CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Choices! Choices! Choices!
XXX
The Fourth Great Shinobi World War has begun.
Was the first thing Roshi said as he made his way up the grassy knoll to the castle on the hill overlooking the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools. It had been ten months since the village was rediscovered and about four years since Roshi had last seen Han, Naruto, Fuu, Gaara, and Hinata. The last time he saw Naruto, he was a scared thirteen-year-old boy taking his final leap off a cliff, now as he walked down the shallow green hill to meet his mentor, he was a seventeen-year-old man dressed in a black jacket and orange pants.
"Sensei, it's the first time I see you in four years and you don't even start with a 'hi'?" Naruto chuckled. He tried to keep it professional by shaking his old master's hand, but he couldn't control himself. He hugged the older man. "How have you been?"
Roshi relaxed a little, "I've been good. Not as good as you though, from the looks of it," he said, turning to face the village below. "You've got yourself an actual village here. You've got markets… harbours… a little business district… a residential area. Did you build all this by yourself?"
"Oh, of course not," Naruto replied, "At first, Yugito put out a notice for all Uzumaki clan members to return to the village, but they brought with them family, friends, and people who they felt needed an escape from the impending war. That included builders, architects, and town planners from other countries… you know, people who knew more about this stuff than I did. We decided early that Uzushio wouldn't just be an escape for the Uzumaki, but an escape for anyone that wanted to be free of their previous shackles. It's not much… but it's a start."
"That's amazing. And what about you, are you some kind of Kage now?" Roshi asked. He stepped back to take a look at the large castle behind the Uzumaki, "… or have you taken things one step further and decided to be a straight up Daimyo… or even a King?"
"Not quite. I gave the title of First Uzukage to Han. I wanted to let him test out while I act as his second-in-command."
"To Han? How noble of you," Roshi said.
"I wouldn't rush to call it nobility… it's more of a… punishment."
"A punishment? You kickstarted the revolution that resulted in the rebirth of one of the strongest nations in the world, what could you possibly have to punish yourself for?"
"My mission is not done yet. As long as Sasuke and the Akatsuki are out there running wild, my mission will never be complete. I have to disband the Akatsuki… then return Sasuke to the Hidden Leaf, whether that's of his own will or in a body bag."
Roshi never thought he'd hear those words leave Naruto's mouth. He was stunned speechless. He just stood there, staring into Naruto's eyes until Han came down from the castle to greet him.
XXX
Roshi had greeted Han using the same line he'd greeted Naruto with.
The Fourth Great Shinobi World War had begun. And unlike Naruto, Han actually took that statement seriously. For the first time in centuries, seven of the nine tailed beasts gathered in one room to discuss how they were going to tackle the war to come. Gaara, Yugito, Hinata, Roshi, Han, Fuu, and Naruto, along with Hotaru and Karin, who'd become an integral member of the team thanks to her knowledge on Orochimaru and his movements, stood around a round table as Roshi laid out a map of the shinobi world.
"I don't just come bearing bad news though," the old man said, "I've spent the last four years tracking both the Akatsuki and Orochimaru's movements. They've set up a base in the Mountains' Graveyard located in the Land of Iron," he said before drawing an X in its approximate location.
"So, they've been allowed to set up a base in the Land of Iron… that pretty much confirms the Iron Samurais' involvement with the Akatsuki," Yugito said, putting the pieces together.
"Even then, the Land of Iron probably has… 10 000 samurai max, whilst the other Five Nations have at least 100 000," Han said.
"That's where the equaliser comes in," Roshi raised a finger.
"The equaliser?" Yugito asked.
Roshi slid a mah-jong piece onto the map, "Zetsu."
Hotaru's face lit up at the sound of that name, "Zetsu? The guy with the plant around his head?"
"Yes. Well, close. That's a Zetsu. A mixture of white and black Zetsu. I'm talking about an army of White Zetsu. 100 000 of them."
"100 000 White Zetsu?" Han asked. "How powerful are these guys?"
"To be fair, they are pretty weak. I would say three genin, if they worked together, could probably take them down, but what they lack in strength they make up for in numbers. Plus, their abilities can be modified. These Zetsu have been modified with Saiken's stamina, so they have about as much stamina as a proper jinchuuriki," Roshi explained. He reached into another pocket to pull out a scroll. "In fact, I've gathered some information on the Villages as well. The White Zetsu Army alone outnumbers the Villages 4:5, since they have about 80 000 shinobi, that's strictly trained combatants from all five major villages. We still have added the Iron Samurai… the Hidden Rain's shinobi and the Hidden Grass's shinobi to that mix."
"What are you trying to say, Sensei?" Han asked.
"I'm saying this war won't be an Akatsuki steamroll. We've got seven jinchuuriki here and, what, a few thousand Uzumaki, who have the life force and stamina of a hundred men each? We need to join the war in favour of the Villages."
"We've considered it, but…" Han began.
"But?"
Naruto continued, "The whole point of creating this community was to give thousands of people refuge from the war. Turning around and going, 'guess what, we're going to war' feels like it'd be disingenuous."
"Well, unfortunately, we're jinchuuriki, Naruto. No matter what we do, there's no escaping the shinobi world. Right now, we're trapped between an enemy we don't understand and an enemy we can at least reason with. If the Akatsuki win, they have a free shot at us. If the Villages win, at least we can strike a deal with them," Roshi said.
"Then that's what we'll wait for… a deal. The Hidden Villages love their treaties and traditions, so we'll tell them no member of Uzushio will die until a treaty that we can agree on is sent our way," Gaara decided.
"It takes a long time for word to reach Uzushio… I mean, it took me months just to get here," Roshi said.
"I've sent two clones to each of the Five Villages. If they hear something interesting, they'll dispel and the information will be returned to me," Naruto explained, "In the meantime, this is not our war."
XXX
"In the meantime, this is not our war," Karin teased her distant cousin as they made their way through the streets of Uzushio. Naruto rarely had the time to just take a walk around the village these days. He'd been given the near impossible task of starting a new village from the ground up.
Most villages and countries were thousands of years old, remnants of the Warring States Period, with their own cultures, traditions, and understandings of what it meant to be from that village. The same could apply to Uzushio, but considering it'd been destroyed thirty years ago, it was technically the youngest major village on the map, so Naruto had spent the last months trying to build connections between Uzushio and the surrounding countries, namely the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. Even going as far as to strike a deal with the Lands of Hot Water and Frost to take on their fleeing villagers whilst war raged on their lands.
He didn't really mind though, the more people the better.
Uzushio had become a melting pot of people, cultures, and foods. It was beautiful, especially at night. Lanterns lit their way as they moved through the cobblestone streets of Uzushio under starlight. The moon and stars shining brightly overhead.
"Leave me alone, I was trying to be serious for once," Naruto replied.
"Hi, Karin-senpai," a child yelled, running by. Karin greeted back before returning to the conversation.
"For that Roshi guy? Why? If he's known you for as long as you've known me then he probably already knows you're a clown."
"Oi! I think calling me a clown is a little too much," Naruto groaned.
"Hi, Karin-senpai," another group of children yelled. Karin greeted all of them before returning to Naruto.
"Naruto, you're a clown. Accept it. Embrace it. Become it," she said before pretending the honk the blonde's nose. "Plus, I could sense that he was a jinchuuriki just like you, so I'd assume he already knows a lot about you."
"Oh yeah! How could I forget you're a sensory shinobi," Naruto chuckled, "… That reminds me of another sensory type I used to know."
"Whoever it is, I'm more special than them," Karin retorted.
"How so?"
"I have this cool technique that can… wait, give me a name," Karin said before closing her eyes.
"Uh… Gaara," was the first name that came to Naruto's mind.
"Kagura Shingan: The Mind's Eye," Karin announced before exhaling, "I've locked onto Gaara's signature chakra. He's in the castle, on a walk with Emi. Give me another name."
"Yugito?"
"She's… walking through the Uzumaki Catacombs with Fuu and Hinata," she said. "Give me another name. Someone far away."
"Uh… uh… Sasuke."
Karin's eyes cracked open. Gradually, a crimson hue formed across her face. She lowered her hands, "I don't… really want to track his chakra," she said.
"Oh… I forgot you were a part of his team before this," Naruto said, rubbing his shoulder, "By the way, what happened between you two… if you don't mind me asking?"
Karin took a few more breaths to relax herself. "Sasuke… I thought he was the love of my life until… until Orochimaru struck us a deal with the Akatsuki."
XXX
The rains of Ame raged on with thunder and lightning rumbling throughout the village. Nine figures suddenly appeared on a balcony in the village's tallest tower. Pain's Tower. An ominous pipe-laden building overlooking the entire village with four humanoid faces on either side of the terrifying tower. All nine figures sauntered out of the rain and into shelter to see ten figures waiting for them.
They removed their hoods.
Orochimaru, Kabuto, Sasuke, Jugo, Suigetsu, Karin, Kimimaro, Sakon, and Tayuya stepped out into the spotlight.
Pain did the same. "Orochimaru. I never thought I'd get the pleasure of meeting you again," the orange-haired mercenary commented.
"Oh? Well, to be completely honest, Lord Pain. My only mission whilst I was here was to acquire Itachi's body, but now that I've found myself a new vessel, that won't be necessary," he teased before locking eyes with a familiar pair of glowing red eyes in the background.
"I applaud your honesty… but on that note, why have you graced us with your presence?"
"It has come to my attention that we both want the same things. You want the destruction of the Hidden Villages; I want the destruction of the Hidden Leaf. I figured, why waste our talents apart when we can join you guys on your quest."
"And…"
"And?" Orochimaru grinned.
"What's the catch?"
"Why does there always have to be a catch?" Orochimaru shrugged.
"Because you're you."
"Okay, there's a catch… I want the Nine-Tails."
"That's not an option, unfortunately. In order for the Akatsuki to achieve their goals, we need all nine of the jinchuuriki," Pain explained.
"True, but alliances are all about compromise. You scratch my back. I scratch your back. You give me the Nine-Tails, I give you the services of me and my specialised team."
Pain looked at each member of the team, one-by-one, "I guarantee that whatever your team can do, mine can do too, better. Plus, there's only nine of you."
"Well, there's only ten of you."
"If that's what you choose to believe," Pain replied.
Orochimaru's grin died, "If that's the case, then perhaps I was wrong in thinking you'd see things the way I did. Oh well, come on kids, let's get going."
"NO!" Sasuke roared.
"Huh?" Orochimaru turned. He stared at Sasuke, then traced the Uchiha's line of sight to one of the figures standing behind Pain.
"Just as you had your reasons for coming here, I had my own," Sasuke said, stepping forward into the light. "Itachi Uchiha! I've come here to kill you."
.
.
.
The group behind Pain burst out in laughter. Everyone except the man who'd just been called out. Itachi continued to stare at Orochimaru.
Their laughter just fuelled Sasuke's hatred. He started breathing heavily.
"You really know how to make a scene, Sasuke-kun. Regardless of how stacked against you everything is, you venture forth into the darkness. I like that," Orochimaru cackled before licking his lips. "Then again, it wouldn't surprise me if you were stronger than Itachi, at this point."
Kisame broke his laughter to ask, "Did you hear that, Itachi? He's come to kill you!" the fishman stood up, towering over everyone else in that room, "Who the fuck even are you?"
Orochimaru placed his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, "This is my next vessel…"
Itachi interrupted the Snake Sannin, "That's my younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha. And unfortunately for you, Orochimaru, he's not on the menu," Itachi said, also getting up.
"Oh? And why not?" Orochimaru asked.
"Because the only person allowed to kill him… is me."
Suddenly, the room was filled by the crackling of a thousand birds. Everyone's eyes shifted to Sasuke. The Uchiha lifted his left hand to reveal the Chidori. "The only killing here… will be done by me!"
A third figure, dressed in a black cloak with red clouds, entered the spotlight to act as a peacekeeper, "Okay, okay, we're not here to kill anyone, remember. Last I heard, we were on the same side, so there's no need to take each other out," a purple-haired kunoichi said.
Pain spoke next, "If he's meant to be your next vessel, why haven't you taken him as one yet?"
"Because he's my bargaining tool," Orochimaru said. His eyes were locked onto Itachi's. "If you're willing to reconsider your stance. Maybe, I won't need to take him as a vessel… I can simply have him as my student. So, what will your reviewed stance be… Itachi Uchiha?"
Sasuke's eyes widened. His body was so tense. Veins welled up along his temples as the blood rushed to his head. He wrapped his right hand around his left wrist.
Karin tried to pull him back by the elbow, but Sasuke muscled her off. He looked back at her. Everything went black. Sasuke stared at Karin with those eyes. The black and red eyes of the Mangekyou Sharingan. Karin had never seen someone radiate so much evil intent.
Everyone had tunnel vision.
All Sasuke could see was Itachi.
All Itachi could see was Orochimaru.
All Orochimaru could see was Pain.
And all Karin could see was Sasuke, and the enormous amounts of dark, negative chakra pouring out from him. He seeped into every corner of the room, crawling its way up the walls, threatening to blow the roof off the building.
Karin tried to break the silence, "Maybe we can…"
"Shut up!" Sasuke yelled, pointing to his eyes. Tears were streaming from them as he opened his eyes to their fullest extent, "You told me to hate you! You told me to despise you! You said that I should live a loathsome life full of hatred! You told me to run… run away and cling to life, you bastard! You told me to never face you again until I had the same eyes as you! And now, here I am!"
Even Pain was stunned silent. He turned to Itachi, who stood there emotionless, as usual.
"I see. So, tell me, Sasuke. That new Sharingan of yours… how much can you actually see with it?"
"Right now? I see nothing but your death."
Itachi shrugged, "Fair. Come over here and turn fantasy to reality then."
Sasuke slammed his left hand into a wall. "You don't have to ask me twice!" he flashed away.
Konan turned to paper.
The avenger shot through her.
Tsukuyomi.
Sasuke's knees gave up.
He began to collapse.
He was held up by Itachi's two fingers pressing against his forehead, "I'm sorry Sasuke, maybe next time you'll have better luck," Itachi said bringing his little brother closer before laying him on the floor to rest.
All of that had happened in the blink of an eye.
"Shit," Suigetsu hadn't even noticed Sasuke move.
Sasuke was the strongest of Orochimaru's subjects, besides maybe Kimimaro, and yet. Itachi had him out cold and on the floor in less than a second. Who were these guys?
Pain looked down at the boy. "What is going through your head, Itachi?" he asked, as Konan reformed next to him.
Itachi looked up at Orochimaru, "We accept your terms."
XXX
Naruto stopped to stroke his chin. She could see the gears ticking in the back of his head. "So, you abandoned Sasuke because he got his ass beat by his older brother?" was all he got from that story.
"No, no, him getting beat up by his older brother was just a by-the-way in that story. The key point of that story was the way Sasuke's mood switched when he saw his brother. I'd never seen that side of Sasuke before. So dark. So angry. It was almost like he'd been consumed by hatred. I don't ever want to be around that type of chakra again," she explained.
"You'd known him for three years and you'd never seen him that grumpy? Sasuke was always grumpy when I was around him. You just need to break him out of it by reminding him about how his hair resembles a duck. That always worked for me," Naruto laughed.
"No, you don't get it," Karin shut him down, "I can see chakra better than any other sensory type you know. Everyone's chakra smells, tastes, and looks different, which is why I can pinpoint someone's chakra from nearly a country away. Your chakra quality can tell me a lot about you, which is why my feelings on men are usually based on the quality of their chakra. Before then, Sasuke's chakra dazzled me, it was so cool, so mysterious. It had that Uchiha flair about it."
"And after that moment?"
"… It scared me. I ran away that same night."
"Well, how does my chakra make you feel?" Naruto wondered.
A tiny smirk formed across the redhead's face, "I feel comfortable around your chakra. It's warm… relaxing… it makes me want to stay in your presence for hours on end," she explained. Then, she broke eye contact to stare at his body, his stomach specifically, "But there's an evil within you… and it kinda scares me too."
That was a fair statement. It kinda scared him too.
"Hi, Karin-senpai!" a pair of children greeted as they walked by.
"Hi, kids," Karin waved as they disappeared around the corner.
"You seem really popular with the children here," Naruto finally noted.
"Really? I hope so, because I've been trying to get an Uzushio ninja academy up and running, but before we can do that, I wanted to get to know the children of the village," Karin explained.
"That's amazing. I thought we already had a ninja academy," Naruto said.
"Not yet. We've got a school, but no ninja academies yet. I did the rounds last week and we've got about thirty kids who can make up the first year, but I need to get in touch with Baki, the town planner, to see where we can construct such a thing."
"Build it next to the castle."
"Why on earth would you want that?" Karin asked.
"That's where it was back in Konoha. It's also very symbolic, dattebayo. The kids are the future of Konoha, and if you want to get to them, you have to go through the Uzukage," Naruto said, fists on his hips with his chest puffed out.
"And when Han gets tired of hearing children running around and screaming all day, who will he blame?"
"I'll take the fall."
"How noble of you, but I'll pass," Karin giggled.
"Naruto!" a soft voice called for the Uzumaki. He looked around a few times, even going as far as to complete a full spin, before finally spotting Hotaru across the street. "Oh, hi Karin."
"Hey, Hotaru. Where were you off to?" Karin asked.
"I was just going for a walk around the village," she explained.
"That's a good idea. It's nice to take in the cool Uzushio air sometimes."
"Karin-senpai, help!" a child screamed.
Karin's eyes shot up to see a little boy stuck on the roof of a building. "Fucking hell, Hiroshi? How did you get up there?"
"I was practicing that walking up walls technique you showed me, but I don't know how to get down!"
Karin sighed. She flickered onto the roof, then flickered back down with the child in her possession, "He looks pretty shaken up. You guys can go on ahead, I'll take him to his mother's house."
"Are you gonna catch up?" Naruto wondered.
"Nah, she's a talker. You guys enjoy your night," she said before flickering away.
Naruto turned to Hotaru, who just shrugged, "Well, you wanna continue together?" Naruto offered.
"I'd love to," she replied.
Uzushio sat on a beautiful island with a river winding through the middle of it, leaving it looking like a yin-yang symbol from above. On one half sat the partially rebuilt village of Uzushio with its houses, marketplaces, and parks. On the other, a thick forest, surrounding a tall mountain, that'd come to be known as the Forest of the Uzumaki. The Vacuum Seal had only sealed away the built-up half meaning whatever was on the other side had been allowed to breathe and age for the past 30 years, which was why no one but Naruto ever dared to enter the forest.
Regardless, there was no need. The half of Uzushio that had been rebuilt was gorgeous. It was cosy. Every home had a warm, wooden feel to it and every temple and shrine had a calming, zen feel about them. Lanterns lit the streets as they walked, the general shuffling of people going about their own business breathed life into the village, and the screams of children playing together gave Uzushio a youthful and vibrant vibe about it.
It was everything Naruto could've asked for. A place where people who didn't belong, could be free from the shackles of traditional village systems. He had succeeded. The promise he made to Gaara four years ago had come to fruition. And yet, why did Naruto feel so empty inside?
"Have you visited the Catacombs recently?" Hotaru asked, breaking Naruto's train of thought. The Catacombs was essentially a big library that ran under the castle. It was filled to the brim with skulls and scrolls. Skulls of the strongest shinobi and kunoichi in Uzumaki history, as well as scrolls that they had left behind. Only members of Yuugure – the jinchuuriki, plus Hotaru – were allowed down there… and yes, Fuu's team name eventually stuck.
"The Catacombs?" Naruto shook his head, "Nah, I haven't been in there since we discovered them."
"What? You should really get down there. You'd be amazed what techniques you can find down there," Hotaru said, "How are you going to be the strongest shinobi in the world if you don't even know your family techniques?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Unfortunately, most of those techniques are sealing techniques and that doesn't really fit my fighting style."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Get hit, get up and hit back harder," Hotaru said.
"How did you know?" Naruto asked.
"Naruto… your entire moveset is Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Rasengan, you're not that hard to read," Hotaru chuckled.
"Not true! I also have my Naruto Uzumaki Barrage," Naruto argued.
"Literally just the Shadow Clone Jutsu and some kicks," Hotaru replied.
"What about the Naruto Uzumaki 2K Barrage?"
"Oh yeah, my bad, how could I forget about the technique where you use shadow clones to punch instead of kick, that's so different."
"I've been working on a new technique though."
"You mean the Wind Style: Rasengan? The technique where you create shadow clones and they help you make the Rasegan, rather than you doing it by yourself? You're breaking my mind with how many techniques you have at your disposal," she teased.
"Wait a minute, why am I on the hot seat here when I've never seen you use a single technique?" Naruto folded his arms.
Hotaru counted them, "I have Water Wall, Water Shuriken, Hidden Mist Jutsu, the Water Dragon Jutsu, and the Explosive Bite of the Water Dragon."
"… Shit, those do sound cool," Naruto conceded.
Hotaru doubled over in laughter. "Why don't we head down to the Catacombs now, and we'll find you something that sounds even cooler," she promised.
XXX
The entrance to the Catacombs was hidden away somewhere in the castle. As Naruto and Hotaru entered the large structure, they were greeted by Gaara and Emi. Emi and her family had been evacuated from Yugakure by the Villages due to the village being between the Land of Iron and the Land of Lightning. They didn't have anywhere to go, and if it hadn't been for them being in good terms with their redheaded neighbours, they would have never made it to Uzushio. It was only after they got to the village that Naruto decided to open up admission to people from the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Frost. Before they left, Gaara promised Emi he'd be back by the next Heiwa Festival, at least this way he could guarantee that promise by bringing the Heiwa Festival and Emi to him.
"Naruto!"
"Gaara!"
"Where are you off to?" the redhead, with an uncharacteristic smile across his face, asked. More than 60% of the villagers were Uzumaki or descendants of the clan, the weirdest part about that was that, visually, Gaara blended in with the masses more than Naruto did.
"Uh… we're off to…" Naruto's eyes darted to Emi for a second, "The schmatamombs."
"The what?" Gaara asked.
"The… schmatcombs…" Naruto changed it up a little. Gaara just stared at him. "We're off to the…"
"I know what the Catacombs are," Emi said, making it a lot easier.
"You do?" Naruto asked.
"To be fair, we did just talk about them while we were out in public," Hotaru said. "We're really bad at keeping secrets."
Emi nodded in agreement, "I might not know where they are, and I don't think I need to know, but I know they exist. Plus, I'm Gaara's girlfriend of nearly four years, there's no need to treat me like some double agent."
Naruto shrugged, "… You'd be surprised." He didn't have the best track record when it came to girlfriends betraying him.
He let the couple continue their journey down the hallway before turning to a large grandfather clock in the corner of the room and opening the little glass cabinet underneath. He yanked on the pendulum. The false wall at the back of the clock swung open. He dived in. Hotaru did the same. The clock closed behind them.
They slid for a few seconds before crashing onto a pile of pillows.
"Much better than the first time," Naruto said, massaging the back of his neck.
"Holy shit!" Yugito yelled. She held her hand over her heart, "Don't scare me like that," she warned the duo as they came crashing into the library from out of nowhere.
"Yugito? Fuu? Hinata? What are you guys doing here?" Hotaru asked, dusting herself off.
Fuu responded first, "This is the greatest sealing jutsu library in the world. What do you mean what am I doing here, ssu?"
"Your story checks out. What are you two doing here?"
"I'm babysitting these two," Yugito replied.
"I found a set of scrolls that belonged to someone who was half-Uzumaki, half-Hyuuga," Hinata explained, "He had an impressive arsenal of techniques."
Each shelf in the Catacombs was divided into two by a thin wooden wall. On the left side of the shelf was the person's skeleton sealed away behind glass. On the glass was a small scroll that gave the reader insight on that particular Uzumaki before listing their feats. On the right, sat a pile of curled up scrolls. Those scrolls were filled with techniques that the Uzumaki had either created or mastered in their lifetime. There were hundreds of dead Uzumaki, each with 2-15, sometimes 20, scrolls by their side. This made the Uzushio Catacombs the most dangerous library in the shinobi world.
"Now it's our turn, what are you two doing here?" Yugito wondered.
"I'm trying to find a new technique for Naruto. The last thing we want is for the next Uzukage to be a two-trick pony," Hotaru explained.
Yugito nodded, "Fair."
Naruto moved across the library to Hinata. What she'd said had piqued his interest. "A half-Hyuuga, half-Uzumaki?" he said, standing next to the Three Tails Jinchuuriki.
'Denki Uzumaki. The first Uzumaki to be born with Hyuuga blood and possess the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai. Unbeatable in close-combat, untouchable in long-distance combat. The only one who could best him, was death. It took years of negotiation to have your body buried here, but you're finally home.'
He stared at the illustration of Denki on the shelf's side. The classic Uzumaki red hair with the classic Hyuuga white eyes. A clash of two worlds. He looked over at Denki's skeleton. His eyes had been bandaged. Probably removed by the Hyuuga clan to avoid their secrets falling into the Uzumaki clan's hands. Little did they know. Naruto wondered what Denki was like. Was he as calm and stern as a Hyuuga, or as loud and chaotic as an Uzumaki. He looked across to the five scrolls sitting on the shelf adjacent the skeleton. Then at the open scroll in Hinata's hands. Finally, he trailed off to stare at Hinata.
The Catacombs were illuminated by candlelight meaning, usually, it was difficult to read entire scrolls whilst down there, but Hinata had her Byakugan activated, allowing her to read line after line with ease.
Naruto's eyes wandered from her face to her feet then back to her face. The younger woman had gone from large jackets and baggy pants to a light purple sleeveless kimono shirt with a large obi around her waist and short navy shorts with thigh-high stockings. It suited her more outspoken nature of late and allowed her to flex her curvaceous figure. It was only now that Naruto stopped to notice her.
Hinata tried her best to focus on her scrolls but with her Byakugan active, she could see Naruto ogling her. A bright red hue formed across her face. She tried not to explode.
She curled the scroll up before deactivating her Kekkei Genkai. She turned to Naruto and smirked, "Can I help you?"
It was Naruto's turn to blush and look away, "Uh, no, I'm just admiring… uh… Denki… I'm admiring Denki because I didn't expect to see any… any Uzumaki who were mixed with other clans."
"Oh yeah, there's a lot of them here. Would you like me to show you some of them?"
"Uh…" Naruto looked back at Hotaru, who was deep in conversation with Yugito, "Sure, I'd love that."
Hinata took Naruto's larger rough hand in her own before leading him through the Catacombs.
Hotaru and Fuu punched the air in silence.
XXX
Naruto and Hinata came to a standstill in front of another shelf.
'Mito Uzumaki. Husband of Hashirama Senju, mother of four and the first jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox. According to her, "In order to counter the Fox's hatred, one must be filled with love," and no one loved harder than the Mother of Konohagakure.'
"Wow, she looks strong," Naruto noted, looking at the illustration next to the skeleton. A regal-looking woman in long white robes who, even in pictures, carried herself with a scarily high level of dignity and praise.
"She must've been to be the first jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails," Hinata reasoned. She stared at Naruto, "What is it like… being the Nine-Tailed Fox's jinchuuriki?"
Naruto let out a long, drawn-out sigh, "It's exhausting. Sometimes I wish I could take a break and let it roam free for a while."
"Why? What's so tough about it?"
"Let's just say… I understand what she means when she says the only way to counter the Fox's hatred is with love. It feeds on negativity, every bad day, every passing negative thought, every moment of self-doubt… it yells at you… it wants you to act on it. It tempts you with bloodlust, but I can't let it win."
Hinata held Naruto's hand firmly and squeezed, "You won't let it win. You're the most positive person I know. I bet you could give Mito here a run for her money," she quipped.
"I'm sure I could, but since she wrote the playbook and I just follow it, I have to give her that much," Naruto chuckled.
He looked over to the skeleton next to Mito. It was her daughter.
'Miki Senju. Senju by name, Uzumaki by heart. She may not have been born with the special chakra required to bear her mother's burden, but she fought by her parents' side until it eventually killed her. Live long, Miki.'
"Half-Senju, half-Uzumaki?" Naruto wondered, releasing Hinata's hand to pop open a scroll.
"Yeah, I'm guessing since Uzushio had such good relations with Konoha, a lot of the 'hybrids' are going to be between the Uzumaki clan and Konoha's strongest clans. We've seen a Hyuuga, and now a Senju. It wouldn't surprise me if somewhere in this mess there was an Uzumaki who could control shadows like Shikamaru, or control dogs like Kiba," Hinata thought aloud.
"… Or maybe an Uzumaki mixed with an Uchiha," Naruto said.
"The unlimited chakra reserves of an Uzumaki with the eyes of an Uchiha, sounds like a recipe for disaster," Hinata giggled.
Naruto looked back down at his scroll. "Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence…" It was useless. He'd come here in search of a new jutsu. There was no point looking through techniques that he could never master. He grabbed another scroll. "Wood Style…" he looked through another, "Wood Style…" he put it down.
"Finding anything?" Hinata asked.
Naruto shook his head softly. "I wish I was born with a Kekkei Genkai."
"You've got a tailed beast inside you. You don't need a Kekkei Genkai."
"You've got both," Naruto reminded her.
"True, but you're already good enough without a Kekkei Genkai. Kekkei Genkai make you weaker in a way."
"How so?"
"You become too reliant. Before I became a jinchuuriki, I was useless in long-range combat. I was too comfortable, so good at one thing that I never bothered to learn non-Byakugan techniques," she explained, searching through the shelves for a technique.
"Yeah, but still. Now, you have the Byakugan, plus non-Byakugan techniques. I just have the shadow clones and the Rasengan. Maybe if I had a family technique, I could relate to Sasuke more."
"Shut up about Sasuke for once," Hinata was so fed up with hearing that name that she actually snapped at the Uzumaki.
It stunned Naruto into silence.
Hinata continued, "You weren't born with Kekkei Genkai so you'll never experience what it's like yourself, but if you're so fixated on having one in your family you can always guarantee your children have one by marrying someone with a Kekkei Genkai," she didn't even realise what she was implying.
"Like you?"
Hinata flinched. She inhaled so sharply Naruto thought she was choking. She assured him she was okay as she moved through the shelves making sure to avoid his gaze. She felt so hot as Naruto followed her through the corridors of bodies.
She picked out a random scroll and read it. None of the words made sense. Her mind was too cloudy.
"That would be pretty cool though, having an army of little Uzumaki-Hyuuga babies?"
Oh God, he was still on that. Hinata's voice was shaky, "What about this?" without looking at the Uzumaki, she threw the scroll at him. She didn't even know what it said, she just needed a moment to step away and breathe.
"Tailed Beast Style?" he said, squinting to read the document, "Tailed Beast Style: Eight Gates Mode?" he asked before looking up at the shelf Hinata had taken this from.
'Mitsuki Uzumaki. Given as a gift by the First Hokage, stolen along with her life by the Hidden Waterfall. The first jinchuuriki of the Seven-Tails will never be forgotten, nor will her advancements of tailed beast knowledge.'
He looked back down at the scroll in his hands, "If you're reading this then you probably want to learn about the Tailed Beast Style: Eight Gates Mode. First, you must know that this technique will eventually kill you. Secondly, this technique will kill whoever opposes you. Finally, if you manage to learn how to unlock all eight gates, do so only when the lives of your comrades are on the line, for this move is the ultimate sacrifice."
"What did you find?" Hinata asked, finally calmed down.
"Fuu! Fuu! Fuu!" Naruto blurted out repeatedly until the mint-haired jinchuuriki finally came fluttering down.
"Is everything okay?" she asked, first directing her attention to Hinata, but the woman didn't say anything. She turned to Naruto, who directed to the illustration of a formal-looking young woman with bright red hair and even brighter orange eyes that pierced into her soul. Even after reading the woman's bio, Fuu turned to Naruto and asked, "Oi… who's this?"
"It's your… spiritual grandmother?" Naruto wasn't sure how to put it.
Fuu gave the bio one last look as everything began to sink in, "Choumei's first jinchuuriki? But I was always taught that the First Hokage gave Taki the Seven-Tails."
Naruto lifted the scroll, "I don't know what's going on here, but this woman… she knows so much about jinchuuriki," he said, shuffling through the scrolls lined up next to the woman. "This scroll speaks about how to summon your tailed beast to the real world… and this, about how to use the Creation Room to master your tailed beast abilities… we need to…!"
Naruto paused.
"Naruto?" both women turned to face him.
"One of my Kumo clones dispelled. The Kage have a proposition for us," Naruto noted. "Call everyone up to the war room. We might be about to enter the Fourth Great Shinobi War."