AN: Note – Alltariss – The new Boruto manga fills me with despair as the plot seems to have lost its way before it even began. A lot of hate is about the art, but that's not what bothers me. What pisses me off is that the themes that the plot is trying to convey make very little sense. Naruto on its own had issues with plot, but that was a slow decline rather than a 90 degree drop.

Once again if anyone is available to be a Beta-Reader then I would be very grateful for any assistance.

Chapter 17

Essential Liberty or Temporary Safety

Naruto knew exactly what happened when he awoke to the sight of Alto shivering in the corner of the shack. Covered in blood with a pouch of money in hand. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. He didn't even register his presence when he moved towards him. Naruto gently grasped Alto's hands and focused. It was a simple trick that he had learned during the nights when the cold was unbearable. Simple, but life-saving. The sudden warmth from Naruto ceased the shakes that troubled Alto. Broken out of the trance-like state he looked up to meet Naruto's gaze. No words were spoken, none were needed. Implicit understanding, so many feelings and words wrapped in bright blue eyes.

Maru brought a small chipped bowl and a ragged cloth. They simply sat together in silence as he gently cleaned the dried blood. The pouch of money left forgotten. He didn't know what would happen now. They had survived this far on nothing but scraps they had scavenged. They never took money seriously since the most they ever found were a few lost copper Mon.

Cheap bread tasted like heaven, an indulgence they could rarely afford. The idea of saving money never crossed their minds. It would only be a risk, like rotting flesh attracts carrion. They could not hide it on their person without the sound of coins rattling. A siren song for any of the older or bigger groups to hunt them. Hiding them in a place was not feasible either. They could be forced the relocate at any time, with only moments to flee.

Naruto released Alto's hands and grabbed the pouch nearby. He expected a lot of copper Mon, enough to buy them a few loaves of bread. The last thing he expected was to find was a pouch filled entirely of gold Ryō.

Tsume wanted nothing more than to get drunk. Immediately after the boy regained his senses, Kuromaru returned to her side. Ishikawa told her to go home seeing as the mission was over, but the events haunted her.

She wandered towards the Aburame compound and was greeted by the guard.

"Inuzuka-sama, are you here for the meeting as well?"

She paused. "Meeting?"

"Yes," the guard replied. "Both Shibi-sama and Hyuga-sama are in talks."

"Lead the way," she requested. She was completely unaware of any meetings between the Hyuga and Aburame clans. Considering the close ties her own clan had with the Aburame, she was surprised that she was not informed.

The clan steward opened the door and motioned for her to enter. The room was decorated with simple furnishings with small wall scrolls with calligraphic haiku.

"Tsume-sama, please join us," Shibi greeted, waving towards a cushion placed for her on the tatami floor.

"A pleasant turn of events," Hiashi said as Tsume seated herself. "I was under the assumption that you were called to solve a domestic crisis."

Tsume sighed. "What a mess."

"Plans rarely go as we hope," Shibi mused. "But first we should conclude our original discussion."

"Indeed, we were discussing Kumo's stance regarding the recent trend of demilitarisation among the villages."

Tsume blinked rapidly in confusion. Of all the topics she had thought they would discuss, Kumo did not cross her mind.

"Am I to assume this is about the attempted kidnapping of your daughter?"

Hiashi shook his head. "Partially, and while that incident infuriates me the real issue is far more threatening."

Tsume's brow furrowed in thought. "The rising incidents of military mobilisation along the borders and forays into foreign countries?"

Hiashi nodded. "The incidents follow a distinct pattern. They're not attacking indiscriminately."

"Their specifically targeting those with Kekkei Genkai and those with established bloodlines," Shibi interjected.

"It's worse than just that," Hiashi continued on, his fists clenched. "They're going after women and girls. Naturally you'd think they aim for men since they can impregnate many women, but they actively avoid men."

"Quality over quantity," Shibi whispered.

Tsume's teeth grinded as she processed the new information. "Selective breeding. All those captured reduced to whores."

"They're hoping to capture them young, like they tried with my daughter. I assume that the plan was to use a combination of drug therapy and Genjutsu to assist in brainwashing them into absolute loyalty."

For a few moments there was silence before Hiashi spoke again.

"I've issued an order that all female combatants are only allowed missions within our country borders."

"It seems drastic," Shibi commented. "Our political image might weaken, but the consequences are far worse if they capture any of our clansmen."

"Agreed," Tsume stated. "Damn, now I really could use a drink."

"I've already called for some," Shibi said.

"I heard the Kageken had summoned you for a mission," Hiashi commented, changing the subject.

"He did," Tsume replied. "And what a mess it turned out to be."

"Exactly how big of a mess?"

"It's about the Jinchūriki. Just about as classified as most information goes."

"Hokage-sama placed them in an orphanage did he not?"

"He did," Tsume answered. "Until both boys ran away and vanished into the slums of the Pleasure District."

Both men were incredibly shocked at the news. After all, Jinchūriki were a sign of great power among the Hidden Villages. War deterrents that kept the current peace-treaties in effect.

"They're not dead are they?" Shibi questioned.

"No, we found them."

"You sound uneasy Tsume. What exactly did you see?" he queried further.

The memories were still fresh. The boy covered in blood and the sound of his cries.

"We watched him," she began. "We watched a boy about the same age as my son commit murder."

Her hands trembled as she continued.

"Just a child, a young boy, but he planned and killed that man with little hesitation. There was blood all over him, and it was only after the bloodlust faded that he'd realised what he'd done."

Both men were utterly shocked. Had the seal weakened? Had the Bijū's influence taken a greater hold on the hosts?

"He sounded so broken. He wept and howled like an animal."

The door opened and the steward entered with their drinks, leaving swiftly after setting them down. As soon as the door closed Tsume grabbed a bottle and poured herself a cup.

"It's one thing to hear about it, another to see it with your own eyes."

"You're referring to the difference between orphaned and clan-raised children?" Hiashi queried, looking deep in thought. "I'll admit that they do seem more mentally comfortable with violence than those born and raised by notable families."

"That's not it!" she shouted. "We train our clansmen to become soldiers. We extol the virtues of being a Shinobi, to protect and serve the village, our Kage, our Daimyo, and our nation. But why do they still struggle with violence?"

She downed the cupful of alcohol and poured herself another.

"Our children grow up safe and happy never knowing just how dark, cold, and cruel the world can be. Only when they receive their headband, and leave our walls do they slowly realise just how sheltered they were. But those orphans? They're born into a world that gives them little comfort. Is it any wonder that they grow into violence rather than learn it?"

"But what can we do?" Shibi asked. "It is simply the way of the world. Some are lucky and others not."

"I know," she said, her grip threatening to break the cup. "Our kids don't know hunger, cold, fear, or death. All we ever do is cover them up with pretty words, but it doesn't prepare them for what's out there."

Tsume looked down at her hands. Her nails were more like claws.

"How do I explain the feeling of blood on your hands, your face, of picking the gore out from underneath your nails? How do tell my son the taste of blood and loving every bit of it? The sensation of flesh being rent apart with every strike?"

Hiashi set his cup down before speaking. "The horrors of life seem cruel to us now because we have peace. We grew up knowing war, by the time it was over we had become accustomed to it. We've seen both sides of the coin, but our children have not."

"They're predisposition towards violence is a boon," Shibi stated. "But only if tempered with care."

Both Tsume and Hiashi nodded. Their children would have to be eased into violence, whilst those born into it would need to be eased into normality. A precarious balancing act, for a mistake could break them. Anyone from the war will easily tell of those who broke under pressure. Most end up taking their own life.

The Shiroi Kiba's(White Fang) suicide was the greatest proof of that.

The Pleasure District has many circles of power, each with their own hierarchies. Everyone was aware of their own limits. Each of them probing one another seeking any crack in their defences. As an adult this usually meant losing money and prestige; as a child it meant death.

The older orphans had banded together to form their own factions. Each vying for whatever limited resources they could gather. Better areas to live in, more food, some even managed to get jobs. It sounded like a great opportunity, but Naruto knew better. Each faction had their own rules that should never be broken. The rule-breakers were killed before the entire faction as an example, stay in line or die.

Nezumi(Rat), Kitsune(Fox), Ryū(Dragon), Inu(Dog), Neko(Cat), and Tori(Bird). These were biggest factions at the moment. The rest had suffered losses either by sickness or conflict with the other groups. Tori were the strongest if only because most of their group consisted of teens, the youngest being twelve. Inu, Neko, and Ryū were currently in a three-way deadlock trying to kill each other. The Kitsune had no interest in conflict preferring to keep what territory they had in a firm grasp. Nezumi were the most nomadic of the factions. Never staying in a single place for too long, split up in to groups of two dozen large.

The bag full of Ryō weighed heavily in Naruto's hands. The appeal of surviving on their own was starting to seem like a good idea. Every faction had a price, a tax, of sorts that every member was expected to pay. Inu and Neko demanded their tribute in terms of food. A reasonable price to pay considering that they had the largest territories. Ryū and Kitsune demanded a show of loyalty by killing a rival faction member and bringing proof. Violent, but their sense of unity was unquestionable. Tori was never an option as they traded in sexual favours. Naruto recalled the scene they came across after they fled the orphanage. At the time he was confused, but Maru had explained it to him one day whilst they scavenged.

Their only option was the Nezumi faction. They were the only group that accepted money as tribute. The price of acceptance was triple the weekly 'tax' that the faction leader claimed for purposes unknown. Fifteen copper Mon, each, a total of forty-five Mon. With less than a single gold Ryō the three of them could buy themselves in.

Having finally made a choice, Naruto stood up and left the shack.

Ishikawa rubbed his forehead to soothe the incoming headache. Problems just seemed to pile up one after the other.

"So, you investigated the orphanage and found a torture chamber?"

Jiraiya nodded grimly. Hideo clicked his tongue as he leafed through his papers, trying to organise them.

"It was originally an emergency shelter in case they couldn't follow through with the primary evacuation area. Since the Kyūbi Event was so devastating, a lot of places had them made."

Ishikawa groaned at the pathetic situation, before turning to the only medical professional in the room.

"So what are your findings?"

The doctor took a moment to compose himself.

"The notes that the matron left behind are damning enough, but the lengths she was willing to go to were astounding."

He flipped through a few papers before reaching the one he wanted.

"Starvation and multiple lacerations to their body was the main form of torture that she employed, but the worst is what she did to the boy called Alto. By all means the boy should have either bled to death or died by infection. She excised the all the flesh around the boy's eye sockets before ripping his eyes out."

The Kageken hissed in sympathy for the child. He knew trained men who would have begged for death at that point. For a child to survive it was nothing short of amazing.

"We did find the boy's eyes though," Jiraiya stated. "Any chance we could reattach them?"

"Not without issue," Hideo answered, shaking his head.

"Why?"

The doctor sighed.

"The boy has been wearing a blindfold since birth as his eyes are so different in appearance. After all, it would cause a panic among the populace especially so soon after the Kyūbi Event to find a child without clan or family with strange looks. The civilians would think he's a demon and kill him. Thus, he had to learn to get around without sight. Most likely his sense of hearing and touch would have developed much faster, and to a greater degree to compensate for the loss of sight."

Ishikawa scratched his chin in thought. "So the boy relies on sound to find his way around and his touch to determine objects with detail. Sort of reminds me of bats in a sense."

Hideo shook his head. "Humans can't perform echolocation. At least, not on a scale that can be useful. I suspect that his sense of hearing is much like any other blind person. They hear sounds and determine distance and direction from them. The intervals from the sounds help them figure out the speed an object or person moves."

"That still doesn't explain why we can't reattach his eyes," Jiraiya interjected. "The boy gets his eyes back and his sight. Inducting him into the Shinobi forces wouldn't be an issue since he isn't crippled."

"Sensory overload, sensitivity, and inaccuracy," Hideo answered. "He's never really used his eyes for sight. If we reintegrate them then we'll need to test them and that could take a long time. Since he's never used them as intended they'll be extremely sensitive to stimuli, possibly to the point where his brain can't handle the sudden influx of information. Sensory overload is a real concern here. Yet, even if he overcomes those issues there is still a chance of inaccuracies cropping up."

"What exactly do you mean by inaccuracy?" Ishikawa asked. "Is it like colour-blindness?"

"Similar, but not quite."

Hideo flipped through some more pages before reaching the notes he wanted.

"Near perfect full colour vision is the norm for most people. Only a few require corrective lenses to achieve normal vision. As a Shinobi being able to see colour is extremely important. Various forms of colour-blindness are easily corrected since it's really just limitations in colour spectrum, but what if the boy is completely colour-blind? There are several documented cases of colour-blind Shinobi, most from the Inuzuka clan as some of their members bond with their Ninken to such a degree that they lose full colour vision."

"Wait!" Jiraiya shouted. "Inuzuka ninja are colour-blind?!"

"Not all of them and not completely colour-blind," Hideo explained. "Like dogs they see less than the normal colour spectrum. The only way I can describe it is that the world is duller in colour. In the end, it doesn't impede them in their duties. But I have seen cases of ninja who are completely colour-blind. Such ninja cannot be deployed in the field and are relocated to non-combat roles."

Ishikawa was not deterred from his decision.

"So even if the kid winds up colour-blind, I can still enrol him for something other than combat."

"Yes, but there are still concerns," the doctor insisted. "Does he have multiple blind-spots? Will he need corrective lenses? Is there a delay between his eyes and brain? These are just some of the issues I'll need to research into before even considering the surgery. And don't get me started on the shelf life of the organs."

"How long before they start to decay?" Jiraiya asked.

"If the woman followed proper storage protocols I'd give them fourteen days, but even so the eyes can still be damaged. That seal of yours is experimental, Jiraiya. A prototype that we can't put faith in until further study. Who knows if any damage to them was from the woman or the seal?"

Ishikawa rubbed his forehead again to stall the incoming headache. He was going to need a stiff drink tonight.

Ruling the Nezumi faction was akin to walking on a swaying tightrope. Power came in many forms, and not all are equal. Daichi knew this well enough that within a single year he had claimed leadership. He was not strong or smart, but he was resourceful. Doing odd jobs for certain people put him in an unassailable position. Unlike the other factions that moved as large single entities, his faction moved in groups of two dozen strong. Divided, but unyielding. The other factions learned that lesson the hard way.

"Daichi," one of his boys called. "There's a kid who wants to join."

He rubbed the scar on his cheek, a permanent reminder from the last inter-faction conflict. Tori wanted more girls, while Ryū and Kitsune wanted to test the loyalty of their members. One of the groups was hit hard, but managed to signal that they were under attack. Within a minute the rest of the faction swarmed them. With enemies at their front and back the easiest solution would have been to surrender. Unfortunately, Daichi was not the forgiving sort and had all of them killed. In the end his actions had secured his role as faction leader, but also the safety of his group from future conflict.

"So you want to join up with us?" he asked the kid. "You better have the tribute then."

The kid was very small, and obviously starving. He could count all his ribs at a glance.

"Not just me," the child replied. "Two others as well."

"Then their tribute is to be paid as well," Daichi said firmly. He would not accept partial payments. Either he would pay the full price or find shelter elsewhere.

The boy handed over a pouch to him. From the looks of it he could tell it was a substantial amount. Definitely more than what was needed, a pouch full of copper Mon bigger than his fist was impressive. He wondered for how long the boy and his two friends must have starved themselves to collect such an amount. The moment he held it in his hands he knew something was wrong. It was far too heavy to be Mon. He quickly opened it, and was greeted with the bright gleam of gold Ryō.

He stared at it for a while, even the boys who accompanied him as guards looked at it with wonder. This would be enough to feed the whole clan for months. They could even buy things other than food for once. Blankets, even clothes! There was very little they could not afford with such wealth.

"You and two others right?" He questioned the boy, receiving a nod in return.

"Done," he said. "Gather your things and meet at the old warehouse near the bar on the western side. You'll be staying with my group. You'll know it's our place because our symbol is nailed above the door."

Relief flooded Naruto. He had gotten all three of them into the faction and by the looks he was getting, he had made a very good impression. Things were starting to look up for once.

"I'm surprised at how remarkably intelligent they are despite their age," Cronus remarked. "Most kids can barely walk and talk properly. What makes them so much more able?"

Lucifer laughed. "It is the energy that flows through them. Chakra, especially the type they possess, is the fusion of physical and spiritual energy."

"True, this is known," Cronus said. "A special blend of 'life' and 'form'."

"The spiritual energy has little effect on the body, but does wonders for the soul," the Devil began. "Most are born with so little an amount that it hardly does anything, but those with greater quantity gain a great advantage. It flows through their mind and naturally accelerates their capacity to learn."

Cronus nodded in understanding. "So that explains the differences in the various clans such as the Nara and Akimichi. One has a higher concentration of Yin and the other has Yang."

"Indeed," Lucifer agreed. "Naruto's intelligence is able to match Alto's because of his own reservoir of Chakra in combination with the influx of the Kyūbi's Chakra."

"While Alto's intelligence is because of the way his soul is woven," Cronus concluded. "He's fine for now but eventually his conscious mind will be affected. The bleeding effect will warp his own personality unless his sense of self is solidified."

With a flick of his hand the Devil whipped out a cigarette and lit it with a flare of magic. He motioned to his fellow conspirator, offering one.

"No thanks," the titan refused. "I don't know how you can enjoy those things."

Lucifer laughed. "It's a bit of an acquired taste, I'll admit."

"The matron of the orphanage is dead," the speaker began.

Murmurs rose in response to the statement.

"Wasn't she supposed to snuff out the Jinchūriki for us?" one questioned.

"Well clearly she underestimated their power," the speaker replied.

The chamber was full of members whispering to each other. Their comments on the task at hand seemed to show a distinct lack of forethought. They had not anticipated that the children would put up such resistance.

"Perhaps it would be better to leave them be for now?" one of the members at the back of the chamber inquired.

"And let them become Shinobi? You would let them become strong enough to kill us all?" another countered.

"It is a sound plan," the speaker interjected before the chamber descended into chaos. "We would be able to send them on missions that were unfortunately ranked 'incorrectly'."

The chamber filled with chatter as each one of them soon agreed on the new course of action.

AN: Note – Alltariss – Another chapter done after a long while. Hope you enjoyed it!