Disclaimer: Oh, crap! I forgot the disclaimer! How will I tell anyone I don't own Naruto?!
Rivers of Hades
Chapter 14
'Two more days, and I'll be back in Konoha.'
Naruto was in the middle of unpacking what he would need for the night, surrounded by the members of the group he was escorting doing the same. As he did so, he let his mind wander.
The week before Naruto had left had been unusual for him. With the village getting prepared for the Exams, Naruto had found himself with more free time than he could handle. The entire week, he hadn't trained with Sarutobi, Gai, or Zabuza. Sarutobi was dealing with organizing the whole ordeal. Gai had stepped up his team's training, so he was probably thinking of nominating them for the Exam. Zabuza had simply told Naruto that he was going to be too busy to work with him for a while.
One day, he had wandered over to the Academy around lunchtime. There, he ran into Iruka and Haku. When they found out he had nothing to do, they asked him to stick around and help with the class. He also learned just why Zabuza was planning on being so busy. He and Haku had both been tapped to help proctor the Exams. Haku had been permitted to do his Hunter-nin routine during the first part, eliminating obvious cheaters. Zabuza would be working on the second and third parts. He was currently touring the Forest of Death with the other proctors for the second part, getting acquainted with it. Haku said he had never seen Zabuza so... giddy.
Sarutobi had told Naruto what the three parts entailed, then told him not to talk about it with anyone who wouldn't already know. Basically, he wasn't supposed to tell any of his fellow genin.
The three kept talking for the rest of the lunch break. When the students returned, some of them recognized Naruto as being the Hokage's apprentice, and were suitably awed. The class went outside for some practical work. Once outside, the students swarmed Naruto, asking him to show them a jutsu. With Iruka's permission, Naruto performed some of the most basic jutsu he had learned, beyond the ones from the Academy.
The highlight of his performance came when a Suiton jutsu went awry, soaking Iruka. The students received an impromptu lesson in not judging how good someone was based only on who their teacher was. Naruto ran from the sopping wet Iruka, and even though he had been training with some of the best shinobi in the village, Iruka still managed to catch up with Naruto, hog-tie him, and drag him back to the training area, where Iruka posed with his captive, looking very much like a hunter displaying his kill. Amusement was had at Naruto's expense.
He and Hinata had gone on the double date, and Naruto couldn't deny that it was one of the best decisions he had ever made. The four of them had gone on a picnic. At the time, Naruto had still been a little dazed by the smile Hinata gave him when he clumsily asked her about it. Having Ayame and Haku there was a good thing, not only because it was their idea, but because it kept the atmosphere light and fun. It had been strange for Naruto to see how well Haku and Ayame got along, as parts of it resembled how he and Hinata interacted. Maybe he really did care for Hinata as more than a friend...
Naruto shook his head vigorously. 'Now is not the time for this. I'm on a mission.'
So far, his escort mission had been rather nerve-wracking. It was his first solo mission outside the village, and he was determined not to screw it up.
When he had arrived at the outpost, some of the jounin-sensei had expressed annoyance at his presence. They were annoyed that only one escort had been sent, and that said escort was a rookie genin, younger than most, if not all, of those he would be escorting. That changed slightly when a jounin had asked to see the papers identifying Naruto as their escort. He read through them, and couldn't contain his shock when he saw. He, like the others, had seen Naruto's role as their escort as a veiled insult to them, that they weren't worth Konoha sending a more experienced guide. When the jounin read the part listing the Sandaime Hokage as being Naruto's sensei, however, he couldn't keep it to himself. As a result, everyone was staring at Naruto, gauging him. Once they were satisfied that they hadn't been slighted after all, they started heading for Konoha.
Naruto's group was of small to moderate size. The teams came from Kusa and Suna, with Suna in the majority. Teams from other countries would be escorted by other Konoha shinobi. One Suna team, however, kept attracting his attention, and he wasn't sure why. From what he could figure out, the three genin were siblings. All three of them were carrying different objects on their backs, and for the life of him, Naruto couldn't figure out what they were. All he knew was that whatever the older boy was carrying, it had moving parts, if the clacking noises were anything to go by.
That said, Naruto couldn't help but laugh internally at the older shinobi's choice of wardrobe. The face paint was bad enough, but a black jumpsuit? Naruto had made his fair share of dumb decisions, but wearing a full-body black jumpsuit in the desert wasn't going to be one of them if he could help it. Of course, the cat ears the hood created didn't really help make the get-up any more intimidating, either. How could he possibly do anything without passing out from the heat?
The oldest member, a kunoichi, whose name had been revealed as Temari, was unnerving to Naruto. Temari was very self-confident, and it showed. There was just something about her that made it nearly impossible for Naruto to not look at her. Maybe it was the fact that she had a personality similar to his, or maybe it was because like him, she was a blue-eyed blond.
The last genin simply creeped the hell out of Naruto. When Naruto had first arrived at the outpost, the redhead's eyes widened, and he began clutching his head, muttering under his breath. Ever since, the genin had been eying him with a look that was almost... hungry.
The trio's sensei walked up to him. "Uzumaki-san, the other jounin and I have put together tonight's watch schedule. Is there anything we should know about?"
"Um, yeah. I'll be having some Kage Bunshin doing some chakra control exercises for a while. Tree walking, about twenty, maybe thirty feet away from the center of camp, so I don't disturb anyone."
One problem Naruto would always have in his shinobi career was his chakra control. Sarutobi had hypothesized that due to the Kyuubi's presence in Naruto, his chakra coils were extremely malleable. Any exercise that would build his chakra reserves would end up having double or even triple the intended effect. Even if he never used chakra in a training session, his coils still increased in size daily. As a result, his control would plummet if he went too long without control exercises. So, when his group stopped for the night, he sent his clones off to perform control exercises with whatever they could find.
The first time he had done so, the others had asked him about it. He passed it off as a medical condition, one he had since birth, which was true enough. Nothing life-threatening, it just shot his chakra control to hell if he neglected it. They seemed to accept it, and had asked only that he let them know when he was going to send his clones out. Apparently, the fact that he knew Kage Bunshin had been written off as a result of his being a Kage's student. While normally Naruto would have corrected them, this time, he let them think that. Deception was a ninja's greatest tool, and what better deception than letting others jump to conclusions?
The jounin, Baki, nodded and turned to go inform the others, when a thought struck him.
"Uzumaki-san, has my student Gaara... has he done anything to you?"
"Gaara? Oh, the one with the gourd. Nah, he hasn't done much that I've noticed, outside of watching me like a hawk and making a lot of comments about wanting my blood."
"Trust me, if he had done anything to you, you would know it. I would advise you to tread carefully around him. He's not exactly stable."
"I'll keep that in mind, though I don't understand why you are giving me the warning."
"It's simple. Without you, none of us can enter the village for the Exams. Therefore, it is in the best interest to all of us that you arrive at the village alive and well."
"Fair enough. So when is my shift for guard duty?"
"Ten 'til two."
--
It was around midnight, and Naruto was in the middle of his guard shift, hidden in the trees. Off in the distance, he heard the sounds of his clones performing control exercises. When he heard rustling near him, he tensed.
"Who's there?"
"Uzumaki-san..." Gaara appeared on a nearby branch, his eyes burning into Naruto.
"Gaara-san, what is it?"
"My mother... my mother calls for your BLOOD!"
Sand shot out of the gourd on Gaara's back, headed directly for Naruto. Only a quick Kawarimi saved Naruto from collision with the sand, which arced suddenly, changing direction towards Naruto's new location.
'So that's what he's been carrying. That much sand's gotta weigh a ton, but he hauls it around like it isn't even there. And how the hell is he making it attack me? I haven't seen him make a single hand seal.'
Naruto's musing cost him. The sand had almost caught him when he snapped out of it and used Kawarimi again, the sand narrowly missing him. The sand impacted with the tree he had been on, uprooting it and sending it to the ground. The resulting noise woke the rest of the camp, if the shouting was any indication. Naruto began trying to lead Gaara further away from the camp.
Baki was the first to arrive on the scene, Temari and Kankurou on his heels. "What the hell is going on here? Gaara? Oh shit!"
Kankurou called out, "Oi, blondie! What did you do to make Gaara attack?"
"Hell if I know! I was just... Crap! Kawarimi! I was on guard duty, and he comes out of nowhere, saying his 'mother' wants my blood and attacks me. I don't even know your mother!"
An annoyed grunt came out of Temari's mouth, as the others began making their way to see what was creating such a commotion. "For Kami's sake, fight back! It's your only hope, although you still won't stand a chance against Gaara."
"I'm under orders not to attack any of you, for any reason! Uh oh... WAUUGHH!"
Gaara's sand had caught up to Naruto, hitting him square in the chest and sending him backwards. He was sent bodily through several trees that were behind him. He landed on the ground, more sand coming at him.
"Sabaku Kyuu," Gaara hissed. Sand was now covering the majority of Naruto's body, and spreading quickly. "Now you will die!"
"Gaara, stop! You kill him, and none of us will be able to take the Chuunin Exams! Not to mention what could happen when the Hokage finds out his student was killed by someone he was escorting!"
"Silence! None of you can stop me. I will have his blood!"
Naruto was now solidly encased from the waist down. His upper body still had some range of movement, but was losing it as time passed.
'Crap! I can't move my arms or fingers enough for a jutsu. I've only got one chance. Here's hoping I really am strong enough to use this, because this definitely qualifies as a life-threatening situation.'
"Hey, psycho! Let me go, or you'll regret it!"
Gaara growled at being called 'psycho'. "You will die. I had hoped for more of a challenge from the student of one of the strongest shinobi alive. It's a pity."
"Uzumaki Hijutsu: Yomi no Ookawa: Acheron!" Twin torrents of water surged from Naruto's hands. As they headed for their target, Naruto watched the jutsu in action. Physically, the water showed no signs of being any different from normal water, but Naruto couldn't really see it in the dark. What was different was the sound it made. As the water raced through the air, its wake sounded like people wailing and crying. It was enough to send shivers down the spine of everyone present, though for Gaara shivered for a different reason.
Then the jutsu hit him.
--
The world faded to black around Gaara. He could neither see nor hear anything around him. Then, he found himself back in Suna. In front of him was himself as a little child, crying as his uncle, Yashamaru, began trying to kill him. Despite Gaara's current attitude, he did not want to watch this. It brought up things he had repressed successfully for years. Unfortunately, he could not turn away. If he turned, he found himself still facing the scene, which continued uninterrupted in front of him.
After that scene ended, another began. This time, showing Kankurou and Temari trying to talk to him, followed by him scaring them away. The next showed them trying to get him to come play with them, only to meet with the same result. Several similar scenes played, each showing more time had passed in between.
The images continued, and it was quickly becoming too much for Gaara. Had he faced the images one by one, he wouldn't have cared at all. But starting with Yashamaru and showing Gaara the 'highlights' of his life without end was overpowering him, and he began tearing up.
Then the scenery changed drastically. He was no longer anywhere he knew, but if he had to guess, he was in Konoha, judging by the greenery. From the decorations, there was a festival going on. Then he saw what looked like a younger version of their guide run past, followed by what appeared to be a mob composed mainly of intoxicated villagers. The boy was unable to escape, and when the mob was broken up by ANBU and a man who must have been the Hokage, he was in very bad shape. Gaara shifted uncomfortably. The villagers of Suna had occasionally tried the same thing with him, only to be stopped by the sand. This boy however, had no such defense.
Now the scenes featured younger versions of their guide, Uzumaki. He would try to participate in normal activities, such as playing in a park, only to be chased away or left out. One thing that struck Gaara was how the villagers referred to Naruto as 'demon', which was how Suna's populace referred to him.
'Could it be that he... is he like me?'
With that, the dam burst, and Gaara began to cry for the first time since his uncle died.
--
When Naruto's jutsu had connected, Gaara's sand had gone haywire, destroying everything it could. The sand encasing Naruto had dispersed, joining the rest of it in causing mass destruction, and leaving Naruto on the ground, gasping for breath. Baki, Temari, and Kankurou were alright, experience with Gaara giving them the ability to dodge safely. In the background, they heard the other jounin telling their teams to stay within the camp.
Suddenly, the sand stopped causing damage, instead just whipping about wildly, as if it was caught in the wind. Then, they heard crying. When they looked for the source, they found to their great surprise, Gaara, crying like someone half his age. They looked at each other, unsure of what had happened to him or what to do.
Kankurou gaped. "He's crying, actually crying. What the hell's going on here?"
"What kind of jutsu could have brought Gaara to tears?" Baki was stunned. If this boy, Naruto, could affect someone the likes of Gaara...
"You... you might want to go over to him. He really needs you right now."
The three Suna nin turned. Naruto had drug himself over to rest against a tree that was still in one piece, more or less.
Baki turned back to his two students. "Go see to Gaara. I'll tend to our escort."
Walking over, Baki quickly gave Naruto a once-over. "Well, you're pretty beat up. On the other hand, you're still alive and in one piece, which is nothing short of amazing. I do believe that you are the first person to fight Gaara and live to tell."
"Should I be honored?"
"I suppose you should. As I said, you are the first person to survive a fight against him. Even the Kazekage is wary of dealing with him. That said, what the hell did you do to him?"
"Imagine the worst moments in your life being played back to back without end. Memories you never wanted to see the light of day ever again. That is what I did to him."
"He's a Suna shinobi. Such a jutsu shouldn't affect him."
"Baki-san, that may be true, but he is still human. Has someone you deeply cared for ever died in front of you? Not just comrades, I'm talking family too."
"Of course that has happened to me. I was with my father and grandfather when they died of combat injuries. My grandmother died about four months later, and I was there for that as well. I was about eight."
"Well, you would have seen them dying in front of you once more, and yourself back then. The jutsu shows you every moment in your life that would cause you to feel sorrow and regret. Contact with the water alone weakens your mental defenses, making you more vulnerable to the memories."
"Well, if you put it that way, I don't think I would be able to stand it, either. Part of the shinobi lifestyle leads to having a lot of unpleasant memories. On their own, each one could be dealt with, but seeing your life play out in front of you like that can't be good."
Hearing muffled cries, the two turn to look at the siblings. Gaara had Temari and Kankurou in a bone-crushing hug and was crying, while repeating what sounded like 'I'm sorry'. Both elder siblings were alternating between fearing for their lives and the instinct to comfort their brother.
"Kid, let's leave them be. I'll take you back to camp, and then I'll finish up your watch shift."
--
The next morning was rather awkward. The group broke camp around noon, to allow Naruto to recover and so the older two of Baki's students could get some sleep. Apparently, they had both spent the night up with Gaara. Naruto wasn't sure what Baki had told everyone about what had happened, but the other Suna nin seemed to know what had really occurred.
As Naruto walked along, his thoughts drifted back to last night. Something odd had happened when he struck Gaara with the River. He had seen the same things Gaara had, and Naruto wasn't sure that should have happened. In everything he had read about the Acheron, no mention was ever made about the user and the target sharing memories. Was it something that they just didn't talk about, or did it have to do with him?
'Man, what I wouldn't give to talk to someone who knew, really knew, how these Rivers work.'
"Uzumaki-san," came a voice from behind him. Turning, he saw Gaara.
"What can I do for you three?" Naruto was on guard.
"I... wish to speak to you about what happened last night."
"Alright. What do you want to talk about?"
"Under the effects of your jutsu, I... saw some things. Is there any truth to what I saw?"
"I could say no, but I'd be lying. I also saw parts of your life, and I know we have quite a bit in common."
"Perhaps we do, even more than you think. I, too, carry a demon within me, the Ichibi no Shukaku." Naruto's eyes widened.
"Well, I'll be. You're right, we do have more in common than I thought, only mine's...
"Kyuubi no Kitsune, if your village's history is anything to go by." Gaara finished.
"Yeah. I was born the day of the attack. Yondaime sealed it into me and lost his life in the process."
"But your Yondaime is supposed to have killed the Kyuubi."
"If the least of the Bijuu, the Shukaku, couldn't be defeated, only sealed away, how could the Kyuubi?"
"I take it that the Kyuubi is your 'medical condition', then?"
"Yeah. Sensei passed a law forbidding most everyone from speaking the truth, on penalty of death. The only people who can speak about it are myself, the active Hokage, and anyone I allow. Kyuubi's 'death' is reality for everyone who wasn't there during the attack or was too young to know what really went on."
"Tell me, how does your village see you? Do they regard you as a hero for what happened?"
"Hardly. To most of the village, I'm little more than a nuisance that has to be tolerated. Even to the people whose opinions really matter to me, I'm still not a hero. They see me for who I am, Uzumaki Naruto, a twelve year old genin who wants to be Hokage. I'm no hero, and I don't really want to be seen as one, not unless I've done something deserving of it."
"What I carry was never a secret. Everyone in Suna knows and fears me for it."
"Why was Shukaku sealed into you? Was it attacking Suna?"
"No. Before it was sealed into me, Shukaku had spent several decades sealed in a teapot. For a while now, Suna has been losing funding and missions to other villages. As a result, our forces are about the same size as most minor villages, but our quality is consistent with a major village. Suna needed a weapon, an invincible shinobi. On the Kazekage's order, Shukaku was sealed into me before I was born. It is strange. Both you and I were created out of desperation, though situations were different. I never expected to find another like myself. I thought I was alone in this world."
"I can see where you would feel like that. Still, you had a brother and sister who wanted you around. Why did you push them away?"
"The first person you saw try to kill me last night was my uncle. He took care of me for the first six years of my life before that night. After that, I was convinced that Temari and Kankurou would do the same if I let them get too close."
The group continued towards Konoha, Gaara and Naruto discussing their lives.
--
Back in Konoha, Sarutobi was in his office, taking a break to eat lunch, when his receptionist knocked on the door.
"Hokage-sama, Hyuuga Hiashi wishes to speak with you."
"Send him in."
Hiashi walked in, bowing to Sarutobi.
"Sandaime-sama."
"Hiashi-san. Please, sit down. I hope you don't mind if I eat my lunch while we talk. If I don't eat now, I won't get another chance until this evening."
"It is no bother, Hokage-sama. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."
"As you said, it is no bother. Now, what can I do for you?"
"It has to do with your student. I have some concerns involving him I wish to speak with you about."
Sarutobi set down his lunch. So much for a light, informal chat. "Hiashi, you of all people should be able to recognize..."
"Hokage-sama, I am well aware that the boy is not his tenant. Had I ever felt otherwise, I would have taken measures to keep him away from my daughter."
"Then what is your problem with him?"
"I do not have a problem with Uzumaki-san. My concern is with the Yondaime's seal."
"Please, continue."
"The Yondaime was amazing with seals, I am not arguing with that. However, he was in a hurry when he designed that seal, and in even more of one when it was applied to Naruto-kun. He knew what he was doing, but he was still human, and capable of making a mistake, especially under pressure."
Sarutobi replied gruffly. "The Yondaime's seal has held for almost thirteen years now. The Kyuubi is not going to escape. Why do you bring this up now?"
"Just because something has not happened yet does not mean it will never happen. We both know that as seals age, they become unstable unless maintained. To my knowledge, Naruto's seal has never been looked at in any great depth by a seal master. For a seal as important as Naruto-kun's that is unacceptable."
Sarutobi sighed. "I see your point. What you say is true, and you backed your argument logically. I don't know why I never thought of it myself."
"Perhaps it is because you are too close to the boy. The village at large sees the prisoner instead of the prison. You are at the other extreme, seeing the boy and choosing to ignore the tenant's presence."
"An argument I have heard more than once. Where do you place yourself, then, Hiashi?"
"I like to think of myself as being somewhere in between. I see the boy, but also recognize the danger he contains within."
"Very well. I will send for Jiraiya. It is my understanding that Yondaime gave him some special scrolls specifically for maintenance on that seal. Do you find that satisfactory?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. Thank you for listening."
"Yes, well, thank you for coming to see me in private, instead of bringing the issue up in a council meeting. Kami only knows what could have happened."
"You're welcome. Could you tell me how young Uzumaki-san's training coming along?"
"Why the sudden interest in my apprentice?"
"My daughter believes him to be worth her time. I merely wish to understand him better, so that I might come to an informed opinion of my own on whether or not he would be good for my daughter."
Sarutobi arched an eyebrow. "And the real reason?"
"You wound me, Hokage-sama. That was my real reason, though I will admit to being curious about the shinobi who is currently the front-runner for being named your successor."
"To be honest, I'm not sure what he is truly capable of. As far as I know, he is the first person to ever be trained to lead a ninja village before taking office. Everyone else has learned through trial and error."
"Will he be a capable leader, should he make it?"
"He knows how to handle the daily routine, but he has yet to experience the truly difficult duties of this job first-hand," Sarutobi paused, then smirked, "I have a sneaking suspicion that one of his first acts as Hokage will be to delegate some, if not all, of the more mundane duties to others. I doubt he would be able to stand being in here all day, every day."
"With all due respect, you two are alike in that respect. Why didn't you delegate your duties to others yourself?"
"I wanted to avoid creating too much of a bureaucracy. The last time I delegated any authority for an extended period of time was when I allowed the council to set the Academy standards, and we wound up undoing those changes."
"Yes. I recall doing tree-climbing when I was in the Academy. Hinata knew it when she graduated, but only because I taught it to her."
"Naruto-kun's shinobi training is moving rapidly, especially for having only half as much time to train as his classmates. He is turning out to be a very well-rounded ninja, which is a source of both joy and annoyance for anyone teaching him."
"Annoyance? How so?"
"Normally, when a shinobi reaches chuunin, they have already begun work in their field of specialty. Naruto is so balanced in most things, he has no idea what to specialize in. The only things we've managed to eliminate are genjutsu and medicine. Fuinjutsu is a weak point, but since the only things he's been taught to make are storage scrolls and exploding tags, that's understandable."
"I take it, then, that the normal methods are not working?"
"You mean training him in completely opposing things to see which suits him better? No, that is failing miserably. He isn't a genius by any definition, but he shows so much raw potential in everything he does, we can't bring ourselves to say that he'll never be truly good at it."
"...Causing you and his other instructors both joy and frustration. What's that old saying? 'Jack of all trades, master of none'?"
"That's only half of it. The other half is 'though often better than a master of one'. The funny thing is, that is apparently the Uzumaki clan creed."
"That doesn't surprise me. He is very much like his mother in that respect, among other traits."
Sarutobi cursed himself for letting that slip.
"Now, now Hokage-sama, don't blame yourself. I was at that assessment of yours, and I saw what young Naruto did. That was a clan technique unique to Kushina and her clan, so he must be related to her. I also remember that she was pregnant when she died."
Sarutobi tensed, dreading what Hiashi could say next.
"I believe I will take my leave. Good day, Hokage-sama."
Something in Hiashi's eyes said that he suspected something, but Sarutobi decided not to push the issue.
"Good day to you as well, Hiashi. Have you reached a decision regarding my student?"
"Only that he warrants further investigation."
As Hiashi left, Sarutobi began writing a letter to Jiraiya.
-- -
Uzumaki Hijutsu: Yomi no Ookawa: Acheron – Uzumaki Secret Technique: River of Hell: Acheron
AN: You know, until I wrote this chapter, I hadn't realized that I had unintentionally given Naruto abilities similar to those of the Mangekyou. Think about it. He can create fire that burns without fuel and is nearly impossible to extinguish, like Amaterasu. Naruto can also lock his opponent in a world where time is distorted, and basically torture them. It isn't Tsukiyomi, though, since he can't choose what happens to them, and what they see really did happen. Now that I think of it, who knows what could happen to someone who gets caught by Charybdis.
I'm kind of annoyed, as this realization of mine could seriously throw a wrench in what I had planned for the rest of the story. Only time will tell, though.
Next time: Preliminaries