Chapter 15

"A boy… blond. Like my son."

Naruto looked at the red headed woman with fear in his young eyes. His teeth were gnashing together as he tried to dig his hands underneath the chain to keep it from crushing his windpipe; the grip she had on him with the glowing, thorny chain had his chest heaving repeatedly as he gasped for breath and his eyes bugging out in his head as his adrenaline pumped and he reached a point of denial that he was even going to die.

I'll make it out of this. I can loosen these chains. I won't die. I can't die. Chojuro. Sasuke. Oji-san. Ino.

Just then, at his lowest point, he heard a mumble coming from deep within the Earth. He peered down with his eyes and saw that the giant teeth behind the pitch black of the ocean floor were not moving. The red eyes that gazed up at him told him otherwise, as they seemed to narrow and expand as it continued to talk; just like a regular person uses his or her eyes subconsciously when speaking.

The voice was deep, and menacing; morbid and filled with the worst kinds of venom, even Orochimaru's voice was no comparison. "Gaki, stick your hand through the top of this wretched cage. I have something I'd like to give you."

With his jaw clenched nearly shut as he continued to struggle against the red haired woman, who didn't didn't seem to mind pulling harder on the chain to make his predicament worse than it already was, Naruto shot out poisonous spit, "You dumb bastard… Like I'm stupid enough to fall for something like that!"

The eyes lit up with fire as it inched upon him, drawing ever closer, giving Naruto a glimpse of his glowing red flesh, or whatever it was.

"What the hell is it?" Naruto thought.

"You walked right over me before. You and that snake summoner. Didn't notice a beast older than any of your ancestors, did you?" The voice was harsh in tone and deep, almost like an older man that had nothing but contempt for people like Naruto, human.

Naruto gulped, wondering where else demons like this one were hiding if the ocean held something so massive like the cage he was standing on. It was easily three or four times the size of the island, and a single one of the eyes peering up at him could have been the size of a small house. Naruto's head was spinning, and the heat radiated off of the monster was starting to get to him.

Just as he was about to pass out, the red head woman released her grip and dropped him on his back where he hacked and coughed, trying to fill his lungs with the air that they were deprived of.

"Kyubi," muttered the woman, her voice taking on a violent, scary tone as if she were suddenly a vessel possessed, "Banish! Down to the bottomless pit below and leave us. If not, your suffrage will be so that you would beg for the day the Shinigami strikes us all down and devours us into his barren stomach; I will hide away all light and sound and keep it from entering your festering pit."

Naruto gulped, but the annoyed sound of the Kyubi below dulled as the beast disappeared from the top of the cage and seemed to go straight back down into the water and the darkness of the ocean. Even as he did, all around him Naruto saw that walls of water around him were still spinning; and this impossibly phenomenal construct existed although everything he ever learned about the world told him that the water should be pouring inward instead of just rotating around them and parting ways. It was as if he were staring through walls of glass as the water around them spun, and yet it was clearer than any glass or crystal on Earth.

The red haired woman introduced herself, bowing her head, and in a much more reasonable, lovely sounding voice that reminded Naruto of the sweet, tart taste of strawberries, "My name is Uzumaki Kushina; I am the guardian of this gate between the mortal world and this demonic pit below us. Tell me, how is it possible that you were able to break one of the nine pillars?"

Naruto looked at the woman, surprised but pleased about the turnaround in her behavior, and smiled with only a hint of worry on his face. "I really don't know…" He looked down at his hands and wondered why it just gave way after he pulled on the chain. "It was me and a friend… we were out there climbing on a rock that he said was on one of your family's islands. I didn't ask about it, and it seemed weird in the first place… who hides something so important out in plain sight like that if they don't want someone to mess with it anyways? Don't you know that's like a 'do-not-step-on-the-grass' sign or one with a big button that says 'don't-touch'!"

Kushina stared at him and shook her head. "Only someone with the right technique could've pulled on that chain and caused this… see, let me show you. Your hands," she said, waiting for him to move forward.

Maybe she's some kind of deity. She probably would have killed me already if she intended to do it in the first place… I can trust her.

Reluctantly, but with the same fiery look in his eyes that he always carried, Naruto stepped forward and extended his arms out, palms face-up.

Kushina looked into his bluish eyes and stepped forward as well, taking his palms gently into hers, "You know, it's strange; I was one of the two people that helped make this seal, but I forgot who we put it on… who are you, anyways?"

"Naruto," He said, his brows narrowed. "Na…Namikaze Naruto." He remembered some sage advice from the old Hokage about not using that name to introduce himself or provoke anyone, but in this case it was better to bullshit. As they say, when in doubt…

"Namikaze huh? Wow, that brings back some memories. I knew a Namikaze a long time ago. I can't remember what happened to him, but I remember how we met."

Naruto looked into the woman's eyes for a second before he stared down at the complex motions she was making with her fingers around his wrists and palms, tracing unseen lines over his knuckles and over the veins in the back of his hand. After a few moments, she continued.

"I hated his guts because he was so nice and popular; he even tried to be my friend when we were younger, and I needed friends back then. God, did I need friends." She said smiling and shaking her head as hair fell in front of her eyes. She took a deep breath and seemed to find some kind of peace when she was able to continue, "But anyways, I put up a rock wall in between us and completely ignored him because I thought he was an idiot for being so friendly to me, even though everyone else picked on me. They called me mean vegetable names because of my pudgy face and red hair, like tomato and habanero. I was so mad."

She pressed a particular spot in his wrist all of a sudden and Naruto gasped, his palm suddenly shaking violently, "What the hell!"

"Relax, I don't remember who I put this seal on, but I remember why and what you're supposed to do with it. You can't without me taking care of your hands for you."

Naruto looked down and saw that everywhere she began to touch his hand started to emit a faint light. Eventually, he was lined with detailed markings so small that he had to lean in a bit to realize that they weren't just lines. They were also red, like the color of her hair, and he swore he felt a sense of warmth coming from them.

"This was the first pillar. The next pillars won't be as easy to unlock and you'll need all of the help you can get tracking them. Your hands here. They'll emit this light whenever you're near one… there's also something else. This will allow you to practice a sort of forbidden jutsu only the most advanced Uzumaki ever had a chance to work with. They're all sealing jutsu, but you'll find out soon enough that every jutsu is actually a technique of sealing. And as time passes and you come to understand the parts of the seals, you will then know the secret behind chakra manipulation and its true purpose."

"This sounds all… really vague and foreboding… can't you just tell me what's going to happen?"

Kushina smirked. "You really want me to spoil it all for you so easily? I think you'll like becoming an Uzumaki. Before we were destroyed, our sealing jutsus were on an entirely different level from those of any of the other ninja. The main reason why our village was destroyed was because of a gift."

Naruto blinked, "A gift? How can a gift destroy an entire village?"

"We gave the gift of knowledge to every village with a tailed beast. Using our seals, they were able to keep their jinchuuriki from dying outright and no longer had to seal the beasts in chakra enhanced containers, which would only need to be replaced anyways in a year or so. Some of the villages were better at making the seals than others... but it was that gift of knowledge that brought the sights of all of the shinobi in the world on us, making us the target of constant attacks and breaches of peace and kinship. We became a warring country, but we didn't die with honor; our village and country was blown out like a candle in the center of a hurricane."

Naruto looked at his hands as she continued to manipulate several of the seals popping up there. When she was done, spinning two spirals on his palms and closing his hands for him, the seals disappeared and Naruto's hands were a fleshy pink again. "That was incredible."

"I guess it would have to be a Namikaze we gave the seals to. Are you his kid?" Kushina asked with a smile as they stood on top of the chains, the terribly magnificent surrounding somewhat forgotten in Naruto's mind.

Naruto's shoulders slumped, "Jeez, not you too. Everyone's been calling me the Yondaime's son. I could give a damn. I don't have any parents. Definitely no father."

Kushina frowned and nodded. "It's important to hold your family in your heart, don't you know that Naruto-kun? Without the people you love and that love you, you can end up with a weakness in your heart and die. It's like food and water." She still held his hands, and he looked into her dull eyes as they started to brighten up as she spoke, turning beautiful and blue, glowing like deep ocean waters, "We eat to sustain ourselves, filling our stomachs to bite away hunger; we drink to quench our thirsts and allow our body to run smoothly; but most importantly, we love to heal our soul. Our bodies might wither and die, but our soul is forever; a soul that knows no love is one that will have to carry on as nothing more than the sound of wind in a canyon: moaning, slow, and winded."

Naruto, blushing at the close contact and the pretty smile of the woman who held his hands, nodded slowly. "Thank you, miss, for the advice. You're very nice to me… I thought you were going to kill me."

Kushina nodded. "I almost did. We weren't expecting you to show up… instead, maybe someone like that Uchiha Madara."

Naruto shivered, as if saying the name alone dug a spike of ice into his back. "Who is that?"

Kushina shook her head, "He's not here, so he's not important right now. Right now, I need you to leave. The whirlpool will only last until the sun is in the center of the sky." She pointed up and Naruto looked up as she released his hands. "You should leave… if not, you will be stuck here for an eternity, because you were the only one who could open this seal from the outside… though I do not know why."

Naruto, going with the flow because she seemed to be the piece of the puzzle that he had been missing, asked, "So you knew my father? Namikaze Minato?"

"Yes. I loved him. He told me that… my best characteristic… well, the one he liked the most, was my red hair. I hated my hair. I plucked out one hair at a time as a last ditch effort to leave a trail when I was abducted. I was in trouble, and desperate for help. He found me, and after he saved me he told me that he had always admired it. I used to think he was such a wimp... but... well, when he said that to me…" Naruto blushed when she took hold of his hand again and it began to glow red, "my hair… it's my red thread of fate that lead me to the man I loved…"

Suddenly, her eyes widened as memories flooded in and she began to cry as realization finally dawned on her, pulling him in close for a hug as he stood in front of the taller woman. "Naruto-kun! Son, my son! I missed you so much…" Her tears wet his cheek as she pressed in close to kiss him over and over on the lips and cheeks and his forehead. "I can't believe I forgot who you were… forgive me, Naruto. I've been in this water for so long… how old are you now?"

Naruto was about to respond when the water began to pour in.

Shocked, Kushina gripped him tightly once more and stepped back, "You have to leave. Now!"

The walls of water, as the water above them poured into the caged area, began to glow with thousands of intricate seals that lit the water red like blood. Naruto was stunned by the amazing sight, but he was surprised when Kushina rushed to one of the walls, dragging him by his hand, and slammed her palm over the surface of the water wall before her. Suddenly, a seal like a spiral opened up into a larger spiral and a hole formed in the water.

Naruto turned around, tears in his eyes as he looked at the habanero headed lady, "Mom?"

"Son, listen to me. I can't tell you anything more, just know that I love you."

She shoved him into the hole behind him and the seal activated just as the water came crashing down upon the cage and sealed up the Kyubi and his jailer once more. Naruto felt himself traveling at an intense speed under water in the hole as if he was gliding down a slide faster than a kunai flying through the air, yet he was being propelled upward and toward the surface. He saw fish and sharks and other water monsters deep in the sea, the whole world around him glittering with scaly life.

Naruto saw the end of the line coming just as the hole he was traveling through swerved out of a whale's way in the last part of the deepest parts of the ocean sea. "O-o-o-o-ohh! Shit!" Naruto gasped just as he hit the surface of the water and his body was propelled up into the air several meters and he came crashing back into the waves of the shoreline, landing with a large splash right in front of a crowd of spectators as they were just about to walk up towards the shore to search for him.

The secure area of the beach allowed for them to get by without being attacked by the rebel clans who constantly sought out prey that veered away from the village. It was the same route that the boys took to go out and inspect the whirlpool, because it was considered 'safe'. The spectators were mostly the Mizukage's body guards and some chunin and two jonin that had been dragged along to assist in the search party. One other person stood in the back with a Mizu forehead protector on her head with her face framed by her straight black hair, a face mask that only covered up to the bridge of her nose like Kakashi's, and a skimpy little outfit consisting of a fishnet shirt with a small black top underneath and a short skirt for her bottoms.

Naruto didn't recognize her, but he could barely see anyone clearly anyways.

"Naruto!"

What the hell do you want?

"Naruto, are you OK?"

"What's that on your face?"

Naruto looked back at Chojuro and Mei, as well as several other mist shinobi including one with an eye-patch over one eye. "What?"

Chojuro swiped a forehead protector from one of the chunin standing nearby, much to his chagrin, and knelt down beside Naruto and held the reflective surface in front of Naruto's face for him to see.

There, on his pudgy face, were three whisker marks on either side that weren't there before.

Just then, Naruto's powerful stamina gave out and he passed out on the beach in front of the entire crowd. His head slumping off to the side as it rolled on the hinge of his neck.

"Kami, what got into you Sasuke? You sounded like the dobe when you said that." He was by himself in the Konoha library after gaining access to the basement level thanks to the Hokage. Because of the loss of his legs, Sasuke was incapable of performing any form of effective taijutsu. His upper body remained strong, but he just wasn't able to move to strike anyone; how could he? Instead, he threw himself into the scrolls of the library; there was a wealth of information at his finger tips and all he had was time. He sat alone under a light shining over his table in the large basement room with a bowl of cherry tomatoes and a glass of water to keep him company.

Of course, he was referring to the promise he had made to Ino, who was a different person now because of it. She felt confident and sure of herself now, because she was so sure of him. She knew he would keep his promise, but why he wasn't sure. Had he ever been the type to really keep his word? He couldn't quite remember any time when he had been given the opportunity to prove that quality true. It's like I channeled the blond idiot and she believed me because of it. Jeez, that's the last time I'm nice to anybody. If I don't keep my promise now she'll probably kill me…

Thinking of the young blonde girl, Sasuke groaned. She'll make sure I die slowly… and painfully.

Currently, he was looking into the history of the Uzumaki clan to try and give himself some clues as to where he could look for Naruto and if Mizu would've been a good place to take him in the first place. He also had a scroll detailing the past fifty years of spy work that was done in Mizu; there were some interesting notes about the attacks on the Mizukages over the years, and how volatile the village and the nation as a whole was through the years.

One other scroll he was looking at was one on summoning contracts and a listing of which contracts Konoha still owned and where to find some of the others in other villages and countries.

One in particular interested him. It was claimed in the scroll that the snakes never allowed anyone to decide whether or not they would become snake summoners. The contract would come to them, and was only in human hands long enough for the person signing it to do so with their blood. Orochimaru then, if this scroll was to be believed, was probably a scary person even as a young man since another scroll that Sasuke had gone through earlier that week mentioned a bit about the legendary sannin's childhood through his shinobi career in Konoha.

He shivered. What made a person turn against their own village? Was it something he decided, or was it done for him? Was it possible that he had a choice and Orochimaru himself decided to turn on the village, instead of trying to work with what he had in Konoha?

The Hokage would probably tell him yes.

"Sasuke-kun. How are you today?"

Jumping in his chair, Sasuke turned to see that Sarutobi had just stepped through the elevator door with a warm smile on his face.

The man had impeccable timing. "Yes, I'm doing fine, Hokage-sama. How are you today?" He asked, sincerely because of the positive attention that the man never hesitated to give him.

"Actually, I came here with purpose. There is something important I have to tell you."

Sasuke nodded and was about to turn his chair around when the shinobi god placed his palm on his shoulder and nodded at him before taking a seat at the side of the table. "Oh, those are my favorite kind of tomatoes. Do you mind?"

"No, help yourself, Hokage-sama." Sasuke said, looking back into his scroll.

The old man smiled, "Thank you, young man. Now, the good news is that Naruto is safe."

Sasuke looked up from his scroll and stared on, waiting patiently for the man to continue. The Hokage looked at him quizzically for a second, but Sasuke couldn't tell; he was a man who could hide his motives and emotions well.

Continuing, the Hokage reached into the bowl and took a few of the cherry tomatoes, popping one into his mouth and chewing on it for a second before swallowing it down and continuing. "The bad news is that he is, in fact, in Mizu. I'm not sure why they have him, or why they're communicating with us at all. The only thing that was mentioned in the scroll was that Namikaze Naruto, who they also said claims to be Uzumaki Naruto," said the Hokage with a smirk.

During the pause, Sasuke smirked. That's him alright. He would be too stubborn to give up trying to pretend like he isn't the Yondaime's son. It's so obvious, I can't believe that no one else figured it out just by looking at him… had I looked closer, and had we stayed good friends… maybe if Itachi hadn't…

Shaking his head, Sasuke continued to listen as Hiruzen began to say, "… is in the village, safe. And he's healthy. One other good thing is that Orochimaru is apparently no longer with them. They will send a message every few months to give us more information on him and on their terms of his abduction. I intend to also find out why they have participated in his abduction by harboring him… I did hear that there was a new Mizukage, so… oh, forgive me. I am rambling now, Sasuke-kun. Do you have any questions?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No, but continue, please. The whole point of my study here is to get him back safely to Konoha."

"You're a very diligent student… and a better friend. You should be proud of yourself, son."

Sasuke smiled slowly almost unsure of the compliment, though he was getting more of them from the old man as time went on. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't thank me yet… I have another reason for being here." Said Sarutobi. He paused for a moment as he gobbled down some more tomatoes. "These are wonderful. You have a good eye for picking your food, don't you?"

Ignoring his compliment, Sasuke asked, "Forgive me sir for my forwardness, but what is that other reason…?"

The Hokage arched a brow and nodded. "I see. Straight down to business are we? Do you know about the scroll of sealing?"

"That's the same one Naruto had when Orochimaru attacked, right?"

The Hokage nodded. "Right. He told me once that he had managed to learn the first jutsu listed there, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, but not the actual one listed on the scroll because he wasn't able to create enough of the bunshins for it to be the one listed on the scroll, which was Tajuu Kage Bunshin."

"How many clones did he have to make? All at once?"

"Oh, yes. All at once, one thousand or more! It's quite a technique. Even for me, especially in my old age, I cannot use it effectively in a fight and I don't recommend anyone else do so either, but learning a jutsu like that is important for building up one's chakra reserves and skill… anyways, Sasuke."

The Hokage closed his eyes for a second as he mauled over something in his head. He opened them and looked Sasuke directly in the eyes with a fierce gaze.

"I would like for you to take the Hokage Scroll of Sealing and learn from it as many jutsu as you are able."

Astonished, and honored, Sasuke hesitated.

"Are you sure it should be in the hands of a child like me? And in my wheelchair, I probably couldn't make use of all of the jutsu there…"

"Sasuke, you can do anything you want in this life… if one day you wanted to design a taijutsu stance for a person sitting in a chair or a wheelchair, it is possible. Do you know how I know this?"

Sasuke shook his head, surprised when the man hit the nail right on the head and cracked open the gate as all of his doubts began to pour out and get stirred about.

Sarutobi smiled, "The will of fire. Everyone knows that we all have chakra. We use it every day and, like fire, it can blaze brilliantly or wither and die. But just like fire, chakra can be rekindled and flare back to life with the right tools and know-how… and a lot of guts and determination."

When he saw that flame in the boy's eyes growing, Sarutobi smiled.

Orochimaru… I had hoped to instill the will of fire into you and teach you the true way of life as a shinobi. I hope that with this boy my life's greatest mistakes and failures will mend.

"Thank you, Sarutobi-dono." Sasuke rubbed at his cheek just underneath his right eye. He turned his head away to hide the tears, and the Hokage laughed, his own tears showing.

"No, thank you, Sasuke-dono. And don't worry about crying when you're happy… those tears are the best tears to cry."

Luv,

Mos