Naruto wonders how far away Yuki no Kuni is. Jiraiya and him were walking there, but it's been a week already. The temperature dropped a little as they walked, and Jiraiya told him that Yuki no Kuni was across a bay. The Aisu Bay, and he says it's only another day or two before they arrive, then it's a week and a half on the water. Naruto isn't sure how he feels about that.
Barely a day after they left Takigakure, the terrain began to become flatter, more rocks and less greenery. Jiraiya looked tense. When Naruto asked why, he explained that they're on the border between Iron and Earth Country, and that Iwagakure and Konohagakure weren't on the best of terms… Iwa shinobi may attack on sight. When he explained that, Naruto understood. They've been traveling for almost six weeks now, and Naruto feels comfortable around Jiraiya now. His eyes aren't as sad as they were when they left. Naruto is glad. His own eyes aren't as dull either, apparently.
Today, Naruto got permission from Kurumi to tell Jiraiya her name. Jiraiya was aware they were communicating, and despite his hesitance, he allowed it to continue. He also didn't question Kurumi's gender. Naruto wonders why. It's almost like he already knew. Naruto drops the train of thought.
"Kurumi."
"What?"
"It's the Kyuubi's name."
"Oh, cool. She never told… nevermind."
"Never told who?"
"I… actually, I can tell you. I think? She never told Kushina. Your mother."
"I have a mom?"
"...Yes, Naruto, you have a mother."
"Oh. What was she like?" Naruto was curious. He looked over at Jiraiya, as they were walking side by side, and tilted his head. Jiraiya scratched his stomach and tilted his own head back, thinking. A small smile came to his face.
"She was loud. She always wanted to be the center of attention when she was younger. I didn't know her as well as… I can't tell you who, but I knew her through him."
"My father?"
"..."
"I understand. He's who you can't tell me about, isn't he?"
"...Yes, I'm sorry, Naruto."
"It's okay. When will you be allowed to tell me?"
"When you're strong enough."
"Was he dangerous?"
"Yes."
"Okay. I understand." This time, when Naruto says he understands, he truly does. If his father was dangerous, he had enemies. If he had enemies, the same enemies would become his own. People were petty like that. Naruto knew that better than most. He learned that fact the hard way.
"Have you been to Yuki no Kuni before?"
"I have."
"What's it like?"
"Cold." Naruto smiled at the dry reply.
"I figured out that much, Ojisan." At that term of endearment, Jiraiya's small smile became a grin. About two weeks ago, Naruto started calling him that. Naruto thinks it makes him happy. He calls him that, because he trusts Jiraiya. He's proven that he can be trusted as such. He… he cares. He's bad at it, but he's trying. Naruto appreciates that.
"Okay, gaki, I get it. Yuki no Kuni… well, the daimyo is kind. Sōsetsu Kazahana is an acquaintance of mine. He has a daughter, Koyuki, who turned eleven this year I believe. Sōsetsu wants to bring spring to his country. He's… a bit of a dreamer, but I admire that about him. His people are loyal to him, and love him. His brother on the other hand… Doto always rubbed me the wrong way. Who knows? Maybe you'll get to meet Koyuki? Make another friend." At this he gives a gentle smile to Naruto, who returns it.
"Maybe. We'll have to see when we get there."
As Jiraiya said, they arrived at the coast a day later. The air was frigid, and it reminded Naruto that it was mid September. Autumn had arrived. Naruto let out a sneeze. The sky was cloudy, and it looked like it would rain, or maybe even snow. Naruto hasn't seen much snow in his life. Winters in Hi no Kuni were warmer than other places, and snowfall was rare. Only a few inches a year, at most. Sometimes none at all.
"I have a client who will be giving us a ride to Yuki no Kuni. Hopefully the weather doesn't keep deteriorating." Jiraiya led Naruto through the small coastal village they were in. There were stalls of people selling fish, all of them bundled up in furred coats by water, and small buildings dotted the streets around them. The water was a frigid dark color, and churned slightly harsher than normal. At least, Naruto thinks it was harsher than normal, because there's no way the ocean is always like that. Right?
Naruto shivered again, and it seems that Jiraiya noticed this time. At this, he palmed his face and mumbles to himself. He changes direction, and they end up in front of a small shop. Together, they entered, and Naruto found himself surrounded by fishing rods, different colored lures, fishing hooks, nets, wooden oars, and coats that were very similar to the ones the fishermen wore.
"I'm sorry to bother you, do you have a jacket small enough for the gaki?" Jiraiya asked, conversing with an elderly woman with her hair tied into a braid over her shoulder. The woman smiled, and nodded, pointing a crooked, calloused finger to a section of the shop. Jiraiya thanked her, and together they walked over to the section. Immediately, Naruto was drawn to the white coat, which was deep blue on the inside. It was around his size, and Naruto picked it up and turned to Jiraiya.
"I like this one, Ojisan."
"Okay. It'll blend in with Yuki no Kuni's terrain, which is a good thing for any shinobi. Good choice, Naruto."
"Thank you." After paying, Jiraiya and Naruto continued on their way to their original destination. They arrived at a small pier, where they were met by a middle aged man with dark skin, dark hair that dropped slightly below his shoulders and light blue eyes. His eyes were alert, and narrow, and his skin looked stretched tight against his bones. He looked sickly.
"Gotaro, it's good to see you, old friend." Jiraiya walked forward and clasped his hand with the man.
"Jiraiya, you know my name isn't Gotaro, it's Togaro."
"Just checking."
"I know." After that byplay, Jiraiya introduced Naruto and they were soon sailing after that. Togaro had a small ship, run by six other men. Naruto was shown a small room in the hull of the ship, which had a hammock and a small desk. Another room was across from it, matching it in every way. In fact, there were ten rooms like this in the hull, though two of them were empty and filled with crates. Naruto wondered what was in them.
"This is your room for the stay, Naruto. I'll be right across from you."
"Okay, Ojisan."
"The trip will be a bit slow than anticipated, due to bad weather. It's going to be about two weeks, instead of the week and a half like I thought.
"That's okay, Ojisan. We can spend the time training."
"That's right, gaki. I hope you're ready. We're starting your lessons in Fuinjutsu."
"I am."
For the next two weeks, Naruto was trained. He learned a lot of Fuinjutsu, mostly the basics, but Jiraiya told him that was the most important part. Jiraiya explained that Fuinjutsu was all about learning to reprogram the rules of reality. The more you want to program, and the more complex it is, the more complex the Fuin and the more chakra is required. An example Jiraiya gave was the Exploding Tag Seal. Jiraiya explained that the Exploding Tag Seal was extremely simple. It took kinetic energy, which he explained was the force behind an action, and thermal energy, which he explained to be heat, and converted chakra into those kinds of energy and released them. The more chakra, the bigger the explosion. He also explained that some seals have a threshold for how much chakra they can hold,which is why you don't see people making an exploding tag then charging it with chakra for months on end to make a village ending bomb. Therefore, it'd have to be a more complex seal to hold more chakra.
The example he gave for a complex seal designed for large chakra storage was actually the one holding Kurumi. He said it was a combination of a Hakke no Fuin, a combination of two Four Trigram Seals, and the Shiki Fujin, which was used to capture the soul of Kurumi. Naruto felt that was inaccurate, as he heard of other people having Bijuu sealed into them without the sealer dying, but Jiraiya confessed he isn't entirely sure what the Fourth Hokage did with the Shiki Fujin. They were incredibly complex seals that stored chakra, and the Shiki Fuin captured souls.
Naruto felt he was born for Fuinjutsu. He understood it easily, and it was almost like the formulas were already in his head before he knew them. He already learned basic storage seals and the Exploding Tag Seal, and he is currently working on a stronger Exploding Tag. He called it the Self-Replicating Exploding Tag. Unfortunately, Jiraiya heard of what he was working on and intervened.
"Please don't, Naruto. We're on a wooden boat. You can create it later. It's bad enough you were testing your tags on the glaciers we passed. Though, there are already two techniques that have created that. Well, one is technically a sword. Gojō Kibaku Fuda is a suicide technique that uses the own body of who uses the jutsu to generate the tags, and the Shibuki is a sword made with a scroll of exploding tags, which renewed themselves. Though, I'm pretty sure the sword is actually just a printing press wheel with paper on the outside."
"I'm thinking of making something similar to the Gojo Kibaku Fuda you just explained, but with a vampire seal. So that way, I can attach it to someone, have it drain their body of chakra to create self replicating exploding tags until he runs out of chakra, essentially turning them into a massive bomb."
"That's… genius. And dangerous. Please be careful, as vampire seals can't be turned off."
"I'll have them connected to an empty chakra seal, which can be removed before they're attached to their target, so the user doesn't accidentally become the bomb. I'd have to make sure they couldn't just remove the tag though…"
"You'll get it, Naruto. I'm sure of it."
"Thanks, Ojisan."
Arriving in Yuki no Kuni was an interesting affair. Or rather, it was the exact opposite of such. They arrived quietly, and Togaro and his crew left quietly after they unloaded their cargo. Naruto suspected it was illegal, but it wasn't any of his business. Jiraiya got a scroll from a messenger hawk almost immediately after arriving. After reading it, his face grew grim.
"There's a team of Konoha Anbu in the area. There's been rumors about a possible coup d'etat by Doto, and they're here to secure the royal family if possible. Unfortunately, it seems that Konoha's Anbu are stretched thin still from the Kyuubi attack, no offense to Kurumi, and they had to send some newer recruits. Luckily, Inu is with them. Things should be okay, but we'll have to be cautious from here on out, okay Naruto?"
"Okay, Ojisan."
"Good boy."
"I'm not Inu, Ojisan."
"Okay, Kitsune."
"I'll accept it."
"Ha!"
The two of them continued deeper into Yuki no Kuni. Jiraiya apparently has business in this country, though what exactly Naruto wasn't told. Jiraiya shivered, and Naruto noticed he looked a bit tired.
"You okay, Ojisan?"
"Toad instincts, gaki. They're telling me to hibernate."
"Oh, right. You ate a devil fruit, right?"
"Yep, the Gama Gama no Mi, Model: Cane Toad. It's kind of ugly, though, so I try not to use it much. It does help me control sage mode, though."
"Sage mode?"
"Oh, right, I never did tell you. I'm a sage, gaki. It means I can use natural energy to make myself stronger."
"Can you teach me?"
"Not yet, sorry. You're too young, your body can't handle it."
"Oh. Okay."
"Has Kurumi told you what shinobi are famous for their devil fruit yet?"
"No, she only mentioned you and the First Hokage."
"Well, there is the Fourth Raikage, who has one of the most powerful devil fruits we know of. The Goro Goro no Mi. He can turn into lighting and control it at will. He's quite fearsome, and is one of the two reasons why Kumogakure is quite feared right now. Another is… my teammate. Ex-teammate. Orochimaru. He has the Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Yamata no Orochi. A mythical zoan. The eight-headed serpent. He's… unfortunately I'm not sure who'd win between us. He never mastered his own sage mode, in fact he can't use it at all, so my sage mode would probably level it and make it even…"
"Who else?"
"Well, your mother had one. Kusari Kusari no Mi. She was able to summon chains from her body at will, and learned to generate them with suppression seals engraved on them. She was quite talented."
"That's cool."
"Yeah." The two of them continued walking in silence, snow crunching under their boots. Naruto was glad he got his coat, as the air was frigid and the wind would bite at his exposed skin. They were walking through a forest now, and most of the tree's were either pine or were stripped of their leaves. However, Naruto spotted something hanging from one. A single, light blue fruit, one that he's never seen before. He felt Kurumi stir inside him, and let out a small chuckle.
"What's up, Naruto?"
"I found one."
"What?"
"A devil fruit."
"You're kidding."
"Nope." Naruto pointed, and Jiraiya, once he saw it, started laughing too.
"What are the odds, huh? You want it?"
"...Yes."
"Okay. Normally, devil fruit users are cursed to never be able to swim, but shinobi found a work around a long time ago. We can use chakra to basically water walk platforms in the water to push ourselves up. It's difficult, but doable."
"I wonder what devil fruit it is?"
"We'll, see, won't we?"
"I guess so." Jiraiya hands Naruto the fruit after retrieving it. "So I just eat it now?"
"Yep."
"Okay…" Naruto took a bite. It was cold, as you'd expect from a fruit found in the frozen forest, but it was more than that. It was like he bit into a chunk of ice, but soft. His teeth hurt. It also tasted… bad. Like rotten water. He almost spit it out, but he continued, consuming the whole thing. Not even a minute later, he felt extremely warm, like a fever was building.
"Naruto? Are you okay?"
"I think I'm allergic to devil fruits." He passed out.
Naruto woke up in what he recognized as his mindscape. After spending so much time here, he figured out how to change its appearance. It took a while, and a lot of meditation and concentration, but now it was a green forest similar to the ones around Konoha, and Kurumi's cage was changed into a single two story house resting in the middle of a clearing. Her paper seal was shrunk to a bracelet on her wrist. They tested it, and if she showed any negative action towards Naruto it'd expand and contract her whole body, making her resemble a mummy. Naruto found it funny. Kurumi did not.
This time, however, his mindscape was not the same green forest it once was. Now, it was heavily snowing, and ice frosted along the ground. The house Kurumi usually spent her time in was once again a massive cage, clashing harshly with its surroundings, and Naruto saw Kurumi in her fox form staring down at a man, the man being pinned under a paw. Naruto walked forward, and as he did the features of the man became more distinct.
His eyes were blue, much like Naruto's, but lighter, almost white. His hair was teal, long, and messy. His stare was cold, but not the dull emotionless Naruto's own were. They were piercing, and they made Naruto think of the biting cold winds he's experiencing both within his mindscape and without. He had blue face paint creating an X, bridging across his nose. Kurumi's teeth were bared.
"So, I'm assuming you're the lesser demon within the devil fruit?" Naruto asked once he got close enough. The man turned, and stared at him. Finally, the man sighed.
"Why are my hosts always so… different? Yeah, that's me. My name is Kuraokami, call me Kurao. It's a pleasure. Can you ask Lady Kurumi to get off me?" Naruto examines him for a moment, before nodding.
"Kurumi, can you let him get up please?"
"...Okay, Naruto."
"Thanks." Kurumi removes her paw, but does stop glaring at Kurao. She shrinks down to her human form, and crosses her arms. Her glare doesn't lose any of its ferocity.
"Man, usually I get to keep sleeping until my host finds a way to wake me up, but damn, apparently not this time." Kurao gets off the ground and brushes snow off his body. "In case it wasn't obvious by now, you ate the Hie Hie no Mi, gaki. Have fun being made of ice. You're a logia user now. I'd say you're an awakened logia, as you technically are, but you'll have to figure out my abilities on your own before you can even touch my real potential. Understood?"
"Okay, that's fine."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"I like you, gaki. I'm going to pass out, you know where to find me."
"Okay?" Just like that, the man walks away, sits under a tree, and closes his eyes, a sheet of ice flowing over him like a blanket. Kurumi glares at him for a couple more seconds, before sighing.
"I guess I have a roommate now."
"Sorry."
"It's okay. You've gotten his power, make sure to learn to use it. Logia's are very strong."
"Okay, I will. Thank you, Kurumi."
"Of course, Naruto. You should probably be waking up, Jiraiya is worried."
"Okay."
Naruto opened his eyes to a gray sky and concerned eyes. He gave a small smile to Jiraiya and sat up, shaking his head. He looked down at his arms, and if he didn't know any better, he would've panicked. His arm was missing from the elbow down. Jiraiya, on the other hand, didn't know better.
"Naruto!? Are you okay? Where's your arm? Why'd you pass out like that? You worried me, gaki!" He fretted.
"It's okay. I'll figure out how to regrow my arm eventually. I'm an Ice Human now."
"A logia?"
"Yep."
"...cool."
Hi no Kuni: Fire Country
Yuki no Kuni: Snow Country
Gojo Kibaku Fuda: Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags
Shibuki: Blast Sword
Gaki: Brat/Kid
Gama Gama no Mi, Model: Cane Toad: Toad Toad Fruit, Model: Cane Toad
Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Yamata no Orochi: Snake Snake Fruit, Model: Yamata no Orochi.
Yamata no Orochi is an eight-tailed, eight-headed serpant. He was killed, or in other stories he was, Susanoo.
Kusari Kusari no Mi: Chain Chain Fruit. Kusari can also mean medicine. I'm using Kusari as in Kusariu-fundo, a weighted chain. Kusari = chain, Fundo = weight.
Kuraokami: A japanese dragon and shinto deity of ice, rain, snow, and winter
Hakke no Fuin: 8 Trigrams Seal
Shikki Fuin: Dead Demon Consuming Seal