You guys are fantastic!
Sorry for the long wait. To be honest, this chapter fought me every step of the way. In the end, I couldn't completely remove the small bit of exposition that's in this chapter, but sometimes there's no way around it.
It looks like you guys decided that the "spark" event will be just enough to kick things off. Which is good for the world as a whole, but there will be a significantly less amount of explosions.
AU Changes: Given that Uzu never really got a culture in canon (that I am aware of), I've expanded on Uzu this chapter. It's not canon, so marking that as an AU change. In case anyone is confused by the in-story explanation of Uzu, I've included a more meta-level explanation at the bottom. Haku's backstory also got a tweak, since her canon backstory didn't completely fit her HotE characterization.
And without any more delay, here is the next chapter. Chapter 39: Acceptance
Honoka slowly awoke to the faint sound of wood creaking. It was a sound she hadn't heard in...thirteen months, give or take a few days. Granted, given that time diluted in the time barrier, she supposed it would have been technically eleven years, with an outside guess of sixteen years, since she had been on a boat. Having processed the pertinent information about the sound before she took her second breath, the Uzumaki kunoichi focused on filtering out the background noise in order to learn more about her immediate surroundings.
The wooden creaking faded away into the background. Judging by the light on her eyelids, Honoka guessed that she was either facing a window or it was close to midday. Next, she heard deep rhythmic breaths of someone close to her location. A moment later she placed the sound in relation to her own position. Given that she was laying on a bed of some kind, the kunoichi could say with almost certainty that the person breathing was sitting next to her bed.
Honoka opened her eyes. Casting them to her left, she instantly took in the features of Naruto Uzumaki. Relaxing her tensed muscles on seeing her clan member, Honoka's gaze quickly checked him for any signs that he was a prisoner or injured. Finding evidence of neither, she refocused on Naruto himself. Given that he seemed to be deep in meditation, the redhead decided against disturbing him. She had waited for 6 months to see another clan member, she could wait another few hours.
Casting her memory back to the team Naruto had arrived with, Honoka attempted to place what clan they belonged to. The young kunoichi named 'Hinata' was easy to figure out. The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan was unmistakeable. 'Haku' was a member of the Yuki Clan, a reclusive clan who had the ability to manipulate ice. Haku must be an exceptional member of her clan, Honoka mused, given that she had never seen any Yuki instantly freeze such a large body of water in an instant by themselves.
Lastly was 'Sakura'. The pink haired kunoichi was talented, especially for her age, but she hadn't displayed any unique traits from one of the clans Honoka could remember. "Perhaps she is from one of the lesser clans?" She wondered, "If that is the case, she must be one of the most powerful of their clan, given the dual elemental dragon she created."
Now that she thought of it, Honoka couldn't help but wonder who Naruto's parents were. She didn't remember any blonde Uzumaki in Uzu at the time before she left, and most certainly there wasn't any Royal Uzumaki who had blonde hair. Unless Naruto had proved that he was strongest at his young age, something must have happened. "I pray that nothing has happened to Father, Mother, and Brother."
Carefully sitting up, the Uzumaki kunoichi studied her clansman, studying his features for a hint to his ancestry. He was a Royal, that much was certain. His attack chakra chains was proof enough of that. However, the odd whisker-like marks on his face and the almost vulpine facial structure wasn't similar to any Uzumaki she remembered. Given his age, it was possible he had been born just after she had left the village, but that still brought up the issue of his blonde hair.
Folding her hands in her lap, Honoka closed her eyes, remembering how life had been in Uzu before she had left.
The washing waves from sea echoed, creating a subtle background noise that was pleasant white noise without being overbearing. The sound of happy childish chatter mixed with the occasional bursts of laughter enhanced, instead of disrupting the ambient atmosphere.
Moving with an elegance befitting her training, Honoka walked towards the central meeting home. She had received an offer from a group called 'The Company'. Smiling serenely at a pair of children, twins from the look of it, as they raced past, Honoka paused to exchange pleasantries with one of the caretakers. In Uzu children were the most precious commodity, and children were watched by mothers and fathers, regardless of who the child's parents were.
Having requested a meeting to discuss the offer from 'The Company', Honoka bid farewell to the caretaker and resumed her journey, her pace unhurried. The knowledge that 'The Company' was offering was substantial, as was the weekly pay. Given that Uzu had firmly established themselves as a neutral party amidst the carnage caused by the warring clans, knowledge was almost priceless for Uzu and the pay would purchase the few supplies that Uzu could not produce.
"May the stars shine upon you." One of the passing men murmured as he past, the sheathed weapon at his side denoting his status as a soldier, most likely heading back to one of the fronts after his home leave rotation had finished.
"May the stars shine upon you as well." Honoka returned, completing the blessing of hope and protection. It didn't surprise the red headed kunoichi that the village knew of The Company's
offer. Secrets were rare in Uzu. After all, did not family share secrets?
Approaching the door to the meeting home, Honoka was still amazed that she had been chosen by The Company. While it was true that she was the first to manifest the Seal Chains in several generations, many other Uzumaki were equally skilled if not more skilled. She had the advantage of the Seal Chains, yes, but she was also not specialized in combat seals nor in hand to hand combat.
She had received the basic self defense training that everyone in Uzu received, but after that she had opted to delve deeper into training her Seal Chains and the more esoteric seals from the Uzumaki library. The idea of reality manipulation fascinated her, and her family and friends were more than happy to let her learn in peace.
Then the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan escalated their conflict, and it became necessary to train in combat. Fondly remembering the days she had trained to protect herself, her family, and Uzu, Honoka smiled to herself as she entered opened the door to the Common Room.
Naruto slowly returned to the waking world. He had tried meditating with the goal of finding the ambient Nature Chakra in the surrounding area, figuring that it would be easier with less Nature Chakra available. The horror story about a would-be sage turning to stone after taking too much Nature Chakra had convinced the blonde Uzumaki that he should take each step very carefully.
However, he had expected to feel something when he had meditated. Granted, he hadn't expected anything big, but at least something. Instead of 'feeling the world around him', Naruto had ended up wandering around his mindscape for a bit, then conversing with Karuma to see if the Nine Tails knew how meditation was supposed to work. He was able to clear his mind easily enough, but apparently there was more to meditation than that.
"Honoka." Naruto smiled, "You're awake."
"How could you tell?" The Uzumaki kunoichi inquired as she calmly opened her eyes, her tone curious but not accusing.
"Well," Naruto shrugged, "Since I have better hearing than just about everyone, I learned people's breathing patterns." He successfully suppressed the memory of why he had to learn that skill with unconscious ease. "So when I came out of meditation, it was easy to tell the difference between your sleeping breathing pattern and your awake breathing pattern."
"That is is quite impressive." Honoka praised her clansman, "I have not heard of that skill before. Did you learn it from one of the Huntsmen in Uzu?"
"Well," Naruto mentally grimaced, "This is going to suck." Deciding to ease her into what was going to be presumably the biggest shock of her life, Naruto rubbed the back of his head and glanced away. "Yeah...about that…" He took a deep breath. No matter what happened next, he would be here for her. "Do you know what year it is?"
"Year Two Hundred Sixty-Four of the Third Era." The red haired kunoichi answered before pausing as she considered the possible reason for Naruto's question, "But given that a full six months has passed inside the time barrier, it could be Two Hundred Sixty-Nine." She caught the look on Naruto's face. "What it's wrong?"
Naruto hated to do this, but she deserved the truth. "It's Year One Hundred and Two of…" He sighed, knowing how much his next words would hurt Honoka, "...of the Fourth Era." Honoka's eyes widened and her calm demeanor flickered. Naruto felt a tremendous wave of pity toward the woman. "You've been gone for a hundred and fifty years."
The words echoed endlessly in the woman's mind.
"...You've been gone for a hundred and fifty years…"
"I…" For once Honoka's composure failed her. "I…" Her fingers shook ever so slightly as her hands clenched in her lap, "May I be alone?"
"Are you sure?" Naruto's eyes searched her's, "Do you really want to be alone right now?"
"Please leave." Honoka whispered, feeling more alone than she ever had, "I'm already alone." "Everyone I loved is dead and gone."
Naruto knew that look that was slowly surfacing on Honoka's face. A young blonde boy, scrawny from lack of consistent meals,had seen it countless times in the mirror. Time passed, and the boy grew older. He started to get proper meals and even began to train himself, trying to become someone worth caring about. Eventually that boy, figured it out: He was worthless. But...then three amazing, no, beyond amazing people came into his life, and gave him hope. Hope he could be worth something to them. And...from then on, he was no longer alone.
Instead of leaving, Naruto reached across the bed and pulled Honoka into a tight comforting embrace. "I'm here. You're not alone."
In that timeless moment, Honoka felt it. That feeling of family; that feeling of care; of understanding; of empathy; and most of all, of acceptance.
Tears began to trickle down Honoka's face, weaving a tapestry of sorrow as she grieved. She quietly wept for all that she had lost. It wasn't loud wails of pain, nor was it the sobs of a hurting soul. It was the silent tears as her heart fell apart. Naruto pulled her tighter. "I'm here." It was a whisper, the words one he knew she needed to hear, "It's okay to let go."
Honoka's shoulders shuddered once, twice. "Momma." Her vision blurred. "Papa." Her emotional control began to slip. "Brother." Her lips trembled. "Oh Uzu." She broke.
Sometimes we fall apart.
Naruto pushed outwards with his feelings, wrapping the feeling of care, protection, and family around her. "It's okay. I'm here."
And sometimes...just sometimes, someone else holds us together.
Hinata smiled sadly to herself as she retracted chakra from her eyes. It was a bittersweet feeling. It was beautiful to watch Naruto comfort his newest clan member, but to was heart wrenching to know why he knew what words Honoka really needed to hear.
Unconsciously her hand drifted to her lower abdomen. Despite having been completely healed, the blue haired young woman felt the phantom scars that had nearly shattered her dreams. When Sakura had stabbed her, the chakra blades had bitten deeply into Hinata's lower torso, severing vital organs. Later Tsunade been forced to inform Hinata what Sakura's attack had also damaged her reproductive system.
Hinata stared at the Medical Ninja, unable to comprehend Tsunade's words.
"...Your uterus was severely damaged. When you were rapidly healed by the Kyubi's chakra, some parts were not reattached. I'm so sorry."
It had taken all of Hinata's mental control to not break down. Tsunade explained that there was theory she had been working during the Third Shinobi World War that was a medical technique involving extensive surgery that may fix the damage, but it was untested. Then, one of the ANBU took a step forward.
"Hokage-Sama." Cat knelt down, "Permission to speak freely."
"Granted."
Yugao pulled off her mask. "You know my situation Hokage-Sama." Her eyes filled sadness before she blinked the emotion away, determination overcoming her sadness. "Test the procedure on me."
The procedure had taken almost ten hours, but in the end it was a success. The scarred areas were removed and new flesh grown. Zero percent rejection and blood flow was within normal ranges. It was a complete success.
"And thanks to Yugao-Chan, perhaps one day I can have children with Naruto-Kun." For several moments Hinata allowed herself that fantasy. She could see it in her mind's eye. Blonde haired children playing with their blue haired siblings, their carefree laughing laughter echoing. She saw Naruto open the door and swooping in, picking one up, his smile lighting up the world as he heard his child's giggles of delight. She saw herself standing in the doorway, a soft smile playing at her lips as she watched her family.
Regretfully pulling herself out of the fantasy, Hinata pulled her hand away from her stomach. It wouldn't do for anyone to start asking questions. Tsunade, Yugao, and Hinata had all agreed to keep what had happened a secret. No good would come out of Sakura or Naruto learning the truth. As far as the two were aware, Hinata had just needed to stay an extra day in the hospital for extended rest and a check-up.
The sun had gone down by the time Naruto emerged from the room where Honoka was now resting. After she had finished grieving, he had explained, at her request, what was known of how Uzu had ended. Exhausted by the events of the day and still recovering from chakra depletion, Honoka had fallen asleep. After making sure that she knew that she wasn't alone in the world, Naruto headed out of the cabin, carefully shutting the door behind him with an almost silent click.
Rubbing his face as he sighed, Naruto attempted to banish the weariness that had come from being Honoka's rock for so many hours. He didn't regret it for a moment, and he hoped that he had helped. But it was draining to be simultaneously caring, comforting, and empathic, while still maintaining an emotional distance. Lightly slapping his cheeks to wake himself back up, Naruto headed for the now deserted bow of the ship. He could probably get a few hours of training in before he had to turn in for the night.
Suddenly three pairs of arms pulled him into a loving embrace. "We are so proud of you Naruto-Sama." He could feel Haku's soft smile in her voice. "You were able to comfort her; to help her." The foursome stayed together, peace falling over them. In the end, Naruto would be persuaded to join the four on the bow for light training and then getting a full night's sleep.
Honoka woke abruptly as her internal clock blared in her mind. Quickly moving through several simple stretches to keep her body limber, her hands wove through a simple water technique. Immersing her head in the globe of water sitting in her hands, the Uzumaki kunoichi washed off the dirt and grime clinging to her face. Surfacing, she reversed the technique, sucking all of the water from her face and hair.
She moved towards the door. She was still saddened over the loss of her family and village, but even though they were gone, her clan was not; her family was not. Naruto Uzumaki was still here, and she would aid him like a proper Uzumaki kunoichi should. Opening the door, Honoka spotted Naruto standing near the railing of the ship, some kind of spinning chakra ball in his hand. A moment later he glanced in her direction, and upon spotting her, cut the chakra to his technique and waved her over, a happy grin shining on his face.
"Honoka." Naruto greeted, "You're looking better." Concern flashed across his face. "Are you alright?"
Honoka inclined her head. "Yes. Thank-you for asking." She smiled gently at her clansman. "Thank-you for last night."
"You're welcome." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, "It's no big deal." He paused, and glanced around the ship, clearly uncomfortable with her thanks. "So…" The blonde Uzumaki clapped his hands, "How about we exchange some information. I'll tell you about what's going on in the world, and you can tell me about Uzu." He paused for a moment before adding, "You can go first."
"What clans are still warring?"
"Well," Naruto began, "Keep in mind that Sakura knows more history than me, but from what I learned in the Ninja Academy, around a hundred years ago, the Uchiha and the Senju clans agreed to a treaty. In doing so, they formed the first ninja village: Konoha…"
"That's amazing." Honoka glanced out towards the sea, looking towards the direction of Uzu, "The world is no longer at war. I never thought this day would come." Looking back at Naruto, she indicated that he could ask his question.
"You have chakra chains too?" Naruto had originally planned on asking about Uzu, but he wasn't sure if it would be too painful for Honoka. This way he could slowly probe to find out. "That's what that chain like thing was, right? Chakra chains?"
"You are correct." Honoka nodded, "But I have a different type of chakra chain than you." Her hands came to rest in front of her as she began her explanation. "There is three different types of chakra chains that can manifest." She gestured and focused her chakra. A single chakra chain sprouted from her back to slowly dance in the wind. "The first type is Seal Chains." She gestured to the manifested chakra construct. Now looking at it up close, it reminded Naruto more of a wide glowing golden ribben than a chain.
"Seal Chains are normally not directly used in combat. Instead, with training and practice, you can instill them with seals, such as 'Restrain'." The seal for 'Restrain' morphed into existence, almost seeming to be sown into the Sealing Chain itself. "Some of the more talented Uzumaki with Sealing Chains could even instill entire techniques in their Sealing Chain."
"That's awesome." Naruto grinned, "Just think of all you could do with those chains."
"Thank-you." Honoka smiled sincerely and before shifting back into her explanation. "The second type is the Adamantine Sealing Chains." The Uzumaki kunoichi retracted her chakra, causing the Seal Chain to fade. "The Adamantine Sealing Chains are able to restrain almost anything, wrapping the target up in the glowing chains. The most advanced users could even create barriers with their chains."
"The final type is Attack Chains." Honoka gestured to Naruto, indicating his chakra chains. "You have the Attack Chains. The chains themselves are weapons, Their spear tips can easily penetrate most targets, and unlike the rest, they seem to have some slight instinctive intelligence to them."
"Ok." Naruto nodded, as he processed the information, "What is your question?"
"You mentioned that the continent is divided up into regions now?"
"Yes." Naruto launched into his best teacher voice, "First you have the Land of Fire and it's primary ninja village is Konoha…"
"So Uzu had different job titles depending on what you wanted to do?" Naruto summarized, "And basically everyone could choose what they were interested in and they could do it, and in doing so, figure out how to make what they were interested in help the village?"
Honoka nodded. "Yes. Uzu preferred that everyone was able to use what they loved to do in a way that assisted the village, so everyone could be protected." She paused before adding, "To answer your other question about what being a 'Royal' meant, it is simply a title denoting that the person can use chakra chains. In ancient times, only Royalty was allowed to use chakra chains. Those restrictions long since passed, but the title stuck around. Given that chakra chain users are rare, it made sense to keep the title."
The redhead then posed her next question. "And what did you mean by 'political factions' in Konoha?"
Honoka sighed quietly, permitting herself a moment of reflection as she remembered Naruto's explanation of the three factions. While she understood the idea of the Loyalist faction, she couldn't understand why they would side with a location instead of their family and friends. And the Humanitarian Faction...well, they should pray that they never tried hurting her family. She was an Uzumaki kunoichi, and she would not suffer threats against her family.
Still...Honoka cast her gaze over to her clansman as he gestured to Haku and Sakura, telling them some story. If she had to guess, it looked like a story about Uzu's fishermen. "Why would anyone hate Naruto-Kun? He is powerful, yes, but that's not reason enough to create a faction." There was some piece of information she was missing. And that was ignoring just how unique Naruto was. He had more chakra than she had ever sensed in anyone before, and that wasn't even counting his strange situation with three girlfriends. While taking multiple wives wasn't forbidden in Uzu, it wasn't common by any stretch of the word. Uzumaki women and men tended to be monogamous, preferring to love their sole partner with all their heart and soul.
Sensing Hinata approaching, the red headed Uzumaki turned to her. "Hinata-San." Honoka bowed slightly, "How are you doing?"
"Good." Hinata returned the bow, "Would you like to join me in the Captain's Quarters for some tea?"
"I would be delighted, Hinata-San."
"So Hinata-San," Honoka gracefully took a sip of her warm tea, "What did you want to talk about?"
"Oh," There was the barest hints of a smirk on Hinata's face, "I thought I could fill you in on Naruto's childhood…" After all, Uzumaki treasured children about all else…
"I see." Honoka's voice was calm, only carrying the tiniest hints of the utter outrage she was feeling. "So that would be why the Humanitarian Faction formed." Hinata nodded. "And that's also why you are 'vacationing' to Mist." The redheaded Uzumaki considered something. "I may be in a different time period, but I did have extensive training in political matters. I will assist Naruto-Kun with forming an alliance with the leader of Mist."
"That's good." Hinata bowed her head in thanks. "If you would like, we will be training some tomorrow morning if you want to join us."
"I believe I will."
The Wind Rose reached her destination a week later, docking at the small town Jiraiya had recommended. During that time, Honoka showed Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, and Haku some of the smaller techniques she knew. In turn, they shared what they knew. Granted, it was mostly theory given that an errant technique could sink the boat, but it was still a week well spent. Still, Naruto was glad to get off the ship and onto dry land. The plan was to trek across the lower portion of Mist, find Haku's old childhood home, and then cut a direct line to one of the border towers of Kiri. From there they would head directly to Kirigakure itself to meet with Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage herself.
"I can't wait until tomorrow's morning training session." Naruto looked almost giddy at the thought of it, "That wind dragon sounds awesome." Still grinning to himself, the blonde trotted off with Hinata and Hokona to secure rooms for the party.
"Sakura-Chan," Haku turned to her pink haired friend, "Would you accompany me to the market to refresh our supplies?"
"Sure." Confusion laced Sakura's tone, "I'm not sure how I can help, given that cooking isn't my speciality, but I'll come along."
As the pair scanned the small market looking for fresh ingredients, Haku turned her face slightly towards Sakura. "Tell me Sakura-Chan," She pointed at promising fruit stand, indicating that they should head in that direction, "What do you love about Naruto-Sama?"
"Well," Sakura wasn't honestly sure what brought this particular conversation on, but she answered none the less, "I love his personality, his drive to protect and how he cares for me. I love his smile that can light up the world. I love that dark part of him that makes me shiver. I love how he makes me feel when he hugs me. In short, I love every part of him." She picked up an orange and examined it for bruises or other deformities. "And of course, his looks…" Sakura let out a pleased sigh before catching herself and coughing into her hand. "Right. Moving on."
"Do you think Naruto-Sama is incapable of loving people once he learns how?" It was almost magical to watch how quickly Haku could pick up a fruit or vegetable, scan it for any problems, and either place it in her basket or back on the stand.
"Of course not." Sakura was offended on Naruto's behalf, "Naruto-Kun has the biggest heart of anyone I know."
"If that is the case," Haku paused as she paid for the food she and Sakura had gathered, "Do you believe that if you shared Naruto-Sama with someone else, he would love you less?" The ice user sealed the food in a status scroll she had brought.
"Uhhh…" Sakura's mind stuttered to a halt, "I'm sorry. I must have heard you wrong. Did you say what I thought you just said?"
Haku motioned for Sakura to follow her into a more secluded section of town. "Yes I did." Haku knew that Sakura would attempt to brush her words off if she was given an out. "Sakura-Chan." The ice user's serious tone snapped Sakura out of her confused and conflicted thoughts, "I am willing to share Naruto-Sama with you and Hinata-Chan." Haku smiled gently at her friend. "As a wife. I am not looking for an answer, but please, keep this in mind when you are thinking about the future."
Stunned, all Sakura could manage was a slight nod. "Oh my god!" The young woman's thoughts blared, "What am I supposed to think now?" Vaguely Sakura registered Haku informing her that dinner would be happening in about three hours. "Haku-Chan is willing to share? Who just blurts that out?!" Mechanically, Sakura indicated that she heard Haku's message about dinner. "What am I thinking? Why is this so hard?"
Several hours later Sakura still wasn't any closer to a decision. Pushing those thoughts away for now, the pink haired kunoichi joined the others for dinner. Her worries faded away as she enjoyed the easy atmosphere as everyone swapped stories and idle conversation over the meal. "If each meal time was like this, it would be amazing."
The group traveled east, heading towards the rendezvous point to meet with Jiraiya's spy, Supai. Each day the group rose with the sunrise and trained until midday. After that, they would eat and then travel farther east. On the fifth day, they reached the rendezvous point. Hinata pulsed her chakra to her eyes, checking the area ahead.
There was one person standing in the clearing. He had on what looked to be a rugged dark blue outfit, but it was mesh armor just under the clothing. Pulling out the picture Jiraiya had given them, the Hyuga kunoichi compared the man in the clearing to the picture. They were the same, from the buzzed brown hair to the clean-cut features. Even the scar on his left hand was exactly the same. Peering deeper, she examined the chakra in the area.
"There is one person in the clearing." Hinata reported after a moment, "He looks exactly like Jiraiya's description and I don't see any chakra that would indicate it is a henge or genjutsu. I believe it is Supai-San."
Heading the short distance to the clearing, Naruto lead the group as he stepped into the group. As he stepped onto the green grass, Supai spun around. Instantly recognizing Naruto, he snapped to attention, his back ramrod straight. "Naruto-Sama Sir." Supai crisply saluted, "It's a pleasure to meet your Sir."
"And you." It came out as more of a question than a statement.
The spy dropped the salute. "Sorry Sir. Force of habit. I'm a big fan of your father." He shook his head, "The advances that Minato-Sama made in time/space techniques alone…" Shaking himself, Supai brought himself back on track. "I can take you to the location you requested."
"Okey…" Naruto glanced back at the others and shrugged. When no one objected, Naruto turned to face Supai. "Lead on."
"Yes Sir." Snapping another salute, Supai headed off at a brisk pace. "The house is about a half day's journey." Supai looked back at the party, "We should reach it shortly before nightfall."
"How did you find it?" Naruto questioned, curious how Supai had found a single house in on the massive island.
"Well," Supai confessed, "My team and I had quite a bit of trouble finding it." He paused before admitting, "Actually we didn't even have any idea where to start. We just wandered around for a few weeks. Then Tracker-San," Naruto sent him an odd look. "Code Name." The spy explained before continuing, "Anyway, he had the idea to look for a cold place. Once we tried that, it only took us three months to find it."
"You're sure?" Naruto didn't want to disappoint Haku.
"We verified it." Supai confirmed, "We found documents in the house that referred to Haku by name." The group moved onwards. As they did, they began to notice that the temperature began to slowly drop. By the time they had gotten within a half mile of the site, it was cold enough to see their breath.
"Ready to see something unique?" Supai questioned the party. When they had nodded, he lead them over the hill. The party stopped and stared at the small town below them. "The town was abandoned after the local economy couldn't support the sudden climate change."
"It's snowing." Honoka breathed, reaching out to catch a snowflake. Carefully examining it, she couldn't help but be impressed. "It's natural. This is a natural phenomena." "Even when they are gone, the Yuki Clan still creates wonders."
Stepping into the valley was like stepping into another world. Snow drifted lazily from the sky, dusting the area with white. The clouds overhead shadowed the valley, changing the bright summer day into a cold winter evening. The warm wind from the area surrounding the valley kept the area from being intolerably cold, while letting it be just cold enough to make one's breath visible.
Haku wondered into her former town in a slight daze, seeing the town as it was now, cold and desolate, while also remembering it how it had been before. Naruto followed the ice user at a distance. He sensed that she would prefer to walk among her former town without any interruption, but he wanted to be close by in case she needed someone.
Stepping into the town itself was...hard. Gazing at the stone homes, now empty and silent, Haku couldn't help but feel...empty. Amidst the shadows, she remembered…
The bright midday sun shined down on the village, bathing it in warmth. The distant sounds of indistinguishable conversations provided peaceful background noise.
Moving down the main thoroughfare, she spotted a old broken-down food stand. The striped cloth had long since been bleached by the elements, and it's tattered remains fluttered in the slight breeze. The wooden poles holding up the stand had splintered, the once proud form of the stand now slumped and covered in snow.
The hubbub of the crowd shopping the market always excited young Haku. The sounds of the haggling between merchant and shopper; the sound of laughter and enjoyment; the sound of songs and music, all of it was amazing to the wide-eyed child.
Moving past the now silent market, Haku moved slowly towards the closed gate of her parents' home. Her hand brushed the back gate, the feel of the cold metal bringing a strange mixture of homesickness and sadness. Pushing the gate open, the ice user registered the familiar creak of the unoiled hinges as she carefully stepped into the back garden and the memories of the past.
"Momma!" Haku pushed open the gate, pride and wonder practically bursting from her form, "Look what I can do." The five year old sprinted as fast as she could toward her mother who was hanging up laundry, the half filled basket resting on the woman's hip. "Look! Look!"
"What can you do, my little angel?" Chiharu Orisan smiled at her daughter, giggling Haku's childish enthusiasm, "Show me what has you so excited."
"Watch me Momma!" Haku cupped her hands in front of herself and scrunched her eyes shut, concentrating on recreating the feeling she had felt earlier. Missing the shocked expression on her mother's face, Haku felt the temperature drop slightly as she drew on her inner energy. Imagining a shape, she breathed into her cupped hands.
Peeking open one eye to check her hands, Haku let out a sharp cry of happiness at what she saw. "Look Mamma! I made a pretty flower." Opening her cupped hands, she revealed a perfectly crafted rose. The details were exquisite, and in the right light, it looked almost alive. The laundry basket tumbled to the ground.
SMACK!
Haku's face snapped to the side as Chiharu's open palm collided with her cheek. "Never do that again!" Chiharu's normally gentle eyes blazed. "You must never use your gift ever again."
"M-Momma?" Tears welled up in Haku's eyes as she clutched her throbbing face, "M-Momma w-why?"
Holding back her own tears of inner pain at having to strike her child, Chiharu knelt down. Haku flinched, and Chiharu wanted to die. "Haku." The pained mother attempted gently, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But you can't ever use your gift." She swallowed and her eyes misted. "Everyone hates our gift. If they ever found out that you can create ice, they will kill us." Shaking the tears away, Chiharu whispered, "I'm so sorry. But it's no longer safe for the Yuki to exist."
Haku lost the battle with her emotions and burst into tears. Chiharu's her heart breaking with indescribable agony as she pulled her daughter close. "Shhh…Shhh..." She comforted, "It's alright. I'll never hit you again." Glancing around, the mother checked if anyone was watching. Not seeing anyone, she brought her hand up to rest against Haku's burning cheek. Haku's whimper of pain destroyed her heart all over again. Closing her eyes, Chiharu pushed the tiniest amount of cold natured chakra into her daughter's cheek, soothing the pain. The mother and daughter held each other tight, taking refuge from the cruel world.
Slowly moving past the garden, Haku's foot touched the doorstep to the back door. Memories and emotions washed over her like an inexorable tide. She remembered the countless times she had run in through the back door to show her mother the newest flower or herb she had found. She remembered pleasant aromas that had wafted into her bedroom each morning from the kitchen. She remembered…
"You see, my little angel, this is the center of the herb." Chiharu pointed with the knife to the herb that she had carefully cut open, "And this," The edge of the blade brushed the center of the herb, "Is what we can combine with the the lemon balm and peppermint. Then we can mix them into a tea to help relieve Shriha-Chan's morning sickness." She smiled at her daughter. "Want to help me?"
Haku nodded enthusiastically before pushing her chair next to the table. Clambering up onto the chair, she carefully measured the amounts of lemon and peppermint under her mother's watchful eye. "Can I come with you when we go over to Shriha-Chan's house?"
"Of course dear."
Smiling slightly at the memories as she gazed at the worn table sitting inside the desolate kitchen, Haku turned and headed deeper into the house. Passing her room, she couldn't help but peek into the room, remembering the countless times she had stared out the window, counting the stars and wondering if they had any girls like her on them. Her blanket who had provided unending warmth and comfort was now tattered and torn beyond repair. Sighing softly, the ice user closed the door. There was only one place left to visit. The living room.
"Am I strong enough to face what happened there?" Haku felt a spike of fear as she thought of entering the room again. "Perhaps I don't need to go there." The image of her beloved Naruto-Sama's face flashed across her mind. "No. Naruto-Sama wouldn't back down, and neither will I." Steeling herself, Haku moved up to the threshold of the living room...and stepped forward into her memories.
The knife cut into Chiharu's stomach with wet squelch. "My love?" The woman coughed out, droplets of blood splattering her attacker, "Why?"
"Why?" Warui whispered softly, "Why wouldn't I? How do you think I feel, knowing that I was unknowingly seduced by a monster?" He twisted the knife. "The betrayal and pain I feel right now," Anger shined in his eyes, "Is almost indescribable." Carelessly pulling the weapon out of his wife, he plunged it back in to the hilt. Stepping closer, Warui brought his face closer to his former love. In a different situation, it would have looked romantic.
"And do you know what the worse part is?" Chiharu gasped for breath, bright red blood trickling from her trembling lips, unable to answer her husband. "The worst part is that you passed your accursed bloodline down to Haku." He twisted the knife, bringing his wife to her knees. "Do you know how it feels to have to kill your own child? To know that they are tainted beyond saving, and it was no fault of their own?" His face twisted into a vicious snarl. Tearing the knife from Chiharu, Warui stood up and raised his hand, furious blood pumping through his veins.
He swung. Chiharu's head snapped to the side as his backhand slammed into her face. Unable to stop herself, she tumbled to the ground, blood now pouring from her open wounds. A tiny whimper from the corner of the room brought Warui's attention to the third occupant of the room. "I'm sorry Haku, but you are an abomination." Stepping over his dying wife, Warui took three steps towards his sobbing child. "I'll make it quick." Tears began to gather in his eyes. "I'm so sorry."
His breath suddenly frosted. Chiharu slowly stood, the unstoppable instinct to protect her child pushing her upwards. A frozen chill suddenly blanketed the room. "Get..." Warui's tears froze. "Away..." Snow began to fall outside. "From..." Frost began to creep from her outwards from her form. "My..." The water pipes cracked as the water inside them turned to slush. "Child!" She defied the Shinigami for her little angel. The ice user raised her hand, the cold itself becoming a weapon. "You will never touch her!"
Warui panicked and threw himself at Chiharu. The vicious cold froze his fingers as he frantically hacked away at the monster who had been his wife. His toes went numb. His thoughts grew sluggish. Shouting in rage, fear, and pain, he swung the knife at her neck. Cold blood sprayed outwards. Chiharu slumped to the ground.
Warui almost slipped on the bloody ice. Stumbling on numb legs, he swayed his way towards his daughter. Haku had stopped cowering, the fallen bloody form of her momma freezing her mind and soul. Her eyes stared uncomprehendingly, not noticing her father raise his knife.
A wet ripping noise echoed in the room. Warui's head slowly tilted to the side before rolling off of his shoulder. His headless body sagged to the ground in a fountain of blood. Haku stared at the muscled man standing behind her father's corpse, his massive sword still extended out to the side.
"Hey kid." Zabuza gruffly asked, "Do you want to live?"
Haku blinked, coming back to herself. The room was empty. Not even a single drop of blood or furniture remained. Belatedly realizing that she had been crying, Haku closed her eyes and clenched her fists, attempting to shove the hurt and pain of those memories back to the dark section of her mind, just like she had all those years ago.
"Don't." Naruto's arms wrapped around her; encircling her; protecting her. "Don't push it down. I'm here for you." He loosened his arms, letting Haku decide if she wanted to confront the pain of the past. Haku spun around and hurled herself into Naruto's arms. Tears coursed down her face, soaking Naruto's shirt. He merely tightened his arms, attempting to instill every ounce of care and comfort he felt for Haku into the hug.
Haku thought she had dealt with the trauma of her past. She had not. She had instead shoved it deep down inside and told herself that it didn't hurt. It had taken months, but eventually she believed her own lie. But that's what it had been, a lie. A pretty, comforting lie that a lost and lonely child had told herself. But Haku was no longer a child, and she was no longer alone.
The truth was that those memories hurt. Oh god, did it hurt. The memories and emotions from that day were had scabbed over from years of telling herself that lie, and now the emotional wounds lay gaping open. Haku cried. She sobbed until she she had no more tears; she screamed until her voice cracked; she grieved for the child she once had been.
And at the end, after cleansing the years of pent-up hurt, pain and loss, there was an emptiness she hadn't expected. For a long, timeless moment, Haku hesitated between letting someone into the darkest place of her soul, where the hurt and loss had once rested, and holding the emptiness close, clinging to the familiarity of it all. Then...she felt Naruto's arms tighten around her, and she made her choice.
She let him in. The memories of him poured into that empty part of her. Where she had felt alone, now she felt compete. Where she had felt pain, now she felt comfort. Where she felt chaos, now she felt peace. And in that peace, she finally accepted what had happened all those years ago. "What happened to me was wrong, but it is in the past. It can no longer hurt me unless I let me. But," Her arms moved to return Naruto's embrace, "I can affect the present and in doing so, the future."
Time seemed to be meaningless as the two held each other. Eventually parting, they stepped outside of the home, hand in hand. Haku, upon spotting Sakura and Hinata waiting for her, felt a spike of uncertainty. She hadn't meant to jump ahead in their quest for Naruto, especially now that Haku was convinced that they could all share him together.
"Haku-Chan." Sakura's expression wasn't angry, "Would you show us around town?" A teasing smile slid onto her face. "We'll let you off the hook this time."
"We know how important this is, Haku-Chan." Hinata added, a soft smile glowing on her face. Honoka, despite not having known Haku for long, instinctively knew that Haku had finally banished some memory that had haunted her.
"Thank-you." Haku whispered, tears welling up her eyes. Brushing the tears away, the ice user led the four through her former town, showing them all of the places she used to visit. She showed them the market, tellings stories of how it used to bustle and how the calls of the shopkeepers filled the air as they hawked their wares. She showed them the park that she used to play in, and told them of how the swings seemed to take her up so high she could almost touch the sky.
She showed them where her childhood friend used to live, and told the foursome of the adventures they had. Haku showed them Shirha's house, telling them of how beautiful her baby had been. She lead them to her parents' house, and showed them the garden. Haku told them of all of the herbs her mother had planted there, and how she had taught some of her techniques to Haku. She showed them the kitchen, and told them of all of the wonderful memories she had of her mother and herself creating herbal remedies.
She showed them the living room, and told them of her happy memories when she played with her toys on the carpeted surface. Then...she told them of the night her parents had died. The memory was still painful, but it held no power over her. The wound was healing, and she found herself at peace as she was embraced by her friends.
The snow gently fell as the five shinobi stood at Haku's parents' graves to pay their respects. After standing silently for some time, Haku broke the silence. "Could I be alone with them for a little while?"
They nodded and quietly left, leaving Haku alone with the graves of her parents. "Hello Momma." Haku knelt next to her mother's resting place, "It's been a long time since we spoke. I was taken away by a man named Zabuza and I lived with him for some time, but I was never alive. Then, the most wonderful person came into my life. His name is Naruto Uzumaki…"
"And then we left the island after rescuing Honoka-San." Haku smiled as she finished retelling her life to her mother. "And you know what Momma?" It was a peaceful, content smile, "I think I will be alright."
Shifting to her father's grave, Haku spoke to the man who had killed her mother; who had betrayed her mother. "Father. I do not know if I can ever forgive you for what you did to Momma. But," Haku was at peace, "I will not let the tragedy of what you did prevent me from finding happiness for myself and those I care about." Haku breathed in, letting herself feel all of the pain, anger, sadness, and fear created by the night her parents died. She held the breath in until she felt she would shatter from the intensity of the emotions.
Then she breathed out, letting all of the built up emotions go. And for the first time in years, the snow stopped falling. As Haku stood and gave one final farewell to her mother, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, bathing the valley in light and warmth.
"Are you ready to go Haku-Chan?"
"Yes, Naruto-Sama," Haku smiled at the man she loved, "I am ready."
Leaving Supai behind, the five shinobi headed north, moving steadily each day towards Kirigakure. After traveling for a three and a half weeks, their relaxed journey was shattered by the sounds of frantic combat in the distance. Hinata instantly pulsed chakra to her eyes as she snapped her eyelids close. A moment later she opened them, and began searching the area with her bloodline.
It took her less than ten seconds to find the disturbance. "Range: Half-Mile. Two groups of ninja are fighting, one group is vastly smaller than the other. They both have on Kiri headbands, but the smaller group's headbands look fresh, while the larger group's headbands look worn." She paused and peered closer. "From the way the smaller group is attempting to retreat back to Kiri, I am guessing that the smaller group are Kiri ninja and the larger group are Loyalists from the old regime."
"Ok." Naruto's right hand snapped up, signalling everyone to ready themselves for the fight ahead, "How many Loyalists?"
"Forty-three." Hinata answered, before correcting herself a moment later. "No, forty-two. One of the Kiri ninja took a Loyalist out using a special sword." She paused. "Only two Kiri ninja are still live, and one of them is slowly bleeding out."
"Alright." Naruto turned to look at his friends, "There's people fighting for their lives over there, and they are our potential allies." The Uzumaki gave his patented confident grin. "Let's go save them."
Today was a very bad day, Chojuro reflected. Perhaps the worst day he had ever had, and that was including the time that Ao had locked him in a room alone with several hungry jaguars. "That had been a really bad time." He remembered fondly the look on Mizukage-Sama's face when she had learned what Ao had done.
The white haired swordsman shook his head, bringing himself back to the battle. "Just because it looks like I'm going to die, I won't take it lying down!" Tightening his hands on one of Hiramekarei's twin handles, he readied himself for what would be his last stand. He didn't have to wait very long. A razor sharp water whip snapped in his direction, and Chojuro swung his sword, Hiramekarei's sharp edge easily slicing through the water technique. Then, the battlefield dissolved into chaos once again.
Batting away two kunai, Chojuro grunted to himself as he felt his tired muscles protest against swinging Hiramekarei's heavy weight around so quickly. Still, he knew better than to give into his protesting body. To do so would mean death, and he wasn't eager to meet the Shinigami's embrace just yet. Shoving chakra through his aching muscles, Chojuro leapt at the nearest group of enemies.
Unleashing the pent-up chakra inside of Hiramekarei, the white haired swordsman pushed his intent into the blade, feeling it morph into a massive hammer. Lifting the semi-physical weapon above his head with a yell, Chojuro fell in a semi controlled fall towards the small group of Loyalists. Slamming the hammer down with all of his strength, the chakra construct smashed into the ground, blasting the enemy ninjas away with ease.
Landing in a crouch, Chojuro used the dust cloud to give himself a moment to breathe. Dismissing the chakra from Hiramekarei to conserve energy, the swordsman was unprepared for the blitzt assault by one of Loyalists. The Loyalist threw himself at the shocked swordsman, the Loyalist's unadorned sword slamming into the hastily wielded Hiramekarei. Zealotry and fervor gave the Loyalist strength, and he shoved Chojuro off his feet.
The young Kiri ninja slammed into the unforgiving ground with a thump and he couldn't stop the groan of pain as the air was drive from his lungs. His dark blue eyes widened in a brief moment of panic before his training took over. Blindly lashing out, Chojuro's right hand clasped Hiramekarei's handle. Pulling the massive sword across his body, he managed to barely block the sword strike that would have split his head open. The resounding clang echoed across the battlefield. Bracing the sword with his left forearm, Chojuro struggled to keep the Loyalist's sword from slicing him open.
The Loyalist chuckled as he leaned on the sword, bearing down on Chojuro's widened eyes. Chojuro felt his strength slowly fading, and the enemy blade inched ever closer. "You're going to die, Betrayer." The Loyalist grinned maliciously, "Here, on this forgotten battlefield." Chojuro felt his muscles begin to tremble and burn as he struggled to keep death at bay. Then, abruptly, the Loyalist was blasted away like a ragdoll, his lifeless body skidding to a stop a dozen feet away. All eyes turned to see the newcomers who had interrupted the battle.
"Hello." Naruto began calmly as he lowered his outstretched hand, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I need you to stop attacking my allies."
There was a stunned silence as all eyes stared at him. After a few seconds, Kyoshinja, the leader of the Loyalists spoke. "Who?" A moment later he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. This is a internal Kiri issue and you are are not authorized to intervene."
"By who's authority?" Naruto tilted his head, curious to their response. He had dealt with people like them before, those who discarded logic and common sense for fervor and zealotry.
"By the authority of Yagura-Sama." There was an unsettling note of reverence to the Kyoshinja's tone, "He is the only one who can stem the tide of the blood users." Murmurs of agreement from the other Loyalists Rippled across the battleground. "They are abominations who will kill us all if we don't kill them first." The leader nodded sagely. "Every time I have met a bloodline user they have tried to kill me."
It was a struggle not to attack the man. "While you are entitled to your own opinion," Naruto began, doing his best to keep his voice calm, "I'm not going to let you kill that Kiri ninja."
"We seemed to be at an impasse then." Kyoshinja replied. There was tenseness in the air as Naruto and the Loyalist leader attempted to stare each other down. Then, Hinata shifted slightly to the side, drawing the leader's attention. Instantly he focused on the obvious sign of her Byakugan.
Kyoshinja's face began to darken with rage. "Abomination! They consort with an abomination!" He surged chakra to his arms. "Kill them. Kill them all!" Snapping his head forward while his hands sped through the handsigns for one of his water techniques, the Loyalist leader spat three large water bullets at Naruto.
The blonde Uzumaki responded by ducking the first bullet, dodging the second, and twisting out of the way of the third. Weaving his hand through the handsigns for an air bullet, Naruto returned fire, causing the leader to dive out of the way. The other Loyalists sprang forward, and Naruto's group split up, each taking on a group of enemies. Chaos once again enveloped the battlefield.
The air grew cold as Haku walked towards the group of enemies threatening those she cared about. Creating a handful of ice senbon with a flicker of focus, her hand snapped forward, sending the deadly projectiles racing towards her enemies.
One of the ninja dodged out of the way, while two more blocked the needles with their hastily drawn weapons. The last ninja was just a moment too slow, dropping to the ground in a gurgle of blood.
"Another abomination!" One of the Loyalist kunoichis snapped her hands through the handsigns for her favored water technique. She had just started to spit out the water for the attack jutsu when Haku snap froze the water, causing the Loyalist to choke as she frantically attempted to remove the block of ice cutting off her airway.
With an almost delicate motion, Haku wove the handsigns for the mist technique she had learned from Zabuza and then further perfected over countless hours of training with Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata. The cold mist instantly enveloped the two remaining Loyalist ninja, chilling them to the bone. She raised her hand. The cold water that clung to the Loyalists froze, robbing them of any ability to counter attack. The ice user spiked her chakra, forming hovering large ice spikes out of the mist. Her arm lowered, and the spikes shot downwards, impaling the helpless ninja.
Sakura left hand knocked the punch away as she chambered her right fist. Spotting another Loyalist pull several kunai, the pink haired kunoichi unclenched her fist and instead grabbed the Loyalist she was fighting. Hurling him directly in the path of the flying kunai with a burst of chakra enhanced strength, Sakura took advantage of the remaining Loyalists' shock as she charged the kunai thrower.
Forming a small chakra blade with a mere thought, her hand snapped forward like a striking viper, the blade easily penetrating the Loyalist's chest armor and skin. Almost cutting his heart in half, Sakura dismissed the chakra blade and spun on her heel, her left hand unsealing a vial of poison as her right hand sped through the handsigns for a simple water cloud jutsu. Popping the cork off of the vial, she flicked it upwards, hurling the deadly liquid into the air.
Breathing out the water cloud in a fierce exhalation, Sakura infused the water cloud with the poison. The Loyalist ninja didn't have time to react before the deadly cloud was upon them, and the poison went to work on contact. Their deaths were unpleasant, but quick.
Cutting the chakra that held the water cloud together, the pink haired medic nin dropped to her knees next to the badly wounded Kiri nin, her hand already glowing green as she assessed his injuries. Seeing that he needed immediate attention, she concentrated, beginning the process to close his punctured lung. As she did so, the medical kunoichi sent a chakra ping out, alerting her teammates that she was working on a patient. Trusting that they would protect her, Sakura focused all of her attention on saving their potential ally.
Dropping one of the Loyalists with a deceptively gentle looking palm thrust, Hinata twisted to the side, avoiding a dangerous looking water technique. Flowing through the hand signs for a fireball technique, the Hyuga kunoichi breathed out three fireballs, targeting each of the remaining Loyalists attacking her with one fireball each. Predictably they dodged the fire technique, but she had expected that. Still, they had leap up into the air to dodge her attack, and that was what Hinata had been waiting for.
Electricity sparked as she sped towards the spot one of the Loyalists would land, and her hand snapped out as he landed, unable to avoid his fate. Aided by her bloodline, Hinata stuck, instantly stopping his heart. Ducking and weaving through the shuriken thrown by another Loyalist, the Hyuga kunoichi flowed through the hand motions needed for her next technique.
A bolt of chakra enhanced electricity jumped from her open hand to the Loyalist, causing him to scream in pain as the volts stunned him. Flicking a shuriken into his exposed throat, Hinata dodged a sword strike from last of the four Loyalists she was fighting. Disabling his arm with a tap, her hand flashed twice more, paralyzing the Loyalist. One more strike ended his life.
Sidestepping a water technique, Honoka glided towards the four enemy ninja attacking her. Reaching down to her side, she triggered the invisible storage seal housing her weapon. Drawing her rapier, she let her chakra materialize, causing her ribbon-like chakra chains to flutter behind her in the non-existent wind. A single gesture sent her chakra chains flowing ahead of her, the symbol for 'Barrier' flashing into existence on each of it's links. Blocking a conjured water dragon, the symbols on Seal Chains of the Uzumaki kunoichi flipped to 'Restrain' before rushing forward to bind two of the Loyalist ninja.
A thought created two more chains that darted after the two remaining Loyalists who were busy throwing their strongest techniques at Honoka. Their efforts were futile as her chakra chains blocked the attacks with minimal difficulty. Arriving at the first restrained enemy, Honoka ended his life with a single precise thrust of her blade. Gliding onwards, the Uzumaki kunoichi spun out of the way of an errant kunai and stuck the second restrained Loyalist, ending his life with one economical strike with her rapier.
Freed from their previous duties, the two chakra chains joined her other chakra chains, quickly subduing the last two Loyalists in their squad. Sweeping her hand outwards, Honoka sent a senbon spiraling at each of their exposed necks. Her chains released the dead ninja a moment later.
Slamming into the Kyoshinja, Naruto grabbed the leader's hands before smashing his knee into the Loyalist leader's midsection. Concentrating, the Uzumaki created a single chakra chain. His training with Honoka proved useful, and he sent the chain speeding towards another attacking Loyalist. The chain's speartip impaled the Loyalist, forcing it's way through the attacking kunoichi's body, tearing through bone, muscle, and organs with equal ease.
Knocking away the Loyalist leader's counter attack, Naruto's fist hammered into his temple, stopping just short of being a knockout blow. Kyoshinja staggered back as unconsciousness flickered at the edge of his mind. Summoning a Rasengan, the blonde Uzumaki blurred towards another Loyalist. Slamming the spinning ball of blue chakra into him. The legendary technique bored into the enemy ninja with ease, practically obliterating the Loyalist's torso.
Naruto, upon seeing a dozen shuriken and kunai rocketing towards his location, quickly snapped his hands through one of the higher level jutsus shown to him by Asuma before Naruto had left on his vacation. The blonde Uzumaki had predictably altered it to something far...more powerful.
Summoning an oscillating wind wall, the Uzumaki blocked all of the thrown weapons, sucking them into the wind wall. Raising his arms, Naruto slowly brought them closer together, shaping the wall into a two interlocked tubes that faced the Loyalist ninja. Rotating his left hand, Naruto increased the speed of the inner ring of rotating wind, sending the slowly churning kunai and shurikens into a deadly blur. Drawing his right hand back, the Uzumaki charged his chakra before shoving his hand forward, firing the technique.
It was like firing a massive flechette cannon. The deadly projectiles zoomed across the short distance between Naruto and the Loyalists. Blood sprayed outwards as their bodies were riddled with their own weapons. Spotting each his teammates finishing off their group of enemies, the Uzumaki Clan Head flexed his massive chakra reserves, grinding the second wave of Loyalists to a cautious halt.
Summoning an more gigantic amount of chakra, Naruto took a step forward. The Loyalists, in spite of themselves, took a step back. "Leave." Naruto's hard tone allowed no rebuttals, "Enough people have died today." Another even more mammoth surge of chakra settled onto the Loyalists' shoulders, driving most of them to their knees.
Kyoshinja had never hated a non-bloodline user as much as he hated Naruto in that moment. But he wasn't stupid. "Retreat." It was spat like an angry curse. It galled him to say the words, and they tasted like acid in his mouth. The feelings of hatred and helpless anger intensified in each Loyalist when they felt Naruto's immense chakra lift, allowing them to rise. Slowly, the Loyalist ninjas retreated into the shadows.
Chojuro let his head fall back with a light thud. That had been...very unexpected. Hearing the crunching of feet on the dirt near his location, the Kiri shinobi glanced over to see Naruto stop and extend his hand. Grasping it, Chojuro was slightly surprised at how easily the Konoha ninja pulled him up.
"Naruto Uzumaki."
"Chojuro of Kiri." They shook hands. Now that the adrenaline was fading, Chojuro felt his familiar shyness resurfacing. "What are you doing here?" As far as Chojuro was aware, Konoha had not sent an official response regarding the change from Yagura's reign to Mei's leadership. He ducked his head, abruptly realizing how his question sounded. "If you don't mind me asking."
"Actually," Naruto sheepishly rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, "We are on vacation and heard the sounds of combat."
"Oh." Chojuro blinked. "He was on vacation and just decided to run towards the sound of combat?"
"Granted," Naruto continued, "We are planned on meeting with the Fifth Mizukage soon, but we need to speak to a…" The Uzumaki Clan Head's eyes sharpened as he called out to his girlfriend, "Sakura-Chan, how is the other Kiri ninja?"
"He is stable for now." Sakura wiped her sweaty forehead, "But he will need proper medical facilities to fully recover."
"Chojuro," Naruto's voice was calm and reasoning, "We can help you get your teammate back to Kiri."
"T-That sounds great." Chojuro did his best to speak clearly, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the sheer presence of the Uzumaki Clan Head. Plus...Naruto and his team did just take out over twenty enemy ninja in the time it had taken him to take out one. Still, his teammate needed medical attention. "Follow me." After a few moments of deliberation, it was decided that Naruto would carry the unconscious Kiri nin, while Chojuro led.
Kyoshinja glared moodily at the fire. He and his men felt humiliated and angry. They had attacked Naruto Uzumaki and his band of abominations. Filled with zeal and righteous fury, the Loyalists had charged the enemy, fully expecting to crush them beneath their heel. Instead, it was the Loyalists who were destroyed. Realizing a hopeless fight when he saw one, Kyoshinja lead his men in a retreat, swearing that he would get revenge for the utter humiliation he had sustained.
Unable to sit still anymore, the leader of the Sixth Loyalist Division paced away from the fire. "Perhaps it's time our division joined the others. Even though they don't believe that bloodline users are abominations, they still understand why they need to be destroyed." He nodded to himself. "Yes. That would give us enough men to overwhelm Naruto Uzumaki and his bloodline whores. We can kill them and when we do so, it will surely break him."
Turning around, he addressed his troops. "Men. Pack your things. In the morning we set out for Base Alpha. We are joining up with the rest of the divisions." Hearing the confused and discontented murmurs of his men, Kyoshinja raised his hand signalling for silence. Once they had quieted, he continued. "I know that we don't see eye to eye with some of the other divisions, but in the end, we are all brothers and sisters of the true Kiri." Cautious murmurs of agreement began to circulate in the camp as they remembered why they had become missing nin in the first place.
"Not a bad speech." The voice suddenly sounded out from near the fire. Snapping his head to the fire, Kyoshinja watched a hooded man walk out of the shadows, uncaring at the weapons being e brandished in his direction. Plopping down on the log near the fire, he rested his hands behind his head. "Overall, I'd give it a solid eight out of ten." Brushing his hood back, he revealed his short blood red spiky hair. "So good job."
The stranger shrugged. "I mean, the reason why you are joining up with the other divisions isn't the correct reason, but," Another shrug, "It still was a good speech." Leaning forward, he grinned pleasantly at the slightly confused Loyalists. "I was just passing by, saw your fire and thought to myself 'Gosh, those men look like nice people."
He quickly raised his hands and addressed the few kunoichi in the camp. "Not that I'm saying you ladies look like men. You are all very beautiful. Wait." He paused before moving his hands in a placating gesture as he clarified, "Not that you don't look like professional kunoichi. You all look like dangerous women, kinda like Naruto's women." He grinned, a spark of boyish charm peeking through. "I mean, I'll bet that each of you guys have taken out your fair share of enem-"
"You know Naruto Uzumaki?!" Kyoshinja interrupted the stranger, jerking a kunai from his belt, "You're going to tell me everythi-URK!"
As the Loyalist Leader took a step towards the stranger, a malicious snarl twisted the red hair stranger's face as he spun to face Kyoshinja. Suddenly a jet black chain burst out of the ground and wrapped around Kyoshinja's neck, strangling him. "I. Was. Talking." The stranger bit out.
Abruptly turning back around to face the Loyalists, the redhead smiled warmly once again. "Now where was I?" He pondered, "Oh yes. You see, Naruto Uzumaki isn't ready yet for what you are probably planning." As the stranger continued talking, more black chains snaked out of the ground and began winding themselves around Kyoshinja's limbs.
"You all can put your weapons down." The red haired man idly waved his hand, "I'm just talking right now." Something dark and terrible flickered in his expression. "You don't want to interrupt me." Abruptly he smiled again. "But we're all friends here, so that's not going to be any issue, right?"
"Of course," He admitted, "Naruto has seized his own fate, not letting the world chose it for him." The stranger raised his right hand. "'Cause you all know how a person's fate can change," He snapped his fingers, "Just like that." Behind him, Kyoshinja came apart in an explosion of gore, bone, and viscera as each of the chains binding him pulled in a separate direction with sudden impossible strength. The camp froze at the violent display, and shouts of dismay rent the air.
Ignoring the carnage behind him, the stranger raised his hand, and put a finger to his camp instantly fell silent. "You know, for one moment," He raised his pointer finger, "One solitary moment, I had such hope." His gaze drifted to the past. "It was just over a year ago now. For one single moment I felt it: Naruto's true strength." He scowled. "But then that Seal Master calmed him down. But," The red haired man tapped his temple with his finger, "I had a thought: How much more powerful would Naruto be if he was even closer to his women before he lost them?"
"So," The stranger glanced around the camp, "While I personally have nothing against any of you, I can't risk any of you telling people that Naruto is soft. We can't have his woman dying just yet." Countless pitch black chains slowly rose from behind him, their spear tips glinting in the moonlight. Reaching into his cloak, he pulled a serrated blade from it's hidden sheath. "I'm sure you all understand."
"If not," The chains sprouted wicked curved spikes as the redhead shrugged, "I don't give a fuck."
The stranger charged.
So what did you think? Drop a review and let me know.
On Honoka: My goal was to show that she is a more mature, older (current age 18 and/or 168) and regal compared to the other main females in HotE. In addition, she is a product of a different, more violent age. And as such, a "Kunoichi" in the Warring Clan period was a simple method of describing gender, rather than the separate title that it is in the current time period of HotE. I'm not sure if I pulled her off correctly, so let me know if I messed up on characterization.
On Uzu: Basically, Uzu was a neutral village. As such, they weren't pressured to serve any particular land. In doing so, their culture developed to a giant family-like structure. If you liked to say, go hunting, the village would happily train you to hunt. In turn, you would bring back your game for the village. Everyone wins. Combine that attitude with the fact that everyone in Uzu was trained in self defense and all Uzumaki were basically genetically predispositioned to have an affinity for seals...you can see why all of the other ninja villages thought they were a threat.
On the fight with the Loyalists: The fight seemed one sided because it kind of was. Naruto and co are training to fight S-Class ninja, and the Loyalists are the last remaining stragglers who managed to avoid dying in battle.
To my reviewers direct questions:
yukicrewger2: The next arc after the Mist Arc will be focused on Konoha and the events that I have been foreshadowing for quite a few chapters.
BHgamefreak375: Currently they are 15 (minus Haku who is 17), and as far as the relative time scale goes compared to canon, there is one year left until Part 2.
Nin-Guest: Correct. Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata are 15, while Haku (due to her being canonically 15 when Naruto is 13) is 17. Real/Theoretical physics are indeed awesome. And you are correct. Essentially, I treated the Kyubi's chakra as an emotional enhancer that kept, for lack of a better term, enhancing the anger the more they drew on it.
Giratina Zero: While I won't spoil it, I can say that Minato won't appear in the seal during the Mist Arc.
Kurohyoneko: That's actually the point. Naruto shouldn't have failed because of that. However, Naruto didn't know that, and Mizuki happily exploited his ignorance. It wasn't Naruto's incompetence that cost him the normal graduation, it was Mizuki's cold, deliberate cruelty that did.
Nin-Guest: Generally I tried to keep canon events happening if they wouldn't have been changed by a character's actions. Naruto and co weren't powerful enough at that time to change certain events, especially the ones in the beginning area. As things progressed and continue to progress, things are diverging more and more from canon since Naruto affects more and more of the world. As far as rewrites/remasters go, I'm kinda split on that. On the one hand, my early chapters could really use them. On the other hand, they serve as a kind of pathway showing my skill as a writer increasing. I'm sure that I'll get over myself at some point soon and remaster all of my early chapters.
Side note: Reviewers conversing amongst themselves about something I wrote is probably one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me.