Another chapter is here!

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Karin watched in the comfort of the shade as Naruto balanced himself on the surface of a small lake. In truth, she wasn't even sure why she had been asked to come here for their training session by his tutor. But she could see he had greatly improved since the night where they had danced hand-in-hand on top of the water, beneath the moonlight. She found herself taking pride in how quickly he grasped it when even she had struggled to reach the level of proficiency she had.

Orochimaru wasn't exactly the kindest man to serve under. For the people he had high expectations for, he went out of his way to ensure they were met. His teaching method for working on control had been a perversion of Water-Walking, with things waiting beneath the surface for her to stumble in or notice if she made too many ripples.

The results spoke for themselves by the time she had been sent to infiltrate the ranks of the Hidden Grass. She was silent as she crossed the water, leaving as little of the surface disturbed as possible. The fact that she found a way to teach someone else without the hard push that she had been given was a nice experience, especially considering that it was helping Naruto in furthering his goal of beating his opponent in the Finals.

Things had been… great for her, better than she expected when she arranged to meet him at first. Being around Naruto had been almost like a dream compared to how distant things were in Grass, and how unwelcoming the others in the base where she had been stationed and trained were. In a way, that made what would happen at the end of all of this even worse.

She shuddered a bit at the thought of how his bright smile and the warm feeling of his chakra would be twisted by whatever experimentation Orochimaru would put him through. But there was nothing she could do. The plan was no doubt already in motion, and whatever part she was meant to play didn't allow for failure if she wanted to avoid a fate worse than death.

By the end, there wouldn't be any place for her besides wherever Orochimaru put her.

"Okay, that's pretty good," Naruto's tutor told him as he approached the edge of the water. "I didn't expect you to pick it up so fast. I guess that means we can move onto the next part of your training. But, before that, Karin-chan?"

Karin briefly floundered at being called before rising to her feet. "Yes?"

"Come here for a second, will you?" He waited until she did as he asked before pulling out something wrapped in a cloth and holding it out. "You both remember our little trip to the Mask Storage Temple, yes?"

Karin nodded alongside Naruto. It was hard to forget when you were nearly cut down by a sentient mask, only to escape by the skin of your teeth due to a guess that she took. To their mutual surprise, one of the masks was revealed when he pulled back the cloth.

"The Hokage sent a group to check the temple and they found some documentation about the masks. It mentioned that they were made in honor of celestial beings of the Uzumaki Clan that were divided into roles between Heaven and Earth. The lowest were Divine Beasts that walked the Earth, with the Divine Priests and Priestess being the messengers of the Divine Gods who resided in the Heavens above. The nine masks that were active at the temple were the five beasts and four priests and priestess, while the masks representing the divine gods were inert. I thought it was simply a piece of lore that had been enshrined with the masks, but maybe whoever designed them had intended for that to be incorporated."

"Well, legends often hide ancient truths within them," Karin mused. "Do you understand how they work?"

"Not exactly," he admitted. "Based on our encounter, it seems they utilize chakra to shape their vessels and have a limited form of sentience. However, we're having difficulty summoning them from the masks. So I thought you two might hold the solution. "

"Because they only respond to someone of the Uzumaki lineage," Karin guessed. "That about it?"

"We believe so. That's why I've asked you here today. If Naruto can control them on his own and safely before the start of the Finals, they'll be considered ninja tools and he'll be allowed to use them. Like a puppet would be considered a puppeteers' tool rather than a full-fledge summoning."

"So if I get this to work, I can call up all of them for the match?" Naruto seemed excited at the prospect of being able to summon up nine minions.

His tutor had to quickly add, "Not all of them, realistically speaking. Because of your age and how difficult they'll likely be to manage, we're limiting your access to them until we have a good understanding of their behavioral responses and to see if the seal-work can be replicated without the bloodline restrictions. Once all that is cleared up though, the Hokage will likely hand them over to you. Anyway, the reason we chose this one for you to experiment with is because, should it go rampant, I'll have the least amount of trouble suppressing it."

Naruto picked up the mask and held it above his head as he stared at the visage of the tiger it had been shaped into. "Okay. How do I do this?"

"Try streaming your chakra into the mask, slowly at first. It has receptors to allow it to take it in and store it. Once it reaches a critical point, you should be able to call it out by touching the emblem on the back of the mask. The symbol there reads 'Lineage' from what we could gather, so I suspect you'll need blood as proof."

"Let's do this!" Naruto closed his eyes and began to pour his chakra into it. Then he frowned, opening his eyes and looking the mask over in confusion. "It's not taking my chakra."

"Try again," Gama said. "Slowly."

Karin decided to use her Mind's Eye to observe as he tried again. Naruto's chakra was being actively rejected for some reason. That was strange. Karin focused her sensory ability wholly onto him for a deeper scan and found the source, immediately breaking into a cold sweat when she did.

Inside of him was a veritable sea of corrupted Yang chakra, tainted by inhuman malevolence that seemed ready to spill out and swallow the world. That was what was sealed inside of Naruto? How could anything so wrong be held at bay by whatever seal was placed on him?

Naruto grumbled in frustration as he struggled to push his chakra into the mask futilely once more, only to stop when he noticed that Karin was trembling. "Are you okay, Karin-chan?"

"Oh, umm… I'm fine." Karin took a deep breath to steady herself as she deactivated her power. She believed she knew the reason why he couldn't use it. A trickle of that corrupted Yang chakra was mixing into his own chakra system from the look of it. Whatever safeguards were in place on the mask could detect that. "I think I figured out what's wrong."

Naruto and Gama alike turned to her in expectation. She had their attention.

"Yang chakra," she explained. "You probably need to concentrate Yang chakra into it."

The only ways for him to be able to use that mask that she could think of were to either completely seal off the demon fox, which she couldn't mention for her own safety, or for him to refine his own chakra into Yang chakra. If he created enough pure Yang chakra then it would dilute the trickle of corrupted chakra to the point of being non-existent. You couldn't have both in a single vessel after all, so the greater amount would erode the lesser amount.

"What's Yang chakra?" Naruto asked his tutor. "I heard it mentioned before, but I didn't think much about it. How's it different from regular chakra?"

Gama snapped his fingers. "Right, most Jounin don't usually teach nature transformation until after you've had at least a year or two under your belt. Basically, chakra is formed of spiritual and physical energy melding together. However, that chakra can be converted into elemental chakra—Wind, Water, Fire, Lightning, and Earth being the basics. Bloodlines Limits are usually a merging of two or more elements."

"Then what about what Shikamaru does with shadows and everything?" Naruto asked.

"That's where Yin and Yang chakra comes in," Gama told him. "The Nara clan's technique is mostly Yin-based, though I'm not privy to their secrets on how it's done or molded. But most illusions are done through using Yin chakra to create something out of nothing. It's the spiritual energy that allows the imagination to take form."

"Yang is the opposite," Karin continued for him, unrolling her sleeve to show where he had bitten her. "It governs life and vitality, representing the body. I naturally lean to that element, so my chakra would probably be passable enough for it to work. I'll give it a try and, if I'm right, then he'll just have to learn how to convert his chakra into that element."

"That does sound like the most feasible plan of action," the tutor mumbled to himself before he spoke up. "Plus, we know they'll listen to you. Still, I'll leave it up to Naruto to decide."

Naruto pretty much gave his consent without a second thought and handed over the mask. "Go for it."

Karin began to stream her chakra into the mask… only to fall to her knees and wheeze at the immense and sudden drain, like the very air was being sucked out of her lungs. She expected it to be reciprocal of her chakra, but it felt like the mask was actively draining it—a contrast to Naruto's.

"Did it hurt you?" Naruto asked as he crouched down and helped Karin to her feet. "Did something go wrong?"

"I'm fine…Naruto." She took a deep breath to even out her panting. "It just… took a lot of my chakra too quickly. I'll be fine once I've rested… so don't worry about it…"

Gama reached over and grabbed her wrist to feel if there were any changes in her pulse or temperature that came from chakra exhaustion. "I'm tempted to think it's because your chakra system isn't fully developed that the strain was immense, but it's likely that the masks were only capable of being used by individuals who had a vast amount. In fact, given how they were enshrined, it's also likely that only important figures of the clan would be worthy of using it or given permission. What did that one with the scythe say?"

"It said something about being of the 'oldest blood' if I remember right," she answered as he released her. Maybe that meant she was related to one of the older families somehow. There was so much about her clan that had been lost, she couldn't be sure of anything she knew. "Can I borrow something to draw blood with?"

He gave her an unused kunai and she pressed the sharpened tip against her thumb. Beads of crimson blood bubbled up and she pressed it to the emblem on the mask. The result was immediate, the mask jumping from her grasp as a white substance of some kind spewed from the rear section and formed its body. The white tiger stood before them all, black stripes lining its back as it tilted its head up towards Karin.

"This one is known as Byakko, according to the documentation," Gama told her. "Try speaking to it."

Karin gave him a prompt nod and turned to face the tiger that sat patiently in front of her. "Can you understand me?"

"Yes," it responded. The voice wasn't physical, but instead seemed to resonate in her head and heart. Was it a spiritual connection then?

"Did either of you hear that?" Karin asked them, to be certain. Naruto and Gama shook their heads, with the latter asking her to elaborate. "It seems that I can hear what it says inside of me."

"Maybe because of the blood connection?" Gama theorized as he pulled out a notepad and scribbled it down. "Keep going."

"My name is Karin Uzumaki," she began. "My chakra constitutes your body, and my proof of lineage is what awoke you. Do you dispute this? So that my companions can understand, nod your head if so, shake if not."

Byakko shook its head this time. "I do not contest it."

"Then you'll follow my orders?"

The tiger nodded. "I will do so."

"What are your capabilities?" she asked.

"Speed," it stated. "I carry messengers on my back from shore-to-shore and herd my enemies so that the others may do their part."

Karin repeated what the tiger said to the others and then asked, "If I tell you to obey someone else, will you?"

A shake of the head was the answer. "I will not. Only those of Uzumaki blood will command our ears."

Karin rephrased the question, pointing to Naruto. "So if I tell you to obey someone else of the Uzumaki blood, will you?"

"He must submit proof." When Karin told this to Naruto, he cut his thumb and held the digit out of the tiger to touch. It did so and then nodded. "His claim is not as strong, but it is valid."

Karin repeated what Byakko said to Naruto. However, before she could ask anything else, the tiger's body flickered out. Then it vanished entirely, leaving the mask to fall to the ground. She extended her Mind's Eye and found it was devoid of chakra entirely.

"I think it's out of chakra." She picked up the mask and handed it back Gama. "It took nearly everything I had to wake it up this time. So… who could have had the reserves to fill all nine of them up so that they lasted long enough to awaken when we entered the temple? It must've been years, if not decades since anyone entered it."

"Huh…that's actually a good question," Gama noted as he wrapped the mask up again. "We can figure that out later. But for now, you two break for Lunch. I'll go report these findings to the Hokage."

[0-0-0]

The last Uchiha of the Hidden Leaf teetered on the edge of exhaustion as he stood in a clearing devoid of grass. Patches of upturned earth were scattered about, primed like mines to go off at a moment's notice. They would spring to life, seeking to entrap him and pull him down long enough for a punishing strike from his Jounin.

He could only think that this was what he was looking for all this time. Training of this level, where he was pushed to his limits and beyond. With every passing day he felt faster than the one before, steadily catching up to where Rock Lee had been—and from there, Itachi.

But it wasn't enough. He would have to be faster than Lee had been. Otherwise, he would be in the same condition or dead.

So he welcomed the challenge that came as Kakashi appeared behind him with a kunai in hand using a Body Flicker. His eyes hadn't picked it up. Had the Jounin circled around? It didn't matter as Sasuke flipped the grip of his own kunai and brought it towards the man's liver only for it to be blocked by the opposing tool.

Then he was sent flying by an absolutely brutal kick. He narrowly blocked it by crossing his arms and raising them to stop it from coming into contact with his face. He skidded to a stop, digging two distinctive marks into the ground with his feet, and lowered his arms in time to see the hand-seals being finished.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow River!" Kakashi announced, more out of courtesy than anything else. That was part of the training, using announced attacks to test the waters before springing an unannounced one to catch him off-guard. As the training went on, Sasuke figured he would drop the courtesy all together.

The ground beneath Sasuke turned to mud as he jumped up to avoid it. Kakashi then manipulated the mud itself with his chakra, moving it about like the tendrils that the Sand-user used to try and ensnare his opponent. The first few days that would have been enough to capture him, even with his Sharingan. Now though, he could avoid it easy enough.

Kakashi ramped up the difficulty. With two silent gestures the mud split up into multiple tendrils that came at him from all sides. Trying to break through one angle would slow him down long enough to get caught if he was careless.

Sasuke grabbed an explosive tag and threw it ahead of him, letting the explosion rip open a path for him to take. He crossed the opening that presented itself and then let loose a Phoenix Flower for the sake of a distraction, setting him up to move. When Kakashi took the bait, Sasuke rushed in with a kunai to deliver the strike…

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!" Only for the ground to spring up around the Jounin in the form of a wall and shield him from the attack. Damn. His opponent would use something similar to that, wouldn't he? Rock Lee was fast enough to keep him being encased by it, but he still got fooled by the Sand Armor that he wore.

He flung a kunai with an explosive tag on it and watched it detonate. The wall was denser than it looked. The explosion of a standard tag didn't put more than a dent that was a few inches deep.

Clap. Clap. Clap. Sasuke turned his head to see Kakashi was now standing behind him. "You've improved drastically, Sasuke. But let's take a break."

"Not yet." Sasuke's chest rose and fell as he calmed his breath after the chase. "I'm not fast enough, and I don't have a way to penetrate his defenses in the end. I need something more."

If he couldn't deal with someone like this, then how was he going to deal with an actual monster like Itachi? It was frustrating to think of. He was getting closer, but it wasn't enough and wouldn't be enough unless he pushed himself further. The very thought made the sealed Curse Mark ache.

Kakashi looked down at him and sighed. "You know which element overcomes Earth, don't you?"

"Lightning," Sasuke said almost instantly. Then he heard the chirping of a thousand birds. He turned and saw the glaring, pale-blue light emanating from Kakashi's hand.

"You were unconscious when I used a similar technique against Zabuza," Kakashi told him as he turned towards the wall. "It's an assassination technique I made during the war for getting through tougher encampments and targets that preferred using the Rock Armor technique. It's not very quiet, as you can hear, but…."

Sasuke blinked and then he was gone, moving faster than his eyes could track without the Sharingan active. There was a thunderous crash and a spray of rock fragments and dust. The next thing Sasuke saw was that Kakashi's arm had punched through the wall that had blocked an explosive tag.

Kakashi deactivated the technique and pulled his hand free, shaking it as though water was on it. "As you can see, it's easily A-ranked. However, it requires immense speed to be of use, and the Sharingan to avoid the issue of tunnel vision."

Yes. This was it. This was what Sasuke needed. "Teach me it."

"Break first," Kakashi told him. "Then we work on your speed more. You'll have it down by the time the Finals start."

Sasuke couldn't help but grin in anticipation. It was another step closer to getting revenge for his clan.