Naruto - Warlord
AN:
I'm back, and lets get right into it. The reason for my long absence this time is because of a family member who suffered an unfortunate accident, which now has resulted in a coma he will most likely never wake from. I am sorry for taking so long, but my mind has been scattered and inefficient to properly make these chapters to the best of my abilities.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH, for all of your fantastic reviews in the latest chapter! I've responded to most of them and the PM's you guys have sent me and i really love the enthusiasm. A lot of your reviews and PM's have raised interesting questions, but due to the amount, i will have to limit myself to responding to only a few of them in the AN:
To those of you who have questioned the relations with Konoha, read on. Some light is about to be shed in this very chapter.
A guest reviewer also raised a very interesting question regarding the many countries and people, a lot of them women, that Naruto helped in the Vanilla story and how this would affect the world in MY story. I will again, just for the sake of it, precise the fact that Naruto was banished RIGHT AFTER Sasuke was brought back during his attempt to defect to Orochimaru, so most of those arcs have never happened. As a result, you might be able to guess the state of which certain countries like "Snow" is in. How many of these i will eventually include in whatever capacity, i actually have no idea, but some are planned to make an appearance. I hope i will be able to present what's coming in the future in a way that is both surprising and enjoyable to as many of you as possible.
Lastly it seems like many of you really enjoyed the fact that the battles will become more chakra related, so you'l be pleased to hear that's only going to grow from here on. It is also from this point on that Naruto will make a growing effort to grow stronger.
Now! Unto the chapter before us:
Without spoiling anything, this chapter will reveal SOME of the history as to the who's and why's. There's going to be some development here and hints as to where this story will continue it's direction, and i can't wait to see what you guys make of it. Naturally, i will not spoil anything if i respond to your reviews.
I also fully expect there to be some pointed fingers towards plot holes, either imagined or real, so either write a review or PM and we can discuss that if you'd like.
But that's more than enough of my yammering, ENJOY!
Chapter 18
2 Months had passed since the sacking of 'The Ivory Docks' and Naruto and his flock were now firmly within the borders of the 'Land of Rivers'. Their pace was slower than what Naruto would have liked, but there was little he could do about it now that they were as many as they were. While many had migrated away from their moving horde, their numbers now rested on about 3 and a half thousand men and women of varying ages. While most of these people were capable of fighting as a reserve, if necessity and desperation demanded it, they were still working out the numbers of those who were considered proper fighting men.
Naruto currently had no idea what to do about their formations and their strategies. Ryu had done an admirable job training both his men and his horses into a cavalry force, but with their newfound use of chakra, Naruto had a suspicion that their worth in battle would be archaic at best. While Naruto would hate to call the effort to make a cavalry unit a waste, he would probably have to admit defeat and delegate the horses elsewhere. As muscle, the horses would still be very useful to their people.
With the swelling of their army, Naruto's 'People's Guard' had effectively ceased to exist in the way they had before, although the name remained for now if only because nobody had come up with a better one. While Naruto's personally trained officers remained, they had been forced to appoint men of lesser rank to delegate some of the responsibility. The 24 officers that Naruto now had under him, had each appointed 2 captains each who was mostly composed of the veteran fighters from Kisara. While Naruto estimated that each captain would have about 60 men in their command, their final numbers were still up in the air as the administration of it all was a bloody mess as it was.
En's project of making him his own 'Royal Army', although Naruto would never call it that, was an ongoing project. Shou had been a bit miffed when he discovered that he was no longer the only one to shadow Naruto's every movement, but had adjusted quickly enough. While some of the officers had been worried of being overshadowed by En and his zealous goal, Naruto had ensured them that En and the men he trained would have absolutely no authority over the officers themselves. They would merely serve as the protective organ surrounding Naruto, with no further jurisdiction at all. The last thing Naruto wanted, was an 'elite' who thought they were better than the rest and exempt from the expectations that were laid upon those who bore arms. En had promised that he wouldn't allow his men any such illusions.
Naruto had no idea how En picked his potential candidates, but it was a slow going. Naruto had assumed he'd pick some of the more skilled fighters of their army, but En had for some reason refrained from picking any of them at all, instead often choosing those with little to no experience. What little Naruto had observed of the training was brutal, much like their training had been during their slavery, only with more chakra practices involved.
Naruto had been happy to observe that the use of chakra had continued to flourish as an everyday function. The former slaves who didn't know how to use it quickly learned from those that could and mostly everybody could use it to a varying degree. The medic corps that Naruto had hoped to form was starting to take shape, although they were in their initial stages still. They only had about a 100 medics that were slightly competent, but many others were following shortly. While a 100 would have been enough to form a proper corps with their old numbers, it wasn't anywhere near enough for 3700 people.
Naruto had finally admitted to himself that he was weaker than what he would have liked. His fight with Goro had revealed an uncomfortable truth to him, which was that his skills were outdated and rusted. Now that he'd used his old signature jutsu 'Multiple Shadow Clone Technique' in public, news was sure to travel fast. Naruto had no idea if it would provoke a reaction, either from his old village or from the Daimyo's of Earth or Wind, but he would have to be ready.
Next time, En might not be there to save his ass again.
He'd therefore delegated more responsibility than he had previously been comfortable with to his officers, freeing time for himself to train and exercise. Naruto had thrown himself over Goro's old journal and scrolls like a man starved, intent on learning Goro's strengths for himself. With greater patience and maturity than he'd had during his childhood, Naruto had managed to quickly learn the 'High Pressure' technique that Goro himself had used to blow Naruto straight out of the air with during their battle and was quickly learning the others as well.
A happy 'accident' during the sacking of 'The Ivory Docks' had made Naruto realize that his Shadow Clones would transfer his memories back to himself, which now aided him during his training. He'd felt like a bloody moron for not realizing this sooner, but decided to not beat himself over what was already in the past.
'The Iron Fist Technique' however, was a skill that continued to elude and frustrate Naruto. While Naruto found the wind based techniques to be easily learned, the earth ones were difficult. Despite this, Naruto was adamant that he would have to learn it. Goro had utterly outclassed him with that one skill and nothing would stop Naruto from learning it.
The sacking of the city had, over the course of the following months, had another result regarding his reputation. The armor that Isamu had so generously donated before his death, as well as all of the rumors and gossip that surrounding Naruto had given him a new title among his people.
'Warlord'.
It was an ominous title, one which had made Naruto nervous when he questioned Shou after hearing his people greet him in deference with the title 'Warlord'. It sounded like the title of someone cruel and horrible, which made Naruto worry about the image his people had of him despite his officers assurances. While mingling with his people made their devotion clear, Naruto was still worried that such a title could have some unforeseen consequences in the near future, but he put it out of his mind for now. Sacking and burning one of the biggest and most powerful cities in all of Wind was going to have some consequences and Naruto would not brood over what had already been done.
Whether or not the title had emerged as a result of his armor and his showing in the arena or from his battle against Goro, the title was now stuck with him.
For better or worse.
"'Wind Release: Sky Rend'!"
As the words left his mouth, chakra surged into his arms where he weaved his handsigns. A vertical blade of wind coalesced in front of him, cutting deep into the earth ahead of him before cleaving into a large rock.
Letting the dust settle, Naruto grimaced when he observed the result: he'd hoped to cleave the rock in two, but had only managed halfway.
"Warlord.", a voice called from behind, dragging Naruto's attention away from the rock. Turning around, Naruto saw a young, armored woman, one of the new captains by the look of her, kneeling on the edge of the forest clearing. "Apologies."
"Its alright.", Naruto waved off her apology. Taking a moment to stretch, he stepped closer to her and smiled kindly, even if she couldn't see it as her eyes were lowered to the ground in deference. "What is it, Captain?"
"You wanted to know when we reached Luun Village. Officer Homura sent me to inform you, that we are half an hour out from the outskirts of the village."
"Good." Naruto rubbed his chin. "Has Officer Ryu sent rangers to inform the village of our arrival?"
"He has.", she informed him. "They returned a short while ago. The village noble informs us that while he has no qualms with us, he begs us to settle some distance away from the village in order to not disturb the village any more than what we have to."
Naruto made a noise of approval at this. He could respect the nobleman's wish, since nearly 4000 men and women would probably disturb and hinder any village's day to day routines.
"I will be there shortly."
Reverently, the captain nodded and rose with a bowed head. She took a couple of steps back without turning, another show of respect to Naruto in his position, before she finally turned and leapt into the forest. Her display of chakra made him nostalgic.
Finally alone again, Naruto sighed deeply. For every accomplishment he managed, his position as something eerily equivalent to a 'Lord' like the nobles of the Elemental Nations was cemented further and further.
'Warlord'. It was a title unlike anything Naruto had ever heard of before, so he supposed that had to count for something. There couldn't have been many others before him, if any.
Tensing his muscles, Naruto leapt into the forest and followed the direction of which the captain had gone.
The meeting with the local Lord had been an interesting encounter to Naruto. The Lord had an equal standing in his society to which Nobu, Naruto's former lord, himself once had, but still deferred to Naruto as if he was the Daimyo himself. The man had bowed and scraped like a servant, but Naruto supposed it was understandable since he stood outside the man's village with a migrating army. Such a sight, as well as Naruto's newfound reputation and title, would have made any minor noble nervous.
Luun was a fishing village near the sea, on the border between Rivers and Fire. As a result, there was plenty of trade and the village thrived. Naruto had considered, if he saw things he did not like, whether or not he should liberate the village of its noble, but the village seemed prosperous enough.
While his flock settled down some distance away from the village, Naruto trudged slowly through the village to enjoy a moment of silence by himself. He'd left his weapon back at camp, figuring it would make the locals nervous. He now looked like a simple traveler in his old and weathered leather armor, smiling at the villagers as he passed them.
They had no idea who he was and treated him as such. It was a liberating feeling.
The village was built around its small harbor with roads of gravel. The houses were built with bricks and wood, their designs simple yet elegantly made. Naruto had been surprised to see some community buildings with electricity, something of which he hadn't seen since before he arrived at Kisara. Passing over a bridge that allowed passage across a river, which was about a yard wide, it was clear where they got their electricity from. The river deposited itself into the sea next to the harbor which caused some interesting coloration in the water at the nearby beach.
The plan was to rest outside the village and stock up on their supplies for about a week, before continuing their way east. Naruto hoped they would be ready to continue their march before the week was over, but his people deserved their rest.
Coming to a stop outside a food hall, a small, single floor building with some hanging cloth for a door, Naruto felt himself grow hungry from the smell. He quickly found himself inside where only a couple of occupants conversed in the corner by themselves.
The waitress, a girl younger than what Hina had been when her food hall in Kisara burned down, took his order and left him to wait by his chosen table in the middle of the room.
Closing his eyes, Naruto breathed in relief. Back in Konoha, he would have never expected himself to become such a solitary creature, finding the greatest of comforts in his own company.
"Fancy seeing you here."
Naruto took several seconds before he registered the familiarity of the voice. His eyes slowly going wide as his stomach tumbled, Naruto glanced over his shoulder.
Jiraya.
He was missing an arm, his left arm in fact, but the man was unmistakably his old mentor. He looked the same, only with some more furrows and wrinkles to features that was expected to come with his age. His clothes were the exact same as it had been all those years ago, wild and unruly white hair along with it all.
Jiraya wore a melancholic expression, yet he was clearly happy to see Naruto, considering the careful smile he gave Naruto. He seemed wary.
It put Naruto on edge.
"Jiraya.", Naruto murmured, smiling slightly as his heartbeat steadied itself. "This is a pleasant surprise."
"I could say the same.", Jiraya chuckled, grinning infectiously at him. "Mind if I sit?"
"You better.", Naruto joked with a mock glare, tilting his head towards the seat across from him. Jiraya moved to comply with definitely slower movements than what Naruto could remember of the spry old man, groaning slightly with relief when he sat down.
He was growing old, as everyone eventually did. It was starting to show.
"Cute girl.", Jiraya muttered, nodding towards the waitress who came from the kitchen with Naruto's order. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at his old master's words. "Think I am a bit too old for her though."
"I don't know about that.", Naruto grinned wryly, letting the waitress put down his order and leave before he continued. "I think you look quite fetching with one arm."
"I see your observational skills have improved since last we talked.", Jiraya shot back, smirking at him with condescension.
"I wasn't that bad.", Naruto defended halfheartedly as he began to eat.
"Sure.", Jiraya shrugged, clearly insinuating that he had been, in fact, that bad. They shared another chuckle before Naruto glanced pointedly at his missing arm.
"Can I ask how that happened?"
Jiraya breathed in deep before he waved it off. There was a somber quality to his features.
"An old student of mine. From before I took on you."
"Had something to do with the war, did it?", Naruto couldn't help but question. Considering the wayward emotions on Jiraya's face, Naruto assumed the 'old student' in question was no longer alive.
"Heard about that, eh?", Jiraya smiled with a nod. "Figured you'd talk to Gaara during your time in 'Wind'." Naruto nodded, seeing no point in lying to a former spymaster. Jiraya would know if he lied and he most likely already knew from beforehand where he'd been and who he had spoken with. "Nasty business that..." Jiraya shook his head and grinned at him. "So? 'Warlord', is it now?" Jiraya laughed when Naruto groaned. "Got a good ring to it. Granted, not quite as good as Hokage, but close."
"Best I could do, I'm afraid.", Naruto snorted. They both grew somber at this, sharing a moment of silence as Naruto ate. After a minute, Naruto took a deep breath and decided to get down to the real matter at hand. "While it is good to see you, 'Ero-Sennin'..." They both smiled at one another at the nickname. "...I know you're not here for pleasantries."
Jiraya stared at him for a short while, lifting his arm to lean on his elbow.
"Can't an old man just want to see his old student?"
"Cut the crap.", Naruto muttered sternly, giving Jiraya a look that was bordering on a scowl. "If you wanted to simply talk, you could have done so years ago. You never did, which means something is up now that you're here. I think you should be completely transparent as to why you've suddenly decided to involve yourself in my life again."
Seconds passed where they looked at one another. Jiraya had an unreadable expression while Naruto's remained harsh. While he was emotionally over his banishment from Konoha, it had still hurt that nobody had ever attempted to contact him since. The last thing he would accept was for Jiraya to sweep that under the rug and pretend they could continue from where they had left off.
Eventually, Jiraya gave a somber sigh and a worried look.
"I've come here to warn you."
Naruto blinked.
That had not been what he had expected.
"...Warn me...?", Naruto repeated with a deep frown. While he didn't think Jiraya would try and harm him, he couldn't help but be keenly aware of the hunting knife at his belt. "Warn me of what?"
"Do not return to Konoha.", Jiraya pressed with a small amount of urgency, his eyes serious. "Things have changed in Konoha, and not necessarily for the better. As I am sure Gaara told you, Sasuke is now Hokage, yes?" Naruto nodded at this, listening intently. "Sasuke has changed and Konoha has changed with him. You are carrying the last 'Tailed Beast', you are aware of this?" Naruto gave another nod of confirmation, a pit of dread forming in his stomach. "Sasuke is doing something dangerous, something behind the backs of the other Hidden Villages. He seeks the Tailed Beasts now." Jiraya looked at him with a pointed expression. "He's looking for you."
"Why?", Naruto whispered. His pulse had began to hammer in his chest now and he couldn't help but glance over at the other occupants of the food hall who suddenly seemed more threatening than before.
"I don't know." At Naruto's incredulous glare, Jiraya held up his palm in a defensive gesture. "The Tailed Beasts, all except yours, were extracted from their containers and sealed within a statue by the 'Akatsuki'. As per the agreement between the Hidden Villages, that statue is vaulted in a secure location in Konoha."
Naruto sucked in a sharp breath between his teeth.
"...And I am carrying the last one he needs."
"Yes.", Jiraya murmured with a heavy voice. "Now, the Akatsuki intended to use the statue for a few different things, one of which was to use them as a weapon against the nations." Naruto cocked a brow at him at this, but Jiraya ignored him. "It was only through the united effort of all the Hidden Villages that we managed to stop them. I suppose it was luck that you were banished and sent away in regards to this."
"Why?", Naruto frowned. Jiraya chuckled mirthlessly.
"Because the statue doesn't seem to work without ALL of the Tailed Beasts." Jiraya shook his head. "Impressive work of art, that statue. I couldn't even begin to imagine the complexity of the seals surrounding it, but Sasuke does not let me anywhere near it."
"Considering that you're here, warning me of his intentions, I think it was wise of him." They shared another wry grin between them which died quickly in the face of their discussion. Naruto considered asking about who in the world would create such a statue, but there were other more pressing concerns. "Do you think Sasuke wishes to use it like the Akatsuki did?"
"Nah.", Jiraya denied without missing a beat. "Doesn't fit him or how he thinks. Whatever he intends to use it for is something different altogether, but I cannot even begin to imagine what. He's keeping his cards close to his chest for now. I haven't told him anything, nor have he used my spy network to find you as he doesn't trust me or anyone that has worked for me, but I imagine that it will only be a matter of time before you're revealed to him."
"Especially now that I am leading an army of nearly 4000 strong.", Naruto muttered as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"Yeah, it tends to paint a target on your back, along with your other exploits." Jiraya tilted his head at him. "You have to tell me about those in detail one day."
"No, I don't.", Naruto snarked back without any rancor. "Where does everyone else stand in all of this? How is Tsunade?"
"As far as I know, nobody knows about what Sasuke is attempting." Jiraya rubbed his chin. "Only reason I know is due to my refusal of dispersing my spy network, despite my retirement. Other than that, everyone is in firm support of Sasuke as a Hokage. He's done a good job so far and he DID lead the winning faction of the civil war."
"And Tsunade?", Naruto pressed, taking note of Jiraya's emerging hesitance.
"...She's fine, but...Listen, kid...", Jiraya began heavily. "I wanted to warn you, which I have. But I also wanted to talk. Talk, and explain what happened the day you were banished."
Naruto frowned and leaned back in his seat. He would honestly prefer not to talk about it.
"What is there to talk about?", Naruto muttered, unable to keep the bitterness out of his tone. "I got cast out."
"That's just it kid.", Jiraya shook his head with a sad grimace. "You weren't supposed to get exiled."
His frown deepening, Naruto glared at Jiraya in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Pausing a moment, Jiraya took a hesitant breath.
"Your banishment was a lie." Incomprehension followed Jiraya's statement, which apparently showed on his face as Jiraya continued. "Your banishment was a ploy by Danzo, one of Hiruzen's old advisers. He had been undermining the Hokage, both Tsunade and Hiruzen, through a secret organization for years before he tried to usurp Tsunade."
It took several seconds for Jiraya's words to stick, but when it did, Naruto could feel his pulse quicken along with his anger.
He'd been banished as part of a political game!?
"Why?", Naruto whispered, struggling to keep himself calm as his mind went a mile a minute. "I don't understand, why would he-" Naruto cut of himself as the answer appeared to him. It was obvious, was it not? "The Kyuubi."
Jiraya smiled sadly.
"Yup." He sighed deeply before he continued. "After you brought Sasuke back after his attempt to defect to Orochimaru, Danzo manipulated key members of the council into voting for your banishment while he moved his own operatives to apprehend you outside of Konoha, where nobody could see. Somehow, you managed to evade them entirely."
"Aye.", Naruto frowned. "I left the same night as the meeting happened. I cannot claim to have done it on purpose."
"Dumb luck then.", Jiraya snorted. "Maybe he didn't expect you to leave as quickly as you did or maybe something changed, but it doesn't matter. Somehow, without meaning to, you foiled his plans. While we were able to uncover as much about his plot as I've told you now, we we're never able to discover exactly what he wanted with you and the Kyuubi, although I suspect he merely wanted to weaponize it somehow." Jiraya gave him a wry grin. "He was a bit of a warmonger, you see."
"Well...", Naruto murmured with a grimace. He was pulling all the brakes on his anger, but he couldn't help but be bitter about it. "He's dead now, so I guess that's something."
"I suppose it is.", Jiraya nodded, a somber expression resuming its place on his features. "We tried to find you, you know? After you left."
"You did?", Naruto questioned with surprise. He had genuinely thought he'd been discarded and forgotten.
"Of course we did.", Jiraya frowned at him. "We loved you like family, Naruto. Both me and Tsunade. You left before we could tell you, but both Tsunade and me have properties outside of Konoha. We had intended to direct you there where you could train and live in peace until you could return to Konoha, but you left so quickly."
He felt numb. A part of him refused to believe Jiraya's words, but he knew it to be true. He could see it on his old mentor's face that there were no lies there.
"Are you telling me...", Naruto rubbed his eyes despondently. "That if I had merely waited a little bit..."
He let his words trail off as his mind was a storm of thoughts and emotions.
He was angry and he was glad. Angry with himself and with all of Konoha. Glad that he hadn't been meant to be thrown away like he had.
He didn't know how to process this latest piece of information. Everything that had happened, everything that he'd made peace with himself over, was false. It hadn't been meant to ever have happened.
"Yeah.", Jiraya murmured softly. "I tried finding you, I really did, but by the time I managed to do so, we were either knee deep in the civil war or completely entrenched with the war against the Akatsuki. You seemed happy with the life you had at the time and I didn't think it would be fair to pull you back to fix our problems."
"Thoughtful of you.", Naruto scoffed and couldn't help the inflected bitterness. Before Jiraya could apologize further, Naruto regretted how he'd worded himself. "No, sorry. It was the right decision." Naruto leaned forward to rest his forehead on the palm of his hand. He could feel a headache forming from all of this. "While it feels good to know that I didn't mean nothing to you, I'm not sure how to handle all of this."
"You were family to us, of course you meant something.", Jiraya protested with a sad frown. "Your friends too, they-"
"Didn't come to visit me, not even once, between the time I brought Sasuke back and when I left." Naruto gave Jiraya a self-deprecating grin. "I know you were out on a mission, but most of my friends didn't have that excuse. Not even my own teammates, neither Sakura nor Kakashi, had that excuse." He took a deep breath, calming himself as he reeled in his emotions.
In the end, Naruto figured it to be simple. These news didn't change anything, apart from those regarding Sasuke. If he remembered Gaara's words correctly, extracting the Kyuubi would kill him, like it had all the other containers. He would have to be even more wary of Konoha than he had before.
A couple of minutes passed between them in silence where Naruto took the opportunity to eat while Jiraya calmly watched him with a same somber expression he'd worn since they had met again.
Before he could finish his meal, Jiraya seemed to have reached a decision on something.
"There's...", Jiraya began warily, pausing with uncertainty. "There's one more thing." He took a deep breath as Naruto turned his attention back to his old mentor. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just go ahead and say it. I want to tell you who your parents are."
As if there hadn't been enough shockers already.
Naruto slowly and calmly pushed the plate with food away from himself with a frown, giving Jiraya his utmost attention. He'd always asked Hiruzen, way back in the day, of his parents, but he always received the same deflections.
"Alright.", Naruto nodded. "It's about time. I've always been curious."
"Yeah, you were supposed to be told at the day of your 16'th birthday, but...", Jiraya trailed off and shrugged. It was obvious why he hadn't been told at the day of that birthday. "Where should I start... Let us begin with your mother, shall we?" Seeing Naruto nod in confirmation, Jiraya stretched his back as he gave it a second of thought. "Her name was 'Kushina Uzumaki'. Red hair, feisty personality." Jiraya smiled as he lost himself in his memories. "Didn't really like your father when they first met, until your father commented on her hair which stuck with her. They eventually got together after a good long while."
"And my father?", Naruto pressed.
"Your father...", Jiraya began with a rub of his chin. "Your father was one of my former students." Jiraya steeled himself visibly now. "His name was 'Minato Namikaze'."
Having been long removed from shinobi civilization, it took Naruto several seconds before he was able to place the name, which he shockingly remembered belong to the face of the statue of the 'Fourth Hokage', the one that had been his idol when he grew up.
Realizing that his father had been a Hokage quickly made him realize, that his father had been the one to stop the Kyuubi years ago.
...And sealed it within himself as a baby.
Anger, sadness and uncertainty rolled together and fought inside his mind. Before he allowed his fantasy to get the better of him, Naruto looked at Jiraya with as much emotion as he allowed himself to show.
"Tell me everything."
Jiraya merely nodded in accord at his demand.
Hours later, the sun had began to set while Naruto and Jiraya were still inside of the food hall. His remaining food had remained untouched and forgotten, but it was far from Naruto's mind.
Seated across from one another, minutes had passed in silence after hours of conversation.
Jiraya had told him everything he knew about his parents. He'd told him everything from their appearance, to their likes, dislikes, hobbies, what they liked to eat...
Every single story that Jiraya could think of had been retold with fond memories.
Not all of what had been uncovered was pleasant however. The reason for the secrecy, even to Naruto himself, had been the animosity between the hidden villages of Earth and Fire after the war between them many years ago. It had been feared that Naruto, due to his father claiming so many lives of the Shinobi of Earth, would be targeted even as a child, and such a decision to hide it even from himself had been made.
Naruto could understand the decision to a degree, but it still left him confused and with the sense of feeling let down. The fact that his own father had condemned him to a life of a container didn't help any, but he could see the reason for the decision since he didn't think he could ever expect someone else to sacrifice their own child in a similar way.
There was also the matter of Jiraya and Tsunade being his godparents. The people who had been supposed to be there when his parents had died.
Everything else, Naruto could have understood, but this?
Since Jiraya had revealed his and Tsunade's supposed responsibility, Naruto had remained in boiling silence. He was more angry than he had ever been before.
It apparently showed on his face, as Jiraya had remained quiet with a miserable expression on him.
"Why?", Naruto muttered, surprising himself at how calm he sounded. He felt like he was seconds away from ripping the table in front of him to pieces.
"Why what?", Jiraya muttered back despondently, much to Naruto's further aggravation.
"Why weren't you there?", Naruto whispered, his voice rumbling at the back of his throat as he scowled at him. "Why did you leave me on my own when you were supposed to be there?"
Jiraya took another deep breath, his eyes fastened onto the table with shame.
"I had a spy network to run. I couldn't-"
"If you couldn't, then you should have NEVER accepted the responsibility in the first place.", Naruto hissed, his hands clenching together upon the table. "And Tsunade..." He scoffed at merely mentioning her name. "Well, I was there when we convinced her to come back to Konoha, didn't I? Now I see how pathetic she have always been."
"Naruto!", Jiraya snapped, glaring back at Naruto from across the table. "You can say whatever you will about me, but-"
"But NOTHING!", Naruto suddenly roared, his fist slamming into the table as he shot to his feet, scaring everyone inside the food hall into silence. It was much more populated now late in the day than it had been earlier. "You were BOTH supposed to be there! You should have never accepted the responsibility if you weren't willing or able to follow through!" Leaning forward onto his fists, Naruto glared down his former mentor who stared back with as much dignity as he could. "You both left me on my own to struggle, despite the oath you both had with my parents. If they ever had any love, ANY LOVE AT ALL ,for me, then they are rolling in their fucking graves right now!"
The entire food hall was watching with rapt attention, albeit with varying amounts of confusion. Had Naruto been a smaller and less intimidating individual, he would have been asked to leave, but the waitress stood frozen at her father's side.
However, all of this went completely unnoticed by Naruto, whose burning eyes glared down at someone who he had once considered family.
Jiraya, sighed and closed his eyes with shame.
"I am sorry Naruto." Jiraya shrugged. "There's nothing else I can say."
"Keep your apology.", Naruto rasped, his scowl breaking into a snarl. His hands were shaking from the amount of tension in his body. "We have nothing more to say to one another." Sitting down again, Naruto glared at him and spoke the only words he currently felt would do the conversation justice. "If I ever see you or Tsunade again, I will kill you myself."
He was aware that it was his anger talking, but he didn't find it in himself to care. He realized he'd unconsciously began to channel the Kyuubi's chakra and immediately took control of himself.
But he was so, so angry. It felt like anger was all he felt throughout every fiber of his being.
With profound sadness apparent on his face, Jiraya merely nodded and stood. Moving towards the exit, he glanced only once over his shoulder, but saw nothing but hate in Naruto's gaze which followed him on his way out the door. Whatever Jiraya was looking for in him was obviously not there, as he disappeared out the door with resignation.
Seeing his mentor disappear most likely forever left Naruto with a sense of loss that went easily ignored beneath the tidal wave of his anger.
Eager to distract himself, Naruto turned to his remaining food which had laid untouched for some hours and started to eat the scraps that was left. The activity of the occupants of the food hall slowly began anew, but everyone kept a wary gaze on Naruto.
Naruto for his part ignored it as he ate with such anger that he had never felt before. It was impossible to distract himself from the sense of betrayal, both to himself and to his parents.
The food tasted like ash in his mouth.
The rest of their week in Luun passed by in a blur and Naruto threw himself into training, harder than ever before. En was busy training his current batch of recruits, but found some time for sparring with Naruto at his request.
Training with En was brutal, but Naruto needed it now more than ever. He needed power, and lots of it, if he wanted to have any hopes of fending off Sasuke and his Konoha. He didn't think for a single second that any of his former friends would show him mercy, if their current Hokage ordered them.
If Jiraya and Tsunade whom he had considered family could betray him like they had, then Naruto could only imagine the levels of depravity the rest of Konoha could sink to.
His Shadow Clones sped up his training by a large amount and he'd taken to practice the 'Rasengan' again. He needed every advantage he could get, even if the 'Rasengan' who Jiraya thought him now left a bad taste in his mouth every time he used it. He intended to eventually use it with one arm and without Shadow Clones like it was intended to be used.
The other Jutsu's that he had pilfered from Goro's chambers, apart from 'The Iron Fist Technique', had been learned through and through. Now he only needed to master them, but that would take a long time, especially the Earth Jutsu's.
The new revelations of his former best friend now seeking him and what he contained, most likely to kill him and take the Kyuubi, had kept him up at night ever since he'd heard of it. Sasuke had been strong when they were young, but while Naruto had traveled and lived a life of peace, Sasuke had gone through wars and was likely far, far ahead of him in both power and skill.
Naruto was desperate.
With a week of tasting that desperation every time he tried to close his eyes, Naruto made a choice that he knew could have far reaching consequences. Jiraya had once warned him of what he would now do, but all of Jiraya's teachings was now under harsh scrutiny and would have to be reevaluated. Naruto wouldn't base any decisions on someone with such little integrity as his former mentor.
With that decision made, on the last night of their time in Luun, Naruto closed his eyes and meditated inwards.
Water was dripping somewhere in the far distance, a tell-tale sign of Naruto's success in entering his own mind. Greeted with the familiar view of a flooded hallway, the water of which his feet stood on without breaking through, Naruto rolled his shoulders and proceeded down into the dark.
After a few seconds, Naruto entered the familiar, wide open cell area where he had met the Kyuubi for the first time, many, many years ago.
Coming to a stop before the bars, Naruto looking into the dark behind the bars where nothing could be seen. The silence was deafening, but Naruto knew the cell to be far from empty.
He could feel it there.
"Kyuubi.", Naruto said in a clear and firm voice. A few seconds ticked by without any response.
Suddenly, a pair of enormous, red, malevolent eyes opened right in front of Naruto behind the bars. It's lips drew back into a snarl, its maw revealing its enormous set of teeth that seemed to radiate through the dark. Little else could be seen of the creature, but it was just as huge as Naruto could remember.
"Brat.", the Kyuubi growled deeply, narrowing its eyes on him. "It's been a long time."
"That it has.", Naruto nodded. He'd been scared out of his mind when he confronted the beast as a child, but he felt strangely calm when confronting the creature now. "Although, I am not here now because I want to."
"Indeed.", the creature growled mockingly, its lips pulling back into a twisted mix of a snarl and a smirk. "You have not called upon my chakra for years, and yet when you finally do, you still manage to nearly get yourself killed. Pathetic."
"I'm not here to trade insults with you.", Naruto said harshly, glaring back with anger from the creature's words. It had struck a sore point, one of which Naruto was working hard to rectify.
"Aw, why not?", it drawled mockingly, pressing its muzzle up against the bars with a perverse look in its eyes. "Are you angry that I killed daddy dearest?"
"You flatter yourself.", Naruto scoffed. "You didn't kill him, he killed himself to achieve victory over you. And here you are, so I suppose we're both in the company of someone pathetic.", he snarked and pressed on before the creature could retort. "But I am not here to trade insults with you. I'd rather not have anything to do with you at all, but recent information has made me reconsider our...'partnership'."
The word partnership was spoken with distaste. While Naruto had delusions of forming a friendship with the creature and gaining its respect when he was young, Naruto had pushed such dreams away as the naivety of his childhood did no longer exist. Despite the Kyuubi having once agreed upon allowing Naruto to use some of its chakra, they needed to open that very same topic once again.
"Yes...", the creature trailed off, its eyes narrowing into thin slits. "...The 'Uchiha'..."
It hissed Sasuke's family name with such anger that it took Naruto by surprise.
"That's right.", Naruto nodded, clasping his hands together at his back. "Right now, I doubt I have any chance in hell of beating him. All of the other Tailed Beasts are already contained within the statue for some unknown intention, but I doubt your transfer from me to it would be pleasant for either of us."
"Agreed.", the Kyuubi agreed, surprising Naruto even further. "You are pathetically weak right now, compared to others. Goro, a worm, nearly killed you. You are unacceptably weak. It is embarrassing to have you as my container."
"You are right.", Naruto scoffed. Stepping closer to the bars, Naruto came to a stop right in front of it's snout, it's eyes glaring down at him in interest. "Which is why I have a proposal to make."
"And that is...?", the Kyuubi drawled, its lips widening further in a grin.
"That we work together." Naruto squared his shoulders as he said this, looking up at the Kyuubi with a determined and hard expression. "Not like before. Now, if I wish to remain alive and you to remain free of being sealed within a statue for what we know could be for all eternity, we need to work together against this common threat." Slapping his hands together in front of himself, his fingers clasped onto the opposite hand with his eyes set straight into Kyuubi's own. "Work together with me. Fight together with me. Teach me how to use your chakra. Together, we will CRUSH our enemies and kill anyone who tries to use us for their own ends. On my own, I am nothing right now. I can be killed off or imprisoned. On your own, you are nothing right now. No matter what happens to me, there is little you can do to interfere directly. If Sasuke manages to get a hold of me now..." Naruto let his words trail off meaningfully. He gauged the creature's expression, but saw nothing but the same interest that had been there before. "We can die apart, or live together. Please, work together with me."
Naruto refused to bow, even if his request would normally be inappropriate without doing so. This was still the creature who had taken from him his parents.
Kyuubi gazed back at him with a scrutinizing expression, spending several minutes thinking. It eventually leaned back, raising itself onto its legs where it towered in an almost regal like manner above Naruto. The cruel smirk that had been present before was gone now.
"You are right.", Kyuubi finally relented with a growl, narrowing its eyes at Naruto. "While I would reform if you die, I do not believe I will have such an option if I am sealed within the statue along with my siblings. I'd rather wait until you die of old age to break loose." Kyuubi growled angrily at this, its enormous tails flickering angrily in the dark behind it. "We shall work together, for now. Do not expect me to be a pet.", it spat. Naruto raised a brow at it, but it ignored him. "If you want me to teach you how to use my chakra, then I will expect you to listen. We shall fight together for as long as our goals remain aligned." Leaning down, the Kyuubi glared down at Naruto with its mountain sized eyes. It was unnerving to stare back into its fiery pits which towered above him. "And only for that long."
Naruto nearly gulped at its ominous wording, deciding then and there to be careful in his relationship with the beast. While he was glad the creature agreed so seemingly easy, he couldn't help but feel he'd made a mistake.
Never the less, Naruto bowed his head respectfully at it.
"And only for that long.", Naruto repeated in agreement, his voice cold and his expression hard.
A pact had been made.
And there. Gotta admit, i'm a little hesitant of your responses to this chapter, because i know a lot of people have really wild imagination.
Tell me what you think!
MiNdZeRo here, signing out!