Disclaimer: Naruto and every character of the Naruto universe belongs to Kishimoto Masashi and companies I don't know.
I would like to ask a burst of applause for my fantastic beta readers: ImaginationJunkie1412 and Skyisthelimit.
Original upload date: 09. June 2013
Last update:
Chance for a Prophecy
Chapter 15. – Tanuki and Blue Globe
Everything seemed to stop for a second. Birds appeared to freeze in flight against the blue sky. A lonely azure butterfly stopped in midair. The sounds of nature died down, leaving nothing, only dead silence all over the shores of the never ending desert. The frozen moment suddenly disappeared with an enormous explosion, burying every living thing under dust, soil and sand near the epicenter.
"Gaara!" A flash of gold appeared next to the Godaime Kazekage, painting his lean form in a golden glow. Dilated and crimson red eyes locked with green orbs, while the golden flames danced in the reflection of the leader's eyes.
"Where is he?!"
"We haven't spotted Madara yet, Naruto."
"He has to…show…himself…soon." The gold aura slowly faded away, leaving the weary, heavily breathing form of Naruto. The blond wiped the sweat from his forehead, while his eyes surveyed the desecration in front of him.
"We can't hold on for too long. It became stronger with the eight tails. How is the nine tails?"
"Kurama...needs...more time." The panting slowly died down and the blond boy nodded to something only he could hear, before biting his fingertip and running through a long chain of hand signs.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"With a loud puff and an enormous amount of smoke filled with chakra, three giant figures popped into existence. The three giant toads each had a pair of clones on its head - one already in meditation to gain energy from nature,
and one observing the battle not far away from them.
"Guys! We need to buy time for Kurama!" The three toads nodded and almost immediately jumped into the middle of the fight, toward the giant monster called the ten tailed beast.
Uzumaki Naruto jerked up from his bed, desperately trying to catch his breath for a long minute before his pounding heart finally settled down and his panting subsided. The blond left his sweat-soaked bed and headed to the bathroom to clean his face and clear his thoughts. The first beams of sunlight reached the small bathroom window, reflecting off of the small mirror in front of him. The blond eyed his own reflection with a foggy brain when his thoughts wandered back to the battle in the Land of Rivers near Suna's borders, almost exactly where Gaara had died for the first time. Naruto shook his head, easing away the last bits of his nightmare and his memories.
Ten minutes later, he settled himself down on the rooftop of their accommodation, watching as the rising sun slowly warmed the freezing cold of the desert night, enjoying the first warm beams on his skin. His eyes were fixed on the horizon, behind the giant walls around the Village. The walls that hadn't lasted long against the destruction and the unnatural power of the ten-tailed beast. In the end they, along with the buildings, streets and countless numbers of shinobi and civilians, became one with the endless sand of the desert around Sunagakure no Sato in the heart of Wind Country.
'I will repay my debt, Gaara. Believe it! I will repay!' The faint rumbling of Kurama didn't reach his consciousness. He just buried himself in his thoughts and for long hours stayed still, watching the horizon, the rising sun, and the slowly awakening village under his feet in complete silence.
Awkward silence filled the office, the stoic and stern face of the Yondaime Kazekage disturbed only by a small twitch of his dark eyes.
"And why would I grant a private audience to a shinobi of Konoha?" the Kazekage drawled. Minato stepped next to Naruto in support and to show that he was there if he need help, and a quick glance over his shoulder eased away his concern as he looked into the confident and determined eyes of his brother.
"Kazekage-sama, I request a private audience with you in order to talk about a very sensitive matter. Other than Hokage-sama, no one can be present." The leader's dark eyes twitched again and filled with irritation. He folded his arms in front of his chest, obviously trying to avoid the talk.
"You can talk freely in front of my guards. Unless this sensitive matter is for your own sake."
"The information concerns you Kazekage-sama."
The stern mask melted away in one blink, revealing the leader's surprise, anger, irritation and curiosity, before it was back again in another blink. "What could you know about the leader of Sand that can't be discussed in front of my shinobi?"
"With all due respect, Kazekage-sama, don't misunderstand my objective. I want to protect the future of a child, not your reputation, with the privacy." The leader eyed the two blonds in front of him - one a confident young man, the other the Hokage of Konoha, who was silently waiting in the background but still ready to interfere. His thoughts travelled with insane speed inside his head for a long, silent minute before he interrupted it.
"So be it. I will be generous." Naruto made a deep bow and took out a small paper tag, marked with a privacy seal, from his pouch.
"If you'll allow me Kazekage-sama." He gestured to the seal. "Not that I don't trust the privacy seals in this office, but I'd like to use my own ones just to be safe." The leader nodded, and Naruto immediately channeled some chakra into the small piece of paper, activating the seal. Their picture became foggy from the outside, while their voices were immediately locked inside the barrier. The blond boy glanced toward his leader, who motioned to continue with a small nod.
"We know about the one-tailed beast and its jinchuuriki."
The Kage's dark eyes flashed dangerously, and his muscles tensed. "And how did you gather this kind of information?"
Naruto shook his head. "Our methods are not relevant Kazekage-sama. All that matters is the fact that Suna possesses the power of a bijuu."
"So does every other nation, including Konoha. I won't hand over the one-tail to you, no matter what you offer for it."
Naruto narrowed his azure eyes. "That is not why we are here. And remember, we are talking about a human being, a child, not some item on the market." The blond let out a breath to ease away his rising anger, before he continued.
"The seal is weak." The leader of the Sand frowned, eyeing the young man from head to toe, before his gaze moved toward the still silent Hokage.
"The seal is strong enough. My best sealmaster made it."
Naruto ran his fingers through his blond locks and let out a frustrated groan. 'Strong enough, my ass.'
"No offense Kazekage-sama, but the one who made the seal, in a word, sucks." Minato's eye visibly twitched at the saucy and impolite statement, and so did the other leader's, whose anger started to rise after the stab at his pride.
"How dare you criticize my people? You don't know what you are talking about! You can't even prove your point."
"Tell your sealmaster that the nature elements on the meridian are unbalanced. This is the main cause that allows Shukaku to influence the vessel's mind. He or she will understand, as long as we are talking about a real sealmaster. The seal is weak. It could break at any time, and it will allow Shukaku to affect the child, perhaps even push him into insanity. The one-tail has a very wicked…personality. His bloodlust will influence the child in the future without a doubt. I am offering you our help, to fix the design - free of charge." The leader of the Sand narrowed his eyes and ran his dark irises one more time over the men in front of him, his thoughts racing.
"The Yondaime Hokage is a seal master. So am I. We can fix the design and save your child's life and sanity."
A disbelieving snort slipped out of the collected man's mouth. "If I agree to this, I am essentially handing over to you the jinchuuriki of Suna, along with the seal's design and thereby the key to getting your hands on the one-tailed beast. Its value is too large to the village for such a risk."
Naruto felt his eyes twitch while anger rose in his chest, making his muscles tense visibly as fury started to overwhelm him. He unconsciously squeezed his hands into fists, and in the back of his mind he could feel a small amount of pain as his nails dug into the soft flesh of his palms.
"You are speaking about your own child, dattebayo! The future of your own child is in your hands, and you are talking about values? You are this village's leader, yes, but you are also the father of this child! We are here to build a strong alliance, to help you out, yet you would throw away this opportunity because you think your secret seal weighs more than the life and sanity of your own child? The seal isn't just weak; it threatens Karura's life too, because it leaches chakra from her own system. It could be deadly during the birth...for both of them!" The Kazekage froze, while his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"If you value your village, your people, then you must value your child, because he is one of them. You can't disregard a life this easily. The offer is open indefinitely, but we are running out of time. Think over carefully what you could do for the village and for your own conscience. Don't do something you would regret later."
Naruto turned around and marched out of the office, followed by the stunned Hokage, and the privacy seal was dismissed as soon as he crossed over it. His chest rose and fell heavily; he could feel his pulse pound against his temples as anger started to cloud his mind, but he restrained the red fury boiling inside his veins from bursting out with his last ounce of control. 'How could he…How could he be so stubborn!? Risking his wife, his own child, for a village secret that's not even a secret!?'
"Calm down or we are going to reveal ourselves. You are on the verge of leaking out my chakra."
Naruto suddenly stopped in the middle of the spacious square and let out a long breath, forcing out his anger with minimal success. He felt a stabbing gaze on his back, and he wasn't surprised to spot the narrow eyes of the Kazekage in the window when he looked over his shoulder. He didn't avert his burning blue gaze, not even when he felt a calming palm on his shoulder, and finally the Kage stepped back, breaking their connection.
"You did well, Toroku. Though your diplomacy needs some work…A lot of it. But you successfully made your point, and I think...he heard you." Naruto finally looked away from the empty window and let out a weary sigh.
"I think I ruined today's schedule."
"Not that I'm disappointed about it." The Hokage shrugged and grinned, and the blond boy finally allowed his tensed muscles to relax as his anger and frustration slowly faded away.
"Come. I think it would be best if we go back to our accommodations. But first, let's pick up something to eat."
Naruto answered with a wide grin as his stomach give him away with a loud rumble. The two blond shinobi left the square, a dozen suspicious and nervous glances from various corners and shadows following them.
A short knock on the wooden door disturbed Naruto's nap after the not-so-light lunch. Without opening his eyes he noted the person in front of the door. Baki. Another short knock echoed inside the room, and the blond finally got up from the comfortable couch and moved toward the impatient shinobi.
"My apologies for the disturbance, but Kazekage-sama would like to see you immediately." Naruto nodded in understanding, closed the door and shared a glance with Minato, who had finally stuck his head out from his own bedroom, where he had locked himself up an hour ago to do whatever he was doing.
"That was quite fast…"
The chuunin nodded and let out a nervous sigh. "Let's go."
Ten minutes later, the two blond shinobi stood in front of a long wooden table, the younger obviously nervous and impatient, while the older had a stoic expression on his fine features. The only thing which helped the younger blond's nerves was a familiar small figure standing in the background, eyeing them suspiciously. An old woman in her sixties, dressed in grey with pale purple hair - Chiyo, one of the Honored Siblings, who had not so long ago given her life for his friend in the past. Or future, depending on how you think about it. The same woman who had locked Shukaku inside Gaara, and the same woman who had designed the seal poorly, pushing him into insanity during his childhood. Gaara's savior and the cause of his burden at the same time.
Naruto fixed his eyes on the back of the Yondaime Kazekage, who was gazing out the window, watching the busy goings-on of the people of Suna, blissfully ignorant of a decision that could seal not only a child's fate, but theirs as well. The leader ran through a short chain of hand signs, and all chakra signatures outside the room disappeared.
"I will do anything for the sake of Sunagakure no Sato… I am willing to sacrifice everything for this village and my family knows this very well…" Naruto tensed and clenched his hands into fists as he started to feel the anger slowly bubbled inside his mind once again.
"The village needs the power of the one-tailed beast." The Kazekage finally turned around, and ran his dark eyes over the three people in the room.
"But I am also willing to do everything to protect my children." The stern expression melted away from his face for a short second, revealing a man who cared deeply about his family and his village, before his expression hardened again into the well-known stern mask. But it was enough for Naruto to finally relax and let a relieved sigh leave his mouth.
"I accept your offer. Chiyo will assist you during the process." The Kazekage made a small nod toward the teen and the Hokage and left the room without a word, leaving the three people alone. A heavy burden disappeared from Naruto's shoulders, his limbs becoming numb from the enormous relief and happiness. Occupied with his own joy, he was not aware of the stabbing gaze from the old woman in the corner. Minato cleared his throat to gain his attention before he started bouncing all over the room, snapping the boy back to reality.
The Hokage slowly stepped in front of Chiyo and made a small, but polite, nod toward the old woman. "Chiyo-san. We would like to start as soon as possible."
The old woman nodded and gestured for the two shinobis to follow her to a room on the first floor. She still hadn't said a word, the only hint of emotion she showed were her narrowed eyes and piercing glare as she rolled open an enormous scroll on a long wooden table.
"This is the design of Gaara's seal."
Naruto whistled at the sight of the design, but only after a minute of silent observation did a troubled frown appear on his and Minato's face.
"Obaa-chan. This is very…hmm...creative, I have to admit." Chiyo's eyes visibly twitched at the cocky honorific. Minato observed the seal for a long moment before he also turned to the elderly woman.
"Is there a copy?"
The woman's eyes narrowed dangerously. "There isn't. And you aren't allowed to bring this out of the room." Minato nodded, but Naruto couldn't suppress a snort.
"Obaa-chan, we won't steal this sloppy design. It's not worth it. But we will need proper equipment. Brushes, ink, some paper to work on…so on. You know. That kind of stuff." The Hokage rolled his eyes and moved his gaze back to the scroll to continue his examination. After a long glare at the blond teen, Chiyo made a small wave with her hand. A Sand ANBU immediately appeared beside her and left after she told him their demands.
The small group stayed in silence for a long half hour, while each of them examined every aspect of the complex seal. Naruto felt like his head was going to explode after twenty minutes with the enormous amount of information on the fine paper. The effects, the after effects and the reactiveness of each individual symbol, kanji, curl and line, the delicate balance between the two sides of the meridian, the interactions between each element. He could compare its complexity only to his own now that he could see the fine details, aside from the mistakes which allowed Shukaku to speak his mind to Gaara more than necessary.
Ero-sennin stated earlier that his designs were wonky and that it was shocking that he hadn't blown something up yet. He had confidence in his knowledge and experience, but seeing this seal crushed it to small pieces when he realized just how much was missing in regards to the fine details of fuuinjutsu. The only fields he had absolute confidence in were the barriers that he used to hide him and all of his companions' presence and give them protection during the war, and in his own seal, which he knew like the back of his hand.
He glanced toward his father and he noted with relief that his azure eyes traveled from symbol to symbol, sometimes nodding to himself, sometimes frowning or mumbling under his breath, while his paper slowly started to fill with notes.
Minato Namikaze was a real seal master with great knowledge. Naruto himself wasn't a theoretical man, and though his knowledge about fuuin jutsu was still very advanced, it was mostly…chaotic. Without a proper teacher, Naruto had learned mainly from old scrolls and simple trial and error…It had been hard and painful, literally. An exploding seal right in your face is a pain in the ass. Learning from his previous failures had been his method back then. He had only gotten help with the basics, thanks to Ma and Pa and occasionally Kakashi-sensei. His mind slowly drifted away from the room, toward one of his memories where everything had started.
Naruto leaned over an enormous scroll, examining the complex black pattern on the approximately hundred year old document. A frown appeared on his face as his eyes drifted from the symbols toward the specification. A seal that would be able to capture hundreds of people in one go, sealing away their souls forever, regardless of their power. Half of the pattern had been lost during the years, the ink faded away, and a large chunk of paper was missing from the left corner, taking a piece of the design with it.
The blond man dropped his head to the table, eying the design millimeters from his face. 'If I could do it…If I…' A defeated sigh left his soft lips, while the ancient paper rustled from the harsh wind on the rough table, filling his nose with its odd smell. He heard a soft voice behind his back, but he didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"What are you doing here Sai?"
"That is my line. It's almost midnight. You should rest Naruto."
The blond waved a dismissive hand, while the black haired shinobi approached him and glanced down at the table. Talking still felt strange. He still subconsciously worried over how he worded his sentences, and his voice still lacked tone. Sometimes it still felt dead.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing. Just thinking." Naruto shrugged and straightened himself. 'What am I thinking? I haven't even got the dexterity for it…I don't even know how to hold a brush properly and-.' Naruto stayed silent for a long minute before his eyes widened and he hopped from his seat and grabbed the other teen's shoulders.
"Sai! You have to teach me calligraphy!"
The always stoic and emotionless ex-Root ANBU raised a curious eyebrow.
"I'm happy that you are interested in the arts, but I don't think this is the proper time for that."
"Don't be ridiculous. I don't want to paint flowers and birdies or anything like that. I need it for fuuinjutsu."
The black haired teen swept Naruto's hands from his shoulders.
"You are not capable of learning that. Fuuin jutsu requires patience, precision, and a level-head. You lack all of them. You are clumsy, inpatient, and hot-headed. The exact opposite of the requirements. Not to mention your subpar intelligence." His words once again lacked most of his emotions.
"This isn't about can or can't. I have to learn it, dattebayo."
Sai slowly shook his head. "You don't have a proper teacher. You don't have enough time. Just perfecting calligraphy require years."
"Time isn't an object...How long does it take?"
"I learned it for three years, for at least two hours a day."
"Three years…for two hours a day. I can do that amount of training in two days or less if I push myself."
"Naruto that is impossible, there is no way you-"
"Sai! I mastered three other elements in weeks, which needs decades of training for someone else. I can do it. I have to do it." The black haired teen watched him for a long moment, fixing his emotionless eyes on the determined blue pools, and in the end he let out a defeated sigh.
"I'm definitely going to regret this…" Naruto' gave a foxy grin. Sai finally really sounded like he was annoyed.
In a day, every corner of Mount Myōboku was filled with blond teens, frowning, hissing, bitching above scrolls, papers or soft sand with a stick, their hands and clothes stained with black ink but their identical blue eyes filled with determination and stubbornness, while they copied the Kanji countless times over and over again.
Naruto blinked when he felt the soft hand of his father on his shoulder. When looked around, he realized that Chiyo wasn't there anymore.
"When did Obaa-chan leave?"
Minato raised an eyebrow at the sensing genius. "Just five minutes ago. Is everything all right Toroku? You look…disturbed."
The blond rubbed his eyes and leaned back against his seat. "I'm alright. It's just- I will never understand how anyone could do this without caring about the consequences, looking at humans and bijuus as mere tools and weapons."
Minato watched his brother for a long minute. "You know a lot about the bijuu and jinchuuriki."
"I do, dattebayo."
"Be careful…" Naruto only dismissively waved a mental hand at Kurama.
"Human sacrifice…Balance between the countries... Bullshit. All it comes down to is power. Power that could ruin the life of someone who didn't even ask for it. The bijuu aren't brainless monsters. They also want peace and freedom. But shinobi use them and the jinchuuriki as mere tools. It's wrong in so many ways…I hope one day they will understand each other. The bijuu, the jinchuuriki and every shinobi." Minato observed the young boy in front of him with his azure eyes. He never thought about those things in such a way. But for a Bijuu and its jinchuriki to understand each other was equivalent to Iwa and Konoha making nice over dinner.
"I understand your point, and I feel the same way. Using a child to create a jinchuuriki is unthinkable to me. I would never do that willingly."
A sarcastic snort left Naruto's mouth. "You would do it without a second thought."
"I wouldn't." Naruto felt his eye twitch in his irritation, but it was short-lived. He was already over that.
"Maybe you will face with something that doesn't give you any other choice. If that time comes, you would do it without hesitation. You are the same as the Kazekage in more ways than you think. If it was for the sake of Konoha you would throw away your life with a smile on your face."
"I will cross that bridge if I come to it. But for now, I would never do that." Naruto watched his father, with his burning blue eyes, his previous irritation, and small amount of anger, slowly disappeared, and it was replaced with an unnatural amount of calmness. The blond boy averted his piercing gaze, a soft smile appearing on his fine features.
"If a time like that comes…You won't have to make that choice. You will get a family to look after. I won't let you die, dattebayo!" Minato stayed silent for a long awkward minute, chewing on the words carefully, his eyes locked on the form of his brother. He knew very well what his brother just offered to him. His own life. To seal away a bijuu, a sacrifice was more than likely necessary. Especially for the stronger ones who required a complex seal. The Kyuubi, for example.
Complete silence fell on the let the topic go before he said something else he would regret later, emptying his mind and his aching soul, and concentrated on their task: Fix the seal and save Gaara's sanity. While he focused on the seal, he was oblivious to the piercing blue eyes locked on him, sparkling with awe, pride, and concern.
The hours passed with small arguments and countless ideas on the half dozen rough sketches and notes, until the day finally passed, taking with it Naruto's wakefulness. Exhaustion and lack of sleep slowly overwhelmed his weary mind. He passed out in his chair, his head rested on crossed arms on the desk. The room was silent. Only the muffled sounds of crackling paper and the soft ruffle of the brush broke it from time to time. Chiyo had come back an hour later, suspiciously watching the two blonds work. In the end, she had to admit the brat was right. The seal allowed too much space for Shukaku to influence the vessel.
Her dark eyes drifted toward the sleeping blond teen, listening to his small snore, the peaceful and almost childish expression on his face, the small twitching of his eyelids when his mind drifted into a dream. No shinobi would sleep this deep inside enemy territory, it didn't matter who their companion was. Hokage or not. Fortunately for the unconscious blond, the faint mumbles that left his soft lips were indiscernible.
Her eyes drifted to the also obviously weary Hokage, who worked on the last details of the new design that would be able to fuse with the old seal without much problem. Chiyo was disappointed in the Kazekage, maybe even angry, but mostly confused. She couldn't understand this whole situation. She couldn't understand neither the Kazekage's decision nor the Hokage's.
"Why?" Her voice cracked from her age, and stabbed the silence like a knife. Minato had finished his last brush stroke and glanced up at her with a questioning raised eyebrow.
"Why are you doing this?" Chiyo continued, "Fixing the seal gives you nothing. There is no rational reason for you to do this for our sake." The Hokage gave a warm smile and glanced toward the sleeping teen on the table.
"Gaining a strong ally is rational enough, don't you think Chiyo-san?" The old woman narrowed her eyes.
"Alliance means nothing. All it is is an empty promise on a sheet of paper. In war, Konoha will act only for her own sake, just like she did before."
"It is true that alliances didn't mean too much during the last war; but the world changes, villages change, leaders change. Sometimes you must let the changes happen to see a new world." Chiyo's eye twitched.
"Handing a weapon to your former enemy's hand isn't rational, and isn't enough cause for an alliance. How do you know you can trust us?"Minato stayed silent for a long moment, and his eyes traveled toward the peacefully sleeping form of his brother again.
"Don't misjudge my actions Chiyo-san. I don't trust you, nor does the Kazekage trust me. That is why you are here watching us in the first place, is it not? But I do trust my brother. I trust his dreams and his goals. That is why I am doing this." The old lady didn't respond, and her face showed only confusion. Minato let out a weary sigh before he parted his soft lips to continue his explanation."I wasn't planning on bringing this issue up. It's your own home affair, not Konoha's. But…Toroku is solicitous about this child's future and he convinced me to do so. That boy over there holds great power, and could one day bring great changes to the shinobi world."
Minato didn't say anything more, simply turning back to his work to finish the final details, while Chiyo moved her eyes toward the sleeping young man, and she also stayed in silence for the rest of the day, burrowed inside her own mind, together with her thoughts.
"Kazekage-sama. The two from Konoha have finished the design. We are preparing to modify the seal in the early afternoon." The leader of Suna nodded, but didn't turn around from the large windows of his office. He simply stood there, arms folded behind his back, watching the empty streets of his sleeping village. Chiyo slowly stepped next to her leader, and without a word joined him in his occupation. For a long while no one said a word to break the silence until the old woman finally opened her wrinkled mouth.
"Suna can take care of her own problems. Why do you let Konoha interfere with our home affairs?" The Kage stood in silence, his eyes focused on a mother and her small child on the streets, before he finally answered.
"It's peaceful isn't it?"
Chiyo raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Yes, it is."
"I intend to keep it that way. At any cost."
"You can't trust them."
The Kage stayed silent for another long minute, lost in his thoughts, before he finally opened his mouth to answer. "I don't trust them…" His eyelids closed around his dark eyes, weighed down by his own thoughts, lost in his mind.
"But that boy, he made me wonder about myself."
Dark and old eyes twitched. 'That boy. Again that boy.'
"Months ago, Jiraiya told me something about that boy, when the Hokage first sent him here to distract me during the negotiations." The Kage didn't open his eyes as his thoughts wandered back to two months ago. "He is someone like you and I were once, before we lost ourselves in the shinobi world. He still carries and gives goodwill to anybody without considering who he gave it to."
"Now I know what he meant at that time." The Kage finally turned toward the small and old woman for the first time since she entered the office. "Do the sealing as soon as possible Chiyo-san." The old woman nodded, realizing that her Kage had closed their conversation and made his final decision. She left the room without any further comment, but her thoughts still did not settle.
Naruto ran his eyes over the ink black pattern running across the room like a spider web. There were only a few words that could describe the enormous and complex seal. It started from the center of the ceiling, ran across the walls, over the floor and connected again on a dais positioned under the starting point. Together with Minato and Chiyo, they had spent three hours painting the seal without a minutes rest. The faint scent of the Kazekage's blood, which was mixed with the ink, filled his sensitive nose, and he couldn't restrain himself from grimacing.
He heard some faint footsteps from the passage, and the Kazekage appeared in the door, his not so calm wife hooked to his arm. Naruto sent an encouraging warm smile toward Karura and stepped forward to help her navigate without stepping on any of the patterns.
"Everything will be alright Karura-san. I promise." The woman answered only with a weak smile.
"Please take off your overclothes." Naruto felt a small amount of killing intent slowly started to fill the room from the direction of the Kazekage, but the woman obeyed after a hesitant second, revealing her round tummy and soft skin. The blond teen handed the clothes over to the Kazekage, carefully avoiding his eyes, then picked up the woman and gently placed her on the dais, careful not to ruin the pattern below her.
"Please don't move."
Karura nodded with her eyes and Minato and Chiyo finally also appeared in the door. The blond teen crouched down for the brush and the remaining ink, to finish the seal. Precise black strokes appeared on the woman's skin, on her arms, legs, writhing toward her round tummy where they concentrated into a small whirling pattern around her belly button. Naruto once again ran his eyes over the pattern, looking for any errors, any misplaced or shaky strokes, and made a satisfied nod when he found nothing. He locked his azure blue eyes with Karura. Her face was calm, but Naruto could see the fear and concern behind her eyes. He sent another encouraging smile, but the fear didn't vanish. He glanced over his shoulder and noted that the stern look had disappeared from the Kazekage's face; his dark eyes mirrored the same worry as his wife's.
"Kazekage-sama. Could you come here please?" The leader narrowed his eyes, but nodded in the end and carefully moved to the center where his wife was laying almost naked, avoiding the pattern. His always rigid eyes widened when the blond boy simply reached out for his hand, but his rising anger immediately flushed away when he gently placed it under his wife's palm.
"There. You are here as a husband and as a father. You can act like that." A soft smile appeared on Minato's face and he also stepped into the middle of the room, facing his brother.
"Are you ready, Toroku?" Naruto glanced at the Kazekage, who also gave an approving nod, and then he slowly leaned closer to the laying woman in front of them.
"Karura-san. This might be unpleasant, but please bear it and don't move." The woman hesitantly nodded with her eyes, then she immediately locked them with his husband's, who gave her a soft, caring smile in response. Naruto made one final nod and turned toward Minato. Identical blue pools locked after one last inspection of the design. They stayed in silence for a long moment, before they both started to run through an enormously long chain of hand signs, perfectly mimicking each other's movement, like they were just looking into a mirror. When they reached the last sign they froze in motion and the pattern around them glowed with a yellow light for a second. Then the glow immediately faded away, leaving the original black ink color.
The seal suddenly flinched and started to writhe into Karura's belly, inside her womb toward the small life under her pounding heart. The two blond shinobi remained frozen, only their expressions shifting to intense concentration while the seal slowly and submissively moved to overwrite the old one. Nothing could be heard in the room aside from the ruffling sound as the seal moved and the increasingly labored breathing of the two seal masters. Their bodies and minds started to become weary from the joint effort, while their chakra surged into the seal without break.
After half an hour of sheer effort, the remains of the pattern suddenly stopped moving, and a wobble ran through it. A painful hiss left Karura's squeezed lips, and Naruto could distantly feel as the Kazekage's muscles tensed and their hands squeezed each other's until their joints became white. Naruto clenched his eyes and teeth shut, as did Minato, as they focused more and more chakra into the seal.
Naruto's left eye suddenly twitched and his face started to mirror irritation along with the concentration. "Shit…Stupid Tanuki." Naruto pressed the words through his teeth unconsciously as his mind filled with Shukaku's yelling, hissing voice.
"Just stay still, you bitching idiot." He could feel his bloodlust, his struggle against the new seal, his last desperate attempt to break free, attacking the small seams and openings left between the new and old seals before the two completely merged together. Minato restrained himself from glancing toward his brother and breaking his concentration.
"I won't…let you…mess with his head, dattebayo!" The two blonds pressed more and more chakra into the seal, and the wobble slowly died down, the seal continuing to inch toward Karura's belly. A relieved breath left Karura's lips as the tension disappeared. The two Konoha shinobi mimicked the action, unaware of the Kazekage's sudden glances toward them. The seal finally twitched one last time before quickening its movement as the last Kanji and symbol disappeared from the walls and Karura's skin, into her belly.
Minato slowly stepped backwards to lean against the wall for support and wiped the sweat from his forehead, while Naruto simply dropped to the ground, finally allowing his weary body to catch its breath and rest. A small chuckle left his mouth, and it slowly increased into a satisfied laugh as the adrenalin left his body and his muscles started to tremble from the strain. "That was close."
Minato nodded and stepped back up to the dais while the Kazekage gently helped his wife to sit up.
"Karura-san. You must be weary. Please rest," Minato instructed her gently. The woman only nodded with a weak smile on her face, before almost immediately closing her eyes and drifting into unconsciousness. The Kazekage stiffened and folded his arms around his wife to give her support, his eyes filled with concern and fear. Minato sent a small reassuring smile toward the leader.
"She is okay. Just sleeping. The sealing was successful." The Kage nodded, lifted his softly breathing wife into his arms, wrapped her clothes around her and started to leave the room. He turned around at the doorstep and made a deep bow toward the two weary blonds.
"Thank you." With this he simply left, together with Chiyo, leaving Naruto and Minato alone in the now empty room. Minato offered a hand to his brother, who gratefully accepted the help and straightened himself. Minato eyed the teen for a long moment with curious eyes.
"You really heard Shukaku." The chuunin snorted and grimaced.
"Even I can't blaspheme as elaborately as that damn tanuki." Minato let out a soft chuckle, and grabbed his brother's shoulder.
"Come. I think we deserve a long nap." A wide grin appeared on Naruto's face and suddenly every bit of weariness left his body as realization hit him hard on the head. 'I did it. We did it.' His limbs became numb by the relief, and a great burden disappeared from his shoulders. He felt the urge to bounce around the room, to scream and shout and laugh maniacally, and only Minato's presence restrained him from doing so. The satisfied grin never left his face as they reached their accommodations where the two shinobi simply collapsed on the bed for a well deserved rest.
Four forms stood in the enormous passage carved into the yellowish rock. The desert was still chilly after the ice cold night, but the early beams of the rising sun, already starting to stroke the land, would soon warm up the dunes and golden sea to an almost unbearable level. However, the early beams brought only pleasant warmth to the four people.
After the sealing, the negotiations moved in a different direction. The mood was lighter and agreements were drawn with increased speed. The discussions were successful and everything pointed toward a fruitful alliance between Konoha and Suna. Soon, traders would fill the route between the two villages to exchange goods as per the arrangement, hopefully creating more missions for both ninja villages. The two leaders also agreed that Konoha would only accept an assignment from the Wind daimyo together with Suna, and vice versa.
The dark eyes of the Kazekage locked with azure ones, before moving to another pair identical to the first. The four forms silently waited for each other, gathering their thoughts for a final goodbye before the duo left the Land of Wind. A sudden small smile appeared on the Kazekage's face,mirrored on his wife's fine features, whose hands rested on her round tummy.
"Hokage-sama. I wish you a safe travel."
Minato mimicked the smile and gave a small bow in response, as Naruto did the same to Karura.
"Thank you, Kazekage-sama. I think it's time for us to leave." The leader nodded and a wide grin appeared on the chuunin's face.
"Next time we meet, Karura-san, I hope you will be carrying a healthy auburn-haired boy in your arms." The woman gave a warm smile.
"We don't know the gender yet."
A small chuckle left Naruto's mouth. "Oh, trust me. He will be a boy with the potential to surpass you, Kazekage-sama." The leader narrowed his eyes, but in the end a small, almost invisible half smile appeared on his face erasing his stern expression.
"That is the duty of the younger generation." Minato smiled and nodded in agreement. Suddenly, a small grunt left his mouth as his blond companion slapped his back, forcing out a small amount of air from his lungs and earning himself an angry glance from his Hokage.
"I'm sure he will be a good friend to Minato's could have a slumber party or something when they're older." The named shinobi narrowed his eyes, and returned the slap to the back of Naruto's head.
"It's really time for us to leave." Minato gave a very small, polite bow, and even though Naruto was rubbing the back of his head with a whining sound, he still forced out a small pathetic bow as well. The two figures left the passage to enter the never ending sea of sand.
The Kazekage tilted his head to the side, watching the two blond men in the distance, obviously poking at each other until the chuunin started to run to avoid a blow from the Hokage. The wind blew their voices away, but a loud laugh still reach him, forcing the Kage's face into a smile. The leader slowly shook his head and turned around to head back to the village center, together with his softly chuckling wife.
The two blond shinobi reached the borders of The Land of Fire in two days. The sight of never ending green woods warmed Naruto up from head to toe. It didn't matter how much he liked the nights in the desert; seeing green after the long week in Suna was just priceless. The blond teen stretched his arms behind his head while they walked on the narrow path, deep inside the woods.
"It's good to be finally home."
The Hokage chuckled and nodded. "Feeling homesick after just one week away?"
Naruto only shrugged in response and they continued their silent walk down the path. "Hey Minato. Is the offer still up for a room in the Hokage Mansion?"
The Hokage sent him a warm smile. "Of course. I take it your answer is a yes?" Naruto nodded and a wide grin appeared on their faces.
They walked beside each other, Naruto with his eyes closed, using his senses to walk on the pathway, and unaware of the wondering look on his companion's face as he watched him.
"I was wondering…" Naruto opened an eye and glanced toward Minato from the corner of his curiously. "Could you help me with something?" The chuunin raised an eyebrow, and finally turned his head to face with Minato.
"It depends…But it's good to hear the almighty Hokage ask for a lowly chuunin's help." A cocky grin appeared on his face, forcing Minato to roll his eyes.
"Don't push it…I can assign you to nothing else but D rank missions for the rest of the year..." A furious snort left his mouth in response to the threat, but it was replaced with a shiver that ran through his spine at the thought of gardening, babysitting and running after lost cats.
"You wouldn't dare."
"Try me."
Naruto narrowed his eyes, eyeing the emotionless face of the Hokage for a long minute, weighing how serious his threat was. "You are really messed up in the head."
The Hokage chuckled in response and stopped on the path. "So, will you help?"
"I don't even know if I'm able to, so just spit it out." A wide grin appeared on the Hokage's face.
"You are really good at elemental manipulation and beside me you are the only one with wind affinity who I trust enough with…this."
Minato simply raised his hand and opened his palm, and almost immediately a spinning, azure blue chakra globe appeared between his fingers. The hair on the back of Naruto's neck instantly stood up as his senses filled with the powerful chakra, swirling with insane speed inside the perfect ball.
He needed every bit of his self-control to restrain himself from saying anything stupid and make sure that the muscles on his face remained stoic. He already knew what his father wanted from him, and inside his mind he felt like he was twelve again, jumping up and down in his excitement, shouting and grinning like a maniac. Naruto forced himself to remain outwardly calm and tilted his head to the side, eyeing the so familiar and dear technique with curiosity. The blond forced the muscles on his face to move and mirror confusion while he looked back to his father with a questioning look.
"Nice."
Minato raised an eyebrow, and couldn't keep the disappointment from his face. "Nice? That is all you can say? This is my pride and joy, beside the Hiraishin, and all you can say is nice?!" His shoulders slumped in defeat, letting the blue orb disappear. Naruto finally gathered himself and immediately started to backtrack.
"I didn't mean nice in a bad way, I mean nice as in super badass. I know how hard is to create something like that." Minato raised an eyebrow at his brother desperately trying to save the situation, and in the end, a chuckle forced itself out and he simply waved a dismissive hand.
"Okay, I have to admit it's not as fancy as some of your techniques but it's still powerful like hell." Naruto nodded agreeing. Despite the fact that he learned and developed dozens of new and powerful jutsu, the foundation of his strongest ones was still the Rasengan. No jutsu other than the Rasengan's variants were strong enough to break through Madara's defenses.
"What was that technique?" Naruto asked with a curious tone.
"That was 'Rasengan'. It's still incomplete. Anytime I try to add wind element it is just breaks down." Naruto nodded and tapped his chin to show he was thinking about the solution, that he actually already knew.
"So...Will you help me to solve this little problem?"
Naruto stayed in silence for a long minute, while his thoughts raced inside his head. 'What if I just show him? What If I let him finish the technique? He won't be able to throw it like I can without Sage mode. Will he be able to use it without damaging himself? Maybe with the Hiraishin it could be used in a safe way.' He slowly shook his head to clear it from the hundreds of disturbing questions. 'I have time to decide.' A wide grin appeared inside his mind when he realized that he would get the opportunity to use Rasengan in the future without revealing himself, not to mention the remaining jutsus in his arsenal which were developed directly from it.
"I don't know yet. Maybe I could help." A wide smile appeared on Minato's face.
"Deal. When we arrive home, I'll teach you the Rasengan."
"Why not while we are travelling?" Minato chuckled in response.
"The only one who knows it, besides me, is Jiraiya-sensei and it took him more than two months to learn it. I know you are a genius in some ways, but it's a complex technique." A foxy grin appeared on Naruto's face, already calculating the possibilities.
"I got confidence in myself. I will learn it before we reach the gates of Konoha."
"Toroku…That's less than two days. There is no way you are-"
"Wanna bet?" The Hokage raised an eyebrow as a cunning expression appeared on his face, but he only got another foxy grin in response, which forced him to frown. In the end, he just waved away his doubts, his mind already looking for the prize he was going to win without even moving a finger. A wide grin appeared on his face also, and raised a hand toward the chuunin.
"Cunning little brat. You are as sly as a fox."
'I have a good teacher.' A pleased snort echoed inside his mind, together with the chuckling of Kurama.
"Deal. If you aren't able to learn it before we reach the gates, you will do any repairs, the painting, and move every single piece of furniture into the new house. Alone." The grin only grew wider on Naruto's face, almost reaching both of his ears. A thought popped up inside his head, how his small prank would be just perfect for his father.
"Deal. And if I learn it, you will be the one who'll do that, without any help or jutsu. It wouldn't be fair if you just use Hiraishin to move everything, while I have to drag everything through the whole village with my clones. Oh, and creating a D rank mission for it isn't acceptable. You will do it with your bare hands and with your pretty face." Minato nodded, his confidence never leaving him, while Naruto was cackling inside his head like a maniac, together with Kurama, already imagining how Minato would run with the boxes and furniture through the streets of Konoha, covered in paint from head to toe.
"So, when do we start?" The chuunin chirped inside Minato's ear with a sing-song voice, while Minato tapped his chin as he gathered his thoughts.
"We will reach a small village in an hour. I need to pick up some tools for your training." Naruto nodded, and the two blonds headed toward their destination, to get some balloons and rubber balls for sure.
Minato Namikaze felt himself steadily lose his confidence as he watched his younger brother pop the second balloon filled with water with a cocky grin on his face only after an hour of practice. He restrained himself from letting his mouth fall open and the gulp rise inside his throat at the thought that he might have to carry everything through the middle of the village alone. He slowly shook his head to ease away the image of his total pillory. A small hope rose inside his chest. 'The next stages will be much harder. There is absolutely no way he will succeed with them.'
"Hey Brat! Slow down."
'Do you know how hard it is to do something badly when you know how to do it right? It's hard for me to mess up on purpose.' A snort echoed inside his mind.
"That's just unbelievable. You normally have a natural talent for messing things up."
'Hey! When was the last time I messed up anything?!' His only answer was total silence. 'Okay, don't answer that. But it's still hard.'
"Then try harder! Use your stubborn brain."
Naruto rolled his eyes mentally, while Minato handed another ball to him, this time made of hard rubber, and explained the next step, just as Jiraiya had while they were looking for Tsunade to ask her to become the Godaime Hokage after Sarutobi's death. Naruto let out a sigh when his thoughts wandered toward the snake sannin. He could be anywhere, doing his experiments undisturbed, and who knows how many people had already died by his hands since he came back to the past. 'I should find him and just kick his ass.'
"Great plan, discounting only one tiny little problem." Naruto mentally narrowed his eyes, looking for what the fox referred. "Do not interfere until it is absolutely necessary. That was our deal. Concentrate rather on the ball in your hand, because it's about to pop." Naruto let out a weary sigh unconsciously.
'I can't just let him have his way in the shadows a second time around. Hey! What if I give some hints to Minato? Or to the old man?'
"And how will you explain your knowledge?" Naruto made a mental shrug.
'I don't know. You're the brains. Think of something.'
"I'm glad you finally admit it." Naruto unconsciously rolled his eyes in irritation. Fortunately Minato had fixed his eyes and senses on the small rubber ball in his hand, unaware of the small motion and his silent conversation.
'What if I just sneak inside the office and left a message?'
"And if they caught you?"
'I've been able to sneak around ANBU since I was six. They won't catch me.'
"Do you think they will do anything with an anonymous letter that states that one of their greatest shinobi and hero kills people in the shadows?" Naruto frowned mentally.
'You got a point. If I only at least new one of the places where he does his…things, I can lead them there. I could say that I sensed what was happening or something.'
"Naruto, if you interfere too much you won't know what will happen."
'We've already spoke about this time after time. I can't just sit and wait.'
"And yet you still don't understand the precarious position you are in!"
'I UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT POSITION I AM IN!' A sudden bang interrupted their argument, and the blond chuunin blinked down to his hands, with wide eyes.
'Shit.'
"Yes. Shit is a good word…Idiot."
"Shit."
Naruto turned his head toward the voice, and found a gaping Minato looking back at him with wide eyes, disbelief written all over his face. Naruto made a mental shrug and sent a foxy grin toward the Hokage, who resembled a fish on the ground gasping for air. Minato was struggling between feelings of enormous pride, from the fact his brother was a damn genius, and concern that there was a chance that he might lose this bet.
"So, I would like my room to be orange." Minato flung his eyes from the empty hand of his brother toward the blue eyes, and raised a disbelieving eyebrow.
"Orange?"
"Yes. Orange."
"There is something wrong with you in the head. And you will be the one who will paint your room orange, not me." The Hokage slowly shook his head as he forced his voice to sound more confident than he felt. The image of himself covered in orange paint was already starting to form inside his mind, forcing a grimace on his face.
The Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato stepped through the village gates with a perished expression on his face, his head hung on his chest in defeat and his eyes wide, continuously muttering his disbelief. On the other hand, his young blond companion marched inside the gates, casually grinning from ear to ear. The duo passed the two curious chuunin guards. One of them started to open his mouth, but he immediately closed it when the Hokage sent him a sharp glare that promised pain and suffering in the form of at least one month of long 'D' ranked missions if he dared to ask anything. In the middle of the village, Minato finally braced himself, and turned toward his companion with a straight face.
"We will meet tomorrow. I have to speak with Sarutobi before I go home." Naruto nodded, still grinning widely. Inside his mind a small amount of excitement had already formed.
He was also curious of what he would find at home. Or more accurately, what his clone had found while they were out of town. He could feel that the seal on the door was still untouched and the clone had not dispersed, meaning he had remained undetected and undisturbed.
The blond chuunin headed toward his apartment and stepped inside his flat after ten minutes of silent walking, the whole way carefully restraining himself from breaking out into a run through Konoha in his excitement. His heart pounded faster and faster from the exhilaration as he dropped his bag onto the floor and grabbed the door handle to the bathroom, practically ready to tear the door open. He immediately felt the sudden spike of chakra inside his head as the security seal disappeared and the small amount of his own chakra left inside the seal returned to him. Naruto let out a long, calming breath before he stepped inside the bathroom. His eyes immediately fixed themselves on the corner.
A satisfied grin appeared on his face when only the empty corner looked back at him. He had been away for longer than he had first thought he would be, so he had been hoping the chakra that he'd pumped inside the seal was enough to last until he did get back. His experienced hands ran through a short chain of hand signs, and the barriers disappeared from the corner, revealing a very weary looking blond teen, already out of Sage mode to avoid detection since the barriers were down. The clone let out an enormous yawn and slowly straightened himself, obviously trying to tease the real Naruto whose curiosity had risen to an unbearable level.
"So?"
The clone made a half smile, and slowly shook his head. "Sorry boss. It's almost as if they just disappeared from the face of the earth…I found every damn shinobi in fire country and the majority of shinobi in the other elemental countries, except Madara and Obito..."
The blond chuunin let out a disappointed sigh and ran a hand through his golden locks. The clone clasped his shoulder reassuringly, then disappeared, leaving behind nothing more than a small cloud filled with the last remains of his already fading chakra.
Naruto walked toward his bedroom, reaching his bed with its soft white pillows just in time as the exhaustion of his replica finally hit him with full force. In the next second the blond chuunin collapsed onto the bed with a moan. The memories of his clone forcefully continued to pop up picture by picture. A frown appeared below his closed eyelids as memories pinpointing the chakra signatures of the once (or future, depending on how you think of it) Akatsuki members appeared. But it was replaced with a soft smile when he found the still living Yahiko, a probably disturbed Zabuza, an enthusiastic Killer Bee, and even the almost invisible chakra of a toddler Haku. Naruto, finally overwhelmed by exhaustion, drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Author's Note:
Hey! Gaara's seal is fixed. See? I told you the tenth chapter isn't a filler. :D
Declaration of will: I will finish this fic even if the manga ends!
For everyone in Europe whose life had been disturbed by the flooding rivers:
I'm with you! Be strong and help each other!
Kitartást! Ha pedig a Duna közelében laktok, légyszíves vegyetek részt ti is a védekezésben!
Proposed next update: 22th of June or before. ;) The next 7 chapters are already finished. You should cheer my precious Beta readers. ;)
Story recommendations::
Restart by xXChirushiXx - Uzumaki Naruto is given a new chance at life after failing it by the most unreliable source. In his new life, he is no longer an Uzumaki, he is lonely (Kurama is not the most talkative) and he still has all his enemies out there, that will attack in a few years. He must be ready. Time Travel. Adult Themes. "WHY IN THE WORLD IS OBITO ATTACKING? HE'S YEARS TOO EARLY!" Disclamer (She is one of my precious readers. I like this fic with all of it's flaws and its going into an interesting direction. Naruto time travel of course. :)