Writer: [Grumbling darkly in a corner with bruises on his head]
Korusho: What is the matter with him?
Naruto: [Smiles at his sensei and points to the Bo-Staff in his hand] All thanks to you Korusho-sensei!
K: [Smiles guiltily at W. as he rubs ointment on his injury...] Well, I wasn`t aware you would try to kill the poor man Naruto...
N: Maa, he`s fine. Aren`t you Writer-sama?
W: [Glares at the pair until he suddenly smiles] Oh, yeah... It`s absolutely fine...
K & N: [Sweatdrop as he slowly comes closer and whispers into Korusho`s ear]
K: [Faints...]
N: [Starts slowly walking away before full out sprinting into the neighbouring One Piece Dimension...]
W: He is soooo staying a virgin for the next 8 years... give or take... Erhmm, ON WITH THE STORY!
"Uzumaki... My name is Naruto Uzumaki..."
For a long time Korusho did nothing but stare at the blonde child next to him. The sun had travelled through the sky during their conversation and was now nearing the end of its daily journey.
The bottle of sauce that had started all of this, lay forgotten at their feet. The remains of their lunch were scattered about as well, their rice bowls now filled with fallen leaves from the trees around them...
And yet it seemed as if all things had gone still, the moment Naruto had finished. His sensei`s face was impassive. His eyes frozen in place, staring into the young boy`s eyes. Not a sound could be heard, it was as if all the creatures had stopped breathing, as if all their hearts had stopped beating. And noone found this silence more uncomfortable than Naruto...
But in a moment... A bird chirped... Then another... And soon the birds began their song anew, tree leaves rustled about as a new wind blew through. And the world moved once more... Save for one Korusho...
"K-Korusho-sensei?" Naruto`s voice was apprehensive. He didn`t know just what made his monk friend so quiet. Did his name actually mean anything?
"Naruto..." Korusho gathered himself, not letting any emotion show on his face. He then pulled out a scroll from his robes. The scroll had the same swirl on it as the shinobi of Konoha had on their hitai-ate. Except that the symbol on the scroll, did not have the leaf design, as those of Konoha did.
"What do you know of the history of Uzushiogakure?" The blank look on his student`s face was all the answer he needed. Sighing for the umptenth time that day, Korusho gave his young student a brief history of the isle of Uzu, its hidden village of Uzushiogakure and its main clan... the Uzumaki.
One could say that Naruto listened to him with rapt attention, but that would be an understatement. Naruto`s eyes were practically glued to his sensei. His brain soaking up all the information like a sponge. The history of Uzu. His homeland. The history of Uzushiogakure. His home village. And the history of the greatest fuinjutsu masters of all time. The Uzumaki clan... his clan...
The boy couldn`t believe it when he heard about it. He had an entire clan that he never knew about? Why had they never come for him? Why had he never been told about them? The only reason there could be was that they couldn`t... Were they forbidden since he was technically a part of Konoha? Or...
"Naruto! Are you listening?" The boy shook his head to focus once more. He may have been soaking it all up but the questions that arose with all this information were too much. Tentatively he asked...
"Korusho-sensei... If I have a clan... How come I never knew about them? How come I couldn`t go live with them?" Hmm-ing, Korusho sat down once more, while carefully moving away the remains of their lunch. He was initialy unsure of what he would do. When he heard the boy was... an Uzumaki. One of his own... His family. His first thought was to tell him, plain and simple, we`re family. But it would have been marred either way by the simple fact...
"Naruto... Because the Uzumaki were such great seal-masters, their skills were both sought after and feared by the Great Shinobi Nations... Due to that same renown... They came under attack..." Hearing the morose tone of his sensei was already enough of a clue as to what happened. Naruto suddenly felt empty. He had just found out that he was not alone in the world and now...
"Through a joint effort of several shinobi nations... Uzushiogakure was destroyed... With the people of Uzu either scattering across the Elemental Nations, or being killed... The last defenders of Uzu, sacrificed themselves to take the enemy shinobi to the grave with them... One of the few to have escaped, was the one I believe to be your mother... Kushina Uzumaki..."
Complete shock. That`s what Naruto felt now. From a simple question to his life story and to the story of his clan and their downfall... All the way to... his mother. This was why Korusho was so interested in her... He knew her name. Kushina.
An immense warmth spread across Naruto`s chest. Without realising, he began to cry once more... But this time, they were tears of joy... He knew his mother`s name. He had his mother`s name. He was Naruto Uzumaki... son of Kushina Uzumaki. Saying that he was happy would not be wrong, but it would not be quite right either... He had learned the one thing he yearned to know since he knew how to walk. But it could not erase the fact that his mother... Kushina... was not here with him. The only possible reason being... She was dead...
"How did she die?" Korusho was only slightly surprised by the boy` bluntness. Running a hand through his hair he replied... "I do not know much, but I believe she died in the Kyuubi`s attack six years ago... I am sorry Naruto..." The blonde grimaced slightly.
Yet another thing the Kyuubi had taken from him. Naruto may believe himself a monster, but that was only because of what he had done... He did not blame himself for the deaths of those that died in the Kyuubi attack... But somehow he could not even blame the Bijuu for that... And it confused him.
"Naruto, I know that learning all this is hard..." For a response the monk only received a half-hearted shrug which he took as agreement to his words... "But you are not alone." Those words however, did manage to get a greater reaction from the child. He rubbed his eyes, trying to wipe away the mixed tears of joy and sadness he had shed when hearing of his mother. And then focused them on the monk, who for his part, gave the boy a kind smile as he unrolled the scroll in his hand.
On it were several strange kanji and symbols, surrounding two circles big enough for an adult to fit their hand in. Slowly lowering his gaze to the paper, Naruto noticed the kanji for Uzumaki written at either end of the scroll.
Placing his right hand in the right circle on the scroll, Korusho channeled come chakra into it. Immediately the kanji for Uzumaki on the right-hand side of the monk, began to glow red. Korusho then motioned for Naruto to do the same. Slightly apprehensive, the boy put his palm up against the scroll and, using all the training he had done up till now, in conjucture with the scroll`s inate ability to draw out chakra, he was able to channel a minute amount of chakra into the circle.
While it took slightly longer this time, there was no doubt that the kanji for Uzumaki on the left-hand side of Korusho began to glow crimson as well. With a smile so wide smile, Naruto thought it would break his face in half, he suddenly nearly crushed Naruto in a hug.
Chuckling lightly as the boy tried to escape his grasp, Korusho released him and ruffled his hair, while Naruto looked at his sensei in bewilderment.
"What was that about Korusho-sensei?" The monk merely kept chuckling and said... "Naruto Uzumaki... You really are a descendant of Uzu... And it will be my honor to teach you the art of fuinjutsu that has been our clan`s specialty since its founding days..." It took Naruto about 10 seconds to register what had been said. Once he did however he returned the favor to Korusho by knocking him over in a mini-bear-hug around his waist. Scrambling up quickly he silently asked with wide eyes whether he had heard right...
His brown eyes twinkling, Korusho answered the unspoken question... "My name is Korusho Uzumaki and yes Naruto, we are... family..." The boy was in a word, overwhelmed. All he could do was hold onto his new or rather old family member with a smile on his face. After about a minute of continously chuckling in a low tone, Korusho noticed that the boy had fallen asleep on him. Continuously chuckling, all in all more than he had for the past 2 years, Korusho gently lifted the child up and placed him on the ground, leaning on a tree. He unsealed two bedrolls and placed his distant relative onto one of them. Covering him in a blanket he allowed the emotionally exhausted boy to sleep the day off. He would no doubt have questions tomorrow. Questions for which he might not have answers. But he would try to answer them nonetheless.
Korusho Uzumaki had finally found his purpose. To train his, for lack of a better word, grandson, into the greatest shinobi in the Elemental Nations. Something at the back of his mind was telling him that he would need all the training he could get. And it was this that made him realise their next destination.
Korusho would finally face his past and his fears... anything, if it meant that Naruto could fulfill his purpose. And so when morning came and Naruto woke up. He would tell him where they would go... The time had come, for the last of the Uzumaki, to go home.
Somewhere far off in the snow-filled lands of Tetsu no Kuni, a group of six people waited...
They were each dressed in a dark grey cloak with strange kanji on the back. But underneath said cloaks, each wore an outfit of their own choosing.
The first two were both women and appeared to be twins, if their identical hairstyle and facial features were anything to go by... In fact, were they not dressed differently, one would be hard pressed to tell one from the other.
The first had a pair of loose-fitting black pants and a skin-tight black shirt that showed off her figure and her large breasts, beaten in size only by Tsuande Senju and a certain Kumo-nin in a few years... Over the shirt she had a dark-blue jacket. Around her waist was a dark-blue belt that held a couple of pouches and some scrolls. A small tanto with a grey handle was strapped to her belt on the left side. She also wore open-toed black shinobi footwear like the rest of the six.
Her twin on the other hand, was wearing a dark-green dress that reached to just above her knees in an open v cut, and had sleeves stopping between her wrists and her elbow. She also had a pair of long, ANBU-grade, tight, black pants. Above her dress she wore a black haori with the white kanji for kawaii on her left side over her heart. Unlike her twin, she had a black-handled katana on her back that was slightly over 2 foot in length.
Both women were fidgeting slightly, as the cold air of their surroundings continued to rob them of their warmth.
"Argh! When is he going to get here already? Teyuri! Do you know?" Asked the first of the twins as she turned to her sister in annoyance. The other merely smiled in an overly-cheery fashion before replying with a small shrug.
"Nope Teyura-chan! Sangaatsu-kun never tells us anything, now does he?" The others members of the group merely sighed in agreement. Their "leader" had already established himself a lone wolf reputation. But the twin, Teyura, was not pleased by the answer.
"Oy, Ketsu-baka! Can you sense him?" Growling in annoyance at her blatant disrespect, what appeared to be the youngest of the six replied.
"Even if I wanted to look for him it`d be pointless, ne? He always keeps a lid on his chakra..." With his bit said, the young man went back to glaring at the snow, which was slowly beginning to fall once more... He was definetely regretting his choice of clothing though.
He wore a simple white T-shirt with a red sleeveless vest over it. On both sides of the vest, one could see dozens of white X-marks painted on. He also wore dark-grey pants that reminded one of a certain Demon from Kirigakure... Another reminder of this was the large zanbato on his back. The blade was covered in white kanji, while the similarily white handle had a slight curve to it.
"Ketsu is right Yura-chan. Just be patient." The words came from the second eldest among them. He wore simple black pants and a shirt, with a grey coat over them. His face was lined unlike that of the three younger members, the twins both having near perfect skin with blue-green eyes, while Ketsu had slightly freckled skin on his cheeks and beady little brown eyes. The twins each had straight hair with a long ponytail. They both had a bang covering one of their eyes. Teyura`s covered her right eye, while Teyuri`s covered her left. In contrast to them, both Ketsu and the fourth member had short, spiky hair, with the latter having it a bit longer so that it covered his grey eyes halfway.
"Hmph. You should have let them bicker. A fight breaking out would have at least been entertaining Kenshin-sama." Said the middle-aged man standing between the twins and Ketsu. He wore a black vest not unlike the Flack Jackets of Konoha, but more versatile. It had more pockets and even had a special compartment in the back, where he kept a pair of steel tonfa with black handles. Underneath the vest he wore a short-sleeved black haori only a shade lighter than the vest. He also wore long black pants filled with even more pockets. On his waist he had a grey belt that held several pouches and a single kunai, which was almost twice the size of a regular kunai and was made from a strange bluish metal. All in all the man should have been freezing like Ketsu, seeing as whatever of his bare chest the haori and vest did not cover, was exposed to the biting cold, cloak or not. But the man simply shrugged off the cold and turned towards the last of their group, who was also the eldest.
"Satoshi-sama, do you have any idea how long Sangaatsu will take to get here? So that we can put our companions at ease..." The eldest merely continued to stare ahead into the whirling snow all around them. After a good minute of silence, which was only interrupted by the howling wind and the occasional grumble from Teyura, the man turned to the bare-chested member and spoke...
"Tsuyoshi... Do not bother me..." The younger members of the group gulped slightly while Tsuyoshi remained impassive and Kenshin smirked at his senior`s statement. He kept looking between the older man, whose spiked, graying hair was pulled into a ponytail reaching to the middle of his back, and the younger man, whose slicked back hair, reached just below his shoulder. He was honestly hoping that they wouldn`t come to blows, but Tsuyoshi`s combative nature and Satoshi`s moody personality were not a good mix.
Tsuyoshi however knew that this was not a good time to anger the older man, so he brushed a hand through his hair and closed his green eyes while he waited. His face was definetely younger then that of Kenshin and Satoshi, but even he had a few worry lines across his face, a slightly misleading sign of his "maturity". Satoshi`s face however, was deeply lined and somewhat scarred on the right side, as if he had come a bit too close to a fire jutsu, although not much could be seen since the lower half of his face was wrapped in bandages.
It was his eyes however, that betrayed his annoyance. The light blue spheres continuously searched the blurry distance for their leader.
Satoshi was dressed in long black robes, quite reminiscent of Kage robes but lacking the traditional kage hat. Underneath them, Tsuyoshi knew he had samurai-like, steel armor. A memento from days past...
Thus, they maintained their silence for another ten minutes until the faint sound of footsteps could be heard... Turning as one, save for Satoshi, the group looked towards the east where the heart of the newly formed snowstorm was... A few dozen feet away from them, a man was seen walking towards them.
He too wore a dark grey cloak, but unlike theirs, his was longer and had kanji on his front right side, opposite his heart, as well as on the back like the others... The bottom of his cloak was also slightly ripped, either from wear and tear or as the result of a battle.
They waited with bated breath until the man was close enough for them to see what he was wearing. Namely a pitch-black shirt, under which was a mesh-vest. Over the shirt he wore light grey armor, yet again similair to Konoha`s Flack Jackets albeit ones from the Second Shinobi World War... In other words... very old Flack Jackets, that had another layer of metal chestguards, angular shoulderguards and a small neckguard above the more basic one.
While this did indeed increase protection greatly, it also decreased the amount of pockets, puches and other compartments that could be used...
He also wore simple black pants and closed, black, shinobi footwear. Over his attire he had a long, hoodless, black coat, over which his grey cloak was placed. He also had a grey belt with multiple compartments and a couple of scrolls on the right side. On the left bottom side of his armor, one could see a white storage seal.
He appeared to be around Tsuyoshi`s age, although none of them really knew how old he was... The only one that might know was Satoshi, and he preffered to not speak as always. Or... mostly always...
"You`re late..." The others were midly startled by the venom in Satoshi`s voice. If they didn`t know better, they would have thought that Satoshi had been wronged by Sangaatsu in some horrible way. But as it was, they all knew that Sangaatsu would never hurt any of them. He was a cold, tactful leader... But he cared for them like family... the last of his family...
Sangaatsu just shrugged at the elder, deciding that he would deal with him later. He gestured for them to form a circle so that they could begin their meeting. Moving to make room for him, they ended up shoving each other out of the way, at least in Ketsu and Teyura`s case... Finally Ketsu was now on the left of Tsuyoshi, who was left of Sangaatsu, with Satoshi and later the twins on his right and Kenshin between them and Ketsu.
"We have convened for this meeting, to begin our plans in regards to the samurai..." Sangaatsu`s words were met with varying degrees of annoyance, ranging from Ketsu`s "No shit!" to Satoshi`s slight twitch.
Sangaatsu however did not notice any of this, he merely ploughed on with his orders... "Teyura, Teyuri... you two will now begin to subvert Mifune`s forces from his control... I expect results within 3 years time... Do not rush things. If any man loyal to Mifune gets wind of this... our operation will fail. Therefore, I want you, Teyuri, to use your genjutsu on any that might not be... utterly trustworthy... Understood?" Getting a nod from the happy twin, Sangaatsu turned to the other one who, for once, seemed utterly polite.
"You, Teyura, will be there to both help in preparing the eventual coup, as well as setting up our bases and supply lines... Make no mistake, this will take years...Perhaps even longer than your sister`s mission. Either way, if Teyuri happens to have trouble with an unruly samurai... You dispose of him... Understood?" Getting a curt nod from the other twin, Sangaatsu now moved to Ketsu and his de-facto partner, Tsuyoshi.
"You two will be infiltrating Kirigakure. I want you to use the Civil War and find any details you can about... him..." A grave moment of silence passed over the group as he uttered those words. It was obvious that whoever he was... He would find no friends here.
"If he managed to find it, after his escape... Tell me... Other than that, you are to try and make nice with the Mizukage.. Find some rebel bases and give him the coordinates or blow them up yourselves. I want the brat who calls himself Mizukage, on our side... once we get to the war..." Tsuyoshi nodded confidently and Ketsu gave him a rather respectful nod of his head, a sign that even he knew not to mess with Sangaatsu. He may not want to hurt them, and probably never would, but they had all seen what happens to people that piss him off... Let`s just say, that you would be hard pressed to notice anything human, once Sangaatsu was finished with them.
Sangaatsu then turned to the last pair, who were both the eldest and wisest among them. He had never used them in open combat roles like the rest, nor in any other role, save for information gathering and diplomacy. But that did not mean that these two were simple old men. They were as deadly as him... no... deadlier... Or at least Satoshi was. Kenshin would not want to fight him, so technically he would not be able to beat him.
"Kenshin-sama, Satoshi-sama, I would ask that you two once more embark to Kusagakure, Amegakure and Takigakure. Allying ourselves with the smaller nations, would make others follow our example. The greater nations would never ally themselves with us, therefore, it is almost a necessity for us to secure at least a couple of treaties with the smaller ones..."
The eldest, Satoshi, merely grunted in response, but Kenshin sighed and responded in his partner`s name. "Sangaatsu-kun, you must know that Taki will likely never betray Konoha. Since the defeat of their greatest shinobi, Kakuzu of Taki, at the hands of Hashirama Senju 80-odd years ago, they have never felt brave nor stupid enough to go against them... Your war with Konohagakure will not be as easy as you think... Ame is still in a civil war, but it`s winding down slowly... And Kusa is apparently under the influence of Orochimaru, the rogue Sannin that defected from Konoha a few years back... He is, if the rumours are to be believed, intending to make his own village... But either way, he hates Konohagakure, so he is our best possible ally at the moment." Contemplating for a moment, Sangaatsu thought about the consequences of siding with the traitorous snake. He would help them, but he would want something in return. The destruction of Konoha would not sate his appetite... However...
"Very well. But make it clear to him, that if he tries to betray us, or take advantage of us, his plans for a hidden village and any other information we have on him, will be forwarded to Konohagakure..." Smiling at the younger man`s plan, Kenshin nodded and waited for him to continue.
Sangaatsu took a moment to gather his thoughts and then said... "We have all been wronged greatly. Our families destroyed. Our home taken. Our power crumbled. Ketsu, Teyuri, Teyura, you all barely remember this, since you were very young... But people like me and Tsuyoshi, who had to watch our parents, our clansmen... die before our eyes... We will never forget." Sangaatsu took a moment to look at Tsuyoshi whose eyes were closed for a moment before opening with a renewed determination. What he said was true. Their parents and clan were slaughtered before their eyes and they themselves barely escaped... Would not have escaped, were it not for Kenshin, Satoshi and their old teammate, who gave his life to allow them to flee.
Thus, it was revenge that fueled their lives, even as they found the orphaned trio, the twins and Ketsu, barely surviving in Yu no Kuni. They then traveled across the lands of Fire, Cloud, Rice and Earth... until finally arriving in the Land of Iron, Tetsu no Kuni. Where their story began.
Absently, Sangaatsu ran a hand through his shoulder-length spiked hair which formed four bangs above his face, two larger ones going down the sides of his face, while the two shorter ones hung in front of his forehead. His hand trailed through his hair and then went down to the scar that ran from his bottom lipe, diagonally towards his right eye and stopped just below his hairline.
It was a reminder of the two enemies he had decided to take out first. The first, before all others fell. It would certainly be hard. But with subversion, subterfuge, sabotage and all the other shinobi arts at their disposal, they can make it. He hardened his eyes, letting the red of his irises flash across the faces of his last family. For their home... And for their revenge.
"We will meet 2 year`s from now. I will notify you of the location once I`ve decided on it." A curt nod was his answer, as his family moved away from him and from each other for the next two years. Ketsu and Tsuyoshi going east, Teyura and Teyuri going north while Kenshin and Satoshi went south.
He briefly smiled when Teyuri turned around and blew a kiss his way, before schooling his features into a hard gaze and moving away to the south-east.
He had no time for love. No time for rest. Not until he had his revenge. Not until his family, his clan, his home were avenged. Once they had all paid, once all their enemies lay cold and bleeding on the ground... Then he would rest. Then he would love. Until then he would look after his remaining family from the shadows. He would watch them go through the world and watch them in the crowds as they travelled... He supposed it was a good thing they all had such vibrant red hair... Quite easy to spot them in crowds...
"YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!"
"Naruto! What`s wrong!?"
"I stubbed my TOE!"
"..."
"..."
"Really?... Let`s just move..."
"Okey-dokey Jiji!"
Korusho`s groan of despair could be heard throughout the large forest they were travelling through. For the last 2 weeks, he had had to put up with Naruto` constant hyperactivity and unpredictability. Since the boy found out he had a clan he was moving about as if he had gorged on The Curry of Life. He could not keep still unless it was time to train... Not on the way to port. Not on the ship to Nami no Kuni. Not on the night they stayed there and not on the ship towards their current location... As for the place itself... Korusho wondered if the boy had actually slept the last 4 days since their arrival.
But in a way, he could not blame him. To know nothing of your own family for all your life and then to find that you not only had a family, but a clan... and to know that most of it was destroyed...
The monk sighed as his staff impacted upon the soft forest floor and he stopped walking.. Naruto, who was slightly ahead of him, turned around, his brand new sugegasa dangling from his neck via string. Korusho had bought it for him, in addition to a deep-red, short-sleeved haori, that reached past his knees and acted as a cloak for the boy. He would need it for the rather harsh weather changes here...
"Why are we stopping Korusho-jiji? We can keep going for a few more hours, ne?" he asked in that innocent voice of his. Korusho could only smile at his enthusiasm. But they both needed a good night`s rest first and foremost and this clearing was as good a place as any for that. Through the trees, Korusho could already see the evening sun, sinking beneath the waves around the island.
"We will stay here for now Naruto-kun... But don`t fret, we will be moving early tomorrow so rest up." Naruto held a mutionus look for a moment before it dissapeared and was replaced by a rather tired one. Ahh, so even he has his limits... I`m actually somewhat glad... For a moment I thought old age was starting to get to me... Nahh... Korusho`s thoughts were interrupted by Naruto pulling on his robes.
Responding to the unspoken demand, the monk took out a couple of storage scrolls, giving them to Naruto before turning around and finding a suitable place to make a campfire.
Naruto meanwhile had walked over to a patch of even ground, towards the edge of the clearing. There, he took a moment to look out towards the rolling waves all around them.. He was here... And tomorrow, he would see the ruins of Uzushiogakure with his own eyes...
The prospect both excited and terrified him. But that was to be expected... Who could honestly say, that they could look at the ruins of their clan`s home and feel nothing?
His mind wandered back to a couple weeks ago... when Korusho first told him their next destination...
Naruto had woken up from his sleep, shortly after sunrise the day after his talk with Korusho. For the first couple of minutes, Naruto`s mind did not recollect the past day`s events. But as soon as he truly woke up, he bolted from his bedroll and ran off in search of his sensei... No... He`s family... And I still have questions...
Running past trees, Naruto made his way to a small hill, where he could normally find Korusho. Meditating the early hours of the day away... And as always, he found the elder Uzumaki, waiting patiently. Already expecting the small form of his de-facto grandson.
"I was wondering when you would arrive..." He did not open his eyes and simply continued to sit there, in complete serenity, while a small boiling can of hyperactivity and questions, threatened to explode beside him.
But before that could happen, Korusho held up a palm to his pupil, motioning for him to remain silent for now...
"Naruto... I am certain you have many questions, but I insist that, if you wish answers, which I may not have, you first sit down and calm down..." Naruto realised that he had been practically panting since he arrived. It was mostly due to a combination of his quick run to the hill and his anxious want for answers. But knowing full well that Korusho would make good on his promise to tell him nothing if he did not listen, Naruto resigned to sit next to his sensei, and make an effort to control his breathing.
Smiling in satisfaction at the boy`s self-discipline, Korusho continued... "Now, position yourself as I am..." Korusho waited patiently for Naruto to sit in something at least akin to a meditative position. He then told the boy to breathe in slowly, then, once he believed he had held the breath long enough, to release it slowly... then repeat...
This took Naruto much longer, to his obvious annoyance. The instructions Korusho had given him were rather vague, but the point of this exercise was simple. You must first learn how to control your breath. Then how to control your mind. Then how to control your emotions...
It was a long and tiring process. One that Korusho needed years to complete. But even then, he never got the emotion part down completely... But it was this control, that helped him in his training.
Chakra is made up of the physical and mental energies of the body and mind. If one pours a large amount of physical energy into a jutsu, it might work and in some cases, for instance continous streams of fire or water, it will make the jutsu quite strong... but draining.
On the other hand, if one masters control of his mind, then he can master the proper ratio of physical and mental energies, allowing him to use more mental energy as a substitution for physical energy. Meaning that a jutsu, that uses a large amount of chakra and does considerable damage, could be performed using less than half the same amount of chakra, but still be as devastating if not even more so, with the proper control.
This concept was usually used by people with smaller reserves, enabling them to use better chakra control and match up against jutsu used by people with larger amounts of chakra... But here`s the catch... Uzumaki in general and Naruto especially, since he is is a Jinchuuriki, have huge reserves. Meaning that they usually have very poor chakra control... But that did not mean they could not achieve it.
It would take Naruto decades to gain the necessary control for, per say, medical ninjutsu. But gaining a very good amount of chakra control, not enough for the pinpoint control of the medical jutsu, but enough for everything else, could be achieved in the span of four or five years... Depending on how much training was put into it.
And as before, here lies the catch. If Naruto could gain good chakra control in addition to his immense reserves, not only would he be able to conserve chakra and thus use many more jutsu in a battle, but his jutsu would also be devastatingly effective. Add to that the possibility of him mastering the Kyuubi`s chakra...
An involuntary shiver ran down Korusho`s spine at the thought, breaking his concentration. Sighing, he turned to his protege who had finally managed some level of meditation, much to the monk`s surprise... But that surprise turned into disbelief, once he heard the soft sounds that even through the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves, could not be mistaken for anything other than... snoring... Naruto had fallen asleep...
Shaking his head in continued disbelief, Korusho decided that he might as well catch a few minutes of rest as well. So he disentangled himself from his sitting position and laid back on the grassy hill, next to his snoring apprentice, still in his semi-meditative position.
The monk chuckled softly before pulling down his sugegasa to cover his eyes.
...
...
...
...
...
...
"Korusho-sensei?" Startled from his slumber, Korusho sat up, quickly removing the sugegasa and looking around... only to notice it was well past midday and nearing evening. His jaw almost dropped at the realisation. He had not slept in since... since before the fall of Uzu...
The monk merely chalked it up to the young blonde`s influence. Said blonde was also now looking at Korusho with drooping eyes, meaning he too had just woken up once more.
"Yes, Naruto? I believe you wanted to ask me something before we ermm... rested?" Naruto smiled at his sensei`s strange embarrassment at sleeping in. Deciding to ask him about it later, if he still cared to, Naruto steeled his gaze and asked one of the questions that had been haunting him in his very dreams...
"Is it... all true?" Korusho was taken aback by the blonde`s question. He honestly thought that his first thoughts would be along the lines of "Did we have any cool jutsu I can learn?"... But, Korusho noted sadly, Naruto`s abandonment issues are not the only problem he has... He also seems to believe some things too good to be true... Meaning trust issues... Well... I suppose that happens to the best of us...
Clearing his throat, Korusho answered with a curt nod before saying... "Yes, Naruto. All I said yesterday was true and just so you know... I have our next destination already in mind..." The look on the boy`s face was priceless to Korusho, as he watched Naruto go through different emotions.
First the mixed joy and sadness of knowing you have a clan, but it was destroyed... Of knowing you had a mother that loved you, but she died... Of knowing your sensei was related to you, but was probably the only other living family you had... Then he became confused. He didn`t know where Korusho would take them to now. But the way he said it, he obviously believed Naruto would know... But the only place Korusho had mentioned recently was-
"H-Home?" Naruto`s voice was filled with... incredulity... He could not believe it. Even if it was destroyed. Even if horrible things had happened there... Naruto would finally see the one place in the world, he could truly call... home...
Korusho had no words to answer him. So he merely decided to smile and nod. Naruto`s eyes teared up slightly, before he rubbed the tears away and replaced them with a burning determination. The monk`s smile merely widened in response, as he stood up and helped Naruto stand as well.
"So Korusho-jiji, when are we leaving?" The monk raised an eyebrow at the honorific. If you could call it that.
"Jiji am I?" said the monk, but quickly regretted it once Naruto`s face fell and he responded in a low tone..
"I-I`m sorry if... if I insulted you I just-" Naruto stopped his rambling when he found his hair being messed up by Korusho` hand. Looking up at the monk` smiling face, the boy lost the frown that had appeared on his and instead smiled with him.
"Naruto... I would be honored and... glad... if you called me that..." Korusho`s response, was no doubt the biggest and goofiest grin in all the Elemental Nations... Yes... going to Uzu... training his new grandson... and finally facing his fears... If nothing else... it would make for a good story...
"Naruto, are you done with the bedrolls and food yet?" Snapping out of his trip through memory lane, Naruto quickly unsealed the two plain bedrolls in which he and Korusho slept in. He then proceeded to go towards the homely looking campfire that Korusho had erected in the middle of the clearing.
Stopping at a rock, some five feet away from the fire, Naruto unsealed their food from the second scroll. It was all a part of his slow integration into the art of fuinjutsu or rather Sealing.
Korusho had told him that he would like to teach him their clan`s most renowned art and Naruto accepted immediately. But the path to mastering the Sealing Arts was long and hard... But mostly long...
First off, Naruto had to understand the workings and concepts of the simpler seals, meaning how to open storage scrolls, how to activate paper bombs and other such seals and how to re-seal things into storage scrolls. He also required near perfect handwriting. This is where the first signs of trouble began to appear.
Naruto was horrible at writing. He could barely read and his writing reminded of a toddler`s first painting of his parents... yeah, the painting of his parents not even similair to any form of written correspondence... Or at least, that`s how Korusho put it.
He had begun teaching Naruto how to read and write since then. Their progress with his writing was impeded slightly by their travel over-seas, since the rolling of the low-quality boat was not a good environment to learn precision handwriting. But Korusho assured him, that once they were in the ruins of Uzushio, they could find someplace to stay in, for their time here and then they would begin his real writing exercises.
As for his reading, Korusho had given him several beginner scrolls on chakra theory, chakra control and fuinjutsu. He was happy to see Naruto spend his mornings and evenings reading, at least when he wasn`t training with his weights or with channeling chakra.
Despite his young age, Korusho wanted Naruto to learn how to mold chakra so that, once he begins learning jutsu, it will be easier for him to summon up the necessary energies.
Returning his mind to the task ahead, Naruto prepared a pair of salmon to be roasted above the flames, while Korusho prepared the remainder of their healthy meal.
Naruto had been bummed when he found out, that there would be no ramen for a very long time, once they arrive at Uzu. So they simply had to go to the nearest ramen stand in Nami no Kuni, where Naruto proceeded to eat 24, yes you heard right, 24 bowls of ramen... In all honesty, Korusho did not know where he put it all... Although the large black seal on his stomach was a suspect...
Naruto also noted, several times, that the ramen was of poor quality compared to the so-called "Kami`s Ramen", that was served in Ichiraku`s ramen stand back in Konoha. He also gave the ramen cook in Nami no Kuni some pointers, that he had learned when helping the Ichiraku family in their shop a few times.
Using his pointers, the cook made a bowl of ramen that definetely beat his usual creations, thus prompting the chef to knock off 12 bowls from Naruto`s bill. So Korusho paid for the 14 bowls they ate, 12 for Naruto and 2 for himself, and then they proceeded to the docks of the thriving village in Nami no Kuni.
They had to wait some time for passage, due to the sailors having a drinking contest with some villager named Tazuna or something... Either way, once they had set sail, they were left to their own devices. Until they reached the perimeter of Uzu.
You see, there were many reasons why Uzushio was feared by the shinobi world. First was the Uzumaki and their fuinjutsu. Next was the fact that Uzu had a majority of the naval trade of the Elemental Nations under its control. But finally, there was the fact that not only was Uzushio a truly Hidden Village... But that the island that housed it... was surrounded by deadly maelstroms...
Upon sighting these massive constructs of nature, the ship decided to turn around, leaving Naruto and Korusho to water-walk closer to the island, ignoring the sailor`s calls of their insanity.
Naruto, who was albeit fascinated by the water-walking capabilities of his sensei, was forced to sit on his shoulders while he carried them over to the largest of the whirlpools.
Now, Naruto was not usually a a frightened child, seing as he faced down mobs of angry villagers trying to kill him on a monthly basis. If that did not shake him all that much anymore, then a whirlpool shouldn`t be too bad... right?
WRONG... The maelstrom Korusho had taken them to was massive with a diameter of roughly 100 yards. And at the center of it, one could see cold, dark blue waters that would suck you into oblivion, if you were caught in them.
But Korusho merely smiled at the sight in nostalgia. He then pulled out a small paper with a swirl symbol in the middle and the now, to Naruto, somewhat familiar kanji of a Barrier Seal around it. He then threw the paper into the maelstrom, that sucked it into its depths.
Minutes past and Naruto was just going to ask if something was wrong, when the gigantic behemoth of natural wonder in front of them just... dissapeared... In the blink of an eye, Naruto saw the whirlpool stop swirling and fill up, as if an empty bowl were filled with water.
Eyes wide in awe, Naruto smiled down at Korusho and began pestering him on how he did that. Explaining that, basically, a seal with the blood of an Uzumaki was needed to pass by Uzu` Whirlpools, Korusho walked them over to said isle, where he put Naruto on the ground and rubbed out a sore spot on his neck. Hey, the kid did weigh something!
It was then that Naruto remembered the fish he was supposed to be watching. Quickly turning around he realised that Korusho had already cooked them and left his meal for him on a plate he had unsealed.
Naruto smiled nervously but then remembered something he had not noticed, until his second trip through his memories.
"Hey, Korusho-jiji? How come the swirlies didn`t stop the guys that destroyed Uzushio?" Korusho laughed inwardly at the nickname Naruto had given the monstrous whirlpools of Uzu. But it was not that Naruto could not say the words, he merely found it more amusing to call the huge things swirlies...
"Well you see Naruto, the maelstroms are Uzu`s first defense. Mostly against bandits, pirates and even samurai or ronin that would threaten it. But against shinobi, or at least well trained shinobi, the whirlpools were not even close to enough. The raw power of nature could be kept at bay by the powers of the enemy`s jutsu. And thus, it fell to the shinobi of Uzushio to defend our home... But we failed..." Naruto`s face fell as he saw his sensei drop into a heavy silence. He realised that most shinobi must be very powerful if they can stop the swirlies with such ease. But he didn`t want his jiji to worry about losing to them. So he said the words that came most naturally to him... Words from the heart.
"Jji, you didn`t fail! We`re still here aren`t we?" Korusho looked up from his contemplation and saw the nervous but somehow still goofy grin that Naruto could always pull off. It seemed that even in places such as this, with thoughts so dark and sad... Naruto could always pull him out and show him something worth looking forward to...
"You`re right Naruto... We are..."Rubbing the back of his head in happiness, knowing that his jiji was no longer moody, Naruto thought for the first of many times, that even a knucklehead`s words, can be the words that cure a broken heart...
W: Finally... Cut! Yuri, Yura, Ketsu, get over here!
Yura(Teyura): What is it dunderhead?
Yuri(Teyuri): Yes, do you need something Writer-kun?
Ketsu: Will you two knock it off and let the guy speak, ne?
Ya: How about I knock you off this show, shitbrain?!
Ke: Bring it on, you screaming banshee!
Yura and Ketsu proceed to pummel each other, while The Honorable Writer-sama and the lovely Yuri-chan go grab some popcorn and sit down to watch.
K: [Comes in and sees the brawl] Well... things are certainly getting lively here in the OC department...
W: You can say that again Korusho! Oh! Almost forgot! Our mistery OC, that may or may not appear in the next chapter, will now say goodbye and give you guys a small preview-of-sorts-thing! Go for it **** YOU ROCK, WOOHOO!
****: Is he drunk?
K/Yi: Possibly/Probably...
*: [Sighs] Well... Guess I better get used to this. Well everyone, see you next time when we continue the story! Will Naruto find something at Uzu? Will Korusho decide that he must learn what a shinobi truly is? Will Naruto suprise him?
W: Cut to the chase!
*: [Grumbles] Will I be revealed anytime soon and will The Despicable Writer-teme ever tell you just how long he intends to keep those two in Uzu?
W: Yo, what the heck? What`s wrong with you?
?: What? It`s in the script, see? Right here, before I declare Usopp the Great as the... leader of all things Ramen...?
W: [Turns to the inter-dimensional portal to see Naruto and a certain long-nosed fellow trying to escape to One-Piece] NARUTOOOO! AND YOU TOO SOGEKING OR WHATEVER THE HECK YOU CALL YOURSELF! COME BACK AND FIX MY SCRIPT!
Writer, Usopp and Naruto run to the One Piece Dimension which is then closed by a smiling Yuri. She giggles lightly as her eyes flash purple with white pupils...
Yi: Now then... Who to play with...? [Eyes turn to Korusho...]
K: ...Faeces...