Naruto walked around Uzu with the guide while the people looked at him curiously. He stood out with his blonde hair and dressing style along with the Konoha and Land of Fire symbol on his clothes.
They didn't interact with him and Naruto didn't push it. He just watched the people through his new eyes, and saw a world filled with fuinjutsu seals. It was magical. He could see them everywhere, not just the buildings and the people around him.
They even had fuinjutsu seals carved on their bodies, and some had seals on their bones. There were seals in the atmosphere, just floating around. And, even on the ground deep beneath the town.
It was a paradise filled with fuinjutsu.
He saw unique sights that were never seen in other places. Shopkeepers keeping large quantities of items inside small boxes utilizing the storage seals function.
There were people teleporting around town, people flying using the seals, people practicing with barriers and chakra chains, and even some using elemental powers through seals.
Just by watching, Naruto learned a lot about his clan and the utilization of fuinjutsu. It added depth to his small amount knowledge that he had gained from Orochi and the book from the Sage. Unlike Ninjutsu, Fuinjutsu wasn't something Naruto could brute force so deeper understand was required of him.
On the way Naruto tried to make small talk with the guide, but the man was professional and didn't interact with him beyond answering small basic questions.
By the end of the trip, Naruto was extremely impressed by the Uzumaki clan and was excited to learn from them. Seeing that they had arrived in the training area, Naruto was excited by the unique fighting style.
"What do you think?" Toshiro arrived and stood beside him with a neutral look on his face. He was the type that rarely gave praise and wasn't impressed by many things in life.
"They are strong and just seeing them fight has given me new ideas."
Toshiro didn't know much about Naruto other than their talks, but he could roughly estimate that the young man was a combat genius and talented in the field of ninjutsu.
"Is that so, then how about you spar with our top talent? Maybe you will learn better after sparring with him."
It was obvious to Naruto that they were testing him and analyzing him. It was something he had realized from the beginning, as not everyone would just follow him. There would be people that would try to topple him.
However, it didn't really matter. He would remain steadfast and resolute on his path. He would not hide, and he would always walk forward to stand on top. He didn't mind if someone was stronger than him, as it only meant that he needed to work harder.
"Really, I would love to spar." Naruto showed his genuine excitement, forgetting about the negative side of things.
"Is this my opponent, he doesn't look strong?" From across the arena, a man in his twenties appeared while smoking a cigar. The man's tone was casual and wasn't degrading, he was just commenting on Naruto's appearance which looked skinny in comparison to the fighters in the arena.
"Makoto, how many times have I told you to stop smoking in my presence? Throw it before I do it personally, and stop judging based on looks. Use your eyes and soul." Toshiro roared at the young man, causing him to put out the cigar.
It was then that Naruto saw an unusual sight. Makoto had seals inside his eyes that rotated like a magical circle.
Naruto could feel that the foe was reading him, from his life force to his soul. It really showed that the Uzumaki clan had not been messing around and was prepared for combat completely.
Makoto straightened up after one good look and seem to have received some instructions that he didn't like.
"Tsk, let's get this over with." Makoto disliked that he was fighting a losing battle and he couldn't even use his full capabilities, just the basics like the rest of the clan warriors when he was the protector of the Phoenix.
He was the Red King.
Naruto didn't know of the details but he could see that his foe was someone important from the expression of others and the fact that he was chosen as his sparring partner.
His chakra capacity was higher than Kage level, and his life force was high even among these Uzumaki. It was really was the first time he had felt so many strong forces among humanity like his.
The duo walked into the arena while multiple layered barriers covered it up.
"I will start strong, so get ready." Makoto announced as he stood without any weapons.
"I am always ready. Please show me the might of the Uzumaki clan." Naruto gave a nod of approval as he stood like an immovable mountain.
Unlike other spars, he really didn't know what to expect.
Makoto disliked his tone as it seemed to come from above him. Without any other word, he started his offence since it was his specialty. Extending his forward, Makoto pointed it at Naruto and a countless fuinjutsu seals formed into a circle.
The circle multiplied into multiple small circles until there were ten of them in a single column.
Dragon Fire
Makoto unleashed the jutsu through the seals and it seemed to have multiplied in power as it passed through the circles. What was unleashed on the level of a Kage had been boosted ten times just like that.
Naruto watched in wonder at what his opponent was doing, it was eye-opening. Nonetheless, it did nothing to him. He could never be affected by such a weak attack anymore. However, Naruto realized that the flames weren't simple.
The heat was extremely high, showing that Makoto's understanding of fire was at the top. Along with the heat that was even comparable to Madara's fire jutsu, Makoto's flames contained fuinjutsu seals.
Somehow he had incorporated seals into the element and given the flames chakra burning effect, constant burning effect through the chakra of the foe and even chakra suppression effect.
While the flame attack was being used, Makoto had unleashed something called Flame domain.
Fuinjutsu seals extended from his feet and covered the area creating a red region that boosted Makoto's power while suppressing Naruto.
Naruto absorbed the flame attack and watched Makoto intently. He was fully focused on what the sparring partner was doing.
"Can you at least take this a bit seriously?" Makoto was fed up with what was happening and showed his displeasure.
"Sorry, I was just distracted by your skills."
Hearing such honest praise, Makoto was taken aback.
"Fine, just fight back a little."
Naruto gave a nod and decided to comply by appearing in front of Makoto instantly through pure speed that surpassed light and unleashed a wind bullet point blank into the foe's abdomen.
The sudden attack was too much and Makoto was lucky he had activated the domain or it would have been an embarrassing defeat.
His automatic defence activated as Makoto was teleported to the opposite side and he sent a counter attack even though he was still dazed by what took place.
Punching the air in front of him in succession with flame fists, Makoto utilized similar booster circles to make them stronger.
Naruto understood before the result even took place and saw the attacks coming at him from all directions as they teleported to cover the distance instantly.
Covering up his vision, Makoto unleashed his burning chains along with some flame warriors that were covered in seals.
The warriors tried to swarm Naruto and were unkillable while the chain gave off extreme heat that it could turn anything to ash on contact.
Naruto was captured both of these attacks and he saw seals covering up his body, infiltrated it to the depths. If it wasn't for his special physique, Makoto might have just won even with their stat difference.
Energy resistance
Makoto activated the seals on his body along with a special seal that allowed him further resistance to chakra attacks.
Forming flame seals in the air, Makoto continued until there were around 100 of them before he combined them into one.
Summon Flame King
The seals combined and formed into a fire elemental that gave off intense heat far surpassing anything that Naruto had felt.
He actually started to feel his skin burn.
"Let's finish this, Naruto." Makoto commanded the elemental to attack Naruto along with flame warriors.
On the other hand, he seemed to be looking at Naruto for an opening.
Naruto actually felt danger from the Flame King as its heat was too high. He was forced to block the heat with chakra. The look in the foe's eyes gave him a dangerous feeling.
However, Naruto gave him the chance and Makoto took it.
Appearing within a blaze and Makoto started a combo of punches and kicks covered by flames that ended with an explosion.
The attacks were extremely heavy and fast as Makoto had chakra enhancement plus fuinjutsu seals enhancement on his body and bones.
Furthermore, his attacks were boosted by the domain and the booster circles.
The attack wasn't simple brute force as Naruto understood why it felt dangerous. With each contact, Naruto's atoms were burning. Makoto was burning him on the atomic level. The move would have killed him normally but it couldn't get past his immunity.
Only the heat formed naturally could hurt him or the impact of Makoto's punch.
Naruto retaliated once Makoto was finished and blocked his powers with a combo of gentle fist. But it didn't stop the flames around him since they were made from seals.
Naruto decided to fight the flames with his black flames. Though he could have just absorbed them, he used Amaterasu. The black flames had gotten stronger under his hand and reached a heat level that far surpassed anything that has ever been used on the planet.
It seemed that he would turn the world to ash if he wasn't careful with it. His Six Paths abilities were too strong for anyone to resist at this point.
Finishing up with the flames, Naruto turned to Makoto.
"Thank you for the spar, Mister Makoto. You are really strong, and your moves are awesome." Naruto undid the binding and showed praise on the opponent.
"If you think so, then I would be cool if you could give me a proper fight." Makoto was completely unharmed except for his pride.
"You won't mind getting hurt?"
"I am not afraid of some pain or limbs getting dusted, this barrier will keep it clean."
"Naruto, don't worry about and do your best." Toshiro also gave him the approval, but Naruto knew that they weren't aware of the fact that he had existence erasure ability.
"Okay, let's do this again." Naruto accepted their request and turned off his Six Paths mode since he couldn't turn off the Rinnegan.
It was the combination of the Rinne-Sharingan and Six Paths Mode that allowed him to become immune to normal chakra attacks. Both sides Six Paths combined to form the complete ability.
With it off, Naruto's power dropped to moon level and he was once again capable of getting hurt by normal chakra.
However, this time he wasn't as easy to hit.
The power difference was still there and it was too big of a gap to contend with just pure skill unless Naruto allowed the attacks to land.
With a single well placed rasengan that was launched after dodging all of the attacks, Makoto was taken out as he was slammed into the barrier and grinded by the attack.
His failsafe didn't work as Naruto blocked space with his rinnegan and with Naruto's blockage of chakra absorption finished the battle.
Naruto stopped the battle before the rasengan could tear through Makoto's body.
On the side, Toshiro had been watching the battle while his team was analyzing everything. Though Naruto was not using his full power, they could make some assumptions.
From the reading of his presence they got, Naruto was around Planet level. They didn't see an attack, but they read the chakra quality, reserves, control and soul power. With all of it taken into account, Naruto was beyond anything they could produce.
His Six Paths chakra was also a problem as it made him completely immune to their abilities. Naruto had not told them about Senjutsu working on it, but they saw that only the heat worked on him. From that they concluded that natural phenomenon would work, but anything that contained chakra wouldn't.
Did all chakra not work, or was there a possibility of reaching a level to attack him? That was a question and challenge for the Uzumaki clan.
With that solution in hand, they could capture him with their seals even with the stat gap.
Genryu also watched the battle from his office along with a young woman.
"Do you think you can win?"He asked with a smile like he was asking the obvious. It seems that unlike others, he knew some secret that gave him absolute confidence.
"I don't know for now, but it is just a matter of time. The Phoenix can't be defeated by us mortals."The beautiful and charming warrior responded calmly as she drank tea and watched Naruto beat one of her protectors.
She didn't like the fact that Makoto was being used in such a degrading manner and annoyed that he was getting beaten.
"Don't look at me like that, Hotaru. This is necessary or we would have miscalculated and gotten defeated by the unknown power of the young man."
"It isn't unknown. It's just the energy of the Otsutsuki, a slightly different variant."
"Oh, that makes sense. So, you can allow your protectors to fight him."
"I can, but it would be best to handle this personally."
"It is your choice."
"Father, you won't have to wait long to achieve your dream. I just need few years and our victory will be bloodless." Hotaru stood up and gave him a hug before leaving the room.
"Where are you going?"
"I am going to meet him personally. I want to know if he has sensed the presence."
Finished with the spar, Naruto had lunch with Toshiro and Makoto where they seem to bond over their shared interest in fighting, and cool moves.
Just as Makoto was about to show him a cool fuinjutsu seal that could trap a soul inside eternal flames, he stopped and stood up to show respect to his master.
Naruto turned his face to the side and saw a charming woman walking towards them along with an old man.
"Greetings Naruto Uzumaki, my name is Hotaru. It is an honor to meet you directly. Please, walk with me." Hotaru extended her hand towards him, and Naruto shook it.
It was clear that she had meant for him to kiss it, but Naruto wasn't aware of the customs. Regardless, she smiled and walked.
Toshiro pushed him and Naruto walked beside her while Makoto and the old man followed them from behind.
"So, what time have you guys decided on?" Naruto didn't know what she wanted so he decided to ask about the timing.
"Father will inform you about that soon. It is something that requires careful planning since we have a lot of people to move. Therefore, let us take it easy and get to know each other…What do you think of us now? Is it better than what you imagined or is it lacking?" Hotaru walked with grace and seemed to have powerful attractive force. Her presence demanded attention. Her voice was calm and friendly that it made Naruto, want to speak openly.
"I never really thought about it, but it is better than anything I could have imagined. What about you, how do you feel about going into the outside world?"
Hotaru glanced at him and she could feel everything that Naruto did. She was a high level empath beyond Naruto, meaning it was possible for her to see all emotions of others around her.
Naruto's reaction was genuine and he didn't seem to hold any negative feeling about them. It was the first time she had come across such a person, a person pure of heart.
"I am excited to see what the outside world has to show. In this small world there really isn't much to see, so it felt like we were birds inside a cage. I have heard much about the world outside, but it's been so long and those things might not be there now. Naruto, tell me of things you recommend."
Just like that Hotaru and Naruto engaged in a simple conversation while their empathic abilities complemented each other. It also showed that Naruto was unable to sense the higher being. Though, he could see through her restraints and feel that she was stronger than everyone in town.
Naruto bid them farewell and left the pocket dimension once the timing was decided. Genryu told him to visit them after a week and they would be ready to live in the Land of Whirlpools again.
Arriving outside the realm, Naruto dispersed his clone and came face to face with three disappointed faces.
"Lord Naruto, this is not how things are supposed to be. You need to understand your position more. You can't just perform every task and forget about your standing. It reflects badly on you and all of us. People that follow you will feel useless and unreliable if you continue to act like this. Please consider this advice seriously." Orochi spoke to him as he realized that Naruto had yet to grasp his role and the importance of relaying task on others.
"How can I send others into an unknown region or situation? What if they got hurt or died?" Naruto couldn't agree with that mindset.
"They all know the risks and their duties. Death will come to them when it is destined for them, you can never save them from it or change that date. With your kind words and actions, you are only disrespecting them and their determination.
Do you expect to participate in everything? Does the Hokage follow everyone around?"
Naruto stopped and couldn't help but agree with those words since he could feel others emotions. He would have also been annoyed if the Hokage had followed him around.
His emotions were messing up with his thoughts and making him act overprotective.
"I can agree with that, but in this kind of situation it was ideal for me to go alone."
"Maybe, but what if you had died. Do you understand why the leader doesn't stand in front of the army or why the Hokage is always in the village? It is because they are the core of everything and their death would cause worse outcomes then the death of others. You should remember that your death will spell doom for humanity." Orochi didn't even need to think much before he shot down Naruto's argument, causing him to feel guilty about his actions.
"Sorry, I just thought it might be too dangerous for you guys. I will try to change and I hope you guys can help me on the way." Naruto wasn't bullheaded and prideful about his thoughts. These things weren't about his values, so he could change when he found a better answer and it was something he needed to get used to. He had always been the follower and soldier, so it was his first time in the role of the leader.
"Don't regret those words, I am going to pester you a lot until you get it through your thickhead." Ino said mischievous smile on her face as she punched him in the gut playfully.
None of them were the type to back down from a fight and the time for the girls to wait for their hero was done. They had out grown the phase and become adults that could take responsibility for themselves. And, the world wasn't kind enough to allow people with such mindset to survive through the current ordeal.
"I won't regret it." Naruto hugged her tight and messed up her hair, before composing himself and explaining what took place.
"We might have to keep watch on the Uzumaki clan from the sound of it. They had yet to let go of their desire for vengeance and could end up taking drastic steps to achieve it." Orochi concluded from Naruto's description as it seemed clear in the words those people had spoken.
"Naruto be careful of these people, their words were completely manipulative and calculated. They were trying to test you at all times and seem to look for a way to take you down. They aren't trustworthy." Hinata didn't like what she was saying when Naruto finally found some blood relatives, but being family didn't mean that they would definitely look out for you. It was especially when Naruto didn't even know them and wasn't raised among them.
"They are definitely giving me the slimy vibe. But, let's make the situation clear. What did you feel from them at those times?" Ino knew Naruto was an empath and knew how far he could see.
"I know they were trying to test me, and they are definitely planning something. But, after that their emotions were genuine. They were talking casually and desiring a bond. They aren't bad, they just need some time in the outside world to let go of their hatred."
"What about that girl, Hotaru? Why did you say she made you feel weird Did you just fall in love at first sight?" Ino pushed.
"Of course not, I felt something different from her. I am still training with Sage arts, but I felt my senses feel it. I don't what it was, but with more training I will know what it is. Right now, I can't even say anything. Just that I felt something other than Hotaru."
"Is she a vessel for something?" Hinata questioned as it could be a similar situation to them and the Uzumaki wouldn't have a difficult doing it.
"I don't know."
"If she is a vessel and you couldn't sense the creature then it must be something extremely powerful. It might be an immortal." Orochi proposed from the information presented.
"What does that mean? Something like Amaterasu or Izanagi." Naruto asked as he wasn't really aware of these mystical things, he spent most of his time playing Dragon Quest type games and learning about cool ninjutsu and taijutsu moves or, looking for the best Ramen in the world.
"Yes, you might not be aware but those beings do exist. I am a follower of Master Gaea, and I can communicate with her. You should be able to sense them as well since they aren't technically above your level of existence. I believe if she is a vessel then she is a vessel of a powerful concept. As in the concept of the sun is called Amaterasu and Master Gaea is the concept of the Earth itself. So, she could have any concept that's actually much deeper than these physical things. For example, the concept of heat itself or space or time or life. There is a lot out there and I am not aware of anything beyond what Master Gaea has bestowed upon me." Orochi just opened the trio's eyes to a new reality and to prove his point, a green color aura appeared around him in the shape of woman that smiled at them before disappearing.
"It is the nice to meet you all. I hope we can work together soon." A beautiful voice spread around them before vanishing.
"What were they doing while the wars took place, while the Otsutsuki attacked?" Naruto asked pointedly as he didn't like the fact that such strong beings did nothing when they had the power to change everything.
Orochi shook his head, "They couldn't do it. Just like I said, they aren't really stronger than you. Before the appearance of Kaguya, there was a seal on the moon that kept the immortals on earth locked. None of them could leave their domain and enter earth because of restriction put by the Sage of Six Paths and Sage of Tenseigan. Now that the seal has been broken, they are slowly gaining excess to our world. This is good and bad, because now even demonic beings might be attracted to our world.
We will have to redo the seal and make it even stronger since earth will become a fire in the darkness attracting moths to its flames.
I hope you can give them a chance, Lord Naruto."
Hearing his explanation and heartfelt plea, Naruto couldn't help but see his point.
"Don't worry, I never judge others before hearing their side of things."
"Okay, so what are we going to do about it? What if this girl has some insane power on her side, what do we do?" Ino was definitely intrigued by the existence of the mythological beings, but her mind was focused on the current problem.
"I can ask Master Gaea to see what kinds of immortals are interacting with our region. But, they will not help us out in this problem unless the Uzumaki clan really is a tyrant clan hell-bent on creating chaos."
"We can't just accuse of them what we are unsure off, and they haven't shown any open hostility. Regardless, if they have something or not we can only do what we are already doing, unless you guys have another idea." Naruto saw their looks and didn't mention attacking the clan out of fear of the unknown.
"Contract with the immortals just like Mister Orochi, I think that should give you another edge that no one would expect." Hinata proposed as she looked at him before turning to Orochi to see if it was possible or not.
"It is possible."