Title: Chaos Theory
Author: Enwa
Summary: Namikaze Minato never expected that he would actually have a son and that his son, Uzumaki Naruto, was already an adult. Neither did he expect that his son would end up bringing so much chaos and trouble into his life like his namesake.
Notes: If you are wondering why Tenebroso is no longer on the , read my profile for an explanation. Without further ado, please enjoy this latest update of Chaos Theory. Reviews are also much appreciated!
Chapter 5
As the sun steadily moved through the blue sky, Minato had a great time showing Naruto around the sights of Nami no Kuni and treating him to the local delicacies such as the avocado milkshake, a pale green rich concoction of ice-blended fresh avocadoes stirred with milk and brown syrup made from palm sugar. Naruto had initially been dubious about the drink's tastiness but was soon won over by its mild and refreshing sweet flavour. It was especially a boon under the hot sun in Nami no Kuni's humid climate. Naruto also loved the fresh konnyaku jelly made from local seaweed gelatine.
Minato was amused and flattered that the locals thought that they were brothers – surely, he didn't look that young in his casual clothes? Naruto had also found it funny and they both played along with the locals' assumptions – not that it was particularly difficult for them to pretend. Time passed quickly and the sky was painted with lovely purple and orange hues as the red sun slowly set beneath the sea. The tall palm trees swayed in the balmy night breeze. The town of Nami no Kuni was alit with colourful lights and the air was filled with cacophony as the night-scene stirred to life.
Carrying his sandals in his hand as he walked along the beach back to their hotel, Minato turned to look at Naruto who was walking in the wet sand below the tidal line, clearly enjoying the sensation of the waves lapping at his feet. He smiled affectionately at him and asked, "Did you have a good time today?"
Naruto shot him a bright grin and spread his arms wide, "What do you think? It was the most fun I had in ages. I would love to come back here again!"
The orange-red glow of the sunset painted Naruto's hair a fiery red and for a very brief moment, Minato saw Kushina. The nostalgic illusion dissipated quickly like the fine sea-spray and he saw only Naruto, the blond blue-eyed man with Kushina's smile and heart. With a faint bittersweet smile, he answered simply, "That's good to hear. Kushina loved this place; I'm glad that you like it, too."
Naruto didn't notice Minato's sudden melancholy and cheerfully replied, "I can see why. It's very much like Uzu no Kuni."
Suddenly, Naruto yawned. Stretching his body, he drawled sleepily, "Oh wow, I feel really sleepy now. All that walking must have taken more out of me than I thought…"
"You can go ahead. I'll like to spend a bit more time enjoying the beach."
"Okay. See you tomorrow morning!"
With a cheerful wave, Naruto jogged back to the hotel, kicking up sand and sea-water in his wake. Finally alone, Minato looked outward to the setting sun that was now almost below the horizon. Then he slowly drew out the small Ziploc bag in his pocket that contained the mask piece. It was now time to get some answers. Without a look backwards, Minato walked back to town with a specific destination in mind.
X
The inside of the bar was dimly lit and a haze of cigarette smoke filled the air. Soft bluesy music played in the background as the customers drank and conversed in quiet low tones or in some cases, played poker. Minato paid little heed to the customers, walking briskly right to the bar counter. Bottles of expensive liquor lined the shelves behind the counter, their beautiful glass exteriors gleaming like jewels in the amber light. A buxom female bartender with sleek black hair, red lips and a smart uniform, greeted him with a smile, "Welcome, sir. What would you like to drink?"
Minato answered, "I want a 'Black Samurai' with shiso."
"I'm sorry, we're out of shiso. What else would you like with your Black Samurai?"
Minato promptly replied, "A sakura leaf."
"Yes sir. Your drink will be ready soon. In the meantime, you may wait in the V.I.P room."
The bartender bowed slightly in respect and Minato tipped her generously before entering the V.I.P room. Closing the door behind him, all sound was immediately cut off. The room was plush with luxurious sofas lined with silk and lavish cushions. There was only one other person in there – a stocky, tall man with long, unruly white hair that touched the floor as he sat. Red lines extended from his eyes down to his chin and there was a wart on the right side of his nose. Fine wrinkles at the corner of his eyes and laugh-lines around his mouth were the only indicators of his true age – he was actually past sixty years old despite looking to be in his fifties.
The man whom Minato had come to see was currently busy writing in a well-used, thick notebook and did not seem to have noticed his presence. But Minato knew better – this man had amazing awareness of his environment 24/7 and he was the one who had taught him most of his skills when he was still a rookie in LEAF, before retiring more than twenty years ago to go on a globe-trotting trip and focus on his novels - such as his favourite book, "The Tales of the Gutsy Shinobi" and the popular "Icha Icha Paradise" series, which Kakashi was very fond of.
"Hello, Jiraiya-sensei. It's been a long time since I last saw you. I wasn't sure whether you would still be in Nami no Kuni by the time I arrived. You ought to leave me an easier way of contacting you, and you should definitely change that code – it's too easy to decipher. Black Samurai with shiso? That's the reverse of 'White Ninja', which was one of your old aliases, and I'm assuming that shiso referred to the LEAF."
Jiraiya boisterously greeted Minato with a manly slap to the back, "Why, helloooo, if it isn't the Yellow Flash! What brings you here all the way from Konoha, away from your job? And, don't forget, secrets are sometimes best hidden right in the open under everyone's noses where no one expects to find them. No one would ever suspect that I, the Gallant Jiraiya, was ever here at all."
Minato had to smile at his former mentor's familiar antics. Jiraiya hadn't changed at all. Sitting down beside him, Minato placed the transparent Ziploc bag with the mask piece inside on the table. He cut straight to the point, "Do you recognise this symbol? I've had the feeling that I've seen it somewhere before… But I just can't remember where it might have been."
Jiraiya closed his notebook and set it aside in favour of examining the red symbol on the mask piece. After a few minutes, he asked Minato with a curious glance, "Where did it come from?"
"It's from Kyuubi's mask."
"…Ho ho, I see. That little Kitsune thief? But why come to me? You could have sent it in to the labs if you wanted answers faster."
Minato looked away, not willing to answer Jiraiya's question. He reiterated, "Please just tell me what this symbol is."
Jiraiya thankfully dropped the issue and he answered his former apprentice, "This symbol originates from Uzu no Kuni. Like how the Uchiha Clan symbol is a fan, this spiral is the Clan Symbol of the Uzumaki Clan of Uzu no Kuni – there are now very few people left."
Minato was rather shocked by the information, though now that Jiraiya mentioned it, he did recall seeing the same symbol on some of Naruto's clothes, and Kushina had liked wearing a hair-clip with a small spiral on it in her red hair. There was a very strong connection between Kyuubi and the Uzumaki Clan – was she also an Uzumaki like Kushina and Naruto? Minato thought it was extremely likely, given how much she looked like Kushina and the Uzumaki crest she had in her possession. Once he got back to the LEAF headquarters after the weekend holiday, he was going to request a search of all the existing Uzumaki Clan members in the world.
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei. That certainly narrows down my search. Here, I'll pay for your drinks…"
Minato smiled in pleased satisfaction, sensing his answers to be close at hand. He dropped a generous amount of money on the table and stood up. Before he left, Minato asked, "Where are you heading next?"
Jiraiya pocketed the money and grinned at him with a lecherous wink, "I'm going to see the imountains/i in Kumo no Kuni if you know what I mean. I've got a flight booked in three hours in fact."
"That's a rather short stay. I thought you would want to enjoy the local sights longer."
Jiraiya grimaced and rebuked him, "Hush! If you say it so loudly, my editors will know where I am and come after me! They're literally blood-hounds!"
Minato chuckled at his former mentor's reactions, "…Oh. You failed to meet your deadlines again, is it? No wonder Kakashi was so distraught about not getting his reserved book on time… Well, good luck then."
With that parting remark, he left the room, having completed his business with Jiraiya, who complained loudly a moment too late, "Hey, writer's block is no joke! Damn brat."
Jiraiya made a face at the door before an awesome idea struck him. A wide grin spread from ear to ear and he picked his pen to write down the beginnings of a brand new novel.
X
"Gotcha! Hey, Kyuubi, do you think it might be your Hoshitama?"
"It's possible."
While Minato was out, Naruto kept himself busy looking up the "Stone of Gelel" that had been mentioned in passing by one of the locals. It was a rare, beautiful green stone that seemed to glow from within. There were many local legends about how the stone miraculously healed people when they touched it.
Naruto was very excited, thinking that this just might be the very thing he had been searching for so long. The "Stone of Gelel" was kept on display in the temple dedicated to the God of the Seas. Naruto would have to find an excuse to come here again in the near future to steal it when he had properly prepared for the heist – planning and preparations took at least a week. His research finally completed, Naruto yawned sleepily and looked at his watch. It was almost midnight and Minato wasn't back yet – oh wait, that was Minato's door opening just now. What had he been doing out in town so late? Naruto was sure it was related to his secret job.
Shrugging, Naruto shoved the thoughts about Minato's job and position out of his mind as he prepared for bed. Kyuubi tapped Naruto with its tails in its customary farewell before it disappeared to rest within his mind. There was no point in worrying about it if he couldn't get a good night's sleep in preparation for tomorrow's activities. Naruto was determined to enjoy his short holiday as much as he could before he had to return to the grind.
X
The following day was just as lovely as the day before and Minato smiled as he watched Naruto flirt gamely with a group of schoolgirls who were charmed by his good humour. They had just visited the "Stone of Gelel" on Naruto's behest and they were now enjoying some downtime in a café near the bridge and the sea, where they could see ships in the distance. It was rather relaxing listening to the seagulls and the waves as Minato sipped his iced coffee in the shade. Naruto waved good-bye to the schoolgirls and plopped himself down beside him with a sigh of relief, "Whew! Those girls sure are energetic."
"The people here are quite friendly, aren't they?"
Naruto smiled at him and swiftly stole a sip from his drink before Minato could slap his hand away. As Minato grumbled at him and protectively drew his drink close, Naruto laughed merrily, his blue eyes twinkling in mischief. Minato was struck by how much Naruto looked like Kyuubi then, if he had a rounder face with more feminine features like longer eyelashes or full lips.
"-ato! Is there something on my face?"
Minato was embarrassed to find a hand waving in front of his face. He rarely let himself get distracted so easily. Naruto asked in concern, "Hey, are you alright? You're not coming down with heat stroke, are you? I'm not going to carry your heavy ass back to the hotel if you collapse right here and now."
"It's nothing. I was just thinking."
Minato missed the flash of anxiety and fear in Naruto's eyes as he took the opportunity to finish drinking his coffee before all the ice melted and turned it into an unpalatable watery mess. Naruto replied, "Oh, that's good to hear. Because, you see, I can't drive and it would suck to miss my classes just because you fell ill. We're going back today, right?"
Just for that cheeky remark, Minato lightly kicked Naruto's shin and Naruto punched his shoulder. They smirked at each other – stalemate. But Naruto had brought up a good point; they ought to leave soon. Before that, though, Minato needed to call up the LEAF headquarters to get them started on that search as soon as possible so that he could get some progress done on the long drive back. He took out his cell-phone and excused himself, "Sorry Naruto, I need to make an urgent call to my office… In the meantime, can you ask for and pay the bill? I'll pay you back later."
"Sure!"
X
Minato was puzzled by the lack of reception on his cell-phone as he stood outside the cafe. It shouldn't have happened at all as his phone was actually connected directly to the LEAF's network via its satellite. Either his phone was not working, or there was a very strong interference signal nearby. The former was more likely as Minato was not very good with gadgets unless they happened to be weapons.
Sighing in annoyance, he walked back in and heard an infernal noise. Alarmed, Minato realised that the noise was actually static coming from the television hung up on the ceiling. His ears picked up confused murmurs as one by one, the people realised that they couldn't make any calls and their televisions weren't receiving any signals. Something was very wrong indeed.
A cold chill going up his spine, Minato quickly grabbed Naruto's wrist and hurried out into the street. A loud explosion went off nearby and they were flung to the ground by the shockwave. Minato instinctively curled his body around Naruto to protect him from getting hurt as they slid painfully along the ground. Naruto's voice was shaky with shock and disbelief as he stared over his shoulder, "The bridge… It's gone!"
True to his words, the bridge had been blown to bits, huge chunks of concrete and asphalt sinking into the ocean depths as an inferno blazed on the water surface. A huge menacing battleship came into view from within the fires and smashed into the bridge ends, crushing the pitiful remnants into pieces. An oily voice echoed from the battleship's speakers, "Bow down before the might of Gato! As of now, Nami no Kuni is under my control."
Then, scores of armed men emerged from the ship and flooded the streets, wrecking mayhem and chaos on the once peaceful Nami no Kuni's streets. Minato cursed – an invasion now of all times? Left with no way of contacting the mainland, both Minato and Naruto were now stranded in Nami no Kuni without a way of getting back. Minato growled angrily – this was not how he had planned the weekend vacation to go. Gato was definitely going down one way or other as soon as possible.
"Come on, Naruto! We have to go back to the hotel as fast as we can."
Naruto nodded, pale with shock, and ran beside Minato as they avoided being seen by Gato's army. It was heart-wrenching to hear the screams of the frightened people, but Minato forced himself to move on – knowing realistically that he couldn't do anything to help right now. He needed to get Naruto to safety first.
X
Fortunately, the army hadn't made it as far as their hotel yet. Barging into their rooms, Minato grabbed his suitcase and unlocked the secret compartment to reveal two automatic guns. There were more weapons and ammunition stowed in the boot of his car as well. Naruto looked rather shocked to see the guns and Minato smiled wryly at him, "Well, looks like the cat's out of the bag now… You weren't supposed to know about this for your own safety but right now, it's more important to keep you alive than to keep hiding my job from you."
Naruto sat down heavily on the bed as he watched Minato change into his suit. While Minato buttoned up his cuffs, Naruto asked incredulously, "Ok… so you're a secret agent. But what are you planning to do now? Surely, you can't take on all of Gato's men by yourself!"
"No, and I'm not going to. I am going to try and destroy the interference signal so I can get in touch with LEAF for reinforcements. While I'm at it, I'll see if I can get Gato too. You, on the other hand, must stay here where it's safe."
Naruto didn't look happy about being told to stay put, but thankfully for Minato's peace of mind, he acquiesced. Checking that the safety was on on one of the guns, Minato passed it over to him as he said, "Use it to protect yourself just in case. You do know how to switch off the safety right? I'll see you in the evening once it's over."
"Gotcha."
Naruto gave him a strained smile as he took the gun with shaky hands. It was obvious that he was scared. Minato stepped over and hugged him tightly to press a kiss to his forehead to comfort him. He apologised, "…I'm really sorry about this vacation. I'll make it up to you someday."
Naruto hugged him back tightly for a few seconds before he pushed him away with an encouraging smile, "Go get them, Minato. Make Gato pay like hell for ruining our holiday! By the way… don't die."
"I will. Stay safe."
Then Minato was gone. Naruto's shaking stopped and he grinned, "…Aaaand the Award for the Best Actor of the Year goes to…!"
Kyuubi popped into existence and asked, "What are you going to do now? Are you going to take the opportunity in the chaos to steal the Stone of Gelel?"
"No! Don't you ever stop thinking about the Hoshitama? I'm going to sabotage Gato and make sure that Minato doesn't die in his foolhardy attempt… even if he is the LEAF Director and Agent Yellow Flash."
"Oh no, you are not going to infiltrate Gato's ship! You still haven't broken my curse and I'm not having you dying on me unless you have a kid somewhere I don't know of."
"Heh. Do you really think that an army can stop me and you? Come on, aren't you the almighty Kyuubi or have you really weakened so much without your little ball?"
Kyuubi growled and flared its tails wide in agitation at the insult. Naruto continued, "Besides, if I don't help Minato out, we're stuck on this island with no way of getting back to the mainland. Come on, lend me some help here."
"…Fine. I'll grant you a skill - the Kage Bunshin. It will allow you to make up to three clones that have all your skills. When one is dispelled, it will return all its memories to you. However, it will split your stamina equally among the clones so you won't last as long as usual. Use it wisely."
With that, Kyuubi disappeared and Naruto's mind was suddenly filled with the knowledge of how to perform the Kage Bunshin. Naruto smiled gratefully.
"Thanks, Kyuubi. You can be kind of awesome when you aren't being a selfish nag."
X
It was already evening by the time Minato got back to the bridge where Gato's ship was. Due to the explosions and damage caused by the initial wave of Gato's invasion, the layout of Nami no Kuni's town had changed drastically and forced Minato to take a longer, round-about route to reach his destination – not to mention avoiding the patrolling enemies. It was surreal just how quiet and forlorn the streets of Nami no Kuni now were, in contrast to the lively activity just mere hours ago.
From a small cul-de-sac, Minato peeked around the corner and saw that there were two guards carrying rifles at the ramp entrance. He looked up and easily spotted the tell-tale gleam of metal on the roof of a nearby building and counted at least two snipers. Fuck, how was he going to sneak in? Going by the sea was too dangerous… He was so deep in his thoughts that he almost missed a new person arriving on the scene. It was a blond woman with generous curves that were barely concealed by her skimpy outfit. What was she trying to do?
Minato couldn't hear what they were speaking about, but the lecherous expressions on the guards' faces were plain as day. Oh no, what had possessed that woman to think that she would be protected in exchange for sex? It was likely that she would be killed after they had tired of her. Minato bit his lip, hating the situation. One of the men pulled her close with little resistance, suddenly, he was down, completely out cold.
Wait, what?
The other man too didn't expect that to happen and he raised his rifle to shoot at the woman. Minato raised his own pistol to shoot the guard but he stopped short of pulling the trigger when the woman blurred into motion. She simply stepped within the guard's personal space and slammed her fist into his jaw, actually lifting him a few inches off the ground with the sheer force of her right upper-hook. The guard was already unconscious by the time he fell to the ground. That was… very efficient.
But why hadn't the snipers shot at all? Minato looked up again and did not see them anymore – had they already been taken out by another third party? After tying the guards tightly to a lamp post, the mysterious woman kicked the rifles into the sea and looked in his direction, "Hey you, come out. It's safe now."
Minato tensed, debating whether it was safe to step out of his hiding place – he didn't know if the woman was an ally. The woman huffed in annoyance before calling him by name, "I know you're there, Namikaze Minato! Hurry up, will you? We don't have much time."
Minato was shocked and immediately suspicious of the woman. How had she known his name? Was she an enemy spy? Making his decision, Minato stepped out of the shadows, pointing his gun at her as he harshly demanded, "Who are you?"
"I'm hurt that you don't recognise me, when we'd met so many times in the past, Mina-chan."
She winked at him and now that he was close enough to see her face clearly, Minato's eyes widened in recognition. It was Kyuubi. He slightly lowered his gun and incredulously said the first thing that came to mind, "…Kyuubi, why are you dressed like that?"
"Oh, you like my outfit? It's really easy to move in, and it shows off my hot body to boot!"
Kyuubi did a little movement that made her rather generous breasts nearly pop out of her black top that was one size too small, and Minato's brain broke a little. It was even worse considering how much Kyuubi really reminded him of Kushina with her looks and mannerisms. Blushing bright red, he shrugged off his suit jacket and tossed it at her as he hastily said, "Please cover yourself up! It's indecent for a young woman to show so much skin, even if you're a thief."
Kyuubi guffawed, doubling over and shaking with laughter as she gave back the jacket to Minato, "You're such a gentleman, Mina-chan! Actually, I don't need that jacket."
With a poof of smoke, Kyuubi's outfit had completely changed into the familiar leather suit that Minato was accustomed to seeing. But somehow, despite covering more skin, it only drew even more attention to her assets, much to his chagrin – her rather distracting cleavage was exposed by the scalloped cut of her collar that drew the eye. But aside from that irrelevant issue, how had she changed her clothes so fast? Seeing Minato's bewilderment, Kyuubi smiled and cooed, "It's a secret. Come on, let's get going. I wanna give that lard-ass a kick in the nuts for ruining my lovely holiday."
Not giving Minato a chance to protest, she ran up the ramp. Shaking his head at Kyuubi's sheer unpredictability, he ran after her, thinking that it was the perhaps most bizarre mission he'd ever been on and that was saying something after all those years as Jiraiya's apprentice… Dear god, he could never forget the toads on that one mission. Minato remembered something and he asked, "Wait, how did you get rid of those snipers?"
She blandly replied with a straight face, "With clones, of course."
Minato simply didn't know how to take that answer. He deadpanned, "…Clones."
"Yep!"
Right, Kyuubi was totally nutters, even more so than he'd thought.