This is a work of fanfiction. Naruto does not belong to me in any shape or form. Suing me, is counterproductive, as I own nothing, and unfortunately have nothing but a small apartment to my name. Cheers, and enjoy the new chapter everyone.
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Amegakure, 3 weeks after the Uchiha Massacre Failure.
Rain pelted the barren countryside, washing away the blood of the Iwa ninja found in his city. They had been clever, living as his soldiers for years, fighting and loving amongst those that they would inevitably attempt to murder. They had been ruthless, swift, and cunning. They were brutal, and unmerciful. They had been ninja, and admirable ones at that. It was for this reason that he had killed them with his own hands, providing what they knew was the honor of seeing him and his summons in battle. It was…different. An enjoyment that he hadn't had in decades; one that he found he missed much more than he thought.
His eyes rose from the bodies of the eight dead before him and took in the silhouette of his village in the distance.
My city, my people.
Over the course of his life, he had allowed himself few pleasures, few moments where he could possibly let go; let loose. Eventually, letting lose became an impossibility as decades of battle and instincts refused to lie still. Like most ninja, he did not like normal. He didn't like the calm, the peace. Most refused to acknowledge that they were born from the blood of those that fell to their predecessors, and those that would fall before them. They refused to let their most inner desires come forth; to surface, and take air. One of those was his selfish desire for love from his people; from his city. He remembered that it was this desire, among others, that had driven him to become what he is today.
So he stared at his village, at his city, and then looked around him and to take in his country for what felt like the umpteenth time. He never tired of it. He desired their love, their adulation; and he had gotten it. Citizens of not only Amegakure, but also of the country as a whole had come to love him, and the prosperity that he had brought forth. His courage had fueled them, now, he would defend them, protect them. See them live another Era, and write of his legacy once more.
Flaring his chakra, four high officers of his Meiyo Gdo (Honor Guard) appeared behind him. He turned his gaze back onto the dead ninja, a moment passing before making a few handseals, kneeling and pressing an outstretched hand onto the cold rocky ground. A surge of chakra and rumble later, a large black salamander burrowed its way out of the rocky floor. Red beady eyes looked to him once more, its eagerness betraying its silence. At his nod, the salamander climbed completely out of the ground, and the blackness of its hide revealed slick scales, which shone with a glare much different than the moist left behind by rain. It lowered its head in deference to him, as all his summons did.
"Dokushi-kun (Poison Death), you have grown much since I saw you last," he acknowledged.
Indeed, Dokushi had grown to the size of a large Horse since the last time he had summoned him. Not an irregularity, but still, a surprise. He usually didn't have the need nor the patience to deal with the malicious nature of his brood as they grew older. Dokushi however, had proven obedient as of late. He would test it.
"Take their heads, and only their heads, Dokushi-kun."
Without pause, the large salamander spewed out a clear liquid with precision, the skulls of the dead Iwa ninja burning and sizzling as the corrosive nature of his summons saliva worked quickly. Dokushi turned its head back to its master, awaiting his next order.
Flickering his eyes to the salamander momentarily and awaited even the slightest twitch. He walked forwards, kneeling in front of the foremost body, the one who had been the leader of them all. He unbuckled the kunai pouch on the ninja's waist and tied it around his left leg. He rose and looked to the unmoving Dokushi once more. Finally, he walked around and leapt to stand atop its back. His cloak billowed behind him, long blond hair flowing along with the movement. He turned his head back to his high officers, their heads still bowed, deep black masks and traditional chest and shoulder plates still.
Eyeing the two on his left, he called out to them, "Masashige, Masamune. Come."
The two officers called rose and stepped forward towards him, pausing a few paces away, the appropriate distance from his summon.
"Head to the outpost in the South. Take four platoons and ready the assault. I will join you in ten days time."
"Hai, Hanzo-sama." With that, they both vanished, wisps of smoke dissipating rapidly in the rain.
He kneeled atop Dokushi, tapping his index finger on the salamanders' head once. It responded immediately, his chakra flowing through its pathways quickly, fueling the coming journey. He turned towards the other two officers, taking a moment before he came to his decision.
"Gozen, Tadakatsu." They rose, readying themselves.
He looked towards Amegakure, and then looked left to the mountains in the North.
"I think it is time we paid a visit to this….'rebellion'. It seems I was not clear enough the last time we met."
He moved his hand back down onto his summon, its muscles tensing before racing to the North at a speed far greater than the two Meiyo Gdo who followed behind. He felt the pulses of their chakra as they sent their messages back to Amegakure, the rain falling harder as they continued forth.
As Dokushi crested the small hilltop, he took one last moment, looking back to his city. The metallic reverberation sounding out of his facemask was hardly audible as he breathed deeply. We go to war once more, Ame. This time, we will not be the battleground, I won't allow it.
He looked back to the North, eyeing the peak of one mountain particularly. He muttered one last order before they continued on, "Gozen, Ninjutsu formation- 12. Tadakatsu, Fuuin-45."
"Hai, Hanzo-sama."
The former readied her chakra, and the latter drew a scroll from his hip pouch, charging it with chakra. The rain continued to pelt them as they made their preparations. Below his feet, Hanzo could feel the deep growl of his summons, his chakra no doubt adding to its agitation. He acquiesced, tapping his hand on its head. They moved forth once more, on towards the mountain peak where the remnants of a failed rebellion resided.
Yahiko-kun, either you provide assistance in his war, or I will give you the death you so desire.
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Otafuku City, 3 weeks after the Uchiha Massacre Failure.
Standing at the threshold of his familial grounds, Maito Gai waited for the clan council to see him. Normally, he would simply walk straight through to his father's chambers, but things were much different now. What Hokage-sama desired was not to be taken lightly, and certainly not with bullheaded stubbornness and authority. Of course, his station was not what it once was; especially now that he was a Hunter. Now, he was no longer the heir. He had chosen Konohagakure, not Hi no Kuni as his father had wanted him to.
Bah, no matter. This family is more flawed than even the Hyuuga. Heir or not, they will return to the village.
He glanced to the side as the front guard, a ninja he knew well, came into view. The traditional green Yukata and Hakama worn by a majority of the male members of the family was the same as he always remembered it. He bowed slightly, addressing the old friend as he neared,
"Konichiwa, Yozei-san. How have you been?"
Yozei smiled, a glint of mischief showing through as his long grey beard swayed. He himself executed a bow, "Fine, Gai-sama. Have you cut your hair again? Your father will find it amusing, I'm sure."
A chuckle escaped his lips as he removed the mask he wore, "Hai, hai. I'm sure he will. You seem to be holding on where it must be let go however,"
A loud laugh now resounded as Yozei threw his head back, his high ponytail now swaying along with his beard, "You cut deeply, Gai-sama. Let an old man have his pleasures, ne? Come, the Elders will see you now."
Patting Yozei on the shoulder as he followed along the path, Gai smiled widely, falling into old habits as easily as he had as a boy. The front garden was the same as always; a small koi pond to the right, neatly trimmed flower gardens, the grass impeccably kept. The long outer section of the housing compound rimmed with the same rust brown shingles on the roofs, the chakra fed wood a fixture throughout.
As they stepped up the small staircase, he and Yozei removed their sandals, walking through the sliding doors. He greeted the various family members they ran into; small children he hadn't seen since birth, and old women who had been much younger since he saw them last. He bowed where necessary, and graciously accepted their deference as he made his way to the council chambers.
They don't know it yet, but their lives are going to be uprooted in a few moments.
They came to the front entrance, Yozei nodding to him before he entered. He saw his father first, the large man that he never could quite measure up to in stature, and the three wizened Elders seated behind him. He bowed deeply and removed the ninjato from the small of his back, resting it on his knees as he sat in the Seiza position as the others did. His father's hazel eyes bore deeply into his own, as they always had, his handlebar mustache still neatly kept as he puffed on the pipe he had gifted him last summer. He bowed his head once more, before embarking on the pleasantries,
"Ohayo Tou-sama, Shingen-sama, Uesegi-sama, Yoshimoto-sama. I bring news from Konohagakure."
He came out of his bow, placing the scroll from the Hokage in between him and his father. They never moved, choosing rather, to take him in, and assess his new station. He had an idea of what they were thinking. That he had chosen to be a Hunter, and cut the final tie he had as heir. What he hadn't expected, was the grin that flashed across his fathers' face. For a moment, he thought he hadn't seen it, but he was sure that it had been there. The low tenor of his father's voice brought him out of his shock.
"Welcome, Gai. It seems as though the cursed have finally chosen to rebel against their leash. And you, have chosen to hunt them," he took a puff on his pipe, reaching a hand down to grasp the scroll that was on the floor. He charged it with chakra, and managed to draw blood from his thumb simultaneously.
Well, father. At least you haven't let your skills in Futon dull all these years. You will need them soon enough.
Gai waited patiently while his father read the scroll, the hands that held it tensing and bunching as his eyes flittered across its contents. He remained apathetic however, displaying a coldness Gai had always hated and admired in the man. He passed the scroll to the attendant in the corner of the room, a young woman who he wasn't familiar with. She proceeded to present it to the Elders as he eyed his father carefully, and noted the minute flickers in his chakra, hinting at an agitation he hid well.
"Gai, we must confer." his father intoned.
Releasing a sigh, he moved to stand, "Ah, Tou-sama. Unfortunately there is no room for negotiation. Our ceremonial grounds within the village have been prepared. I have other things I need to attend to, and will not be able to return after you, 'confer'. Sayonara, Tou-sama. May the Will of Fire fan the flames of your strength."
He turned to leave the room until he heard the rustle of his father standing. The large hand that clasped his shoulder made him turn his head to the smirk that stayed fixed on his father's face.
"Hokage-sama's request is not at question. We were going to make the journey whether or not our presence was requested. No, the reason we must confer is in regards to the apprentice you will be taking in the coming years."
His eyes widened at his father's proclamation, "W-what?"
"Don't be rude, boy. You heard me." He watched his father walk back to his seat, stunned at what he was proposing.
"I cannot, Tou-sama. I have been enlisted in—"
He stopped speaking as his father waved his hand, motioning for silence. He suddenly had a thought, and sighed as it was all but confirmed. A moment of frustration came over him once more, his fists clenching, allowing himself the slip in composure.
I escaped you and this family's ridiculous notions before, I will do it again.
He walked back to his position and took a seat once more, "This was never about the move back to the village, was it?"
This time, it was Maito Shingen who spoke, his raspy, grating voice still as annoying as he remembered it.
"No, it wasn't Gai-san. You see, we came upon a rather…special opportunity. So special that it cannot be ignored. Not by the village, or our family, and most certainly not by Bloodmasters, like yourself."
The family, always the family you decrepit old shit.
"Gai, we have found one of the Rock." His father declared. The weariness in his gaze showed through as he rubbed his eyes; more from habit than from exhaustion. What he implied was still unbelievable, however.
He stood rapidly, looking upon the Elders and his father with shock.
No, I saw them burn. They all burned.
His anger returned again, but he reined it in this time. He wanted to leave. Wanted to disrespect his family and invoke his authority as a Hunter and never return. But he didn't; he couldn't.
They've likely already spoken to Hokage-sama.
He schooled his expression and took a seat once again, the images of a terrible mission, a bloody mission flashing in his mind's eye as his thoughts took him back to the war. Back to the elimination of whole families; of whole bloodlines. Back to a campaign which saw them destroy and create a darkness that sought to swallow them whole.
Finally he looked to his father, ever the solid specter as he recounted little as he could of that battle, "That's not possible. Yondaime-sama made sure. He made sure that he destroyed them. He razed their clan grounds, and then called us to raze it again. He killed the last one, I know it."
Uesegi slammed his hand on the floor in anger, "You know nothing! Do not let your fear cloud your ration. We have found one, and you will teach him."
"Urusai (Be quiet), Uesegi-san. Gai is aware of the circumstances surrounding this find, I'm sure. Isn't that right, Gai?" His father spoke in a manner he had long been familiar with.
His jaw clenched, and his fists bunched. He was being goaded, and they all knew it. His choices at the moment were few, and the consequences were many; most of which would not work in his favour.
But perhaps, there can be something salvaged out of this.
So, he nodded his head in response, "Very well. When will the child be ready?"
The Elders nodded to him, and moved to stand as his father spoke, "Four years. That is when you will take him. We will not be able to safeguard him any longer by that time. The coming war will have gotten beyond the skirmishes that will occur soon enough."
He bowed once more and stood, finally, for what he thought would be the final time. A weight he hadn't harboured at his arrival settling over him as the realization of his circumstances took hold. He had forgotten. He had failed to recall how manipulative his father could be. He had overestimated himself, had thought that he was beyond their meddling. With the appointment of Hunter, the Hokage had willingly freed him of his duty to his family, and the shackles that had held him honor bound as heir. It seems that he had traded those shackles for new ones. Ones that were now bound to a boy with warriors' blood older than the Rikudo Sennin. A child whose family was destroyed at the hands of the greatest seal master to grace this continent since the feudal era of clans and their beasts.
As he stepped out of the grounds, nodding to Yozei at the front gate, he briefly thought out the preparations he would need to make quickly in the coming war. He cursed his father as he leapt out of Otafuku City, and continued to curse him as he neared the village proper, his mutterings audible to the gate guards and citizenry alike. He cursed him as he handed the confirmation scroll to the attendant at the ANBU headquarters, and continued to curse him as he washed himself in the shower. It was only as he readied himself for sleep that he stopped cursing his father. But this was only because a new thought had taken hold of him; a plan more daring than any he had embarked on before. He rose out of bed and dressed once more, intent on seeking out a friend who would help him put things into motion.
I will aid me in this Kakashi.
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Konohagakure: Western Sector, Outer Forests; 5 weeks after the failed massacre
Practicing again. It seemed like that was all he did these days. Back in the same forests; back at the same stream. Making the same handseals, in the same way, at the same speed.
It's a useless fucking jutsu. Illusions this, illusions that.
His frustration loosened his control over the chakra he was molding, causing it to slip away yet again. He growled slightly, pumping more chakra into his tenketsu, trying to blanket himself in the thin layer that was necessary for the techniques execution. Slowly, but surely, it was working. As the last vestiges began to knit together over his feet, he faltered and lost it again.
"Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" he shouted and pounded his fists on the grassy floor, stopping after the pain began to overcome his adrenaline.
He panted as the sweat dripped off his nose, wondering why he couldn't get the jutsu down. Everyone else had begun to pull away again. His frustration had grown as Gecchouseki had continued to display his superiority amongst all the other students, yet continued to pester him when he came out here to practise more. Suddenly, he looked off to his left, wondering if he was being watched again. He peered through the trees and foliage, staring halfway up one in particular. Seeing nothing, he then continued his practise.
Maybe I should make the layer thicker?
Deciding to try his idea, he bled his chakra through his tenketsu as he molded his chakra, this time utilising more than he ever had before. Blanketing himself with it, he felt it settle and form around him, morphing into the person he had in his mind's eye. He resisted the urge to yell and scream in success; instead, he walked towards the stream to take in his reflection. As he saw the image of Ebisu staring back out at him, he released a full tooth smile. He began pumping his fist, jumping, leaping, and flipping all around the area as the technique held fast. He was startled at the sound of a voice; one he was all too familiar with, causing him to fall flat in the knee deep stream.
"You're using way too much chakra, Naruto." Gecchouseki said, as he walked out from behind one of the large trees in the area.
Naruto scowled, quickly rising from the water, using his chakra to stand atop it.
"What the hell do you know? I got the jutsu to work, and its holding better than anyone else's," he demonstrated by laying a mule kick on a tree, the image of Ebisu not wavering as he continued to pound away.
"It's not that it's holding, Naruto. There is a reason why Ebisu-sensei emphasized a thin layering. I could literally taste your chakra at over a hundred feet out." Gecchouseki walked towards him, making the three handseals for the jutsu all the while.
Annoyingly, his illusion formed quickly, as it should have, creating a mirror image of himself. Naruto waved his hand in a dismissive motion, walking around Gecchouseki, releasing his Henge as he did so.
"I've already tried using less chakra, Hatake-baka. The jutsu won't work. I've completed all the control exercises, tried to make them harder. You even threw kunai while I used Mizu Aruku (water walking) days ago!" He sat on one of the felled trees as he proclaimed his frustrations.
Gecchouseki, for his part, looked nothing but displeased himself. His frown was visible, something that was not often seen, and he walked over to his friend, releasing his hold on the Henge. He sat crossed legged, reaching into his weapons pouch, and pulled out a scroll. He tossed it to Naruto, "Here, take this. Did you finish the book I gave you?"
Catching the scroll, Naruto looked at it, and then Gecchouseki quizzically, before shaking his head in exasperation. He smirked as he pulled out the ever interesting book, The 3rd Era: An Account of War; By Hatake Issen, tossing it across as he moved to open the scroll. He couldn't however, looking to his friend. He was cut off from voicing his question as he barely caught another book from clapping him in the face. Looking at the front cover, he could already guess at what it held.
"It the, The 4th Era, isn't it?"
Gecchouseki didn't look to him, choosing to make sure the book he leant him was not damaged. After his examination, he answered, "Hai, it is. How did you like, The 3rd Era? Oh, and apply chakra to the scroll, I've been practising my binding Fuuin."
Naruto did so. The scroll opened with little difficulty afterwards, the chakra used to bind it lingering briefly. As he unrolled it, he saw a number of different control techniques, over 20 of them in fact. His eyes widened, looking to Gecchouseki, who ignored the look, choosing to lay out his kunai as he reached to sharpen one with a whetstone.
"Why did you give this to me, Gecchouseki? I've done nothing for you, but you keep helping."
The Hatake smiled as he continued his work. He slid the whetstone across the edge of the kunai blade, the soft ring of the metallic shavings scraping off sounding out. He looked to Naruto, the questioning expression in his face more suspicious than one would like.
Especially after I gave him an important scroll from the clan library!
"You never come to the village, Naruto. All you do is go off and practise, never speaking to anyone else more than you have to. You seemed interesting, is all. Taking the ninja arts so seriously, even though you obviously don't want to be one. Plus, your family name intrigues me. I would like to see whether or not the legends are true. So, I help you along. Assist you in trying to control chakra that is in a supply that shouldn't be possible right now."
Shock was something that he seemed to be feeling a lot of in the past month and a half. He hadn't expected an answer out of Gecchouseki. He thought that he would evade them as he usually did. But he ended up providing one that surprised and confused him more than he thought it would.
A realization came over him, "Oi, you know something about my family, don't you? About the Uzumaki?"
The smile stayed affixed to Gecchouseki's face as he answered, "Yes I do. I won't tell you though. You will have to read about them yourself in that book."
Naruto stayed silent. He looked down to stare at the book in his hands, the book that possibly held a part of his family history; that would tell him where he came from. He stayed that way until he was alerted to the sound of Gecchouseki walking out of the clearing, seemingly having finished sharpening his blades.
Naruto ran to catch him, sliding the book and scroll in his pockets as he did so, "Oi, wait! What about the scroll, why are there so many in there? Why didn't Ebisu-sensei tell me about them?"
Without turning, Gecchouseki answered, "In my family, there are often children, even adults that have large chakra stores. Normally, a lot of chakra wouldn't present a problem; rather, it would be a boon. But if a person's chakra stores grow at a much faster rate than they can adapt to, then their control worsens. You, on the other hand, already have an unbelievable amount of chakra—"
Naruto smiled as his friend rambled on about chakra, no doubt in his telltale lecturing mode. He chose to stay silent, because he knew that Gecchouseki liked to talk about theory and history, just as he did. As they continued along back towards the grounds, stepping through the branches and bushes along the way, he hoped that he would have him as a friend for a long while; longer than he thought, anyway. He suspected that anytime now, there would be some Chuunin from the village to take him away; to promote him to Genin, and then to Chuunin. He selfishly hoped that wasn't the case. He hoped that Gecchouseki didn't advance ahead of him; he hoped that he would do so with him.
A determination filled him then; simple glint in the eye. It remained as they returned to Taijutsu formations and weapons practise. It remained when he went to wash, and when he sat awake in his bed that night. It would remain for a long time, even though he wasn't aware of it yet. For now, it was simply a childish sort of determination, the sort that kept one from falling behind their friends; the sort that kept one from failure.
Stupid Hatake-baka.