Chapter 12

Fodlan

The Monastery

"...Mother, where did he get that?"

Sothis glanced at Seiros briefly before returning her attention to her ward. In his hand was the sword he'd summoned. Holding it in both hands, he thrust it high into the air, a dazzled look on his face she'd never seen as he loudly proclaimed, 'I have the power'.

It turns out the summoning failure was not due to incompetence on her ward's part. He had performed the jutsu perfectly. Everything from his technique to his chakra control was immaculate. They had never reverse summoned any objects other than Seiros before, so how and why has such a thing occurred? Well, that's why they were here, and why her ward was currently holding the sword high as if he were some shirtless barbarian in a play.

The moment lasted for about two seconds before the sword wobbled in the boy's hands. She acknowledged his attempts at bringing it down, but it didn't stop the sword from tilting back and-

*BONK*

*CLATTER*

...Fall—the flat side of the blade (thankfully) bonking the boy on the forehead before clattering to the ground. Hands on the offended area, he blinked several times before glancing their way as if they were the cause of gravity taking its course.

"...That's what we are here to find out." Levitating the sword from the ground, Sothis hovered the weapon in front of her, a hand on her chin as she observed it in full. "It's, weird. I feel a, connection with this thing... Seiros, is this one of those 'Relics' you spoke of before?"

Seiros looked pained. Her fists were tight and her body tense, the unwillingness to answer plain to see. "It, is, Mother... This one is," she swallowed, her mother raising a brow at her pause.

"Well? Out with it already." Sothis said impatiently.

"...It, is called the Sword of the Creator. It is the weapon Nemesis used in his crusade, and the weapon forged from...from..." She did not wish to continue. Just the thought of what Nemesis had done was enough to bring up memories she did not wish to resurface.

Thankfully, she did not have to. Sothis was able to draw her own conclusion at her daughter's unwillingness by touching the sword. Memories of her flesh came to her, closely accompanied by the life she once lived alongside the people she once held dear. A memory of her sacrifice to the world, followed by a memory of her briefly seeing a man carrying her out of her resting place.

The memories ended there.

She did not feel sorrow or want, but she could not deny the feeling of regret that filled her. Knowing that she would likely never know what life felt like again brought a strange feeling to her chest.

"I'm sorry, Mother," Seiros spoke through her mother's trance, yet did not break her gaze from the sword that was once her body. "If you wish for me to give it a proper burial, then I shall-"

"No." Sothis said firmly, correcting her tone moments later. "No, it is, fine. There is no need to put such a useful tool in the soil. I would feel more at eased if it is used."

"Are you sure?" Seiros asked unconvincedly, to which her mother nodded.

"I am. In fact, I shall hold onto this until the Child is ready to use it. It is to my understanding that only he can, no?"

"That is correct, Mother. Only those who bear the Crest of Flames can wield this relic."

"And how do you know he has the Crest of Flames?"

Seiros went to answer, but paused. That, was actually a good question. She knew Byleth, wherever the girl may be, had the Crest upon her birth, yet she did not know if whatever event that had occurred had also switched their Crest within her. Looking back to the boy, who was now entertaining himself by toying with the lamp tome on her nightstand, she thought on it.

"...One moment." Sothis watched Seiros as she walked to the nightstand. Her ward backed away quickly, but he was not the target of the Nabatean's attention. Opening the dresser in the stand, she pulled out a flat device of some sort.

Blinking, Sothis floated closer, getting a clear view of the item the woman had procured. Curious, she asked about it, to which her daughter replied, "This is a Crest Analyzer. It was gifted to me by one of my subordinates at the Academy. Truly, I never thought I'd have a need for it till now."

Naruto and Sothis both looked at the machine in fascinated awe before Rhea asked the blonde for his hand. He gave it without hesitation, eager to see what it did. A ping sounded before a symbol appeared above the device—Seiros immediately letting out a breath of relief.

"It would seem that he does, in fact, bear the Crest of Flames."

"Is that good?" Naruto asked, to which Seiros gave him a warm smile.

"It means that you and Mother's blood are true, and you are destined to bring peace." Naruto stared owlishly at the Archbishop after the reveal before turning to Sothis with his chest puffed out, a fist on his hips, while the other gave a peace sign—the posture exuding confidence where his face didn't show it.

"See, Onee-san. Even destiny believes I will change the world."

A hand came to her head as the Divine sighed. "Must you encourage his ego?"

Seiros smiled innocently. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

A knock at the door had all present looking to the front of the room. With a confirming 'you may enter' from the Archbishop, the door swung open. Naruto's eyes widened immediately at who it was and ran forward.

"Flayn-san!" The daughter of Seteth grew a smile upon seeing the blonde charging her. Her arms instinctively opened to embrace the child, spinning him around as she giggled.

"Ah, I knew I sensed my favorite little troublemaker!" She chirped, holding the boy out in front of her to get a better look at him. "Wow, it's only been a few weeks since I've seen you and you've already grown at least an inch!"

"It was my birthday recently. I think I'm finally hitting my growth spurt."

"Waaaaah?" The green-haired girl looked ashen at the statement. "It was your birthday, and you didn't tell me?"

The blonde scratched his cheek in what Flayn thought was embarrassment. "I forgot... I typically don't celebrate it." Flayn's jaw dropped at the admission.

"That won't do at all! You're young! Your name day is very important at your age! Oh, I know! We have to bake you a cake! Every birthday boy needs a cake! How's that sound? Want a special cake for your birthday?"

Naruto fist pumped before a determined look appeared on his face. "I'm ready to eat cake."

Without further preamble, and as if the blonde was the only reason she'd shown up, Flayn hoists the boy onto her shoulders and charges out of the room and towards the cafeteria. Sothis and Seiros watched this in silence, neither having words for what had just occurred

"...Flayn is the one you said couldn't boil an egg even if she held a cooking log, no?"

Seiros gave a strained smile to her mother's question. "She has many talents, but I do not believe cooking to be one of them."

A hand went up to massage her brow the deity's brow.

"Then I suppose I should stop her before she kills my ward... Coming along?"

"You go on ahead, Mother. I will join you shortly." Sothis looked ponderous at her daughter's decision but did not argue as she floated out of the room.

Upon their departure, Rhea turned to the sword now propped up against her dresser before returning to the Analyzer. Picking it up, the Crest of Flames showed itself once more. Tilting it to the side, a much dimmer shape appeared as a simple circle. Unlike before, it now shone bright—brighter than even the Crest of Flames—like the sun behind a horizon.

"How, peculiar..."

Konoha

6 months later

Shimura Kagero knew there was something off about their Jinchuuriki, yet not even she would have ever had a guest of the magnitude. Reading his report, you would find nothing out of the ordinary. On paper, he was just an antisocial child who could challenge a ROOT agent in apathetic behavior. If not for the heterochromia of the scalp and the whiskers, he would be a completely normal, talentless academy student.

She kept this opinion even after the discovery of his Kekkei Genkai. In fact, that day and the day following only nailed her opinion of the boy. He was worth nothing more than being a weapon for Konoha, and she stood by that. His naivety stretched far, and his lack of results in the academy won no points with her. His Kekkei Genkai, and his status as the Jinchuuriki of the Leaf, were his only redeeming traits—nothing more, nothing less.

On day one of their training, he showed his inexperience and naivety. Her fighting style, one nurtured by combining the efficiency of the ANBU style and the ruthlessness of ROOT, was ill-fit for him—not because of its difficulty, but because of its foundation. It was a style meant to dispatch your enemies quickly and ruthlessly.

The problem?

The boy, in his own words, stated, "I will not kill people".

Yes.

The boy, one who wished to be a Shinobi, the Hokage of the Leaf, did not wish to kill...

She nearly left then and there for the idiocy and stubbornness—to hell with her promise. If it weren't for her investigation and not wanting to fail the Hokage or her father, she would have done just that. Instead, against her better judgement, she taught him a less lethal Taijutsu and Kenjutsu style, one meant to fight dirty, yet keep the target alive.

It was within the first month of teaching him that she realized she was wrong.

At the beginning, he seemed unremarkable. He failed to process even the simplest of things, and no matter how she forced it, he just couldn't keep his footing. It was embarrassing to watch, and after the first day, she didn't think he would last a week, yet alone eight months.

Then, a day later, things changed. He was the same on motivation, but his skill suddenly went through the roof and beyond.

The big difference?

His Kekkei Genkai.

After day one, he seemed to use it in their training almost religiously. She still knew not what it truly did, but it definitely did something. Where he was incapable of catching his footing and following what she thought were simple instructions, now he got down to nearly an art form after ever use of his line. It was as if his Kekkei Genkai was guiding him, and it scared her.

After four months, she was forced to teach him something new. He had all but mastered the style in such a short amount of time, and she had to acknowledge that. She still couldn't believe such a thing was possible, but it was. So, she trained his Shurikenjutsu, followed by real-world scenarios.

He mastered Shurikenjutsu within a week. A month later, he'd gained the instincts of a seasoned Chunin.

His growth was unnatural.

It reminded her of the Sharingan. The famous copy wheel eye was known for its ability to skip years of training and dumb it down to months, weeks, and sometimes even seconds—Copy Nin Kakashi being a great example. After the sudden change in the boy's skill, she wouldn't be surprised if they'd all been fooled and those unnatural eyes were, in fact, a Dojutsu similar to the Sharingan. It would be the only way to explain his growth.

But in truth, it scared her.

Konoha was known for producing prodigies. Orochimaru of the Sannin, the Yellow Flash Namakazi Minato, Copy Nin Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi—they were all geniuses.

Orochimaru and Kakashi were geniuses that came once or twice every generation. Their skills were extraordinary, yet their genius hadn't truly blossomed as quickly. Minato and Itachi were geniuses that came every hundred years. Their genuis spread nearly from birth, their later years only proving they were molded by the Gods themselves.

And Uzumaki Naruto?

"I, cannot teach you any further." The stoic mask of the boy did break upon her admission, a trait she'd come to accept as a mystery she'd probably never solve.

"Why?" He replied, Kagero finding she was slightly ashamed of what she was about to admit.

"Our deal was that I'd train you in the art of combat, and I have done just that... However, you," she hesitated. "...exceeded my expectations. I do not believe there is anything else I can teach you at this moment."

"...But our deal was 8 months."

"That it is...which is why I am going to modify our agreement—to your benefit, of course. This way, the agreement is not broken, and you leave fulfilled." Reaching behind her, she pulled out a scroll. "This scroll contains a technique I believe you will find useful." She handed the scroll over to the boy, who took it eagerly. He read the heading, and his brow rose in question.

"Seals?"

"You are an Uzumaki." Said the Shimura. "It is in your blood to utilize Fuuinjutsu. It is not my specialty, but I am willing to teach you the basics. After that, you must pursue the art on your own. Once you master this, then I will consider our deal fulfilled. Is that acceptable?"

The boy stared her down for a moment before turning his attention to the scroll. It was a gift given to her by Danzo-sama himself. She now knew what he saw in the boy, yet she still didn't think it wise to give him such tools to one day use against them. However, she had never questioned her father, and she would not do so now.

The boy took the scroll without further preamble, and Kagero couldn't stop the dread welling up inside of her.

If Orochimaru and Kakashi came every generation, and the Fourth and Itachi came every hundred years, then Uzumaki Naruto was a genius that came once every millennia.

1 month later...

Uzumaki Residence

"Jiji, am I a Jinchuuriki?"

Hiruzen nearly swallowed his pipe from the gasp that left his lips. The question was definitely not something he was expecting to be asked upon entering the boy's apartment, nor was it something he'd thought he'd have to deal with for a few years at the very least.

After a few seconds of choking and regathering his composure, he looked into the eyes of the stoic boy, whom he would be proud to call someone special in his life. He knew Uzumaki Naruto was bright for his age and knew it was only a matter of time before he came across the truth, but never this soon. But, like everything, problems you hold off always come back to bite you right when you least expect them. Hiruzen only wished the boy was older before he heard the truth from his mouth.

With a flair of his chakra, the ANBU around the apartment at key points in the area, ensuring no one would eavesdrop on their conversation. Hiruzen put on the mask of the leader he was supposed to be and stared intensely at his favorite 'unrelated' grandson. He couldn't be any more enthusiastic about the conversation he was about to have, even if a kunai was at his throat, but from the look in the youth's usually vibrant eyes, he knew there was no way out of this.

Better now than never, he supposed.

"Before I answer that, Naruto-kun, may I first ask why such a question has crossed your mind and how you've come to the conclusion?"

The boy's features stayed put as he answered the man he currently had mixed feelings about calling him his grandfather, "I picked up Fuuinjutsu recently. I was in the middle of completing one of my assignments when the topic of sealing items into scrolls or paper tags came up. It was as I was completing the assignment that I started having questions: 'If you could seal objects into other objects, then would it be possible to seal things into other living things?'"

Here, the young Uzumaki's brow seemed to crease ever so slightly into a frown.

"It was as I was thinking this that I remembered the seal that appears on my stomach whenever I use chakra. Before I delved into Fuuinjutsu, I had no idea what the characters on my stomach were or why they were there. I tried asking people at the library about it to see what the characters meant, but no one would tell me. They all looked scared to answer, and whenever I asked a Shinobi, they always avoided answering me."

Hiruzen would have defended the actions of his Shinobi, but he couldn't since it didn't seem the blonde was finished.

"That same day, I remembered many people on my birthday saying the word 'Jinchuuriki' at me—a word that I found meant 'Power of Human Sacrifice'. I asked the Shinobi what that meant also, but none of them would give me a straight answer. I was gonna give up, but then I remembered something else that happens every year on my birthday... The Kyuubi Festival."

Hiruzen remained still, silently applauding the boy for his detective skills but also cursing him for retaining the sharpness his father was known for.

"Everything began piecing together after that. The Kyuubi attack 6 years ago, my birthday, Jinchuuriki, the hate from the villagers," Naruto was now openly glaring at him, the first show of genuine emotion he'd ever seen on the boy. "Jiji, am I a Jinchuuriki? And if so, what does that really mean?"

Hiruzen stared into the furious eye of Minato's legacy, hoping desperately that this was all some terrible dream or Genjutsu. He was wholey unprepared for this day. In truth, he wished it would never come at all. He wished to have either died before this day would come, or the boy was old to ease the topic in and he was grown enough to make rational decisions.

But alas, he wasn't, and he truly had no other choice at this point.

A breath left the Hokage before looking down to his unrelated grandson—preparing to give news he wasn't too keen on revealing. "Listen, Naruto-kun. What I'm about to tell you can never leave this room. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" He did not receive a verbal or physical answer, yet Hiruzen knew the boy understood the severity of releasing this information to the public.

And so he told him everything, beginning to end. From the day the Kyuubi attacked, to the eventual sealing of the beast. From the Fourth's words of how he wanted Naruto to be held as a hero, to the eventual law that was passed to protect the boy from the village he called home. Nothing was left out, and Naruto stayed silent throughout it all.

Once he was finished, the Hokage sat with bated breaths as he waitedfor the blonde's response. He had told him everything he knew and the blonde barely blinked throughout the twenty-minute-long explanation. That's why it was so baffling to him when he did finally speak.

"…And what of the Fourth… is he, my father?" The flabbergasted look the Hokage showed told the young Uzumaki more than he would have liked. "…Will you tell me who my mom is? Or will you keep that from me as well?" At this point, Hiruzen had his head down in shame. Hisnsilence was taken as his answer, and the blonde could only lower his head in disappointment in the one man he was sure he could trust with his life. "May I, be alone for today, Hokage-sama?"

...

Sothis watched the old man leave the apartment in silence. Words were spoken in the wake of his departure, but she didn't think her ward even heard them. Turmoil raged within him, yet she did not think it wise to comfort him just yet. This was a battle that he had to wage alone.

When at last he rose from the chair and stumbled away, Sothis waited until he had reached his bedchamber and closed the door behind him before speaking.

"What will you do now, Child?"

Naruto did not show any acknowledgement of her words. Instead, he merely flopped down onto his bed and lay there, staring up at the ceiling. Sothis sighed as she hovered nearby, patiently awaiting his answer.

"I will do nothing."

"You will do nothing," Sothis repeated with a frown. "Do you think that is the wisest course of action, Child? Will it bring you peace?"

"There's nothing I can do," Naruto murmured.

Sothis' frown deepened.

"There is always something that can be done. You would do well to remember this lesson in the future."

Silence fell upon the room once more, and the Goddess sighed, turning to leave the room. Her hand paused on the handle of the door when she heard Naruto call out to her.

"Onee-san?"

She looked over her shoulder at the young man, her emerald eyes glinting.

"Yes, Child?"

"Thank you."

Sothis' lips curled into a faint smile.

"Of course."

A few months later...

Location: ?

Coming across the Forbidden Scroll had to have been their greatest discovery. Unlike the other scrolls, the knowledge held within the Forbidden Scroll was invaluable. It's simply held a versatility that was unmatched no matter what they pilfered from the Hokage Tower. Fighting styles, Jutsu, Kenjutsu—the possibilities that the scroll held were simply endless.

Want an example?

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu).

This technique alone was worth everything in the scroll. With only a single hand sign, you could create a physical clone of yourself that could act on its own as well as take orders. If not amazing enough, anything the clone learns, the original will learn upon it dispelling. The implications and strategic advantages this gave one were nearly endless.

And its downfall? Your chakra is split in half—given to the clone to survive at least one hit. Problem? The clone can only take one hit before dispelling, giving only 8/10 of the chakra back to the user. Those with above-average chakra will suffer little to no drawbacks aside from chakra loss, but those with low reserves will die of chakra depletion before the clone is even made.

Did any of that matter to Uzumaki Naruto? A boy who had above-average chakra despite being just a child? Heck no! Did he learn the justu? You bet your ass he did (much to Sothis's annoyance at having to deal with multiple of her blockheaded idiot).

Would you like to know what else they found? No? Well, get ready, because that wasn't even the best part!

Bunshin Daibakuha (Shadow Clone Explosion).

A Clone Jutsu much like the shadow clone, but less chakra-intensive. Creates a clone of the use that explodes when coming into contact with force.

Kokuangyo no Jutsu: Infinite Darkness Technique.

The user places a hallucinatory darkness on a target's eyesight, causing them to see nothing but black. It was a Genjutsu, which had many applications in combat, yet Naruto felt as if it was cheating. Nevertheless, Sothis had him take it down.

Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation).

A Jutsu said to bring back the dead with a 'proper sacrifice'... Sothis didn't like that one.

Summoning: Rashoumon.

Summons three big ass gates... that's really it.

Then there was the big one.

Hiraishin: Flying Thunder God Technique

The very same signature Jutsu of the Fourth Hokage, which he also used to end the 3rd Great Shinobi War. And that technique was now in his hands. There were more Jutsu, but these stuck out over all.

Not even one of these techniques was useless.

Both Naruto and Sothis could think of many applicantions for the Jutsu laid before them. Some were more difficult than the other, but with Sothis's ability to both freeze and reverse time, she was sure they would be no challenge to them.

But there was one technique that caught the attention of the Uzumaki over even the Hiraishin.

Naruto blinked at the last Jutsu printed on the Forbidden Scroll. Unlike all the other techniques, there were rows of rows of explanations for just this one. Reading it, he noticed that there were no hand signs for this technique. In order to utilize this, one had to control the chakra within, allowing it to flow towards certain channels in order to achieve the multiple stages of the technique.

Unlike the others as well, there were numerous pros but many more cons. The pros all leaned to improvements of the body, giving one abilities and speed one wouldn't normally be able to achieve. In a way, you break your limits, pushing your body to heights it couldn't reach in its normal state. The cons were there to counter the many pros it offered. Though you become superhuman, it isn't for long, and it's at a cost. A cost that, if your body isn't shaped enough, could cause more permanent damage than it was worth.

But then there was the ultimate technique.

It was a technique that made it the strongest option on the scroll by far, but also happened to be the second worst fate amongst all of them—the ultimate fate for those seeking true power.

And yet, Naruto couldn't take his eyes off of it.

"Eight Gates, huh?"

A/N: Now THIS is officially the last chapter of the childhood arc. I have four more chapters written after this, but they will be posted weekly from now on (every Monday). Look forward to it!

Hopefully, this chapter answers all the questions people had in the reviews and PM's. Typically answer those questions in a PM or at the end here, but thought the chapter would be answer enough. Also, hope the end of the chapter is hint enough at how Naruto's style will be like. Thought of how I could balance him since he no longer has the power of the Kyuubi and thought this would be perfect. How he uses it in the future will be shone in the Genin arc so don't work about waitingn20 chapters to see it.

Next chapter is an interlude. Will be out tomorrow. After that its graduation and the team meeting their Jonin Sensei... wonder who it is...

Thank you all for the follows and favorites. If you like this story, consider giving my other work 'The Fate We Have Chosen' a try. Reviews, both good and bad, give me motivation to write, so please keep them coming, and I hope you all have a damn good day.

Current ages in Scene:

Naruto: 6

Kagero: 14

Flayn: Legal Loli?

Seiros: Fossil

Sothis: We are unworthy

Hiruzen: Too old for this shit