Author's Note

I had an idea. So, remember how I had two chapters that were dedicated to flashbacks? That actually works out a lot better for me, since it lets me write up two chapters in one day a lot easier. So, for an experiment to change things up, the story will alternate between main story and flashback chapters, just for the sake of giving me a bit more time to plan things out and take care of stuff in real life.

Also, I'd just like to say that I probably should space chapters out a bit more in uploading, since uploading after about 24 hours of the last update has the story show up properly for me. Not sure about others, but it might help others keep track of the story since some chapters don't appear to show up for some people.

Just as a quick example, as of me writing this, chapter 29 has had 173 visitors, chapter 30 has 111, and chapter 31 has 131. Just makes me think that people aren't able to see the chapters, since I would expect the number of views to steadily decrease since people might not want to read more part way through when reading from the beginning. But enough rambling, onwards!

Oops, sorry, one last thing, but thank you for 20k views everyone! Keeping me alive and willing to write!

Kurogano Yokaze: Honestly was a bit surprised at how long your review was, but I appreciate it nonetheless! I'd like to try and keep things as close to canon as possible, so in regards to Yugito and Samui, I'd say they'd at least be familiar with each other, but not related. As for Fu going to Iwa and not Kusa, I did try to make sure to research as much as I could, but I didn't find anything in relation to Taki being allied with Konoha, so that's mainly an oversight of mine. What is said about Taki is that they have their own jinchuriki because of its reputation of having incredibly skilled jonin.

The reason why I chose Iwa instead of Kusa was for a few reasons. Karin would be with Orochimaru and I have something planned for her already, so other than Ryuzetsu, there wasn't many other reasons for going there, but in Iwa, Yoichi could work on Earth Release. Fu wasn't brought to Iwa just because it was nearby, but because it was the biggest village nearby. Onoki and Shibuki were both made aware of the threat of Akatsuki and their plan to use the beasts to attack them, so for the safety of their village and the rest, they would be willing to guard the jinchuriki in Iwa, which is why Han and Roshi returned as well.

Hopefully that makes sense, because I don't remember if I even implied it, and others will be able to understand as well. I do apologize if this block of text is annoying people, but I just wanted to clear it up since my thought process sometimes goes beyond what I write down that I might not clarify enough or give enough information. I will make sure to work on that. Just to end things off, I wasn't aware Kagura existed mainly because I haven't played the games she's featured in, but I don't think I'll include her only for the reason she's only seen in two games and never in the manga, anime, or any movies. I just don't know much about her and can't really see what she would be like.

Warning! This story will contain language, sexual situations, and possibly fetishes that some people may feel uncomfortable with. If you are easily offended or disturbed, don't complain, you've been warned.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 33: Strength Unwanted

13 Months, 26 Days since Yoichi Left Konoha

It was three weeks since his arrival already, and Yoichi had barely gotten any training done. His foot was much better, no longer in a cast and able to walk by himself, but it was a bit weaker from not being used. The previous day was the intended last day for his stay, but from how much he was enjoying his time, and needing to actually get some practice in, he said he would stay a few more weeks.

To the Kiri's group surprise when he told him them that, he said it was fine for them to head back to Kiri without him, wanting to head back alone. They said it could be too dangerous of a journey, and that the Mizukage made it clear that if Yoichi died, they would suffer the same fate, which he just laughed at. Telling them not to worry and to trust him, they reluctantly agreed to leave him behind, staying the night in Iwa before heading back to Kiri in the morning.

For Yoichi's morning, he'd wake up to Fu's sleeping form on top of his, snoring a bit loudly. She had apparently gotten used to being around him so much that the bit of manners she was taught growing up and being around others were thrown out. As if on cue, a few moments after he opened his eyes, Fu would stir before sitting up.

"Mornin'." She says with a tired smile, rubbing one eye before letting out a yawn and hopping out of bed, but this time in her underwear. After their little encounter a week and a half ago, Fu had talked with Kurotsuchi alone for a good few hours for some reason, and since then, she always wore something around Yoichi, although she tried to wear only enough to cover up her private parts.

The two of them dressed and made their way to meet with Kurotsuchi to eat breakfast, Yoichi making sure to stretch his foot carefully, wanting to get back into full shape as quickly as he could. Meeting with the native Iwa nin, she greeted them cheerfully, having gotten close to the other two over the weeks. She spent so much training that she hardly had time to socialize, but being assigned to watch over Yoichi has made her realize how important that it really was, and would easily call Fu her best friend at this point.

Sitting down, they chatted idly as they ate, planning out their day. Yoichi wanted to work more on an Earth technique that he made travel quickly underground, always dreading how crowded the streets were when getting around the village with his injured foot. Of course, they suggested that he could always travel by the roofs, but he admitted he had a bit of a fear of falling. Not heights, just an uncontrolled fall. As silly as it was, the girls teasing him about it, they couldn't deny it would helpful for positioning in battle. Problem was that right now, going halfway across the village with two people took up half of his capacity

Fu had been working with Han and Roshi, being taught how to tap into her tailed beast's power to the point where she could speak with it. Though neither Han nor Fu knew that they had actual names, Yoichi revealing it by accident when he said Chomei instead of Nanabi. Roshi knew the name of his beast, Son Goku, but didn't want to acknowledge it, not wanting to seem soft.

Just as they were finishing up their meal, Roshi and Han quickly made their way to where they were eating in the Tsuchikage mansion.

"Fu! You're alright! Quick, you need to come with us, the Akatsuki snuck into the village and they're after you!" Roshi said, looking a bit panicked. The three younger shinobi looked to each other before standing up, holding their breath, and disappearing into the floor after the girls placed a hand on either shoulder.

They appeared covered in dirt and small rocks at a training ground, the three of them shaking themselves off, Yoichi taking a moment to fight off the wave of fatigue from using it so quickly. That moment would cost them as Han and Roshi appeared in front of them before they could move out again.

"What's gotten into you? You're in danger! You need to come with us!" Roshi said, Han remaining silent. The girls got into their fighting stances, Yoichi still hunched over to recover before standing up straight.

"Seems our emergency plan would come in handy after all." He stated, making the two older shinobi look at him questioningly. "First off, you've got the personalities wrong. Roshi is the one who's supposed to be silent, even in a crisis. Han is calm and quiet to most, but he's more open than Roshi and is much more concerned with Fu's safety."

"We also have special nicknames in case the Akatsuki do attack, so we can let each other know what's going on without having other people panic. Yoichi's is Snuggles and Kuro-chan's is Snowball! I'd tell you why, but that's a secret." Fu says, a bit nonchalant with the situation. The other girl lets out a sigh.

"They didn't need to know that… Besides those two facts, we also know not to stick together if Akatsuki does come out, since that could mean they could take three tailed beasts at once. Plus, whoever you are impersonating Han, you have the wrong hand in your kimono." The two imposters narrowed their eyes before poofing into smoke.

"Told you they wouldn't fall for it." A deep voice said as the smoke dispersed.

"Oh, shut the fuck up! You damn well know that this shit is all that puppet fucker's fault for not getting enough damn information! No matter, we got the shittiest jinchuriki out first, and two sacrifices for Jashin-sama!" The other exclaimed. Yoichi felt a bit of nostalgia from the amount of cursing that the latter of the two had before a small sense of dread sent in. Out of all the members, it had to be these two.

"This isn't good. The two of them aren't going to go down easily. Stitches on the right, Kakuzu, has multiple hearts that need to be killed. Fuck boy on the left, Hidan, is essentially invincible unless we slice him up, but the other one can stitch him back together. Also, don't let him get any of your blood." He whispered to the girls. While Konan was going to try to stop Nagato's plan from the inside, he had figured it failed from not hearing from her. As a precaution, she had told him a bit about each member in case he had to fight any of them. It was only a slim chance, but considering who he's been around for his travels, it significantly increased the chances.

"The fuck are you whispering to each other for? Better be your goodbyes, because this is where you fuckers die!" The one on the left shouted, brandishing a three-bladed scythe and charging at them, his partner standing still. Yoichi and the girls all jumped away, landing in three places, a good sized gap between themselves and the attacker. "I wonder which of you I should sacrifice first…? I'm thinking the black-haired bitch!"

"Not today, fuck boy!" Yoichi yelled, running through several handsigns, trapping him in a cage of rock. As it was, they couldn't fight, only survive until help arrived. His underground transport should have alerted the guards as they left under the main wall. All they had to do was find them.

"The hell did you call me!? Guess you're volunteering, then!" He said, swinging the scythe, only to have the blade bounce off. Iwa wasn't just known for rocks, they were known for the strongest rocks. While it would have worked anywhere else, the rocks were dense enough that his scythe could cut through. Luckily Hidan relied more on his agility, rather than his strength, only needing a single drop of blood to end just about any fight.

"Kakuzu! Get your ass moving and help!" The more stoic of the two sighed, rushing up to the earth prison and shattered it with a single punch. That kind of strength definitely wasn't natural, and neither were their foes.

"I'm sure you can handle three pups. We only need the jinchuriki alive, so go all out. I'll keep an eye out for any backup." He said, Hidan glaring at him before thinking a moment, a sadistic smile spreading across his face at the thought of having sacrifices.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" He yelled before charging at Yoichi, intending on taking him out first for the insult moments ago. Yoichi was ready for anything, running back, narrowly avoiding the scythe as it was thrown at him, further annoying Hidan. Looking at the other two, he noticed that the three of them were all keeping their distance from him, completely on guard, not moving to attack him.

"What, you fuckers scared? C'mon, give me a damn challenge! I'll even let you shits hit me!" He exclaimed, tryng to provoke them or at least make them drop their guard to attack. They didn't fall for it. "The hell is wrong with you? We're trying to fucking murder you! Are you all that goddamn weak that you can't even fight back?" Again, none of them moved. Hidan let out a frustrated yell.

"Kakuzu! Fuck your plan! They're just going to keep running away! I think they know my trick or some shit!" He said, looking to his partner. Kakuzu stayed silent, not moving. "You fucker, come and help do our damn job alread- OOF!" He was cut off by feeling something hitting his chest, sending him flying into a tree. "The fuck was that…?" He said, rubbing his head as he looked up, just in time to notice Kakuzu land in front of him, suddenly without his cloak and with his hearts out beside him.

"One of them put you into a genjutsu where you just stood in the middle of them. When you didn't get out of it, I tried to wake you up, but the three of them kept stopping me. Finally managed to hit you out of it, but we may have to retreat." Kakuzu stated, hearts quickly retreating back into him in time to avoid a volley of earth spikes.

"What? Why!? They're fucking kids!" Hidan yelled, looking over to notice that Kakuzu was probably right. At some point, Han and Roshi had arrived, turning into their full tailed beast forms. Fu was using four wings to suspend herself in the air above everyone, with Kurotsuchi standing up straight, a bit winded from using so many techniques. As for Yoichi, he was casually standing around, eating an apple.

"Not just kids, two jinchuriki with control over their beasts. The seven tails jinchuriki is able to use four tails with little problem, and the other girl can make rock spears from the ground that have come close to taking out my hearts." He said, Hidan standing up and narrowing his eyes, getting serious for once, which he rarely did.

"Still, three beasts? That's a fuck ton of money for you and less work for the Akatsuki. I'll take out the earth bitch and… wait, the fuck is that guy doing? Having a damn snack?" His eyes stayed on Yoichi, who had even requested the others to wait instead of using this time to attack. He simply claimed that he knew what he was doing when asked why.

"He's the one that worries me the most. He not only is relaxed, but he hasn't moved from that spot since you were put in that genjutsu. The girls alone were giving me trouble until the other two jinchuriki arrived." Hidan raised an eyebrow.

"He worries you? And he hasn't done shit? The fuck is wrong with you? I'll take care of him now!" He started to move forward, only for Kakuzu to stop him.

"He worries me because the way he acts is similar to how Hashirama did. He would never worry about battle until he saw someone as a threat to the others around him, and only then would he step in. The relaxed posture tells me he has confidence in the others that they don't need his help. Even as I'm trying to kill them, he was able to calmly talk with the two girls as if this was basic training, or like they were still at breakfast. He's not fighting because he's weak, he's not fighting because he doesn't need to, and if he did, I think you'll discover what death is like." Hidan widened his eyes, never having hear Kakuzu speak so seriously to him before. Even if his god wasn't going to be happy, he trusted his partner's decision to retreat. Before he could speak, though, the boy spoke.

"Hey! Sorry to interrupt, but I couldn't help but overhear your talk considering we're like, 30 meters away from each other. I think. Not good at judging distances. Anyways, thought I'd let you know that while I am confident in my friends here, I'm not fighting because I just don't like fighting. Before you get all confused, yes, I am a shinobi, but I just don't like putting in all the extra effort." He said, getting the Akatsuki members to look at him blankly.

"Alright, never mind what I just said. He's just an idiot. Let's get this over with." Kakuzu said, feeling one of his eyes twitch. Before they could move, Yoichi held up both his hands.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute! Let's take it easy! Listen, Kakuzu, you like money, right? I do too. Maybe not as much as you, but it's how I'd rather make a living than killing people. I've got a business I've started up, and so far it's booming pretty well, so I've had it turned into a company. Called Yo-Inc, currently the only thing we sell is bottled Water of Life, maybe you've heard of it? Haven't even started making stock, but already have brokers clamoring for shares. If you're willing to stop and talk for a moment, I'd love to make a deal with you." Hidan rolled his eyes, not falling for such a ploy, getting ready to run out again before being held back and restrained by Kakuzu.

"You're Yoichi Sataka, then? Of the Sataka clan? I remember seeing your name when I was checking on economic trends." Hidan couldn't believe his ears. Kakuzu checking economic trends? He swore all he did was get bounties from shinobi! Well, from what he saw when he wasn't doing his more elaborate sacrificial ceremonies. Maybe he should have talked to him more? Wait, he did enough talking, Kakuzu was the silent one.

"The very same! I guess you've heard of me then, which makes things a bit easier. I am willing to offer you to be an additional business partner for ten percent of the profits, five percent coming from my own. We'll set up a side storage for your shares to pick up whenever you'd like, and you can have access to all transactions to make sure you're getting your proper share. In return, I'd like to request that you don't hunt down jinchuriki or tailed beasts, and possibly find a way to… freeze Akatsuki's current plan for a while." Kakuzu thought hard about this for a moment. Not on whether it was moral to take the deal, but if it was worth his price.

"Say if I do take it… My 'partner' won't be bought the same way. Do you expect me to just let him head back and blab about me betraying the Akatsuki?" Yoichi shrugged, Hidan not having a good feeling in his stomach.

"I'd rather not have him going around killing people… We can just get rid of him here. Between Kurotsuchi and Roshi's lava release, and Han's boil release, we could probably melt him or at least trap him in stone." Hidan began to intensely sweat. Kakuzu liked him enough to not let them do that, right?

He got his answer as he felt Kakuzu sew his arms and legs together to keep him still, then his mouth before he could plead for mercy.

13 Months, 27 Days since Yoichi Left Konoha

Overall, the previous day had gone great. Hidan was disposed of in some corner of the training ground just as help arrived. Of course, they were thoroughly confused to see Kakuzu still fine though the others said that it was all taken care of. Yoichi wrote up a letter to honor his part of the deal, with the criminal saying he'd do his best, but had not guarantees it would last for long.

Yoichi then had to write a letter to Mei to let her know of the situation, which he knew she wouldn't like but begrudgingly agree to the conditions. Fu decided to step up her training, deciding that for the next few days, that was all she would work on, having seen the strength Han and Roshi showed while she could only support the rest of them. To do so, Han and Roshi would have to travel a bit from the village, which they considered the best time to do so was then since they'd doubt any other Akatsuki members would attack.

This left Yoichi and Kurotsuchi alone for a while as well. The rest of the previous day was reporting what had happened followed by taking a break from training from the morning's events. The next day, it was back to training, the two in a taijutsu sparring match, Yoichi attacking as Kurotsuchi blocked and dodged, mainly as exercise to get back into shape after about three weeks of nothing.

"I have to say, I'm a bit impressed." She told him after they finally took a break. He looked at her and blinked. "For someone who doesn't like to fight, you sure train hard. And hit hard, too." She added, rubbing a spot on her arm that was bruised after blocking a particularly hard kick. He shrugged and sighed.

"It's nothing, really. Like I've said, I've got to be ready in case something happens. If Kakuzu didn't take that deal, then I would have joined in to try and keep them from getting away. I'm just lucky that you were very effective against him so I could join in as extra support if needed and sit out. Even luckier was he thought me trying to place weight on my good foot was me just being casually relaxed." She rolled her eyes. Honestly, she couldn't tell whether Kakuzu's interpretation or Yoichi's statement was truer. She trusted him, but not when it came to his fighting experience, and she wanted to know why.

"Okay, look, I want to know the truth." She said, crossing her arms. Yoichi tilted his head as if asking her to elaborate. "You know I've seen the seals on you. Artificial weights, chakra dampening, chakra absorbing, storage seals on your body… and not just one or two of each, they're all over you! Fu even told me how every morning you check to make sure each one is working, sometimes strengthening them, but never once has she seen you deactivate or weaken one, even with your foot broken. Sure, it's for training, but the amount you have is not normal."

By absorption, she meant the kind one would use to deplete someone's chakra. For dampening, it was used for training by requiring one to use more chakra to use a technique, and as they got more used to the technique, they could use less chakra to use it, like how some shinobi could use powerful jutsus with little effort after extended use. He looked at her another moment before sighing.

"It's not that big of a deal. There's one genin back in konoha who has weights so heavy that he makes craters just by taking them off. I heard how he even took them off and threw one at an enemy when Konoha was attacked, and it caved their head in!" She shook her head.

"I want you to prove it. Show me the seals. I won't tell anyone, I just want to see them. All of them." He looked into her eyes, as if she was expecting to show that she was joking. She wasn't, of course, but he tried to play it off. With a sigh, he stripped down to just his boxers, a dark purple color she found was his favorite and most plentiful kind, and made a hand seal, the seals on his body showing up like invisible ink under a black light.

She blushed a bit from seeing him almost nude, before looking closer, taking her time to look over him. She had been interested and had looked a bit over seals in her spare time, not really understanding much but able to identify what a majority of them were. The results were definitely not worth a 'no big deal' situation.

"And these are all active, even now?" She asked, to which he nodded. She sighed, moving back. "Ten chakra dampening seals, ten chakra absorption seals, sixteen weight seals, twelve storage seals, eight small seals I don't know, and two large seals I also don't know… Yoichi, what are you thinking? Better yet, how are you able to withstand all of them? How strong are you?" He stayed quiet, not looking at her. After a few moments, he spoke.

"The eight small ones are for a few various things like helping me hide from sensors as well as preventing the seals on me from showing up unless I purposely show them. As for the large ones, one breaks down poisons, alcohol, and even some drugs to make sure I stay level headed." That didn't answer her questions, but still was somewhere.

"And for the last one?" It was incredibly odd as far as seals were. She wasn't even entirely sure it was a seal considering it had an entirely different style. But what was concerning was how it was on his chest over where his heart was.

"I can't tell you. It's one of, if not the biggest secrets of my clan. Only the clan head should even know it exists, just showing it to you would have you sentenced to death if I ever told my grandfather." He said before making another hand seal, the markings on his body fading away.

"Yoichi, it's borderline insane what you're putting your body through. How can you withstand all of that? A single weight seal like that should be at least two hundred and fifty pounds, and those chakra absorption and dampening seals… To use a single jutsu, you have to use enough chakra as if you were doing it forty times at once! The storage seals aren't as bad, but I'm surprised you can put anything in them without passing out. I have to know, why do you have these? How can you handle it all?" She couldn't believe he was able to keep going for so long, just in one day alone. He seemed completely… normal, like they hardly affected him at all.

"Alright, I'll tell you. But you can't let anyone else know, alright?" She nodded, him sighing as he sat down. "I didn't have this much on me before. It's a traditional way of my clan for training that's been effective enough that my father still adopted the use on me even after leaving. When someone begins training, they are then given their first few seals, the chakra dampening to help build chakra reserves and weights to for strength and speed. As they grow up, the seals are strengthened as needed, making sure that the child is always requiring to put in extra effort, but only just enough so it doesn't hinder them from living.

"I started out fairly average, an extra pound on the weights about every week, every three weeks the chakra dampening seal was made stronger. How it got to here, is the god tree water. You were there with your grandfather when I told him my story of how I found it. But, I left out a good bit. After drinking the water, I tripped and fell in. When I got out, I could feel power coursing through me. I felt like I could take on the world. And that scared me. I was given strength that I can't handle, and to block it off, I have to use all these seals. I have to keep increasing them because I continue to grow stronger like normal, but almost twice as fast it feels like." He took a moment to breath, looking down at his hands.

"The only other person who knows about this is my grandfather who had to help me apply the seals in the first place. But as you saw, I'm covered in them. The seals don't get much stronger. As I'm out, he's looking for a way that can regulate my strength. It sounds a bit silly, though. I might not need to train at all, yet I still do. I have to, else my chakra feels like it will burst out of me. It's happened twice so far, and I don't want it to happen again. Some may say it's a blessing, but to me, it's a curse. I only want to protect, but this… this makes me want to destroy. To unleash everything I have just to feel normal again." He went quiet for a moment, Kurotsuchi putting a hand on his shoulder.

"If you didn't have those seals… what do you think might happen?" She asks, Yochi giving her a sad look.

"I don't know. But honestly, I'm terrified to find out."

Author's Note

Yay, more bullshit! But its bullshit that I'd say is fair. He gets stronger, but he doesn't want to be. He's essentially afraid of himself and what he could possibly do, and want to hold back as much as he can. How can this be, you may ask? Well, to make more sense of it, you would have to think back to the full story of what happened when he drank the water. Where exactly did he end up? That is the best hint I can give without telling everything.

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed! Please make sure to follow this story to keep up to date on when I post as I do not have a regular schedule. Also leave a review/comment telling me what you did or didn't like and what you'd like to see more or less of. Any bit helps!

Until next time!

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