My apologies for the horribly late update. As promised, shout out to WinkeeCharm for being the 400th reviewer! And a huge thank you to everyone who reviews each month. It means a lot 3
*The idea of Konohamaru having connections with the newspaper comes from a few episodes in the anime when he wants to interview Naruto for an article.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Duh :)
Blood of the Uchiha
Naruto blinked her eyes slowly. A small groan escaped from her lips as a crick in her neck made its presence known. Naruto brought a hand up to her face and wiped away a trail of drool. Movement on the hospital bed threw off the vestiges of sleep.
Sasuke was stirring.
"Sasuke!"
He opened his eyes, trying and failing to sit up. He raised an arm to find a chakra limiter secured on his wrist. "Naruto." Sasuke scanned the hospital room while Naruto almost collapsed in relief. Sasuke didn't appear confused or lost. His eyes were clear—and cold. "How?"
Naruto frowned. The question made her pause. "How what?"
"How did you bring me back to this god-forsaken village?" Sasuke almost spat the last words. As Naruto stared, Sasuke clenched and unclenched a fist—like he was itching for a kunai. "Well, Naruto. Aren't you going to brag? Throw it in my face? Tell me. How did you manage to defeat me? I have no memory of it."
"S-Sasuke." Her heart had stopped. Her face drained of color. It couldn't be. "Y–you can't be serious."
"Why can't you stay out of my way? Why do you persist?" He hissed the questions, not waiting for an answer. "You should understand by now, Naruto. I must have my revenge. I will have it. These bonds do nothing but hold me back." Sasuke settled back. "You can't keep me here. Be it a day, a week, or a year, you'll slip for a moment, and I will be free again."
Naruto was shell-shocked. A white haze had descended over her mind, and she could see, could hear, could articulate nothing. Only a faint buzzing remained in a corner of her mind. If she were able to analyze the buzzing, she might realize it was the sound of sheer panic.
Sasuke, seeing that Naruto was struck mute, sneered and made another effort to rise. Weakness fluttered over his face, and he fell back to the pillows. The motion roused Naruto from her paralysis.
"Sasuke!" yelled Naruto wildly, jumping to her feet, blonde hair flying, "This is wrong! Y-you don't understand! Your brain's been addled! I swear! Damn it! You don't want revenge anymore!"
The avenger grunted through clenched teeth, "Must. Kill. Itachi."
"No, no, NO! You forgave Itachi because—arg! Because he wasn't as bad as we thought. Madara! It was Uchiha Madara! It was all his fault! But you can't go kill him 'cause he's already dead! So's Itachi!" Naruto was frantic. The past two years were erased from his memory. Sasuke believed the worst—no, not the worst. Once he learned the truth of the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke would want to take revenge on Konoha again. There was no reanimated corpse of his long-dead brother to change his mind this time. It was Naruto's worst nightmare come true.
Seeing Naruto's frenzy, Sasuke couldn't take it anymore. The right side of his mouth twitched.
Naruto, panicked as she was, caught the motion. Understanding struck her like a Chidori through the chest. "S-Sasuke. Blessed mother of the ramen god…are—are you joking?"
The twitch grew to a full-blown grin. "What? Can't handle it?" Minutes before, Sasuke had awakened to find a slumbering Naruto drooling on his hospital bed. Tired though he was, he could see the dark circles framing her eyes. Before he realized, his hand was moving towards her, whether to bop her on the head or stroke her hair he couldn't be sure. His movements—faint though they might be—were causing Naruto to awaken. The joke was certainly out of character. It was an impulse decision.
Naruto slumped back into her chair. "Kami-sama. I think my heart stopped." Sasuke laughed. It was a long time in coming, but Naruto saw the humor in it. Still, she couldn't bring herself to appreciate the joke. "Why in the name of all that is orange would you pull something like that?"
"Revenge. You were drooling on my bed."
Naruto thumbed her chin self-consciously. "They warned me you might be confused. I wasn't expecting that. Not at all."
"I woke up once before. There was a nurse here."
"No one told me!"
"She gave me medicine, and I went right back to sleep." Sasuke cut to the chase. "She told me there was a council meeting. What did you do?"
Naruto shrugged. "Kicked ass."
"By that you mean…?"
"Convinced them not to throw you in prison. Kinda blackmailed them, actually."
"I'm sure that went over well." Sasuke tried to keep his tone light.
"Surprisingly, it did. The Elders admitted they want me to be Rokudaime."
Sasuke felt his eyes widening. "That's…good. Really good, right?" So why was Naruto's face drawn in a scowl?
"A lot's happened while you were out of it. I wasn't going to bother you with it yet. Thought you could recover first." Sasuke raised a condescending brow. Naruto got the message. In a few terse sentences, she filled him in.
"Hn," said Sasuke when she'd finished. He felt a twinge of guilt. If he had never resurrected Orochimaru, Naruto's mom would be safely entombed. Then again, if he hadn't, then they might all be under Tsukiyomi. And the situation with Karin…Sasuke didn't know what to make of that.
"Hey Sasuke, you know how you once told me that I couldn't understand your pain because I never had family of my own?"
"And you always said that family wasn't a matter of blood ties."
"I still believe that—but from the moment you old me that Karin was an Uzumaki, I wanted to see her again. Just knowing that we're related...it draws me to her. What I'm saying is, I understand you a little better now." Naruto was smiling—almost shyly, as though she were embarrassed to make the admission. It was a new expression—one that Sasuke found quite diverting. She was pleased to have a better understanding of him.
In truth, some part of Sasuke had always believed that he would go through life alone. He was an avenger, and an avenger didn't need comrades. Even after he had renounced his revenge, a sense of distaste would cloud his mind whenever the thought of reviving the Uchiha clan occurred to him. There was one requirement he couldn't satisfy: a woman he could tolerate for the rest of his life. Sakura and Karin came with exceptional abilities. If he married only for the sake of producing powerful offspring, they would be prime candidates.
The thought was repulsive.
In Naruto's smile, Sasuke found his world realigning. He was a goner and fully, miserably knew it. What he didn't know was why he had chosen the loudest shinobi that ever existed or why she had to be the one female that would not fall at his feet to marry him.
If Naruto liked girls, Sasuke was screwed. Figuratively, not literally. That was the problem. He must fortify himself. It would take time and effort to win her over. There was too much conflict, too much unrest while Orochimaru was active. He must be patient. He must wait. He would destroy the snake and free Naruto's mother. Until then, he wouldn't allow a hint of his affection past his guard.
But first, he must rest. Sasuke felt the shadows of the interrogation straining his body. He was not yet well.
Naruto noticed, but it seemed she had something left to say. Her eyes were shadowed. "Sasuke," she began hesitantly, almost fearfully. "Sasuke," she repeated more firmly, "remember my promise to you? About the six months?" Sasuke nodded, wondering why Naruto would bring up her promise to help him escape. "The offer still stands. You can hold me to it. If—if it's what you want, you can take me up on the offer."
Sasuke, unsure how to respond, could only grunt. "Hn."
"I can understand why you couldn't stand to be here anymore. Having your mind broken into like that—it's not right for your allies to do that. It's not right!"
Naruto's distress made Sasuke's newly made fortifications come crashing down. "That's the difference between you and me, dobe. You trusted them, so you feel that they betrayed you by going behind your back. I only ever trusted you." Sasuke hesitated—but fuck it, he was in too deep—before placing his hand on Naruto's. "I'm not going anywhere."
A wide grin broke across Naruto's face. "Yatta!"
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Baka."
A knock rapped on the door. Sasuke's hand shot away from Naruto's as a nurse walked inside. "Uzumaki-san, you asked for the paper to be brought to you?" The nurse paused in the doorway. "Ah, Uchiha-san is awake." The nurse came in and puttered about, checking Sasuke's vitals, testing his reflexes. "You just need to rest up, Uchiha-san. And here's the newspaper, Uzumaki-san."
"Right. Arigato." At Sasuke's questioning look, Naruto flashed The Konoha Times in front of his face—not long enough for him to read the headlines. "You go ahead and sleep. You won't be able to appreciate this brilliance in your current state."
Sasuke shrugged and settled back into the pillows. It probably wasn't a big deal.
… … …
That morning, Tsunade, with fearful curiosity, opened her daily newspaper. After one gasp from the Hokage, it fell from her hand with a plop to her desk. When she reached again for the paper, her hand was trembling.
Headlines screamed in black ink:
UZUMAKI NARUTO-CHAN?
An astounding revelation springs from the world's most surprising shinobi. We knew him as the Kyuubi's jinchuriki, as the Yellow Flash's only son, as the hero of the Fourth Shinobi War, but the world did not know him at all. The truth of the Namikaze legacy is one we never imagined: The last Namikaze is, in fact, a girl. We are not the only ones who were stunned. Uzumaki herself was unaware that she was born female. It was on her eighteenth birthday that the nature seal—a powerful seal that utilizes natural energy for transformation—expired. (see pg 2b)
HIDDEN HEROINE IN THE HIDDEN LEAF
The heroine tells all! (for full interview, see pg 4a)
A NATURE SEAL TRANSFORMATION: HOW IT WORKS
'Nature seals are perhaps the most fascinating of all,' says Gumiro Himeko, the world's foremost sealmaster. 'There are such a wide range of possibilities for natural energy transformation.'
Natural energy is the special chakra primarily felt and used by Sages. In the last century, there have been five notable Sages: Hiro the Wolf Sage, Kabuto the Snake Sage, Yumi the Tiger Sage, Jiraiya the Toad Sage, and Naruto the Second Toad Sage.
In Sage Mode, these shinobi have enhanced physical and sensory abilities far beyond that of an ordinary shinobi. In battle, Sages could devastate entire armies. Thus, the idea of nature seals that allow non-Sages some of these attributes came to the forefront during the Third Shinobi War. 'Kumo once experimented with this concept, placing physical enhancements on their shinobi by way of nature seals,' says Himeko-san. 'There were some successes, but far more failures. Of course, they are also the most dangerous transformation. It would take a sealmaster of exceptional ability with excellent control of natural energy to place such a seal.'
... ... ...
Tsunade flipped to the next page. Advertisements shouted:
TIRED OF YOUR GENDER? FEEL MORE IN TOUCH WITH THE OTHER SEX? TRY NATURESEALS. YOUR TRANSFORMATION IS NOW.
LADIES, WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOUR MAN IS THINKING? WITH NATURESEALS, YOU CAN BE IN HIS SHOES FOR A DAY.
... ... ...
Unable to stomach them, Tsunade turned to the interview.
FROM HERO TO HEROINE
by: Inuzuka Aoi
This reporter interviewed Uzumaki Naruto, a pioneer in the field of nature seals and the first known person to undergo such a gender transformation:
IA: Uzumaki-san—
UN: Just Naruto. I insist.
IA: Aha. Naruto-san. I must tell you, few things nowadays surprise me, but you've thrown me for a loop!
UN: I do enjoy surprising people, Aoi-san.
IA: Well let's get right to it. Where did you get the idea of nature seals? How does your story begin?
UN: The actual inventor of the gender transformation nature seal was none other than my father, Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage. He put the seal on me when I was less than an hour old.
IA: Wait. You're telling me that you were, in fact, born a female?
UN: That's right, Aoi-san. I have medical proof that confirms it. Plus, I have my dad's journal. Seems he knew I would be a girl. The nature seal expired on my eighteenth birthday. I've been a girl again for almost a week.
IA: Would you describe the transformation back to a girl for us?
UN: In a word, painful. It was no illusion. I really had to shrink several inches. The bones in my face shifted. Withdrawal symptoms started like a month before my birthday. I was having these awful fits. It was weeks before I found the nature seal on my body and even longer before I realized what was happening. By then, it was pretty obvious that the seal had a time limit. Sure enough, on my eighteenth birthday, the seal expired.
IA: This is just incredible. I hardly know what to think. More importantly, what do you think, Naruto-san? What it is like to grow up a boy, only to transform into a girl? Did you know this would happen?
UN: I had no idea. It was a complete shock. I'm still adjusting to everything. Girls' bodies are so strange.
IA: And what about the social aspects of your transformation? How are your friends reacting?
UN: They took it surprisingly well. But yeah, there are some kinks to work out. Just yesterday, the guys were set to go to the onsen. I had already grabbed my bag and everything before I remembered I couldn't do that anymore—not that they would mind, the pervs. Then I thought I'd try the girl's side, but Sakura-chan—that's the girl with pink hair and a god awful left hook—she caught me and threw me out. Said I couldn't be trusted yet. Then she called me a perv. See, Aoi-san? It's all so confusing.
IA: And now you're offering to put your newly patented NATURESEALS on anyone who asks?
UN: That's right. And not just for Konoha citizens! Anyone from the Five Nations can request the seal. I don't see why I should be the only one to benefit from the experience. Besides, some people believe they were born the wrong gender. Take this one guy I know. Outside, he's about as manly as a man can be—huge muscles and he likes to break through walls and shoot lightning around—but when I talked to him the other day, he said nature seals might be the very thing he's been looking for. Of course, he's got a village to run so it might have to wait—
IA: R-Raikage! The Raikage, leader of Kumogakure, approached you about—about changing his gender?
UN: Sure he did. But—oops, I shouldn't have told you that. Client confidentiality. Oh well, fox's out of the bag. You know how they say within every bearlike man is a teddy? Couldn't be more true for Raikage-sama.
{This reporter was struck dumb for an indeterminate amount of time.}
IA: I say, once my colleagues hear this, they'll be on the way to Kumo in a yellow flash. But let's get back to the main topic. If you're offering to let civilians change their gender, then why don't you change yourself back?
UN: Excellent question. The answer is that I'm tempted, but each time I'm set to do it, I stop. It's weird, but I wonder if I give it half a chance, if I won't come to like being a girl. It seems there are some advantages to being in your true body. For instance, my chakra control has always sucked. But recently, I was able to throw off a low-level genjutsu during a spar with Sasuke. Never done that before, believe me.
IA: You mentioned Uchiha-san. You and he are close friends, correct? How does he feel about your transformation?
UN: Well, he's a prickly bastard, for sure. It threw him for a loop. Doesn't help that he's shy around girls. But he's a loyal friend. He's getting used to it.
IA: Uchiha is—is shy?
UN: A regular turtle anytime a girl's nearby, but on that note, I have to be going. Got some wrinkled butts to kick!
IA: I won't ask what you mean by that. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us, Naruto-san.
UN: Happy to. Ja ne!
... ... ...
Tsunade's eyes were bulging. Most of the interview was true, but there were a few bald-faced lies. There was no way Raikage had approached Naruto. It was impossible. Why she had chosen to involve the Raikage in such a scandal she couldn't imagine. How would this play out? Raikage was sure to go ballistic. Diverting their attention, Naruto had said. This would more than divert attention. Every reporter and journalist in the Five Nations would make their way to Kumo.
A violent shudder seized her body. Tsunade's shoulders were shaking, like she was having a fit. The villagers heard her cackle from the street.
... ... ...
Titters followed the Raikage as he walked through Kumogakure. Some villagers were brazen enough to emit full out chuckles. The Raikage was annoyed. The merriment had begun hours before and hadn't let up. Ordinarily, he would have been pleased to see his people content, but he had a sneaking suspicion that they were laughing at him. Even worse, some villagers sent him long, sympathetic gazes. It made him uncomfortable. Maybe Killer Bee had written a new song. Whatever the case, the noise was becoming unbearable.
He couldn't escape it even in his office. Faltering footsteps approached his door. Two pairs of feet.
"You ask—"
"No way! You do it."
"I-I can't."
"Well someone has to."
Raikage's brow twitched. The foolish women were twittering like spring birds outside his door.
"What's going on here?" That was Darui.
"Darui-san! Ah, it's—you know. What should we do?"
"I'll take care of it."
The Raikage frowned. Darui knew what was up. When Darui knocked on the door, he barked for him to enter. The Raikage had never seen Darui look so terribly uncomfortable. "Well, spit it out."
"Ah, Boss. It's…you know, Uzumaki's fault. He—sorry, I mean, she—she broke the client confidentiality agreement. Everyone knows." When Raikage's eyes narrowed and was about to demand an explanation, Darui continued, "I just want you to know, Boss, it doesn't change anything for me. You'll always be my leader, no matter what."
"Darui, what the hell are you going on about?"
"You don't have to hide it from us. The others—Karui and the rest—feel the same as me. It shocked us, sure, but it doesn't mean you're any less capable of leading the village. Really, there's no need for you to wait, to hold off on our account. I mean, look at the Hokage and Mizukage! They manage just fine. Bee-san was the only one who wasn't surprised. He said he always knew you had it in you. Said he'd dedicate his next song in your—"
Raikage could stand it no more. He slammed a lightning cloaked fist on the desk, shattering it. "What is going on?!"
"Boss, you haven't heard?"
Raikage snatched the paper from his hands and frowned. It was the Konoha Times. "Uzumaki's a girl, eh? That's a surprise. But what's that got to do with me?"
Close lipped, Darui directed him to the interview.
Up in his tower in Kumokagure, the Raikage's eyes popped. "Na ne?!" The Raikage let the newspaper fall slowly to the desk. He could read no more. His mind was a blank page. His mouth was filled with cotton. A strangled gurgle rose from his throat.
"So, Boss," said Darui, distinctly uncomfortable. "The secret's out. There's no need to hide anymore. Just be who you were meant to be."
Raikage snapped.
... ... ...
Karin awakened with a mission, but other concerns took precedence. The beeping of machines startled her. There was a needle in her hand. She ripped it out. A door banged open. People rushed in. Karin threw herself to the ground.
"She's panicking!"
Karin could see only their blurry figure. Someone had taken her glasses. But she had a stronger sense. Their chakras were wary, some hostile. Enemies. Karin felt for a weapon, anything she could use against them. All she had was a pillow. Not even a pillowcase.
The door banged open again. "Karin!"
Warmth swept over Karin. She knew this chakra. She couldn't remember how, but she she knew this was not an enemy. She sank to her knees as the owner of the chakra sprang towards her. Karin grabbed the jacket of the shinobi. Orange, how strange. With a strength that surprised them both, she pulled the shinobi down to her face. Her voice was weak, but she didn't stutter.
"Don't let them take Sasuke's blood."
With that, Karin fainted.
... ... ...
A brown-haired shinobi traced a faint path along the border of the Grass Country. She was not familiar with her master's most recent hideout. Had she been caught during her last assignment, she might have revealed his location. She followed signs to the hideout from Konoha. The terrain grew rockier. The entrance to the cave was so easy to miss. Nagoi Mitsu slipped down into the earth.
The trail widened the further she walked, her shoes scuffing faintly against the stone floor. When she turned a corner, she bowed low. Her master stood before her.
"I have returned. Orochimaru-sama."
Orochimaru was in shadow. Snakes curled and writhed around his feet. "Your mission was a success, I take it?" Every sound was a hiss.
"Yes, master." Nagoi reached into her ninja pouch and produced three red vials wrapped in a coolant. "I bring you the blood of the Uchiha."
"Excellent. You have done well."
"Thank you, sir."
"How was our dear Sasuke-kun?"
"He continues to chafe at his restrictions, but more and more, he has grown to accept them. I suspect Uzumaki to be the reason."
"Hm. That is not unexpected. He had the choice to bend or break. And how is Naruto-kun?"
Here, Nagoi hesitated. Would the news alarm her master? Would it somehow upset his plans? Before she could answer, a shuffling came from within the cave. Red hair appeared first, long enough to touch the ground. Uzumaki Kushina walked towards Orochimaru. A serpent was coiled around her waist, shoulder and arm. The snake hissed at its master in greeting.
"Kushina. Have you finished the seal?"
Her eyes appeared dead—Edo Tensei eyes. Her face seemed to peel, not unlike the molting of a snake. Kushina bowed. "No. Not yet, Orochimaru-sama, but I have made significant progress."
It had been necessary to alter Kushina's personality. Orochimaru had not been able to handle her antics. That monstrous temper. He shivered. "Kukuku. Your son is in for a surprise."
"My daughter."
Orochimaru thought he'd misheard.
"Forgive me, Orochimaru-sama," said Nagoi, "that is what I was about to report. Uzumaki's nature seal has worn off. She has become a girl again."
"Uzumaki Naruto…is female?"
Nagoi pulled a newspaper from her satchel. "She announced it to the world yesterday."
Later that day, as Orochimaru stood in his laboratory, he mused. There was always something new to learn, a discovery to be made. Uzumaki Naruto had surprised him again, something nearly impossible to do. What's more, she was studying to become a sealmaster. With her intelligence, she would prove no threat in that arena. However, there was her blood to contend with. A hideous grin split Orochimaru's face. No, he need not worry about the blood of her ancestry. He already had the counter to it. A far superior sealmaster.
A purple eye rippled hypnotically, encased in a preservative. The Rinnegan was his, but it was incomplete. He chose a vial of blood for his preliminary experiments.
He would have to act sooner than expected. Boy or girl, sealmaster or no, it mattered not. Uzumaki Naruto was in for an unpleasant surprise.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!