Chapter Three; Uzumaki Three Land of Eddies; Whirling Ocean
Jetting across the ocean were the Uzu-mercenary shinobi, Haku was being carried by Sena as she lacked the control and speed to keep up with them. They took their normal security measures to ensure that any tails were lost, skying towards the island ahead "Finally, we're home." Honoka cries out "Damn straight!" Kazer roars with a loud laughter "Can't wait to get a bowl of ramen when we get back…" Misaka Uzumaki says stretching up "You guys eat so much of that stuff." Shia Uchiha informs "It's the food of the gods!" every Uzumaki in attendance declares, the others just sweat dropped at the predictable response. Kazer slides up to Naruto's side "So, another perfect mission and recovering a Bijuu to boot. You trying to impress someone?"
"You know you talk too much." Naruto responds with narrowing eyes "Sorry bro, I know it's gotta be tough with all those expectations on you." Naruto grunts at Kazers words before glancing at him "We both have expectations on us, Commander."
"Relax a bit, man. We aren't alone anymore man."
"I know…" Naruto whispers glancing over at Karin who he knew was listening in discreetly "…and I am thankful for that."
"How long before you next mission?"
"A Day or two at most."
"Gheeze. Thought they'd give you a week at least."
"No rest for the best." Naruto smirks looking back at his cousin who, despite the masks, could tell he was scowling "We're only three missions behind!"
"Make that four. This was a double" Karin adds sliding up next to her fiancée, the two teens knew she was smirking at them both but more towards Kazer. "Break it up you two." Naruto cutting in before they both get carried away "We're approaching the cliff. Kazer, bring up the rear."
"Yes sir!" as he slips back and Naruto leads his team into the narrow waterway, hidden by the sharp cliffs, and a cleverly disguised genjustsu reinforced by seals.
Land of Eddies; Uzushigakure Southern Entrance
"Ah, welcome back everyone." An elderly man speaks firmly at the stretching group, some growing rather stiff from the high-speed transit back, gliding across the ocean surface. "Thank you, Ashina-sama!" the group all bowed when the man notices an extra head "Oh, you have someone new?" and the group parted to show Haku standing at the end with Sena by her side "Yes, Ashina-sama. This is a lost clansmen we found in wave…" she bows her head further "I am Yuki Haku, pleased to make your acquaintance." The man grunts and looks to his Grandson "Naruto; did you complete your missions?"
"Yes, Gigi." Naruto presenting the scroll from his lower back, lowering his head as Ashina takes it before whacking his head with a bamboo stick causing him to cry out "Remember your manners in front of others. We aren't at home."
"Yeah, yeah, gramps-sama." A mumbled reply but Naruto faulters when Ashina glares at him fiercely "Yes, Ashina-sama." Karin snickers at his back, the only one who dared to do so in the presence of the Uzumaki clan head "That scroll holds the sacrifice of the three tails. He had a genjutsu placed upon him and Isobu. Strong stuff."
"A Uchiha then?"
"Without a doubt." Naruto confirms nodding "Shia and Mikoto both confirmed it." And the two in question stepped forward "Name?"
"Obito Uchiha. He was presumed dead in the third war." Mikoto states as she places her mask on her hip while shaking out her long raven hair "He was such a good kid too. I wonder what happened to cause him fall so low."
"Can he be saved?" Ashina questioned looking at the Uchiha clan's current matriarch who frowns "I'm afraid I cannot say. His mind was so shattered."
"We fought him, wounded him pretty badly." Naruto growls in frustration "Slippery bastard."
"Language." Ashina smacking his heir's head with his bamboo stick again "Did you trap him?"
"Yes. We had a level eight hexagon barrier up." Naruto adds glancing at Kazer who shrugged "His back up. Kisame Hoshigaki." The old Uzumaki nodded, swordsmen of that calibre were no joke and would give any trained Uzumaki a good beating "Very well. We have much to discuss. You are all dismissed. Come Naruto." leading him off "We must confer with the council."
"Yes, Grandfather-sama." Naruto sighs following after Ashina while Karin looks back at the others "Well, we were dismissed. I'm heading home."
"Same, Mikoto-sama; I'll see you tomorrow for the clan meeting."
"Yes Shia-chan. That man needs to be stopped and the duty falls to us as his clansmen."
Land of Eddies; Uzushigakure
The streets were almost barren, well maintained with the scars of war long since removed but the memories remained there. Naruto walks through the streets in the shadow of his grandfather with practiced ease, the void walkways and deafening silence stretching for what seemed to be miles before they turned into a large building near the centre of the ghost town. In silence the two move like spectres through the meticulously kept office building that once house the bustling bureaucratic machine that was once the centre of the ruined hidden village. Naruto never strayed a step, walking purposefully behind his grandfather with an uncharacteristically serious look upon his face. They reach the council chamber turned into a meeting room to which they entered in all due haste where the other surviving members of the clan reside all seating upon their ankles respectively. Ashina sits at his spot at the far end of the two columns as Naruto stops in the centre taking a seat with no wasted movements as instructed by his grandfather "Now, we are all here to listen to my heirs mission reports." The eldest man announces nodding to Naruto who begins "My two-part mission was both successful, the second being a critical success."
"Explain."
"The first mission; Primary objective – Recover missing-nin Momochi Zabuza or his sword. Secondary – Regain contact with Wave Daimyo. If incapacitated, select best point of contact. We were able to locate our first target with little difficulty however he was embroiled in a battle with a Genin team from Kohnoha upon the incomplete bridge." The mention of the treacherous villages name caused those within to tense ever so slightly but as highly trained as Naruto was, he noticed "We intervened while remaining inconspicuous. No justsu, equipment or voices that could lead them back to us." Naruto reports gaining approval from the group "Though, we were able to identify the Jonin-Sensei as one Kakashi Hataki." He noticed that most stiffened at the name "We also came across the missing Uchiha; Sasuke Uchiha."
"The second son of the Uchiha Matriarch?"
"Yes. We informed her of this and although she wanted to retrieve him, she followed my advice to hold off until we have solidified our connection between the fire and water Daimyo's."
"Very well."
"We stayed as long as time allowed, helping with the reconstruction, and assisting with getting them back on their feet, laying the groundwork for further assistance."
"Very good." Ashina continued to nod along with his approval "After despatching of the rouges and bandits in service of the black-market mogul Gydo. We departed for the land of water and took part in their final battle where we were joined by our fellows and fought on the frontline. Kazer's squad, with my assistance and guidance, launched the opening volley with a four-way collaboration technique. We blew open the walls to the village and levelled half of the southside." He smirked at their smiling faces "We then moved in and combated the remaining loyal group of shinobi, ANBU, and even the Mizukage, after he came out." a feral grin played across the teens face which was soon matched by his grandfather "We moved fast as he appeared already partially transformed and subduing him in record time with five chains, forcing him back into his base human form when our newest members subdued them further whilst confirming a theory proposed by this council."
"A Mangekyō genjutsu?" Ashina whispers as the others begin to murmur with Naruto nodding softly "Even Isobu was affected. The masked man, from what we have observed has grafted Senju cells upon his own body." This report causes them all to murmur loudly and Ashina lifts his finger to his chin, deep in thought whilst allowing his council to confer with one another. Seeing this lull, Naruto takes this chance to unclip a second scroll from his belt and lay it out before them all and unseals its contents with the puff of smoke drawing the rooms attention to the lone arm with a clean slice at the shoulder. Gasps followed as even the leader of the clan staring wide-eyed at the article "During the fight, we secured this from the man in the masked whom we were able to identify, thanks again to our new branch family. His true name is Obito Uchiha. According to our vessel clansmen, he was presumed dead at the battle of Kanabi bridge, though his body was never recovered."
"I presume this…" but Naruto's nod cut that question short "So, we have a name for this mad man."
"Yes, great elder." The young clan heir responds "He relies on his eyes to remain elusive and seems to be a master of a space-time jutsu known to the Uchiha as Kamui. I advise all teams to be outfitted as standard with seals to counteract them; Tier six minimum." His declaration caused a great stir among "We don't have that many seal masters of that rank." Kana Uzumaki, another elder, states "We have no other choice." Ashina mutters to himself "We must step up our supplies should any of our teams have a run in." a silence dawns on the room "Ahem…" Naruto gaining the rooms attention again "Continue." Ashina commands and Naruto nods "Our foe was able to escape due to the rouge seven swordsmen Kisame Hoshigaki using his sword, Samahada on the barrier to open up a hole for the rouge Uchiha to teleport them both away before we could intercept them." The last part with an underlying growl of both frustration and anger.
Land of Eddies; Uchiha District
Mikoto steps into her house to find her eldest son and his wife, Izumi Uchiha, asleep on the back deck whilst being careful not to endanger their child within her. She smiles softly at the couple though a part of her only wished that her own husband had not gone through with the choice to stand and fight if he had only left his pride aside for once and came to this new land alongside their cousin clan. After placing her sandals on the rack, she heads into the kitchen only to find another Itachi there making lunch "Ah, welcome home Ka-san. How was the mission?" he says with a soft smile. It only took a brief moment before she realised that this must be a shadow clone and she breaks off her shock "It went to plan, luckily. I believe we are in good hands with our cousins here." smiling back but her eldest could see through that mask of hers and lost his own "What happened?" and she sighs heavily while assisting in the lunch preparations "The other team with us found out Sauske is a Genin of the leaf. Seems to be under the assumption that he is the last Uchiha. Seems to be the work of their council." a dark look settles upon the clan heirs face "I see."
"Naruto-kun is speaking with the council but he already said that there was nothing they could do yet. Considering our current position." Mikoto sighs again "As soon as our position allows us to, we shall recover him." with a smile "He's promised us that."
"He is his father child." Itachi comments and she agrees with a smile that soon falls to a frown "That he is. Though, I wonder how Kushi-chan is holding up."
Land of Eddies; Yuki District
Honoka and Sena lead Haku into the Yuki district marked by a beautiful crystal Arch that shimmered under the afternoon sun. Many clansmen were happily going about their day with even the children simply just enjoying their childhood. Haku was amazed at this as a few eyes land on her with a few older ones seemingly recognising her likeness at the very least "Oh my, you are Lua's child…" an elder call out causing Haku to spin to the old man in surprise "You knew my mother?" that caused gasps from all over "Welcome home Haku. I'm your grandfather." Tears flowed as she hugged the man "I thought I lost you both. I'm so glad you're safe. Let me get a good look at you." He pulls back and a smile slowly forms upon his face "My, you look so much like her… you are going to be such a beautiful flower." Behind this Sena smiles whilst Honoka leans against her "Seems like she'll fit right in, huh?" the red head states to whom her partner simply nods in agreement "It's always nice to have family, right?" Sena finds her hand being held firmly by Honoka "You have me, okay? Naru too. You aren't alone anymore. We may not be Yuki's but to us, you're just like any other Uzumaki. Perhaps in name someday too." with a blush. Sena snorts at that "To think the tomboy Hono could actually blush." A small elbow to the gut was the only response to that.
Land of Eddies; Uzumaki Clan Hall
With evening behind them and night falling upon the hidden whirlpool village, Ashina walks with Naruto at his right and the elders at their backs. The large hall was lined with long tables loaded with food and the entire island personnel in attendance, Uzumaki, Uchiha, and Yuki alike all under a new combined crest with the shared Uzumaki name. One clan, one family. As usual, they all sat "Now that we are all together again, without any missions underway the entire clan had gathered and enjoyed the dinner as a family. This was a unique moment for several new additions, but the air was thick with familiar warmth that could melt icecaps. The bond between the clan was solidified in these nights despite them originally hailing from different bloods, these get togethers were what made those like Mikoto and Sena both glad they made the choice to bring their families to this new life. It was common knowledge that for such a jolly atmosphere filled with merry cheers and gentle laughter, the main house was eating with a stoic expression. They ignored the single empty cushion, directly across the table from the heir apparent but they all pretended to not see it. No one knows why but Naruto Uzumaki, the heir apparent, and his mother, the former heiress Kushina Uzumaki where never in the same room for long and even when they were, it was if the two were unable to see or even feel the others presence. It was confusing at first as the two were inseparable when they first arrived and for the first three years one was always with the other. Then one day it was like a switch was flipped, some thought it was due to the succession was past to him but that happened long before that, even after the current clan head had put him through the purification ceremony their relationship was solid and then it just vanished.
Land of Eddies; Uzumaki Council Hall
The council hall was a large room with seven slightly elevated seating platforms with a set of pillows in sets of three around the edges. At the far end of the chamber was now considered the traditional Uzumaki swirl now used for the main house of the clan; directly on the right was the updated Uzu-swirl in the shape of what was once the white fan of the Uchiha clan, the second to last on the left was the Yuki crest which was now a clear blue Uzu-swirl with four white ice spikes crossed behind it. A final clan ensigna an Uzuswirl with a lightning bolt across it that was currently empty. With all the leaders in place the summoned shinobi, Naruto Uzumaki "Good, you have arrived. We have received a request from the Daimyo of Land of Snow; a protection of his daughter."
"Secondary objective?"
"We suspect that a coup de ta is in progress. Either stop it, crush it, or reverse it. Understood?"
"Yes sir." Naruto bows "Sena and Honoka are both on leave for the next week."
"Who are you replacing them with?" Naruto asks unfazed by this news, knowing this already, "Squadron leader Naruto Uzumaki; Yuki Haku and Uchiha Fenra are both new to the force, but we can trust that you will lead and train them accordingly." Ashina states and Naruto nods "Then, gather your troops. You are to leave within the hour. Dismissed." upon the moment the last syllable left his lips the teen had already vanished with no sign he was even there.
Land of Eddies; Northern Beach
"Yo." Naruto waves down the two new arrivals, arms crossed while leaning against a tree with Karin resting against his chest "Captain!" Uchiha Fenra, a very by the books kunoichi with short black hair traditional of the Uchiha clan however her brown eyes were a clear indication of her non-Uchiha parentage "At ease Fenra." He responds and her tense shoulders relax as Naruto turns his attention "Good to see you again, Haku-san."
"No need to bee so formal, Uzumaki-sama." the girl bowing profoundly "Thanks to you both, I have found family. I will be ever thankful to you and your clan." Both Naruto and Karin wave it off "Cut the formality." Speaking in unison "We both know what it's like to be broken away from our families." Karin says solemnly as her hands are slowly, softly, and with great care, taken by Naruto's with fingers intertwined "We are just happy to help." A throat clearing brings their attention back to Fenra "Captain, should we not get going?"
"Yes, you are right, however I must ask…" getting into commander mode "…how far are you both in the chakra surfing?" and the both look to one another before returning to their leader "I understand the concept but…" Naruto nodded at Fenra's answer before looking to Haku "Just observations of you all on our way back. From what I understand, it is a chakra control exercise." Karin nods "Yes. It's considered a basic among the Uzu-forces but by the standard of the large nations it would be at minimum a high Jonin to elite Jonin if at all." Leaving the two new members shocked "Wh…"
"Think about it…" Karin continues shuffling slightly to get even more melded into Naruto at her back "…Our clan has always had abnormally high chakra reserves. I, myself had Jonin level reserves when I was six. Naru-koi had the same at the age of five."
"I see. So, chakra control excises are really advanced here." Haku mentions to which the two red head nod "Most Jutsu, below C-rank require us to work almost twice as hard as others to get the same results. Those below D-rank are not even worth trying."
"Why?" Haku questions "We overload 'em." Naruto's flat reply "Even with all those control exercises under our belt." a growl in the depth of his throat which causes Karin to blush to rise upon her face "I see. So, what should we do captain?" Fenra questions "I want you both to surf out past that wreak…" pointing to a mostly sunken mist warship, rotten, algae covered wood sticking just over the waves "…and back as steadily as you can manage, speed is secondary. I'm looking for consistency."
"Yes Captain!" the two-non redheads speak in unison.
It took some time for the two new members of the team to understand the theory behind the exercise but in practice was completely different story. Haku picked it up first but struggled to maintain it for any useable amount time, Fenra took a little longer to put the numbers together but ultimately got the hang of it yet could only go so fast. After many attempts, soaked clothes, and loud exclamations from the two redheads, Naurto makes the decision to continue this training once they get back as it was now time to leave. Stepping forward "Okay, that's enough…" calling out and the two out on the waves, "…we have to get to the mission site." Announcing before landing a peck on Karin's lips as he embraces her from behind "But Captain, how can we get to…" Karin raises her hand to stop Fenra's rant, breaking from her mans embrace whilst going through hand signs, spreads blood on her palms before slamming it into the water "Summoning." And a large leviathan appears from the ocean "Karin-sama…" the teal scaled; thirty-metre-long aquatic reptile bows before looking to Naruto "…Naruto-dono; how may I be of assistance?"
"Kai, we have a few new guys with us this time round. They haven't learned how to ski yet so can you carry them behind us?" Karin questioned to which the giant armoured sea serpent looks to the shocked duo and nods "By your word, lady Karin."
"Captain!" a new voice calls drawing Naruto's attention to his back, two new arrivals show up "Jex, Rya? What are you two doing here?"
"Mission update just came through." Jex, a shinobi formally of mist and formally of Uzu's intelligence division, a six-foot-tall dark-haired bulk of a man "We have to meet up with the client at a new location."
"Where?" Naruto asks perplexed "A port on the northern edge of the Land of fire. They'll have a ship there for us to escort." Jex explains "…but isn't the client the daimyo of the Land of Snow? What are they doing within fire territory?" Naruto questioned growing ever more confused "Seems the client is the captain of the royal guard with the permission of…"
"Wait. Then the coup?"
"Possibly underway as we speak."
"Then…" Naruto leads off and Jax nods "We are to ensure the line of succession."
"We?" The Uzumaki questioned and Rya smiles "We will be joining you this time, Uzumaki-dono." Bowing her head "Married couples are not aloud on the same team…"
"Yet you and Lady Karin…"
"We aren't married." Naruto cutting off Jax "Technicalities."
"Fine." Naruto growls beginning to turn back only for Jax to put his arm out, gaining his attention again "We suspect the lands ninja may become hostile. We are to avoid engagement however…"
"Grapple and detain. No Maiming." Naruto responds and they nod "Then, let's get underway. We are already pushing it time wise." He pauses mid step, glancing back "You guys got your external uniforms?" they nod again unsealing their cloaks and masks, he smirks "You got the A2's." they both chuckle as he nods in approval before turning back to his other team members "We're going with the A2 uniforms. No need to pretend to be part of the mist this time." and they all nod unsealing their respective cloaks and masks; masks with the Uzu swirl dead centre "Alright, let's move out." Naruto orders as his mask reaches his face.
