with a piece of rock. Kabuto enhanced his right scalpel, increasing its length so he could do melee attacks from a long distance. He threw a kunai tied with explosive tags at the commander and announced, 'Stop this or your commander will die.'

The jōnin who had reported to Hiruzen earlier approached him, gesture relaxed and uncaring. 'Why are you doing this?'

'A de-escalation attempt before the battle. You truly embody the way of the leaf, Kakashi Hatake.'

The jōnin–Kakashi Hatake–fished from his pocket a book and opened it. 'You know our approach. Now, what will you do, insulting our way until your mouth foam?'

'An escalation after a de-escalation. You are predictable, copycat. How come you have your reputation as it is? Nothing about you is original. Not your technique. Not your method. The only thing original about you is killing your friend to get that eye. Scratch that. The Uchihas were famous for that.'

Kakashi snapped his book shut. He glared at Kabuto as he returned his book to his pocket. 'Resorting to—'

'Don't say anything,' Kabuto interrupted. 'Now you will say some nonsense to make yourself feel better. Let me guess, you will threaten with your original technique and move to the next phase: the fight itself.' Kabuto detonated the explosive tags, forcing a guard to substitute with the commander. In the stark chaos, Kabuto cut Kakashi, who turned into smoke after being cut, and went to the interception team's position.

Kabuto swung his right chakra blades before reaching their position, decapitating two guards to a single hit. Upon arriving at their position, Kabuto swung at the guards who were still shaken by the offensive use of medical technique. He then chased after two retreating figures, Kakashi and someone who carried the commander. Kabuto dismissed his blades and threw a kunai at the commander, causing Kakashi to stay behind. 'How noble of you, Kakashi. To think that a friend killer would stay behind to slow the enemy.'

Kakashi lifted his headband, revealing a sharp, red eye glowing in the darkness. Kakashi's left hand took a kunai from his weapon pouch, and Kakashi lunged at Kabuto, who intercepted the incoming attack with chakra scalpels. And thus, they descend into hand-to-hand combat. Kakashi with his kunai, and Kabuto with chakra scalpels. Kakashi cut into Kabuto's scalpels and his body; Kabuto sliced through Kakashi's kunai and muscles. Both stopped attacking after a while. Kabuto had lost plenty of blood and chakra. And Kakashi had no kunai left, and his body was littered with wounds.

Kakashi jumped away, preparing for a long-range fight. Kabuto stayed in his place to heal his wounds using chakra. Kabuto then replenished his lost blood and chakra by swallowing a blood pill and a soldier pill.

'You're tired already,' said Kakashi, 'Let's stop this; you'll end up losing, anyway. If you surrender now, we will treat you nicely.'

'Pathetic, typical of gardeners. You look down on medics, not realising their true potential.' Kabuto created chakra scalpels. 'Guess I shouldn't be surprised. Your medical advancement is held back by nonsense, after all. And the only one who cares has left. Do you know that other countries have developed soldier pills with safe side effects?'

'Not interested.' Kakashi went through an intricate series of hand seals. 'Now!' From underground, a pack of dogs came and bit Kabuto to restrain him in place. 'I will show you my original.' Kakashi adjusted his footing and thrust his left hand to the ground. His hands glowed, covered by lightning. Kakashi then dashed forward, pushing the lightning-covered hand deep into Kabuto's chest. However, Kabuto only smirked.

'And this is my original, Kakashi.'

Kabuto exploded, taking Kakashi and his dogs at point-blank range. The dogs laid motionless on the ground while Kakashi struggled to his feet. He looked at his dogs. All of them, except the biggest one, were still breathing. From his behind, Kakashi heard an applaud.

'Surprised, Kakashi? This isn't the same exploding clones that Itachi uses. This is my own variant. A copycat like you won't understand. Ah! Angry? You deserve it. Come with me. Under lord Orochimaru, we will show the world the power of knowledge. You can make your own techniques for a change.'

'I'd rather die.'

'No, no, I will heal you. You will live as a living insult because your existence will remind your comrades of this day. Like father, like son. Ah, I will take your eye. Lord Orochimaru's plan will go smoother with that eye.'


Hiruzen addressed the strategic council. 'Let's cut to the pressing matter at hand. The Hokage Tomb has been raided. The raider has stolen the bodies of the first, second, and fourth Hokage, stolen Kakashi's sharingan, and paralysed the ANBU commander.'

Hitched breathes and gasps met Hiruzen's statement. 'Do we know who the raider was?' asked a council member

'Yakushi Kabuto.'

'No way, you can't be serious! That lame genin beat them alone?! What the fuck!?'

'That 'genin' is Orochimaru's insider. I admit he fooled us with his infamy as a loser, but I won't let them have the first strike on us! We have to strike them first. Shikaku, the ANBU is now under your direct command. Form task forces to scourge the Elemental Nations for Orochimaru's bases and to destroy them. Shibi, I approve of your request to develop the parasite. Danzō, take children over the age of six from orphanages to your division. I want them ready to fight a defensive war in a year.'

The council members were dumbfounded. They had forgotten the calm and peaceful old man of the village was a seasoned veteran of more battles than they had experienced.

Shibi requested to leave the chamber, wanting to prepare the development as soon as possible. Hiruzen granted the request. However, Hiruzen stopped Shibi near the door, admonishing him for covering his head with his hood. After Shibi had apologised and left, Shikaku requested an early leave, as he wanted to focus on preparing the task force instead of the council. Hiruzen granted the request.

'Now, I want us to work on a new academy system and genin team structure. With Naruto on our side, we—' 'Shrimp.' 'We can maintain our superiority using the current system. Now that he has disappeared and with a war on the Horizon, we need a new system.'

Therefore, the council members stayed in the chamber until they had finished the new system, which had taken them over twenty hours. The most noticeable changes were in the academy system. Instead of two years of basic skills and general knowledge, the new system had a year for basic and three years of 'advanced academy' teachings. The first year would be stripped of history lessons, leaving only basic techniques to shape students into genin. At the end of the first year, they would have their aptitude tested and be assigned in either standard teams of three genin and one jōnin. As an alternative, genin would be assigned to special teams as needed.

After the team placement, the new genin would attend the advanced academy. The first year would cover ambushes and traps, the second would cover countries hostile to the Fire Country, and the third would cover fighting behind enemy lines. Three years in total with increasingly low priority competence for genin level. This 'advanced academy' should free jōnin from teaching theoretical knowledge. With each team having their own shifts each week for the 'advanced academy', a minimum number of jōnin could be maintained for a reserve force that would always be on standby. Accidentally, the new system eliminated the risk of neglected theory teaching, for which some jōnin were infamous.

Although the new system would theoretically produce knowledgeable genin, concerns had been raised about their team cohesion and ability to use theories and practiced skills in the field. To get around this, teams would only have two days each week for the advanced academy, and would be sent on missions at least once a month. This would alert other countries, which was why retired operatives would be drafted. Those whose hands were intact and functional would be assigned guard duty; those whose hands and feet were intact and functional would be assigned patrol duty; those who were physically weak, capable of speech, and had at least one functional hand would be assigned at the advanced the academy to share their experience in addition to teaching the standard material. With the draft, Konoha would have additional personnel in case of an attack.

Without a doubt, the council knew other countries might take this as a provocation. Loathe they might be, they had no choice. With the news about Konoha losing its strategic weapon reaching their nemeses, the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, they might see a chance to win a war against the Land of Fire. With ANBU future operations on foreign soils, the council was certain they would make an enemy out of almost everyone.

They risked provoking the fourth great war, and they were aware of the fact. Orochimaru had the sharingan, the scroll of seals, and the deceased Hokage on his arsenal. Without these measures, Konoha would drown under Orochimaru's onslaught, if not a war by a country wanting to replace the Land of Fire as the dominant power. They knew that a war was coming regardless. Thus, they risked provoking other countries, to deter them from attacking before the Fire Country was ready.

'So that's the draft. Any more inputs?' Hiruzen asked, which was replied with silence. 'Take a five hours break. We've yet to decide a countermeasure against Orochimaru.'

Meanwhile, the mentioned traitor was enjoying his time. Orochimaru was sitting in his throne in an underground fortress. His sickly golden eyes shone with delight as he read the scroll in his hands. This was the scroll of seals, a scroll sealed away by the first Hokage for the techniques it contained. He was reading a particular technique called Flying hunder god', a space-time technique allowing instant transport regardless of range.

Before the theft, Orochimaru had seen Naruto disappearing into a hole littered with eyes, which he assumed had led to another universe. Before Naruto had entered the hole, Orochimaru had seen a woman creating several of identical holes at once. She had had no chakra but had been capable of such a feat. Her presence had been odd; it had felt nothing like a human. Instead, it had felt similar to humanoid creatures from the land of demons, and priests and priestesses during rituals involving possession. He had concluded that her presence was, in fact, spiritual energy, a type of energy coming from the spirit itself. Everything Orochimaru knew about her led Orochimaru to conclude she lived in another world.

Orichimaru had wanted to obtain the scroll for the reanimation technique it contained, but his mind had changed after he had seen Naruto entering the hole. Orochimaru wanted to be capable of interdimensional travel as well, as such ability would enable him to find immortality and learn as much secret as he wanted.

Orochimaru rose from his peculiar throne, walked to a nearby table, and made a copy of the 'Flying Thunder God' formula. After ensuring the copy was precise, he disappeared into a dim-lit claustrophobic nightmare. He passed prison cells containing mutants of several kinds—some had extra appendages, and some played with their gut. Though the area smelled foul, Orochimaru appeared unbothered.

At the end of the corridor, Orichimaru stopped. Before him was a prison door. Keys clanked as Orichimaru rotated one in the keyhole. Orochimaru disappeared inside once the door was open, allowing it to close and lock itself.

Behind the door was a fresh, lively, large complex which air smelled of ramen broth and ink. The floor was clean and the room bright. Remnants of the Uzumaki clan lived here, imprisoned underground and enslaved by Orochimaru.

Orochimaru navigated the complex, looking for a specific Uzumaki amongst hundreds. Along the way he passed people cooking and enjoying ramen—the trait of loving ramen appeared to be universal in the clan—and creating literary works, paintings, and seals. Living hundreds of years isolated from the rest of the world appeared to have enhance their creativity. In fact, Orochimaru's researches suggested the clan's infatuation with seals stemmed from their love for written arts.

Orochimaru's destination was a meeting room in which the most proficient of Uzumakis gathered to discuss their arts. Orochimaru, upon reaching there, demanded the clan to decipher the formula of 'Flying Thunder God' and modify it to enable crossing between dimensions. He then left without waiting for their response, knowing the Uzumakis had no choice but to obey.

Years ago, after Orochimaru's departure from Konoha, he had collected the remnants of the Uzumaki clan and held them in this underground complex. They'd resisted with all of their might, thinking they'd rather lock themselves inside and die of starvation than serve an insane researcher. They had applied a seal keyed to Uzumaki chakra signature on the door, confident that Orochimaru would never open the door. But Orochimaru had been more advanced in this regard; he'd edited some of his cells to incorporate genetic materials of an Uzumaki, thus allowing him to open the door.

Orochimaru had done it to improve his body, as he wanted to learn sage mode, which was impossible in his current physical state. But the treatment had failed, worsening his condition instead of improving it. Despite the failure, however, the treatment had left a positive mark: his chakra had changed to that of an Uzumaki.

Having the chakra of an Uzumaki had distinct advantage, as it allowed Orochimaru to access the Uzumaki secret vault in the Land of Whirlpools. However, he could not survive the whirlpools. For this, the 'Flying Thunder God' would be instrumental, as it would allow Orochimaru to skip the whirlpools altogether and obtain the secret the Uzumakis had hidden in their vaults. Combined with the sage mode the snakes promised to teach after improving his body, the knowledge would ensure Orochimaru's status as the greatest scholar in the Elemental Nations; the world would witness his greatness.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen were greeting two people by the gate. The first one was a long, silver-haired man in red, the second a blonde in green. With an invitation from Hiruzen, all three used 'Body Flicker' technique to arrive in his office in seconds. Hiruzen sat in his chair, pulling a drawer to refill his pipe but changed his mind when the blonde slammed his table. 'Explain the militarisation! Haven't you learnt from the last war? You can't set up a large force without competent and dedicated medics. That's suicide!'

'That's why I summoned you here; we need the medical corps.'

'What changed?'

'The scroll of—'

'I've gotta cut you there, old man!' said the silver-haired man, 'I've gotta look for Naruto, so I'm gonna head out!' Jiraiya jumped out of the window, leaving Hiruzen to talk alone with the blonde.

'The scroll of seals has been stolen,' said Hiruzen.

'What? How could my grandfather's scroll get stolen?!'

'He had a good opportunity. Naruto had been reported missing earlier. With everyone deployed to search for him, the scroll was unguarded and then stolen.'

'Who stole it?'

'Mizuki, a chunin.'

'A chunin?' Tsunade trembled. 'What's so important about this Naruto kid that he took priority over guarding the scroll?'

'Uzumaki,' said Hiruzen, taking Tsunade by surprise. 'Naruto Uzumaki is his name. He is the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, the container of the kyūbi no kitsune, the last Royal Uzumaki, the future Hokage, the child of prophecy. You can figure out how important he is on your own.'

Tsunade scoffed, 'You still believe in Jiraiya's bullshit?'

'It is not bullshit! Depending on Jiraiya's interaction with him, Naruto will bring either peace or destruction to the elemental nations. My goal is to groom Naruto as my successor. This way, he will bring peace to the elemental nations with the Land of Fire as the supreme power.'

'Of course it's bullshit! You don't gain his loyalty by manipulating him.'

'Tsunade, the deciding factor is Jiraiya's interaction with him. Everything that I do is facilitating him for that role.'

'Let's make some bets, then. I bet he hates your gut and will destroy Konoha.' Tsunade set two bottles of sake on the table. 'These are my finest sake, one for each bet. If I don't survive his attack, my apprentice will take them for me.'

Hiruzen didn't respond. He was astonished Tsunade could bet something like that so casually. Hiruzen took his hat off, set it on the table, and pushed it forward. 'I bet that he will forgive me if he ever found out that we have manipulated him. And he won't destroy Konoha. Instead, he will be its hero and lead it to bring peace to this world.'

Tsunade leaned forward, supporting her chin with her clasped hands. 'You bet your hat? What would I do with this?'

'If I win, you will become a Hokage and fill the position until he's ready to fill it.'

Tsunade frowned. 'I told you I don't want to be a Hokage. It's a cursed position.'

Hiruzen smirked. 'Is that your excuse? Trying to escape the bet, aren't you?'

'Are you? You bet something I never wanted, hoping that I will back out. You know that I never win bet, yet you want me to back out.' Tsunade reached the door and opened it. 'Pathetic. Just like your position.' Tsunade slammed the door closed, causing it to fall seconds later.

On the other side of the village, Chōji and Shikamaru were talking with a chūnin guard. They wanted to enter Konoha's archive to learn more about Naruto, as the rumours of Naruto the kitsune child leaving the village to save his life was upsetting them. They knew Naruto was never a kitsune, but the villagers' deep hatred towards Naruto must have reasons. Alas, their plan had crumbled, for the security system had changed.

The plan had been to wait for guard change and to enter the archive before the next guard had arrived. What made the plan impossible was the number of the guards. Four chūnin were guarding an area that had been guarded by a chūnin, and each of them had their own schedules of guard changes.

The failure of the plan had broken their spirit. They'd planned to go home, but they'd had a change of plan when they'd seen a guard reading a porno book in the middle of duty. Chōji and Shikamaru had taken pictures of the guard with a camera – which they had prepared to capture images of important files..

'Please,' said Chōji to the chūnin

'No. Which aspect of 'no' do you not understand?'

'"No, don't release the photos.",' said Shikamaru.

'Photos? What photos? Don't joke around, kid. Just go home and… what the fuck?' exclaimed the chūnin.

'See?' Shikamaru said to Chōji, waving the camera in his hand. 'He doesn't understand it either. Let's go home.'

'Wait! Please, don't release them,' the guard begged, kneeling and clasping his hands to make his begging more impactful. 'I'll do anything for you. Just don't release them.'

'We want to enter.'

'No.'

'Then we're going. Let's go, Chōji.'

'Wait! You may enter. Just give me your camera, alright?'

'Thank you,' Chōji said as Shikamaru gave the camera. They then went in, ignoring the guard's mumbling about privileged clan children. Inside the archive they found themselves lost in a maze of bookshelves. They could not define their position; everything seemed the same.

'What should we do?' Chōji asked.

'No idea. I planned about getting in, not getting out,' Shikamaru answered, regret obvious in his tone.

'Maybe we can mark our path.'

'No way, that will leave marks.'

'Use that.' Chōji pointed to a plate on a shelf. 'We can use those numbers.'

Shikamaru looked up. Chōji's idea had merits. They could use the number plate on each shelf to mark their path. 'Alright, You'll keep count and watch if there's someone. I'll search the shelf for his file.'

'Okay.'

Thus, their search began. After hours of searching, examining each section through samples since files appeared to be stored in categories, they found nothing. Every record about Naruto appeared to have disappeared from the archive. Just when they considered leaving, Chōji found a staircase leading to the higher floors. They took the stairs. They then swept each floor for Naruto's files, which they didn't find until they searched the uppermost level, where they found a shelf labelled nine hundred.

They took a random sample, a file titled 'The shrimp's shadows'. The file contained a detailed composition of a three-man team which served as shadows, as caretakers, guards and observers of the shrimp, which identity was never specified. Next to this file was 'The Fox Den'. There were several files with the same titles, each from different years. Shikamaru took the last one and read the latest report it contained.

Status: Destroyed on Hokage's order.

Details: Demolished. The fox has died. No collateral damage. No casualty.

The highly compacted report had been submitted roughly a month ago, the day when a big explosion had been heard from the abandoned part of the village.

'It's Naruto's old house,' Shikamaru said.

'How can you tell?'

'After the explosion, Naruto whined about staying with the Sarutobis because people blew his house. Except it's just a coincidence, "the Fox Den" is Naruto's old house.'

'But why did the Hokage wants to destroy Naruto's house? Something's wrong here. Let's get out of here!'

'No.'

'We're here for three hours already. I don't wanna get caught!'

'Yeah, yeah, troublesome. Just one more.' Shikamaru took another file – a compilation of reports from 'the fox's shadows'. There were several volumes of the compilation, an indication of how many missions the fox's shadow had gone through. Shikamaru read its content, which was much more detailed than the last report that he'd read.

The report was disturbing. It recounted the fox's daily life in such uncanny detail, including precise descriptions of the beatings the fox had gone through.

Shikamaru returned the file. He didn't dare read the rest of the report. What he had read was enough to shock his being. He didn't need another one. Shikamaru took his friend's hand and said, 'Let's go, we're done here.'

'What's in that file?' Chōji took the file, but Shikamaru forced him to return it. 'Why?'

Shikamaru dragged Chōji by his hand. 'Don't read that. There's a less troublesome way to learn about Naruto.'

After sneaking out of the archive, Shikamaru told Chōji to go home alone, and left for the abandoned part of the village.

Shikamaru saw empty buildings and uprooted trees there. On the edge of the complex was a large crater surrounded by felled trees. Unlike other felled trees, which were uprooted, these appeared to have snapped. It was where the Fox Den had been. The area surrounding the crater was suspiciously clean, as the damage done to the surrounding area was extensive. Yet there was no debris left from the demolition.

The surrounding buildings were cracked, likely damaged by the demolition. If what Naruto had told him was correct, Naruto had lived in this complex alone. If he guessed correctly, Naruto's neighbours had left their buildings soon after Naruto had moved in. Shikamaru had observed Naruto's daily life and how the villagers reacted to his presence. Save for the two people at the ramen shop, the villagers either despised him or feared him. There must be reasons behind their reactions. Shikamaru intended to find out.

Shikamaru went home, thinking of Naruto's plight along the way.

Something's not right, thought Shikamaru, Villagers call him 'kitsune', 'monster', and 'murderer'. The villagers only knew of one kitsune, the one attacking the village eleven years ago. And Naruto was born the night the kitsune attacked. Could it be? No, I can't conclude before the pieces are complete. I need to find out more.

Shikamaru changed his line of thought, focusing on how to obtain secret information instead of guessing them.

The Hakurei Shrine was quiet that night. The lively talks that usually filled the air were no more. There were only noises of broom brushing the ground and a low, melodious hum of a shrine maiden.

Covering the yard were fallen leaves. No matter how hard Reimu tried to keep the fallen leaves away, they would always return as soon as she turned her back. Feigning ignorance, Reimu kept sweeping the yard, focusing her senses for changes in the environment. Feeling a disturbance, Reimu turned to see leaves pouring out of a gap. 'I knew it. Yukari!' cried Reimu.

The gap widened, allowing Yukari to step out. 'Sweeping at night?'

Reimu nodded. 'A strong wind came earlier and messed my yard.'

'Why not leave it for tomorrow?'

'The leaves completely block the way.'

Hiding her face behind a spread fan, Yukari said in a playful tone, 'Oh, you should not worry about that. No one visits this place, anyway.'

'It's because of your kind hanging around here. If your kind can just stay away, I'll have many visitors from the human village… and I will have enough money for good meals!'

'Hmm, didn't you mean 'we'?'

'Nope! Naruto left the shrine last week.'

'Why?' asked Yukari, 'You didn't kick him out, did you?'

'No,' Reimu answered, 'He said that he'll visit sometimes and just left. He hasn't visited me, though, and he's angry for some reason.'

'Do you know why?'

'He hates me. He left the shrine cursing at me and the god who resides here. I have no clue as for why. I never mistreated him.'

'What did he say?'

'He hates being forced to marry me. He's weird, though. It's like he's two person sharing a body.'

'I'm listening,' said Yukari, bending her gap so that she could sit.

'Well, he's… um… one is the boy you gave me… and the other one is….'

'The kitsune?'

'No, that furball's sleeping the whole time. I mean the other person. He's so angry. I would know. Naruto said he wanted a family, so I try acting like a sister. You know, the thing I did when he's still here. Yet he's almost always angry when meeting me.'

'Perhaps that's why he is angry. He knows you will marry him, yet you still act as though you were his sister. Do you even know what a sister is supposed to be?'

'It's not like that! I don't even know I'll marry him if he keeps acting like this. Sometimes he liked me; sometimes he hated me. I tried teaching him the basics of my clan's style of sealing, and he's so freaking hostile!' Reimu sighed. 'I don't know what to do with him. I've performed rites to rid of whatever's possessing him, and I always failed.'

'Perhaps he is entering that period. I still remember the things you did while in this period, such as dyeing your hair purple, asking people in your way to commit suicide, implying you would force your way on someone after you defeated her, or that time when—'

'I wasn't like that!' cried Reimu.

'That turtle pet of yours would disagree. If I could find him in the afterlife and bring him here, he would support me.'

Reimu tightened her fists. She glared at Yukari, veins nearly visible on her forehead. 'Damn you, old hag!' Reimu threw her broom, only for Yukari to redirect it away. 'I thought you'd help me with Naruto. Why are you teasing me?!'

'Fine, I will help you.'

'Anyway, he's more stable now.'

'Good news.'

'But he's now consistent in hating me!'

'He's more stable, alright. Where does he live now? I will talk to him.'

'Don't bother. He'll come back to me.'

'I want to meet him. I miss him.'

Reimu glared. 'Don't take him from me, old hag. I'm starting to love him.'

'I know, Reimu. See you next time.'

Yukari teleported to the village, in which a hakutaku confronted her and asked for her intention. Knowing the hakutaku was resolute in protecting the village and its residents, Yukari focused on disarming statements, lowering the hakutaku's guard and asking to be brought to Naruto's house—which had been built by a demon whom Naruto had defeated in gambling. Arriving to Naruto's house, Yukari teleported inside, to the sight of Naruto sobbing in his sleep near a bowl of severed thumbs.

Yukari examined the thumbs, noting they were all identical. Appetite arose from examining the thumbs, an appetite Yukari ignored in favour of waking Naruto. 'Wake up, Naruto.'

Naruto opened his eyes, and the first thing he did was severing the thumb of his right hand with a kunai. Yukari observed as a new thumb replaced the severed one. 'Stop regrowing my thumb, Kurama!'

'Is that the kitsune's name?' Yukari asked.

Weakly, Naruto answered, 'Yes,' as he severed his thumb.

'What are you doing?'

'Severing my thumb!'

A thumb flew towards Yukari, prompting her to catch it. 'May I take them? I will feed them to a hungry yōkai. Anyway, why are you doing this?'

'I'm trying to sever this damn red string!' Naruto's voice changed. 'I don't have a problem with it.' Naruto's voice changed again. 'But I do! I will keep hurting Reimu as long as I am bound to her.' Again, Naruto's voice changed. 'That's why I agree to sever the bond with Reimu. She will stop loving me if I tear our bond, right?'

'Are you talking to yourself again?'

'Technically yes, but actually not. There is a separate fragment of my spirit, the embodiment of my hidden and rejected aspects. He is not hidden anymore, and I no longer reject him. However, the integration to become one takes time, and I will keep being unstable until the integration is complete. For this, I will keep hurting Reimu until she gives up.'

'Look at me, Naruto. Will that process complete on its own?' Naruto answered that it would, but the period of instability and the time required until completion went up with his resistance. 'Then don't resist.'

'I will kill Reimu if I do.'

'You can never harm her. Well, her heart, perhaps, but her whole being is invulnerable.' Yukari opened a gap, the upper half of her body going through it to hug Naruto. 'Relax, I am only reading what's inside.'

'Anger… and the absolute evil. Don't touch me, you expired lump of flesh.'

'And fear,' Yukari whispered, 'The other you is rude. And why do you hate Reimu so much?'

'Her love is not real. She does everything only to entice me. All that our fate dictates is for me to help her revive her clan, so she may kill me after I have given her children.'

'She is not like that.'

'Prove it.'

'Prove it. Prove she will do that.'

'I have no proof, but I can argue. She is a shrine maiden, a dog of the gods. Her will is an extension of her gods. She does not want me; she pretends to do so because her god wills it.'

'But the Hakurei god bound you to Reimu. Reimu loves you, and her love will continue to grow with time because of your fate.'

'Precisely why I will never accept her. Our bond is at the mercy of that god. Even if Reimu loves me more than anything, she will discard me if her god decides so…. I thought I would be free. Instead, I have become yet another tool in a grand scheme. You, the one whom I thought would give me a chance of freedom, are but a liar. You are this world's equivalent of Hiruzen for me.'

'You will have a better life here.'

'How? At least in Konoha, I would have never integrated the other me and seen the absolute evil. I would still be the happy, naïve boy who does everything for Konoha and its residents. Here, I am only a tool. Yes, I was a tool in Konoha, but I felt in control and was oblivious to the fact I was but a tool. Here, I am aware, and I cannot do anything about it. I cannot even decide on my own; I am burdened by fate.'

Definitely in that phase, thought Yukari. 'It will not burden you,' whispered Yukari, 'You will have what you have always wanted when your fate is fulfilled. You want a family, right? You will have one.'

'I want a family where I am the child, not the parent.'

'You can ask Reimu to treat you as one. It may be a little creepy for you, but it is doable. Living outside of the village is already quite creepy, and things rarely make sense for humans out there. Someone raising her own husband would not make the situation worse.'

'It would. Why me?'

'For your information, it was Reimu who chose you; the Hakurei god only bound you to her. Reimu chose you because your circumstances are familiar. Both of you were born orphans and had your fate decided soon after birth. Yours was being a weapon for your village while hers is protecting Gensokyō by maintaining both balance and the great barrier. As her role requires her to exterminate Yōkai, you could say that she is an anti Yōkai weapon. Her fate is to be the final victor against Yōkai. No matter how powerful they are, they would lose against Reimu.'

'Does she accept?'

'Yes. She has realised that one cannot control everything. You should realise that as well. Reality does not revolve around you; some will be forever out of reach. You did not choose your parents, did you?'

'No.'

'See? You understand! Instead of trying to control everything, you should adapt and live your life.'

Naruto smiled a bitter, forced smile. 'You are hiding something, Yukari. Either you tell me or I will jam this kunai to my heart,' threatened Naruto, pointing a bloody kunai to his heart.

'How did you know?'

'I will tell you after I have understood you better. Now, answer me.'

'I raised her. I have trained her to her current level, and I have persuaded her into accepting her fate.'

'No wonder she is as lazy as you are. Why does she dislike you, then?

'She enjoys my presence, but because yōkai drive humans away and her position is their exterminator, she feels she is duty-bound to drive them away from the shrine. Outside of the shrine, she is friendly towards yōkai, provided they don't disturb the balance in Gensokyō or stand in her way. For your latter question, fate is assigned roles. Almost everyone has this, though the strictness differs. The villagers in the village's fates, for example, are to live their lives without disturbing the balance.

'Their fates are not strict; they have great freedoms to decide for themselves. Some people's fates are more defined than the rest. For example, someone fated to marry a specific partner and live their lives in a certain way that they never fail to save people in need. Fate affects one's unconsciousness so that one inevitably decides according to one's fate. If one learns their fate, its effect on their unconsciousness ceases, allowing them to either resist fate and risk the consequences or to obey it so that order is not disturbed. If they obey it, they can decide other decisions in their life. And the more defined one's fate is, the more difficult it is to alter it.'

'Who decide fate?'

'All gods can manipulate fate, to a certain degree. The degree of their manipulation depends on their gathered faith and power, and reaction of other gods. For example, a god may manipulate fate to aid a favoured human, but a more powerful god may notice the changes and revert the flow of fate to its original state without asking for the weaker god's consent. Simple alterations, such as such as would the swing of a sword strike a person or not, are left alone for the most part. However, major changes may begin a vicious cycle of alteration and reversion, so gods in general have an agreement to limit their meddling unless necessary. '

'She's not lying,' said Kurama from the seal, 'This means Reimu chose you on her own free will. After all, Yukari trying to coerce Reimu would be futile. But still… no guarantee she wouldn't discard you after all this.'

Said Naruto, 'You said, "If they obey it, they can decide other decisions in their life". Could you give me an example?'

'Reimu creating the refined version of the spell card rules is one them. Do you know why she created it?'

'No.'

'Reimu, knowing no yōkai has a chance to defeat her, wants everyone to have a chance to defeat her. She used to not be like this, but that's another story. Anyway, she got inspired by the prototype of those rules. She then made her own version and forced it to everyone. With those rules, exterminations are temporary instead of permanent, powers are restricted—thus reducing collateral damages—and everyone has a chance to win. However, that doesn't mean she always fights with those rules. Some offences will grant permanent extermination.'

'I see.' Naruto rose to his feet. 'Let me think about it.' Naruto headed to the front door.

'Where are you going?'

'I need sleep. And For that, I need the butterfly dream pills. Remember I said "the absolute evil"? I always see terrible things whenever I close my eyes and even more terrible things whenever I sleep.'

'I will accompany you,' said Yukari. Without waiting for his permission, she opened a gap and pulled him in.

'Perhaps we have differing definitions of "accompany", Yukari.'


Glossary:

Demon: translated from 'oni', spirits of evildoers damned in hell and transformed into monstrous brutes as punishment. In hell, their task is to punish the prisoners of hell, those evil enough to deserve damnation but not evil enough to become oni themselves. If a human is evil enough, they may become an oni while still alive and terrorise humans. Pretty much demons, no? Hence the translation. Although evil in the original myth, oni in Touhou are not necessarily evil, and they are a cheerful bunch who love to drink and feast.