Ok, here you go, seven chapters done now. This is my longest one yet. I hope you enjoy.
Shout Outs:
SootyThunder: Yes he does get rashes from salt water, I'm suprised anyone actually remember that part. It was mentioned in one seen in one episode in the origional Naruto. He will be making more appearances though.
KnightOfZaku: Hinata has only been enjoying the romantic lifestyle that she always wanted with Naruto. The thought has entered her mind in passing, but know it is sinking in as a reality.
Okazaki323: If there are any errors please let me know so I can go back to fix them.
dragonball256: You will have to wait and see what they will do.
Naruhinalover: Thanks for the complements on the lemon. If you would like to see any others in the Konoha village let me know in a review. I will be going back soon to do another Konoha update.
Without further delay please enjoy. I do not own Naruto, but Tsunade is willing to bet me for him.
Homecoming
The couple stood on the beach of Uzu no Kuni, about a mile from what was the capital, Uzushiogakure. Gamabunta had already departed complaining about a rash he would be having for a week, in which Naruto continually thanked him and apologized for making him swim in the salt water, promising him that he would make it up to him. The island was a paradise and they were happy that Gamabunta agreed to take them; it had taken days off the time it would have taken by boat. Through the information they had acquired, in the port town, they knew there was a small village in what once was the old hidden village. Naruto and Hinata moved closer to their destination at a brisk, but cautious, pace because this was for the most part uncharted territory. They had no idea what the daimyo was like or if the people would be hostile to outsiders. As they got closer to the small village there was a sense of foreboding and oppression in the air. Most of the houses that could be seen were nothing more than run down shacks. In some cases there were holes in the houses that allowed you to see right through. Hinata activated her Byakugan to see if there were any inhabitants in the immediate area. To her surprise there were actually quite a few and they were all doing their best to not be seen but trying to see the new comers. Each taking a deep breath they entered the run down village hoping for the best.
They made their way down what they could tell was a market area, with what were hopefully stores, facing out into the street. They had seen people popping their heads out only to retreat again into the shadows. There was an occasional shuffle sound for only a few moments, only to return to silence. It was giving them a serious case of the willies. At once they heard some arguing near the end of the street and a man walked out with a bag, a bag that had another owner, a young woman begging the man to give it back. "Please, not today. If you can come back tomorrow I will have more. You can have as much as you want then".
The man was fairly tall, about a head taller than Naruto and he carried a sword at his waist. He had dark hair slicked back and a snide grin on his face as if he enjoyed the torment of the young woman who was pleading with him. "You should pay on time. I had to come all the way out here to collect from you and that brat. You should be thankful that I don't just put him out of his misery. That's an idea, and then you wouldn't need so much food".
"Please no, you can have it. Just leave my son alone. He has done nothing but be ill," the woman then released the bag and sunk her head to the ground in a groveling manner pleading for her son's life.
The man looked down at her and with a disturbingly unnatural smile. He started to bring back his leg in an attempt to kick the woman when there was a loud crack. A small rock had hit him square in the knee that was supporting his weight; his knee shattered with a loud crack, bringing him to the ground with screams of pain. The woman looked up at where the man once stood only to find him laying on the ground in front her, in agony from his mysterious injury. She then looked down the street to see two people running toward her.
"Suki, check the woman. I got the creep!" Naruto said while dashing to help.
Taking his lead Hinata simply replied, "Ok, just be careful". Hinata ran to the woman's side, which looked like she had seen a ghost. Hinata quickly checked the woman over aside from a few scrapes and dried dirt covering her face she seemed fine. "Are you ok mam? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Shaking her head as if she was coming out of a dream, a look of fright crossed her face. "Go away. You will only make things worse". The woman quickly got to her feet and headed back inside, with silent sobs she closed the door.
"That was strange. Minato, did you see that?" Hinata said as she got up and turned to Naruto. Naruto had a knee on the man's chest and a kunai in his hand trying to get information on why he would treat someone that way. A sheath was a few feet away from them and from the looks of it the sword that was supposed to be in it was imbedded into a nearby tree, tang deep.
The man was still trying to clutch and protect his shattered knee, doing his best to pay attention to what the blonde on top of him was saying. "I don't know anything, I'm just a newbie. I've only been on the island for a few months. The boss is only a couple streets over; they just sent me to get some food. Please help me," the man said through broken speech and cries of pain.
"Did you have to hit him in the knee like that?" Hinata asked seeing that the man was in a lot of pain.
Without taking his eyes off the man Naruto replied, "Better the knee than his head. He wouldn't be able to speak if his head looked how his knee does right now. At least he won't be going around threatening to beat any more women again. He would be lucky to walk right again."
Hinata looked down at the man's knee, Naruto was right; it was already swollen to the point that his pants were the only thing keeping it from growing larger. If Naruto hit him in the head like that it would have exploded. Naruto had no tolerance for those that have a little power and choose to pick on anyone weaker than themselves. He would protect all he could.
Naruto finally lifted the man a little by his collar and punched him square in the face, forcing the man to lose consciousness. He left him there on the ground and turned to face Hinata. "From what I could get out of him, he is more or less a hired thug. The daimyo here, controls this small village, keeping the people in a constant state of fear".
"I know what you mean. The woman I tried to help just looked at me like I had the next plague. It almost seemed like she couldn't get away from me fast enough," Hinata said with an evident tone of concern.
With almost the sound of defeat he continued, "I was hoping that we could just get some information here without going through any hassle. With what we have seen, I don't think we will get anything out of the villagers. Our only other option is to go to the top of the food chain and ask him ourselves. If there are more like this guy here," he pointed down at the man lying on the ground, "then we may be in for more than we thought."
"I don't think we have any other choice." She said as she accompanied Naruto, walking again down the street, leaving the man behind them.
The closer they got to the compound, the less the place looked like a daimyo, and the more it looked like a man who treated these people like animals, maybe even pets. It sickened them both to see such dilapidated living conditions. The way the people were acting, you would think that this state had taken years, possibly a decade or two, to occur. The couple finally reached what looked like the walls to an estate, much like the walls that surrounded the Hyuga compound. Hinata activated her Byakugan to look into the area, along with what seemed like the main house. They would need to know what they were running into. "Looks like there are twenty-six people inside, although it is interesting".
"What is it?" Naruto said quietly not wanting any surprises.
"None of them seem to be shinobi, maybe with the exception of one, possibly two. Their chakra systems are not developed. It is like this island hasn't seen ninja for many years," Hinata said with curiosity.
Pondering Hinata's comment Naruto considered how they would go about getting the information they needed. "Well, let's not take any chances. I don't think they could really harm us, but I don't want any surprises". He placed his hands in his famous cross position, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu". Roughly fifty clones surrounded them before taking off into the compound. Hinata and Naruto just stood outside the gate of the compound and listened to the chaos that was going on inside. Much to Naruto's surprise he could count that more than seventy-five percent of the guards in the area had been taken out, knocked unconscious, and not a single clone was destroyed yet. Figuring the gate was clear they made their way to the main house. Upon seeing the front of the house Naruto froze in his tracks as he stared at the outside wall. It took a moment for Hinata to notice what Naruto was staring at, but when she did her jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Above the door, it was plain to see, a large swirl pattern that was the symbol of the Uzumaki clan. They were standing in the compound that once housed the Uzumaki family.
There was a man inside a large sitting room of the main house, of which he was taking up as much of it as he could. He was a muscular man, with a large build and short hair that had a look like he kept it preened. He wore an open shirt and trousers, his most distinguishing figures were his beady eyes and almost disproportionally large nose. He heard the commotion outside and even a little in the house, but for the most part didn't seem too concerned. There was a knock on the door and figuring that the villagers that tried to attack the compound had been dealt with he simply said, "Enter". Much to his surprise the person who had opened the large door was not one of his minions, but a boy around the age of sixteen to seventeen. The boy had blonde hair and a strange cheeky grin. At the foot of the boy was the man that he thought would have entered, obviously knocked out. "So I take it you are the one who is causing all the commotion out there".
"You can say that, I guess," the boy responded. "Are you the guy in charge?"
Ignoring the kid's question, "So how many of the villagers have decided to challenge me this time?"
Not understanding the question wholly the blonde responded, "None, just me."
"And me," another voice came from an open window to the man's right.
When the man looked over there he saw the same kid standing there, then looked to the door and there was one there still, "Twins, cute kids, real cute. It will take more than a couple brats to scare me".
"You really shouldn't treat people this way. Chaining them to the ground like some animal, that's just sick". There were two young women around Hinata's age chained to the floor and the look of life had long left their eyes.
The man snapped his head to the left to see another one standing by his playthings, checking the women to see if they were all right. "Triplets, really? Your mom must have been huge. Are there any more of you genetic freaks out there?"
All in unison they looked up as they were listening to a voice in their head. Then they spoke the same words at the same time, giving the older man a bad case of goose bumps, "Oh, boss is pissed. Sorry mister we got to go. Boss will be here in a few seconds, pray now while you can". With that the clones all disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Clones, the man thought to himself, that means there are actual ninja on the island. Probably just a couple brats wandered out here. Despite what he was thinking there was concern in his eyes. He would be undeterred none the less; no one was going to take away his paradise.
It was only a few moments before a boy, who looked like the clones that had just disappeared, walked through the door. Behind him was a girl that that had pale lavender eyes and long hair. The man had never seen anything as breathtaking as the girl that stood before him now. He actually licked his lips at the idea of taking her for himself. The boy didn't acknowledge him at all and instead walked over to where the man's prisoner/playthings were restrained. One by one he grabbed the steel bracelets around the young women's wrists and snapped them with what didn't seem like any effort at all. They stayed there motionless on the floor still lost to the world.
"Suki, can you help them? This man and I are going to have a little talk," Naruto said with an overbearing sense of disgust in his voice. Without saying a word Hinata made her way to the women on the floor and began looking them over. "How could you do this to these people? This is sick and inhumane," Naruto was now addressing the man.
The man just sat there as the two almost didn't notice that he was there, or that he wasn't worth their time. "Well, it seems that you are the real one. My village is none of your concern. What I do to my people is my business. Although, you have peaked my interest. You took out all my guards, which tells me you have some skill. How about we make a deal? You work for me as my personal guard and you will have anything you could want, and in exchange," the man looked behind Naruto at Hinata with a possessive stare, "you give me that". Before the man knew what happened a kunai was holding his pant leg to the ground with a loud thud. The girl was now staring at him with a look that could kill.
"Minato," Hinata said still staring at the disgusting pig that was looking at her lustfully. He made her skin crawl with the way he looked at her. "They are physically fine despite being used as sex slaves. They are a little starved, no outward wounds and neither is pregnant at the moment. They are however under a genjutsu." With a few simple hand signs Hinata released them from it and the two women blinked rapidly before slumping to the floor even more than they already were in a series of sobbing wails.
"You disrespect the home that you are in, take advantage of the people that live in this village, use these women through a means belonging to a ninja then ask me to join you. I don't voluntarily kill people unless there is no other choice; you are pushing that boundary dangerously close to not being in your favor. If you leave now and take your trash with you, you will live another day, just not here". The rage inside Naruto was teetering on the edge of control. If that wasn't enough, Hinata was imagining the ways she would dissect him while he could still feel everything.
The man then pulled the kunai that was holding his pant leg down tossing it aside while standing up. "Then I will have to just take what I want". The man went through a few hand motions, trying to push his mind into the two newcomers.
Naruto just stood there, feeling a slight pressure at his mind, but it was faint and without effect. This man in front of him had some training, but he would have not even ranked in the academy. This island must be oblivious of the way of the world after the destruction of the island. The thought that even an amateur like this could suppress even a small village spoke a lot about the way in which these people have lived. To them, he must have exhibited some form of magic. "It doesn't matter how strong you are, to do this to anyone is inexcusable." The man charged at him pulling a small sword from the inside of his loose shirt. Naruto just stood there holding out his hand and gathering chakra. He brought it forward toward the sword and collided with it. The metal began to crack and break under the pressure as Naruto pushed forward, burying the Rasengan into the man's shoulder. The sheer force of the attack pushed the sleazy man back as the jutsu followed him and sent him through the wall behind him. The man came to a stop against an outside stone wall, slumped and unconscious.
Hinata just watched trying to quiet the sobs of the two women she was looking after. Finally Naruto turned to her and she could see the despair there at the pain the man had caused these people, just because they didn't have any knowledge of the world around them or the teachings of ninja. Her heart was breaking for him.
In a low tone Naruto spoke again doing his best to sound like his old self, "Suki, can you get those two to someone in the village? Maybe they have family here. I'll clean up".
Hinata then started to help the women up and led them out of the nightmare. Their sobs were still coming without any signs of stopping. When Hinata could get them to say a word or two their voices were hoarse as if their screams had damaged their vocal cords. Hinata brought them to the main street they had entered from. "Is anyone there? These two women were being held in the old Uzumaki house and they are free to go. Can anyone look after them?" They waited there in the deserted street for nearly five minutes, thinking that no one would come out to help the broken women, until she heard a door open up a few buildings down. Out stepped an old man with a scraggly grey beard and thinning hair on his head. Cautiously he moved close to where Hinata stood with the women. He never took his eyes off the ground as he reached out and took the two gently by their hands to pull them away. Hinata put on the best smile she could and bowed to the man as they walked away, "Thank you," she said.
Hinata started on her way back. As she rounded the corner to the compound she could see Naruto standing in front, he yelled as loud as he could, "Everyone, the people that kept you in terror are out here in a heap of trash, just like they are. It is up to you to decide what you will do with them; they should be unconscious for at least a few hours." Completing his announcement Naruto turned around and walked back inside followed by Hinata. Returning to the main room, Hinata noticed that the hole in the wall which was made by the gang leader was now patched up with boards.
"Ok, we need to see if we can find any information that might help us in the future. The house is still standing so that might mean not everything has been destroyed". Not being able to control himself from the hurt he felt for the two captives and the villagers that had lived in fear, he walked over to Hinata and pulled her into his arms in an embrace that helped calm him.
She could feel him shake at the rawness of what they had seen. In truth she was shaken up about it to, and she needed his support as much as he needed hers.
Naruto reluctantly let go of his love and looked around the room, "Can you see if there is anything hidden?"
Hinata activated her Byakugan and looked around the building, he was right. In a small corner of the floor, a few rooms down, there was a seal imprinted under the floor mats. She led him to the room and moved the mats out of the way. They both stared at the strange symbols.
"Do you know what it means Suki-chan," his spirits were being lifted by the discovery, "I was never that good at fuinjutsu, Sakura-chan use to have to pack my lunches when we were on Team Seven". He hung his head in embarrassment.
Hinata giggled a little at the thought of her brave and powerful shinobi being defeated by a piece of sealing paper. "Well it looks like a blood seal. And by the swirl on the center it seems that only a member of the Uzumaki clan could open it. That is probably why the place is still standing. The seal kept the foundation stable and whoever rebuilt the house did so with the original pieces that were scattered around".
Nodding in agreement, Naruto bit down on his thumb until a trickle of blood appeared. He smeared it on the seal slamming his hand down on the seal to pump his chakra into it. The room began to glow and the floor where the seal originated began to move away. In its place was a stairway that led beneath the home. They gasped at the sight, partially with marvel but also with a little apprehension. Hand in hand they proceeded down the stairs not knowing what awaited them at the bottom.
The area was dimly lit, but they could make out the room that they were standing it. It was an entry area with some couches and small tables, but what caught their surprise the most was a library. Scroll after scroll lay on shelves. Hinata and Naruto had never seen anything like it, even in the libraries in Konoha there was never this many scrolls. There was quite possibly more scrolls here than in all of Konoha. The room seemed to go on forever. Outwardly they were excited at the treasure trove of information they were able to find here, inside they were cursing about the time it would take to go through it all. "Minato, there is just about anything you could want here. It looks like most of these scrolls are sealing scrolls". Hinata started to go through the categories that labeled the shelves, "Food, weapons, clothing, it is like you could supply a whole clan and maybe a village with as much stuff that is in here". Hinata took a scroll from one of the shelves, opened it and applied a little chakra to retrieve the item within. A small poof of smoke and there sat a small basket of tomatoes, "Look Minato, tomatoes. These are probably half a century old and they look like they were picked this morning".
Looking through another set of scrolls that were labeled 'History' he responded, "The Uzumaki's were known for their fuinjutsu. As we learned at the academy, they were destroyed for it eventually. They were the ones that designed the original sealing technique for sealing the Bijuu into people. If my guess is correct, that is why they were destroyed".
Hinata looked over at Naruto knowing it upset him to talk about other jinchuriki. She knew what they were here for and they would have to be here for a while to go through everything to face the inevitable battle ahead. She actually laughed as she saw Naruto take a handful of scrolls from the history area.
"What is so funny hime?" Naruto said with a confused look on his face as he teased her with the nickname.
Then she lost it, she couldn't help it with him teasing her. Trying to keep him from dropping his scrolls, she leaned over and kissed him lightly, "The great hero is facing his worst enemy, homework".
He couldn't help it either; he joined her in the amusement of the situation. He set the scrolls to the side and grabbed Hinata by the waist pulling her close he kissed her soundly. Her laugh always picked up his spirits. "That is one of the greatest reasons for me loving you," Hinata wrapped her arms his neck, "You always know how to make me feel better.
The sun had already set and the moon was high in the night. Hinata had never seen Naruto study like this before. Most of his training had never come from books or scrolls, but through physical labor. This was different, he was reading non-stop. It was like he was seeking the answers to life's greatest questions, and those scrolls had all the answers. Hinata had spent most of her time searching through supply scrolls looking for food, possibly weapons that may useful, or even clothing and household goods. To her it was like the Uzumaki clan of the past had sealed everything and anything, just because they could. They knew they would be there for a while, maybe a week or two, so Hinata went to work trying to make their time there as comfortable as possible. She found a near empty room and some scrolls she thought would work well for this purpose. She almost fell over when she picked up a scroll that said 'Bed' on it, they couldn't have, she thought to herself. Most sealed items were usually small enough to easily fit on the paper they were being sealed to, but a whole bed. She laid the scroll on the floor of the now empty room and gave the seal a little chakra push, in a puff of smoke a large four post bed appeared before her. It even had clean linen with pillows and intricate designs. All she could think of is how amazing Naruto's ancestors were with their fuinjutsu. Since they had already closed the stairway off, they wouldn't have to worry about being disturbed down below the compound. With that realization Hinata decided to make it their temporary home. After she was finished with her decorating she went about trying to find something for dinner. Even though there were servants of the branch families who would do all the cooking in her old home, she did enjoy doing it herself. She had learned by helping in the kitchen when she was not busy with training. Here she found scrolls for more varieties of food than she had ever known. Picking her ingredients carefully, Hinata went on her way to make a stew for Naruto while he skimmed through more scrolls.
When she was done making dinner, Hinata decided to take it to Naruto so he could continue his work. Almost at once, when he smelled the food being brought to him his stomach had growled it was nearly loud enough to cause Hinata to think that a dog had wandered down into the hideout. As she set the stew with rice in front of Naruto he reached out to take Hinata by the waist and pull her into hug so that his head was pressed into her stomach, "Thank you, Hinata-chan. I didn't realize how late it was and how hungry I was getting."
She pulled away from him and sat down just across from where he was eating so they could have dinner together. "That's ok. I understand how much work it is going to be to go through all this". She looked down at a few of the scrolls Naruto had been reading and it surprised her. "Naruto-kun, I thought you would be looking through jutsu scrolls trying to learn new techniques, different tactics in combat, or to see if there may be a forbidden jutsu down here. All of these are history scrolls, History of Uzu no Kuni, History of the Uzumaki Clan, City Development of Uzushiogakure, and Clans of the Whirlpool. Why?"
"Well, it is like the guy that was running the so called daimyo of this village. He had somehow learned a genjutsu. Obviously he was not a trained shinobi, but it gave him just enough power over the rest of the village. That is why the people are the way they are. It is not about learning a few powerful moves, but how to use those moves with its greatest effectiveness. It is something I have come to terms with and thought really hard about while I trained on Mt. Myoboku. If I can find a scroll amongst these history scrolls that may tell me how to use a jutsu, what it was used for, and why it was so needed then perhaps it can be used for the right reasons," He then continued to eat his stew and looked lost, he had something weighing heavy on his mind.
"Naruto-kun, is everything ok? You look worried." Hinata said noticing the signs of stress on his face.
"Yeah, I just need some answers from Kurama. There are some things in the scrolls that I have to confirm," he said with a look that said he would not like the answer when he did get it.
"Oh, may I come to. We were having weekly meetings with him and it has been a while since I have seen him," she said with a sense of happiness.
With a little bit of hesitation Naruto reluctantly agreed, thinking of how much it may hurt her to know of a few of the finer points of his clan, but thought it was her right to know since she was his wife. They finished with dinner, deciding to leave the scrolls for the next day, and went off to the bedroom that Hinata had prepared for them. They sat on the bed facing each other while Naruto gently placed his hands on the sides of Hinata's face.
Hinata and Naruto stood in front of the sealed cage that held Kurama. Red eyes slowly began to open at their presence. Kit, I see you have returned. You to as well Hyuga-san, it is always a pleasure to see you. I can also tell you have mated finally, congratulation for choosing wisely Kit. She will make an excellent mother. As if Hinata wasn't blushing enough Naruto joined in too with his face turning a bright red. To their reaction Kurama let out a growling laugh.
Hinata bowed in response to the fox's acknowledgment of her, "It is good to see you as well Kurama-sama".
"That is enough embarrassing us, fur-ball. I need answers," Naruto said trying to get his head on straight after thinking about Hinata having his kids.
I will answer what I can. Kurama said with an annoyed tone.
"You know the Uzumaki's created the sealing jutsu that holds you in, don't you?" Naruto was trying to run through all the facts he had read in the scrolls.
Yes, in fact all the beasts that are sealed into containers originate from the developments of the fuinjutsu that the Uzumaki's created, the fox stated matter-of-factly.
This was a scary thought that Naruto had when he thought about what might happen if he dies, "Do you also know that only someone from the Uzumaki clan is strong enough to hold your chakra at bay?"
I do. I think I know where you're going with this Kit, but I will allow you to ask the next question anyways just to see the look on your face. The grin was ever widening on the fox's muzzle.
Hinata finally got where Naruto was going and tears appeared in her eyes. If they decided to have children, then one of them would be forced to carry the burden he has. Naruto would have to choose one of his own children to suffer his fate.
Pushing through his fears he asked despite the coldness that Kurama was showing him, "If I was to die, in order to contain you, I would have to place you in one of my newborn children, whose chakra systems are undeveloped so it would accept your chakra disruption".
There it was the low guttural chuckle from the demon himself followed by, Yes Kit. That would be the reality of it. The fox then looked over at Hinata who was on the verge of a break down while Naruto's anger was apparent all over his face. It does not always have to be as such though. Although, someone of Uzumaki blood must be used to contain me due their natural chakra flows, it does not mean that it has to be someone of a young age.
A glimmer of hope appeared in Naruto's eyes, "So you are telling me that the age of the Uzumaki does not matter?"
That is right. Infants like you and Mito were used; your mother was a child when I was placed in her. The conditions for that reside only within me. If I will it, I could be placed in someone who is in their thirties to forties. I control the inter-mingling of the chakra, Kurama said as if pondering the idea, and formulating a plan. During my confinement, when I was forced into my container, fighting was the only option. In trying to escape the inevitable my chakra would be released into the new container, if the chakra system was already developed it would kill the host.
"Would you ever willingly allow yourself to be transferred to another container," Hinata spoke now. She knew that if Naruto and she had children, one of their children would have to bear the weight of being a jinchuriki. She didn't know if she could stand by as witness to her child being treated as Naruto had been while he was growing up.
Kurama laughed again, Why would I voluntarily walk into my own prison when all I seek is my freedom? You humans ask much of those who are above you.
Naruto filed that information away for later; he would have to deal with that when the time came. He looked over at Hinata this time as he asked the question, "How long does the Uzumaki live? From what I can tell from the scrolls they can live a hundred years or more". Hinata looked at Naruto, not really knowing why this was on his mind.
Due to the increase of the Uzumaki chakra stored with added endurance they have also been gifted with long life. While sealed within Mito, there were members of your clan that had been known to live to one hundred and fifty years. Kurama seemed just as lost as Hinata was at where Naruto was going with this.
Naruto then asked the question that would reveal why this concerned him. Still looking at Hinata he said, "Is there a way to extend the life of someone"? Not making them immortal but let's say to live as long as an Uzumaki". It hit Hinata like a ton of bricks, her lifespan was like any other person, but she couldn't live as long as his clan once had. Naruto was asking if there was a way to extend her life to match that of his own.
As you well know there are many techniques that shinobi have used to extend their lives. As you should remember your encounter with Kakuzu, he was living during the time when Konohakagure was first formed. He even battled with the first Hokage.
"What is the point of extending your life if you lose your soul in the process? He stole other people's hearts to increase his life," Naruto snapped back.
That is only but one way to gain long life, Kurama snickered in response. I will leave you with this to think about for now. The answer you seek may only be in front of you.
Naruto and Hinata sat there on the bed and they thought about what Kurama had just said. "Now you know what was bothering me, I found out through those scrolls I read. I noticed the same names appear as the author over many decades. It was a hypothesis, but one I needed to know."
It warmed Hinata's heart that he was looking to ensure that they spent as much of their life together as possible. "Naruto, I would love to be able to spend a long life such as yours with you, but this may not be doable. We are talking about finding a way to extend my life by nearly one hundred years without the loss of someone else's life".
He took her by the hand and looked deep into her pale eyes, "I'm sorry I never noticed what you felt for me. It took me too long to see your concern and encouragement for me as the development of your love to me, never to have me give you any back. Now that I know, I love you more than I thought I ever could love anybody. I want to find a way to make up for the time that we lost." Then he said with a seductive smile, "Besides, if we get to be in each other's arms for the next fifty years, imagine what we could do with another one hundred years".
"You wouldn't want me with all the wrinkles after another hundred years," Hinata said in a teasing manner.
Naruto leaned up to her ear and whispered as if there was anyone else in the area that could hear them, "Well then, I guess I will have to make the most of the time by memorizing every inch of your soft and smooth skin". He then dipped his head to her neck and ran his teeth along her skin, ending in a kiss. Hinata let a small 'eep' escape her mouth at the surprise advancement of her new lover before she relaxed and let the waves of pleasure from his touch wash over her. They made love that night in a more relaxed manner taking more time to explore each other and how they made each other feel.
It had been three days since they locked themselves under the Uzumaki compound. Naruto had gone through almost every history scroll he could find. He was working on his sealing techniques with Hinata's help. She had a lot of chakra control, and a lot of the more complicated seals required more focus for him to accomplish. Although he was far from mastering any part of fuinjutsu he was getting the hang of the smaller seals. He could seal small foods and items, he tried to seal his shoes one time only to have it fly back in his face, this immediately sent Hinata to the floor laughing and clutching her sides. Hinata busied herself looking over all the sealing scrolls that contained items from the past. She ultimately set them in categories of use and do not use. The do not use were the ones that pertained to Naruto's clan and she wanted to save them for later when he would have time to enjoy them. There were also weapons and artifacts she wished to keep sealed. The ones she did use only pertained to making their time there more comfortable such as linen and food when they needed it. Aside from looking through a window to the past, they sat and talked for hours always making sure to eat together. Every night since their first they have had talks with the nine-tailed beast, needing more questions answered. The one question that Kurama would never answer was the one about extending life. Naruto didn't want to live forever, and more than likely wouldn't live more than another decade or two with the mission he set for himself. However, in the event that he did live a full life that the Uzumakis were known for, then he wanted Hinata right there beside him the whole time.
While looking through some seal training scrolls one morning Hinata had asked him to unseal their hideaway. She was feeling a little cramped down in the recesses of the earth and wanted to stretch her legs a little. It wasn't five minutes before he heard Hinata's voice calling from the top of the stairs that led to the house above, "Minato, I need you up here right now". That was all she said and immediately Naruto was worried. He dropped everything he had in his hands and dashed to the top of the steps to see Hinata standing there alone.
"Suki, what's the matter?" he said as he reached the top of the steps out of breath.
Hinata took Naruto by the hand and started to walk toward the front doors. "I think we may have a problem." She opens the doors in front of them and it gave way to a site he never expected to see.
Just inside the compound walls there were more than fifty people, mainly men, some young boys and women on their hands and knees. They were bowing, for what Naruto could not tell. Trying to figure out what was going on he just openly said hoping for answers, "May I help you?"
An old man, Hinata recognized him as the man who took the two young women that she had taken back to the market area, looked up from his position and said in a feeble tone, "Lord, please treat us well".
Now this really confused Naruto, what were they talking about? "Please stand up," which they all did as best they could but didn't move from the area. "Can someone please tell me what is going on?"
The old man stepped forward and spoke once again, to try to explain what was happening, "Lord, you have defeated and driven out the old Lord, therefor you are now the ruler of this island. All we ask is that you treat us fair and kind; in return we will give you all that we can".
This was too much for Naruto, and Hinata couldn't believe what she was seeing. Naruto tried his best to process it, he had always wanted to be a Hokage, but he wasn't here to lead or rule people. He was here to learn his family secrets, to find a way to defeat his enemies and save the people of other nations along with Konoha. "Speaking of which, where is that other guy that was staying here?"
"We did what you instructed. We sent him and his men the way of the trash. Him and his group were put on a small boat and sent out to sea," the old man answered.
Scratching the back of his head, "Well then, problem solved. You don't have anything to worry about. You're welcome," he spoke the last with a question in his voice as though unsure whether to offer the sentiment.
The elderly gentleman then spoke in an uncertain tone, "For as long as we can remember, there has always been a lord over these lands. If you do not take the position that is rightfully yours we will surely suffer".
Hinata stepped forward, knowing how Naruto was about being a little obtuse when it came to handling information. "Minato-kun, these people are asking you to be their leader. They have been under oppression for so long they cannot seem to function without someone as the figurehead".
"I got that, it is just that we are not planning on staying here. We came here to get information on how I might be able to learn what has happened in the past. As you saw from those scrolls down there it gives a greater insight against this Madara guy since this land was so close politically with Konoha. He is supposed to be from the founding of Konoha. Besides if we stay here there is a greater chance we will be found," acknowledging that their freedom came at a cost.
"We can't just leave them like this, they have no formal sense of government, and it looks like they don't even know about the world outside this island. Most of these people look as though they haven't had a good meal in years," Hinata said noticing the malnutrition on the older and younger men. Then Hinata's eyes beamed with thought, "How long do you think it will take us to go through that library?"
"Probably about three months to sort through it all, maybe a little more if we stay to actually try going through the jutsu scrolls," he said trying to understand what Hinata was thinking.
"How about we help them while we are here? The least we can do is teach them to stand on their own," she said thinking of a way to help the people that looked like they needed more than just removal from an oppressive environment.
Naruto stood there for a few moments and thought to himself. He knew this was going to take a while but as he looked across the people standing in front of him, he couldn't deny that they needed the assistance. He hated seeing the people suffer to such a degree and they would be here for some time. "Ok, we will help them reestablish their village. Though, we still have a lot of work to do".
Somewhere In a Far Off Place
In the dark recesses of a building where no light shown, due to the lack of windows, a man walked at a brisk pace. Hatred and disgust were more than dripping from the look on the man's face. All his efforts had been wasted. The years planning, moving people in the right direction, the manipulation was non-stop, and if it wasn't for his superior intellect he would have never come so close to realizing his true desired potential. He wanted the head of the man that screwed it all up. As he reached closer to his destination he could hear two people talking, one sounded livid and out right determined to defy the other. Not caring about the niceties the man charged in and confronted his target. "What the hell happened you mask wearing weirdo?"
A man in an orange mask with one hole for the right eye to see through turned and looked at the new comer. "Danzou-san, it is so nice of you to drop by. You are just in time to help me with something."
"I'm not going to help you with anything. I've helped you enough and what do I have for it, nothing. I am supposed to be Hokage by now. That was the deal right? I get you the demon child, the intelligence on the inner workings of the place, and critical targets. You can't even pull off your end of the deal," he said in a tone not unlike that of a child who was denied candy.
"Well Danzou that deal won't work anymore. The kyuubi is dead now so all that you have done does not matter to me anymore. It may take decades for the kyuubi chakra to mold itself into a physical form again," Tobi said in a bored tone.
Rage encircled the man who felt he had been denied his right, "Like hell it doesn't work, you get back there and finish off the bitch that's in my seat. You owe me at least that".
"Language Danzou, there are children present," Tobi motioned to Sasuke, who Danzou just recognized and noticed.
"Why is this kid here?" he asked with a disdain over the Unchiha standing mere feet from him.
Tobi started to walk away and explained, "He is here for the same reason you're here Danzou, to get a sense of closure." As he reached the door he addressed the swordsman, "I know I asked you to wait for a while until we can get the nine-tailed beast back, but this may help relieve some of that revenge your holding Sasuke. Danzou there was the one that ordered the extermination of your clan." Tobi chuckled a little as he closed the door to screams of horror.