Here's the fifth chapter of the story! Please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own "Naruto" or "Percy Jackson & the Olympians," they belong to their respective owners.

Evolution of Ideas

One Year Later

Many things can change in one year, and many things did.

After returning to Camp Half-Blood from their quest, the group all prepared to set off for the year. Given that summer was coming to a close, they could either choose to stay at camp or return home for the school year.

As for Percy, Naruto, and Annabeth, they had all chosen to return home for the school year. Annabeth had been able to reconcile with her family while Percy wanted to see his mother again, who was alive once more. She had sent a letter to him back at Camp Half-Blood, stating she was fine and well.

However, Naruto's case was a little different than the others. While the other two individuals went home to attend school, Naruto preferred to be 'home-schooled.' In reality, he just stayed home with Rhea and the occasional visit from Hestia. This was because he learned much more under his guardians than he would in any school district.

Besides, Hestia and Rhea ensured that Naruto didn't fall behind in his studies. They would make sure he was on par or ahead of peers his age.

The craziest thing to happen was Luke's betrayal.

It happened a few days right before the group split off. Percy had a private conversation with the boy before Luke admitted to his wrongdoings. He had been the one to give Ares the stolen weapons and enchant the flying shoes so that they would drag Percy to Tarturas.

He also admitted to being the one who summoned the hell hounds that attacked the two boys during their capture of the flag game. After restraining Percy, Luke made his way out of camp, claiming that Kronos would rise again to overthrow Olympus.

By the time Percy was found and freed, Luke had been long gone.

His betrayal hit Annabeth the hardest, as she didn't speak to anybody for a few days after. It seemed she harbored some form of feelings for the teenager.

After this revelation, Percy talked to Mr. D and the word spread around that Luke betrayed the camp. This made many of the campers shocked, while others were on high alert for any more spies. Even Chiron gained a saddened look, not expecting this out of one of his students.

Dionysus then spread the word to Zeus during a council meeting, which made the entirety of Mount Olympus surprised. They didn't believe the Titans were in any position to rise again, and some still didn't. However, it was now a topic that floated around in their minds, especially since none of them wanted Kronos to rise again.

Before the group left Camp Half-Blood, Naruto was able to have a meeting with them privately inside Hestia's cabin. This was during a training session, so only the group was inside. Summoning both Rhea and Hestia through his ruby necklace, the group was shocked to see both deities. They didn't really know Rhea and Hestia was rarely seen around Olympus.

After summoning both of his loved ones, Naruto along with his guardians, explained everything the blonde wanted to share about his past. They learned he was from another dimension altogether, and could form attacks due to his energy. They also explained other things, such as Naruto coming as he was a Child of Prophecy that was accepted by Zeus.

They were also told he was raised by Rhea while he saw Hestia as more of an Aunt.

The biggest hurdle to overcome was revealing that Naruto housed a massive amount of energy in his body. They were told that it was another entity altogether.

This blew the minds of Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. It took some time, but they eventually put all the pieces together. Grover thought it was amazing, Percy was in awe, and Annabeth was stunned. Despite their reactions, they decided it wasn't enough to make them stop being friends with the blonde.

The group felt flattered that they were trusted with this information. Naruto himself felt uneasy the entire time the conversation was going on, but he was relieved to see his friends were incredibly understanding.

He truly had the best luck in finding friends.

Once the time had come for the group to split off, they did. Annabeth went to her home while Grover went in search of Pan. As for Percy, he was ready to go home.

When Percy returned home, he invited Naruto over so he could properly introduce him to his mother. He wanted his mother to meet his best friend at camp, so he came along.

After arriving, Percy and Naruto learned that Medusa's head had been sent back to their residence from Poseidon. Deciding to use it on Gabe, Sally turned the disgusting man into a statue and sold it for a high price.

Whenever the woman left momentarily to make the boys dinner, Naruto made a proposition to his buddy.

"Hey man," Naruto looked over to Percy, "I know your Mom made some good money from selling Gabe's statue, but I want to help out too."

"What?" Percy asked befuddled, "You don't have to do that man."

The blonde shook his head, "No, I want to help. Besides, I don't need the money. Think of it as a friendly gift, you don't have to pay any of it back."

"No way," Percy argued, "I couldn't take your money, that's not right. I would feel horrible for taking it."

"I insist," Naruto continued, "I mean it, let me help man. Hopefully, this money can set you and your Mom up for a long time."

Naruto then channeled some chakra into a scroll, which revealed a sack full of paper bills. "This is all the money I saved over the years that Granny Rhea gave me as allowance. I stored it in a scroll a few weeks ago and completely forgot about it. I want you to have it," he then thrust the paper sack over to his friend.

"No way!" Percy said in shock, "Like I said, I can't tak-"

Naruto, having enough, shoved the sack into Percy's hands. Percy grunted from the unexpected weight of the bag.

"I don't know how much is in there, to be honest," Naruto said while rubbing the back of his head, "But it's the accumulation over many years, so it should be a good amount. I never wasted a single dollar since I didn't need to, so I think it's better if you have it."

Opening the sack and taking a look inside, Percy was stunned to see many dollar bills floating around. Some of them were ones, fives, tens, and twenty's. They were all scattered around, but they filled up the sack to the brim with money.

Percy nearly felt tears well in his eyes, not used to such a gift, "I…I don't know what to say…I don't even know how to repay you, man…"

He hadn't even known Naruto that long, as he was already giving him a life-changing gift.

"Use it," Naruto smiled, "Pay me back by giving it to your Mom so she doesn't have to work or use it for college. Whatever you want man, just put it to good use."

Closing the sack, Percy gave a grateful smile, "I will…I will…."

Percy never felt so close to another friend in his life.

Once his mother returned, Percy gave the sack to her and claimed he won the lottery while on his adventure and wanted to surprise his mother with the money. Of course, he claimed that his camp counselor purchased the lottery ticket for him since he wasn't eighteen yet and also claimed the money for him.

Sally Jackson nearly teared up at the surprise, not expecting to see such a sight. She was confused about how the sack made it into the house as she didn't see Percy walk in with it, but she put that thought to the side.

This is when Naruto made his leave, glad to see that the duo was set financially. He gave them both a farewell before heading back to his own house. Now that he wasn't afraid of showing his power, he would be able to sprint home with his chakra-enhanced legs. He promised to see his friend more often when possible.

When he left, Sally counted the money to be around $820,000 in value. She nearly passed out, realizing that this money along with the money gained from selling Gabe's sculpture would put them in the green for a long time.

Percy never forgot the cheerful look on his mother's face, and he swore he would repay his friend one day for the generous gift. It seemed the blonde kept on giving and giving, first with the Hestia cabin, and now with this.

He wondered if the blonde was even capable of being selfish.

With Naruto

Naruto spent the majority of the year after completing his quest training. While he occasionally visited Camp Half-Blood to speak with the kids in the Hestia cabin, visited Percy at his home, and talked with Annabeth through Iris's messaging, he mainly focused on getting stronger.

That meant he ran through a great amount of ninjutsu to add to his arsenal, which he did. He added more Jutsu that focused on elemental affinities he had to work one, like water, earth, and lighting. Of course, when he did practice these, he had to have Granny Rhea set up a protective barrier so it wouldn't be sensed by any other beings.

The reason Naruto trained so hard during this gap, was because of two main reasons. The first was because he realized how utterly weak he was in terms of other godly beings. If Ares was fighting seriously, he would have gotten killed very quickly.

Secondly, he saw that Granny Rhea was more and more stressed lately. It seemed the threat of Kronos rising put her in a bad mood, and he understood why. He knew the history between them, so he wasn't naive. This made him push himself each day, harder and harder, so he could protect her from his grasp.

He knew it was pointless in a sense, as he was only a fourteen-year-old child fighting against a being that had lived for eons, but he was going to try regardless.

So he threw himself into training.

He worked on his taijutsu against his clones, sometimes taking only fifteen-minute breaks before going back at it. He worked on reaction time, situational awareness, and fighting multiple opponents at once.

Something that he began to practice with, was something that his Granny and Aunt frowned open.

He was learning how to open the Eight Inner Gates.

The Gate of Opening.

The Gate of Healing.

The Gate of Life.

The Gate of Pain.

The Gate of Limit.

The Gate of View.

The Gate of Wonder.

… and the Gate of Death.

When he was examining his training scroll given to him by Rhea, he spotted the kinjutsu and wondered if it was worth learning. He read that it was a physically draining technique, but it also allowed the user to increase their power exponentially.

Normally, Naruto would have no interest in the technique. He wasn't power-hungry, he just wanted to be strong enough to protect his loved ones.

However, he realized that if he was going up against mythical and godly beings, he needed to be as strong as he could.

Within the year of training, he had only been able to open the Gate of Opening and the Gate of Healing. His grandmother often disapproved of the technique as she didn't want her grandson to get stronger at the cost of his body.

Rhea and Hestia also grew scared at the implication of what would happen should Naruto need to open all Eight Inner Gates.

The Gate of Death specifically rang in their minds, knowing what the name implied.

The only reason he had learned the first two Inner Gates, was because this technique was not his main focus over the year. He liked learning other techniques, but he thought about making the Eight Inner Gates his 'ace' card. Even if it wasn't his ultimate technique, it would be good to have in case he was cornered in a fight.

Finally, he began focusing on learning Fuinjutsu with the book he had begun reading. Whenever he wasn't learning new ninjutsu or practicing his hand-to-hand combat, he was learning how to create seals. He was now passed the beginner section of the book and worked on intermediate seals.

Hephaestus ended up cashing in a favor for Rhea by crafting Naruto two trench blades, as inspired by other weapons of his homeland. They were crafted with Celestial Bronze and had a silver handle on both blades. They were sturdy, sharp, and had hand holes so Naruto could slip his fingers through.

With these in his arsenal now, Naruto often practiced with his trench blades that perfectly fit his hands. He was incredibly grateful to have his own weapons for now, sealing away the daggers he used to use from Camp Half-Blood.

His new trench knives also channeled chakra smoothly throughout them. Apparently, if Hephaestus was to be believed, all he had to do was pump his chakra throughout the blade and it would repair itself. A special enhancement was given by the smith himself.

Rhea was also able to acquire a few Kunai from Naruto's homeland, courtesy of Amaterasu. With this, Naruto now used weaponry he had to get used to. However, despite this, he absolutely loved the feeling of it in his hands. It all felt so perfect for the young blonde.

When Hestia would visit, he would take the time to talk strategy with her and listen. They would also play board games, like chess to help Naruto's strategic thinking. He would use this time to train his mind, mentally absorbing as much information as he could. This would even sometimes result in him learning other languages, as Hestia liked teaching him.

He could now speak and write in Japanese, English, and Ancient Greek. Granted, the last option was mainly because Hestia and Rhea loved teaching their native tongue.

As he worked hard each day, sometimes not stopping until the dead of night, Rhea felt worried for her grandson. He was pushing himself too hard, and if not careful, he could hurt himself.

Another thing that surprised Naruto, was that he had a few gifts that he didn't know before. One day, when Amaterasu was visiting to congratulate Naruto on his completed quest, she was shocked after arriving. Once getting over her shock, the group was surprised to find out Naruto had something called 'Negative Emotion Sensing.'

Hestia, Naruto, and Rhea were surprised to learn that this ability allowed the blonde to sense emotions such as hatred, hostility, and similar feelings within a certain radius. This made sense to Naruto, as it described how he was able to sense so many negative feelings while on his journey.

However, the reason Amaterasu was surprised, was because it was actually the Kyuubi that held this ability, meaning Naruto had received it from him. Given that Naruto hadn't accessed the being's chakra yet, it was a surprise.

So, one day during his training regime, Naruto learned how to meditate from Amaterasu. He wanted to officially meet the Kyuubi and thank him for granting him this ability. Of course, all three goddesses placed a protective barrier and stood on standby in case they needed to intervene.

After being shown the correction technique and how to mentally assess his mind, he waited.

He waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Until he met the Kyuubi for the first time.

Mindscape

Snapping his eyes open, Naruto was surprised to see himself meditating in a sewer system. Water flowed beneath him, while tunnels were in each direction.

Standing up, he looked around only to find himself. He now realized he was in his inner mind, just as Amaterasu claimed meditating would do.

"Hello? HELLO?!" Naruto yelled out, only to get no response. He walked and walked in the darkness, wondering where he was.

"I didn't think meditating would do this," Naruto said while looking around, "It's a complete mess in here."

Eventually, Naruto heard a faint noise down another tunnel system. Deciding to investigate, he walked down the long tunnel. The tunnel eventually widened out into a large clearing, showing a massive cage. The bars were double as thick as the ceramic pillars he had seen.

There were seals scattered around the bars, with some of them being so advanced he couldn't decipher them.

He looked in between the bars, only to see nothing but pure darkness stare back at him.

Until he saw an eye open slowly.

"So…my jailer finally comes to visit me after so long…" spoke a deep, guttural voice.

Naruto stood there stunned before he realized he was looking at the Kyuubi. The darkness slowly receded until he saw a humongous nine-tailed fox. It didn't raise itself, instead choosing to lay on its paws, but it was still massive nonetheless.

Upon closer look, Naruto could see that the Kyuubi didn't choose to not stand, he couldn't physically stand.

There, wrapped around the fox, were thick roots. They were firm in their placement,

"Nice to meet you Kyuubi…" Naruto said while examining his partner.

The Kyuubi exhaled, "What do you want…boy…"

Nodding his head, the blonde responded, "I just wanted to come here and say thank you for lending me your help. I know that I wouldn't be able to use the Negative Emotion Sensing without you. It's saved me and my friends a lot of trouble and possibly our lives."

"Hmmm…" Kyuubi said with disinterest, "…Think nothing of it. If you die, I follow in your lead, so consider yourself lucky. I only bestowed this ability because I couldn't have you dying so quickly out there…"

Normally, his chakra would be needed to even use this ability. However, the root surrounding his body had slowly been siphoning his chakra into Naruto's steadily increasing his chakra reserves over the years.

He was sure the blonde didn't notice, and instead believed he was increasing his chakra pool through training. While he was, it wasn't at the rate his chakra was helping. Once his chakra was siphoned, it integrated into Naruto's chakra system until it merged together.

This didn't bother the Kyuubi too much, as his chakra reserves were being replenished quicker than they were drained. It was comparable to having a mosquito slowly draining you but your body was too big to notice.

It was a drop in an ocean of chakra for him. However, to Naruto's developing body, it was an ocean of chakra.

"I know," Naruto nodded, "But I still wanted to thank you."

"You'll find this out quickly about me, but I don't like hollow words…" Kyuubi said darkly. He hated being surrounded by this suffocating wood, reminding him of a certain Hokage.

Naruto didn't respond, deciding how to show his gratitude. He looked around and realized something that Amaterasu told him. This was his mindscape, his mental solitude. He could change and form everything around him.

Deciding to test it out, he snapped his fingers and watched as a fountain of clean water appeared. It was made of pure white marble and shined brightly in the dark sewer.

Looking back over, Naruto thought deeply about what he wanted. After deciding what he wanted, he opened his eyes and snapped his fingers once more.

Suddenly, the sewer system around them shifted into something more pleasant. The ground turned into solid earth while a blue sky appeared above. There was a rocky landscape to their right and a body of water to their left.

There was even an artificial sun, something that Naruto didn't know if he could do through his blessings from the sun goddess. However, he was just happy it worked.

The bars disappeared and the cage evaporated, leaving only a metal collar around the Kyuubi's neck. It was firmly planted in the center of the Mindscape, ensuring he couldn't roam around freely too much. There was enough slack on the chain to let the Kyuubi enjoy the beautiful landscape around him.

The metal collar filled with seals was not Naruto's idea, however, he assumed it was his body's natural defense when he imagined the Kyuubi to be free. This was the most he could push with the seal.

Next, the thick roots that surrounded the Kyuubi retracted into the ground. This made the Kyuubi breathe in deeply, happy that he was free from the wood. It had been a long number of years of being entrapped.

"This is a much better prison than Kushina's was…" Kyuubi mumbled mentally. He remembered when he was sealed in that woman, being pinned down to a floating rock.

"There we go, much better," Naruto smiled. It may still have a metal collar, but at least the Kyuubi was much more free than before. He also wanted the landscape to be more enjoyable, so he tried his best to imagine Hawaii from when he was a young child.

At that moment, with a smile on his face, Kyuubi's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. He saw Ashura Otsutsuki as a young child. It was eons ago before the brat became a fearsome warrior. However, he could see the connection as plain as day.

"This is gonna sound dumb," Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "But I was hoping we could be friends, ya know? I would hate being chained up for my whole life, so I wanted to extend a hand of friendship…or I guess paw of friendship…" Naruto deadpanned.

Kyuubi didn't say anything for a few moments, instead choosing to breathe in the fresh air around him. The sun on his fur also felt nice, given he hadn't felt it in years.

"Is this the one you spoke of…father?…" Kyuubi thought while looking at Naruto who rubbed his head. He remembered his father's words, the words that someone would eventually come along and see them as friends, not mindless beasts.

He closed his eyes, his decision made up. He would follow his father's words, and give this human a chance. A chance he rarely provided anything, especially his previous containers.

"Like I said, I hate hollow words, prove yourself Uzumaki…" Kyuubi said with a bellow. He was basking in the natural landscape.

"Hmm…" Naruto thought deeply, wondering what to do. He thought removing the roots and giving Kyuubi a much better living space would be enough, but that was him being naive.

"What if I…" Naruto didn't finish the thought before he examined a certain seal along the chain of Kyuubi's collar. He didn't understand even half of the seals used to trap the Kyuubi, but he could understand this specific one. It was a mental blockade seal, meaning the Kyuubi wouldn't be able to talk to him mentally. He assumed it was used to avoid the Kyuubi influencing him negatively.

Lighting up his fingers with chakra on each tip, Naruto slammed them down onto the seal he was examining. After a few seconds, he watched the seal fade away into nothingness.

The chain stayed sturdy, and the collar remained, but the one small seal disappeared. Naruto was patting himself on the back, happy he had studied Fuinjutsu before this point.

"That should have done it," Naruto nodded with a grin, "We should be able to speak mentally now when I'm back in the real world."

Raising an eyebrow, Kyuubi could admit this was a good gesture of faith. He didn't expect the blonde to do something so drastic, but it made his point.

"Very well, Naruto Uzumaki…" Kyuubi's deep voice rumbled the Mindscape, "…we shall see if you can earn my…friendship…" Even just saying the word left a bad taste in the Kyuubi's mouth.

"I knew you would come around!" Naruto said with a grin, "I have to go now, but we'll keep in touch! See ya!"

With a mental command, Naruto willed himself back to the real world. He didn't want to worry the people on the outside in case he was gone for too long.

After the blonde vanished, the Kyuubi allowed himself another nap. It was how he passed the time for so long.

However, as he set his head upon his paws, there was something that would have surprised anyone.

A small smirk was hidden from all eyes.

Back in the Real World

Naruto gasped, snapping his eyes open and nearly falling over from his sitting position. Coming back from his Mindscape was a weird feeling.

"Naru! Are you okay?!" Rhea rushed over and held her grandson up by his chest. He had just suddenly gasped for air.

"Yeah, sorry Granny," Naruto apologized while standing up, "I just got back from speaking with the Kyuubi."

"…already?" Hestia asked while blinking a few times.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

Amaterasu chose this moment to lower the magical barrier around them, seeing they wouldn't need it anymore. It looks like the Kyuubi didn't attack or cause a scene after all.

"You were only gone meditating for a second or two," Rhea explained.

"What?! But I was at least speaking to him for fifteen minutes!" Naruto said in surprise.

"I assume that time runs differently in your Mindscape then," Hestia said, "Minutes or possibly hours in there, is much shorter out here."

The group talked with one another, spreading information around.

Eventually, Naruto said something that perked their ears up.

"When I got there, the Kyuubi was trapped by these thick, wooden roots. I was able to remove them, but I was wondering if they symbolized anything?"

Amaterasu took this moment to straighten her back, realizing her hunch was correct all along.

"I see…" Amaterasu said while closing her eyes, "…Naru-chan, do you know what a Kekkei Genkai is?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, it's a mutated bloodline limit. Granny Rhea explained it to me before I left for Camp Half-Blood."

"Correct," Amaterasu nodded, "But I believe you may have inherited one that no one has seen in decades. It's something called the Mokuton."

Naruto took this moment before blinking, "Mokuton? Wood release?"

"Indeed, it's never been replicated since the early Shinobi days."

Naruto gained a blank face, "That's so dumb! Wood release? I couldn't get something awesome to use, like lava or crystals. I would have even taken those freaky red eyes of the Uchiha Clan that Granny Rhea talked about that one time!"

Rhea bonked Naruto over the head for his ungratefulness, finding it unflattering. Hestia chose this moment to giggle behind her palm, laughing at his outrage. While mature for his age, Naruto was still a kid. It was hard to remember that sometimes.

Amaterasu sweat dropped, imagining how depressed Hashirama would be to find another person to use his bloodline limit, only to call it lame. This was the same Kekkei Genkai that subdued many Tailed Beasts back in the day, and now it was considered 'lame' by our fellow blonde.

Giving a small chuckle, Amaterasu continued, "Naruto, you must not know the history behind this ability."

Naruto rubbed the welt on the back of his head, shaking his head. His Granny Rhea could still hit hard despite her old age.

"Then allow me to explain."

The next few minutes were spent by Amaterasu explaining the history of the technique. The only person to ever use it naturally, Hashirama Senju, was the first Hokage of the Hidden Leaf. He was the person that created the forests around the village, that still stood strong beyond his death.

The Mokuton also subdued the Tailed Beasts and withstood direct attacks from the Kyuubi itself. This was the same being that could demolish entire mountains and cause tsunamis.

It also had natural chakra-draining effects, meaning he could theoretically weaken an opponent over time if he trapped them.

After going in-depth on how desired and well-rounded this technique was, Naruto gained a look of understanding.

"Oooh, okay…" Naruto nodded, "I have to admit then, that's pretty awesome."

Hestia giggled again, seeing how quickly he changed his position on the topic.

"However, yours seems to be a little different," Amaterasu admitted, "Yours is more inclined with nature, as you've made flowers bloom accidentally before while just walking. This could mean your Mokuton is stronger than even Hashirama's was, or it could have no effect at all. We won't know until it's used in-person."

"So then how do I use it? How do I even have it?" Naruto questioned while crossing his arms.

"That's easy, I can retrieve Hashirama's scroll and journal. He described how he trained with it in case any of his descendants would awaken the same bloodline limit," Amaterasu answered, "However, as for why you have it, I don't know."

In the back of her mind, Amaterasu had her theories. Naruto could have gained this through one of their blessings messing with his chakra, or even all of their blessings fusing with his chakra. This was all new to them.

She could assume that since Hashirama was a reincarnation of Ashura and Naruto was too, he also gained the ability. However, she also knew that Hashirama's genes played into the equation. Naruto was an Uzumaki and Namikaze. However, she had a few things to investigate when heading back into the Elemental Nations.

"I will return shortly with Hashirama's scroll and journal, as it is locked behind a sealed vault. Only blood relatives of his can open it…or a goddess," Amaterasu said with a cheeky grin, "However before I go, could I please get a drop of blood from you Naru-chan? It's just to test something I have." The sun goddess waved her hands and a glass tube appeared. She popped open the top.

"Sure," Naruto said. Biting his thumb to just barely crack the skin open, he allowed a few drops to fall into the tube. He trusted Amaterasu and assumed she wouldn't do anything bad with it.

Rhea and Hestia also allowed it to happen, not sensing any ill-intent behind the goddess's actions.

"Thank you," Amaterasu closed the capsule, "I will return by tonight."

She then flashed away in black flames.

"Always for the dramatics," Rhea huffed, "Now I have to put out these flames before they burn through my garden."

Hestia and Naruto laughed.

Moments Later – With Amaterasu

Amaterasu flashed inside the Senju estate. It was located near Konoha and only those who were related could enter through the front door. It was coated in security seals.

However, as a creator of this world, she could easily bypass them without issue.

Walking downstairs, she took her time. There was dust coating much of the furniture, as nobody was currently inhabiting the estate.

Seeing the vault, Amaterasu stopped her pacing. She saw the blood seal coating the front entrance, meaning only a relative could enter.

She retrieved the glass capsule and allowed the drops of Naruto's blood to hit the seal. She waited and waited.

Moments later, the blood seal dissipated and the entrance opened.

"I see, so he is related to Hashirama in some way…" Amaterasu narrowed her eyes, confirming her theory. This was at least one step in learning the puzzle that was Naruto's Mokuton.

She walked inside and saw rows and rows of books, journals, and scrolls. However, most of these were uninteresting for the goddess as they were just stories collected over the Shinobi World Wars.

There, at the end of the room, was a journal encased in glass. It was Hashirama's journal on how to use the Mokuton. There was an accompanying scroll, with the actual list of Mokuton techniques he managed to develop. Some of these techniques were in the Scroll of Seals held by the Hokage.

However, this scroll listed every technique Hashirama made in his lifetime. He hoped it would help the next successor of his famous bloodline.

Gently opening the glass case, she grabbed both items. Looking around, she wondered if this dimension could still be saved.

After retrieving Naruto and leaving for Olympus during his birth, many things happened. First off, word spread quickly that Konoha's Jinchuriki was gone. Whether it was through an inside informant or spy, nobody knew.

This caused Kumo to feel that they had the best chance at being ranked as the number one village, given they had two Jinchuriki. Small skirmishes and conflicts happened between both villages in hopes of being labeled as the 'strongest hidden village' throughout the nations.

Both sides suffered losses, but Konoha barely came out on top. This was because their average Shinobi was trained much better than Kumo's, despite the fact they had two Jinchuriki.

This caused the other villages to stay their hand, not wanting to suffer the same defeat that Kumo had. It had been an embarrassment for the village.

However, the message was clear, Konoha was no longer the feared village it once was. Sure, they had legendary ninjas like Kakashi Hatake, Jiraiya the Sannin, Shikaku Nara, Might Guy, and Hiruzen Sarutobi. However, their reputation could only last so long before another village poked the bear.

She knew that Konoha's reputation in the world was crumbling, and it was crumbling fast. She knew this was bound to happen by taking the Child of Prophecy out of this world, who was destined to save this world.

It was also the same reason her gift to Olympus meant a lot more because she was dooming their pantheon's dimension.

It still shocked her, however, realizing how one person could change the future of an entire world. Naruto's presence created a domino effect that put everything into motion, and now that was gone.

The world wasn't in complete chaos just yet, but she could feel it nearing its end. Only time would determine how this would play out. After the Child of Prophecy was removed, the Shinto pantheon could no longer tell the future of this world. They had messed with fate, and now it was unknown.

Flashing away, she left the Elemental Nations once more with both objects in her hand.

In Late Spring

After the year was up, Naruto felt amazing. His chakra reserves had jumped dramatically, his chakra control was better, he had trained his body into the ground, and he had a variety of more attacks in his arsenal.

Over this year of training, Naruto stopped allowing himself to be held back. While he was originally fearful of offending certain gods if he used attacks in their domain, he realized he couldn't allow that to stop his growth. If he needed to use a water, lighting, or earth attack mid-fight, he would rather ask for forgiveness than permission.

This was real life, with battles that could kill him. He could deal with an offended deity later on if it really mattered.

Once Amaterasu had returned with Hashirama's teachings, Naruto took it like a fish to water. While many of the techniques were complicated, he managed to learn two Mokuton techniques with the help of his clones.

However, he also had many headaches when using the techniques as the Kyuubi often grumbled. It was clear he still had resentment from being chained up by the legendary Senju.

His enchanted trench knives, which repaired themselves with chakra, were used heavily during his training.

His mind was enhanced and sharpened through Hestia's teachings. She was truly wise in the way she taught.

In the last four months, he had begun getting Iris messages from Melinoe of all people. It was one day when he had gotten out of the shower after working on the Eight Inner Gates during the evening. He was thankful that Granny Rhea often erupted protective barriers to prevent any other beings from sensing her grandson's power.

His ruby necklace shined and an Iris message appeared in his bathroom mirror. That was when he first began to truly interact with Melinoe.

His wet hair and towel around his waist is how Melinoe found him. She of course apologized for the random Iris message, but stated she wanted to learn more about him.

Naruto blanked out at this, wondering why she took an interest in him. He found out that Melinoe was curious about him, and her curiosity was always answered in the end.

His connection to Hestia also interested Melinoe. However, despite the awkward introduction, the two began to build a friendship.

Melinoe often kept her young form, as it was the form she felt most comfortable in.

Every time they talked, Melinoe felt a warmth spread inside her body. Nobody interacted with her, so she decided to spend all of her time in the Underworld. However, she could finally say she had a friend who wasn't scared of her.

Naruto's cheerful attitude was rubbing off on her.

As for the blonde, he also had a secret crush on the goddess. She was beautiful in his eyes with her dual appearance, and her character was sweet in his eyes. Many people thought of Melinoe as a monster, ghost, or invoker of insanity, but she was nice underneath it all. She was just a girl looking for a friend, and he didn't mind being that friend.

The two's friendship was caught by Hestia one day when she walked past the kitchen in Rhea's home. She was going to bake some cookies, and saw Naruto in the living room, speaking with Melinoe through the Iris message.

This began the teasing that 'Naruto has a girlfriend!' with both women. This often made the ninja huff and deny all accusations every time.

Thankfully, Naruto hadn't received any death threats from Hades yet about befriending his daughter. He did however receive a 'thank you' note in the mail one day from Persephone, thanking him for being a positive influence on her daughter.

Finally, his hair had also gone under a unique change. While he only had a few strands of red hair the year before, it was starting to blend in with his blonde hair. He later found out that he had Heterochromia of the hair. His blonde and red hair settled on his head, with his blue eyes and whisker marks nicely complimenting his looks.

Placing his trench knives on their sheathes on both sides of his waist, Naruto cracked his fingers. He was getting ready for some Taijutsu practice with some clones like he always did.

However, suddenly, an Iris message popped up in front of him. Assuming it was Melinoe, Naruto gained a wide smile.

To his shock, it revealed a disheveled Percy with Annabeth by his side.

"Naruto! It is great to see you again man!" Percy said with a half-smile, "I know this is sudden, but I need your help. I'm back at Camp Half-Blood and things are getting hectic back here. Chiron's been fired, monsters are attacking, and I just need someone I can trust right now to help me out."

"Woah what?" Naruto said in confusion, "Slow down man, what's going on?"

Hearing another monster growl to the side, Percy took his eyes off the Iris message before slashing it in half. He did it effortlessly and with precision, clearly showing he also hadn't slacked off in their year apart.

Seeing the dire situation, Naruto decided to make his decision, "Alright man, I see what's going on. I'll be there within the hour!"

Percy nodded, not responding as he slashed another monster.

The Iris message then disappeared.

Naruto went to tell Rhea and Hestia he would be leaving for Camp. As a young adult, he was trusted a lot more out by himself now.

He gathered his things and prepared to take off. He sealed his belongings in a scroll and then sealed that scroll on a marking placed upon his right bicep. He also had a few gravity seals around his body, used for training.

"Release!" he shouted mentally. The seals on his body began to glow before subsiding. He now felt as light as a feather.

With his things prepared, he dashed off to Camp Half-Blood. He was confident he could get there very soon.

Dashing through the front entrance of Camp Half-Blood, Naruto was surprised to see that the majority of the fighting was over. Some campers were being healed by the Apollo cabin while others were being carried away in stretchers.

Looking around, he spotted Percy talking to Annabeth. They had some grime and dirt on their outfits.

"Hey! Percy!" Naruto waved over before walking to his friend.

With a grin, the two shared a fist bump while Naruto greeted Annabeth.

"We have got to catch you up on everything," Percy said with a sigh, "There's so much going on."

With a nod, Naruto allowed Annabeth and Percy to catch him up on the current events.

First off, Thalia's Tree which protected the camp, had been poisoned. Due to the weakened state of the tree, the camp's protective barriers had been dropped. This allowed for any outside threat to attack the camp without issue.

Secondly, a war with Kronos, the Titan of Time, had broken out. This caused a massive pit to appear in Naruto's stomach, as this is what he feared for the last year.

Thirdly, Chiron had been blamed for poisoning Thalia's Tree, which made no sense in Naruto's mind. Chiron loved Camp Half-Blood too much to do something like this, especially since he saw many of the campers like his own kids. It wouldn't be in his character to willingly hurt the camp.

The last thing he mentioned before losing his position, was to search for the Golden Fleece to heal Thalia's Tree.

Since Chiron was removed as head counselor, Tantalus was appointed in his absence. The spirit was currently in charge while Mr. D was away on business. It seemed all of Olympus was busy in meetings nowadays.

Fourthly, Naruto was introduced to Tyson who he found out was a Cyclops. The kid was technically Percy's half-brother and seemed nice.

Finally, Tantalus had appointed Clarisse to undertake a quest in search of the Golden Fleece. Nobody else was allowed to leave camp in the meantime, however, Percy had a plan.

Percy had been having nightmares of Grover being trapped in some kind of cave, which they eventually found out was in the Bermuda Triangle. It also helped that they were able to tell the monster tormenting him, which was Polyphemus.

This was also known as the Sea of Monsters, a place that no man crossed into willingly.

Knowing that Grover was near the Golden Fleece, the group could rescue him and grab the magical item at the same time. This would kill two birds with one stone.

However, since Tantalus had placed a ban on leaving camp, it made this difficult to do so.

Thankfully, Hermes had spoken to Percy privately and gave him the necessary supplies to sneak out of camp. He supported Percy's mission to rescue Grover and grab the Golden Fleece. However, he made Percy promise that he would try and convince Luke to leave the Titans while he was on his journey.

With this in mind, Naruto made his decision to stick with his friend. If they were sneaking out of the camp to save Grover and the camp, he could get behind that.

They would just have to wait for the right time.

"I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS!" Naruto yelled as the air rushed through his hair, "I WAS THINKING WE COULD RENT A BOAT OR SOMETHING!"

"WOOHOO!" Percy shouted, having the time of his life.

Annabeth and Tyson both clutched on for dear life. However, Tyson had a wide grin on his face as they rushed through the water.

They were all currently traveling on hippocampi sent by Poseidon to help Percy on his journey. They were a mix between a horse and a fish. They were the sea ponies of the world.

Poseidon claimed that these hippocampi would lead them to their first requirement on the journey. After the vague explanation, the group decided to trust the sea god.

They had been traveling at top speeds for about an hour now and were somewhere in the middle of the ocean.

The sun was slowly setting in the distance, meaning they would only have a few more hours of daylight.

"Heads-up, cruise ship ahead!" Annabeth shouted, keeping her eyes peeled.

Looking ahead, Naruto could see the name of the ship on the side. It said, "Princess Andromeda" on the side in dark letters.

The hippocampi slowed down their speed before stopping alongside the ship. It seemed this was the first step in their journey.

Hopping off the mystical beings, the group thanked the hippocampi for delivering them to their destination. They let out a few squeals of approval before sinking under the water.

"Uhh…what did they say?" Naruto asked, looking over at his friend. His ruby necklace hung by his neck and shined brightly.

"They said to call them back in case we need them again, and they'll be ready for us," Percy answered.

Annabeth nodded, "Then let's go. They brought us to this cruise ship, there has to be something here."

They didn't know if they were going to find a clue on Grover's exact whereabouts, keys to how to survive the Sea of Monsters, or if it was something altogether.

The vagueness of quests always annoyed any demigod relentlessly.

"Stay close team," Naruto said aloud, "I'm sensing a LOT of negative emotions around us."

The group was updated on Naruto's abilities when they were speaking back at camp. He let them in on his training sessions and desire to get stronger.

As for Percy, he also admitted that he trained year-round while going to school. His abilities with water, speaking to sea life, and swordsmanship had increased tremendously.

Annabeth's mind was much sharper now and used her magical items, like her invisibility cap, much wiser in combat.

Tyson, for his part, didn't know who Naruto was. This caused the warrior to explain who he was, where he came from, and how he was able to do what he did. To Tyson's credit, he was very accepting and thought Naruto's 'ninja skills' were cool.

"Right," Percy nodded, "If Naruto says there are some monsters nearby, stay on alert."

His biggest insecurity was failure, he wouldn't risk it again.

Walking up the staircase on the ship, the group ended up being on the highest deck. They looked around and noticed that many humans were relaxing. Some were drinking, others were laughing, and a few in the back were gambling with dice.

The ages ranged from as young as thirteen, to as old as twenty-eight. A multitude of people were just mingling with one another.

"Uhh…this is what triggered your senses?" Tyson said plainly. He thought the blonde was being serious earlier, but all he saw were regular people having fun on a cruise ship.

"Look closer Tyson," Naruto answered back without offense in his voice, "They're not just humans, they're demigods."

The people having fun were clear warriors. Many of them had battle scars on their bodies, muscles used for combat, and some of them had their eyes darting around. These were signs of situational awareness, something many demigods possessed.

"Correct," spoke a voice from behind, planting a hand on Naruto's and Percy's shoulder.

Before they could turn around, Naruto, Percy, Tyson, and Annabeth realized they couldn't move. It's as if they were being frozen in time.

"I can't believe I would run into all of you so soon," the man said while walking around, facing the group.

It was Luke Castellan, who had a smug grin on his face.

"Dammit!" Naruto growled in his head while keeping an impassive face on the outside, "All this talk about getting stronger, and I already got caught in mere seconds!"

He let his guard down, even after his Negative Emotion Sensing went off. It seemed that Luke had managed to bypass his defenses, as he couldn't tell he was there until it was too late.

He needed to be better than this. However, he remembered that Hestia always said there is a lesson in failure. This lesson was clear, situational awareness was everything.

Annabeth glared at her former crush, "You're scum for doing this Luke! I can't believe I used to look up to you!"

The many demigods who were having fun stopped and assessed the situation. Slowly, they all left to dress for combat while many monsters came up on the top deck, standing behind Luke.

"Great, it looks like we stumbled onto their base of operations," Percy huffed out, struggling against this invisible force holding him in place.

"You misunderstand Annie," Luke said with a small smile, "I'm not scum for doing any of this, instead, the gods on Mount Olympus are scum for ignoring their children."

"Don't call me that!" Annabeth growled out.

Luke ignored her outburst, "Think about it, when things go south for Mount Olympus, they use their children as tools. Wars, conflicts, skirmishes, whatever you want to call it, are all fueled by the death of demigods. Their deaths are used as cannon fodder, forgotten to time. Some of these demigods are children, and others have families. However, the moment your godly parent or the king himself needs something, you are expected to bend over backward for them."

Percy glared back, feeling nothing but hate for his foe.

"So starting another war is going to fix everything?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow, also channeling chakra throughout his body. He was hoping to stall Luke with questions to escape. He could feel the force slowly wane under his energy.

He believed that Luke was the one holding them imprisoned, given the fact he was sweating down the sides of his head. It seemed the more strain and push-back they gave, the harder it was for Luke to keep his concentration in holding them down.

"He possibly earned a blessing from Kronos, something to do with freezing people in space," Naruto assumed, "That's the only way he could do something like this."

"Starting another war IS going to fix things," Luke scowled, "Sure, more death will happen, and lives will be torn apart. However, when the dust settles, Mount Olympus will be toppled and Kronos will rise again! It is time for a new era, an era where demigods are not treated like trash!"

"And Kronos is promising you this love? This affection?" Percy scoffed, "Because he didn't show any to his children, why would he give a damn about any of you?"

"He is promising us a better life once the war is over," Luke smiled, "And I can stand behind that, I can fight for that."

"So why doesn't he just appear and slaughter all of Olympus then?" Annabeth asked with a glare, "If he's so powerful, why does he need your help?"

"Annie, I thought you knew the most about Greek mythology," Luke tsked, "As you know, Lord Kronos was sliced into hundreds of pieces by bolt-head. Every demigod that turns over to our side, helps Lord Kronos re-form bit by bit. Soon, he will walk among us and take charge."

"You're asking for a Second Titan War! Do you understand what you're doing?" Naruto said while glaring daggers. He could slowly feel himself getting loose. Only a few more seconds and he would be free.

"I do, and we have the army for it," Luke chuckled, "We have a multitude of Titans on our side! Our army is growing! Soon, all of Olympus will fall!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes, seeing a crazed look in Luke's eyes. He could tell the teenager was most likely bribed with false promises of power, security, and authority.

"Join me," Luke offered with a hand outstretched, "Help us build the Titan army and crush Olympus. Athena and Poseidon have both been proven to be horrible parents! They've never cared for you, ever! Neither has Hermes for me! Join us, and you can finally have a family here."

"That's where I know you're wrong, Luke," Percy spat out, "Hermes is the one who wanted us to find you, to help you. Goes to show how little you know about anything!"

With a burst of chakra, Naruto finally managed to release himself from his confines. This made Luke lose concentration and stumble backward, not expecting this.

"Go on!" Naruto said to his friends, "Find a lifeboat, a rowboat, anything to get off this ship! I'll follow behind!"

"No way, you can't hold them all off!" Percy said, seeing the monsters help Luke back up. They were getting ready for a fight, with many demigods reemerging from the bottom deck.

"Trust me, just go!" Naruto yelled, "I can hold them off while you all escape. I'll catch up, just GO!"

He didn't want to say aloud that the real reason was that many of his techniques used for large groups of beings, were destructive. He couldn't ensure his friend's safety if he began throwing them around the ship.

"Percy, let's go!" Annabeth yelled out while dragging Percy by the arm, "Naruto will catch up!"

With one final look over his shoulder, the duo ran down the staircase while Tyson followed behind.

"Bad move," Luke spat out, "Looks like we'll have to kill you."

"You can try," Naruto chuckled, not worried in the slightest.

Without another word, Naruto was charged by hundreds of monsters and demigods.

Flipping through his hand signs, he launched his attack.

"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique)

Multiple black fireballs shot out of Naruto's mouth, before exploding into miniature ones while in mid-air. This caused many of the demigods and monsters to catch on fire. Some died on the spot while others burned slowly.

Luke acted on his instincts and used a monster as cover, barely avoiding death himself.

This didn't deter others, as they ignored their comrade's deaths around them.

Naruto battled alone, dodging punches, kicks, and weapons fluidly. Practicing hand-to-hand combat against clones for a year straight, really helped in fighting large groups of people.

Smacking down another one of Kronos's minions, Naruto felt the ship shake violently. Suddenly, they saw tidal waves crash against the side with whirlpools appearing all around.

"It's Poseidon!" Luke yelled out while trying to keep his balance, "He's trying to give Percy time to retreat! Everyone, fall back!"

The group then left Naruto alone, choosing this moment to save themselves. It seemed they had some sort of evacuation plan.

Deciding to take a different route, Naruto instead choose to run downstairs. If he was lucky, he could probably snag some documents about their war plan before they took them all.

Breaking into a room on the bottom deck, he was disappointed to find nothing, the room was barren.

"Damn, they work fast," Naruto grumbled in his mind, running to another room. While the ship swayed from side to side, he kept his pace by allowing chakra to stick his feet onto the ground.

Another empty room.

Then another.

Then another.

However, just as Naruto was about to bail out, he did find one document in another room. It was a folder that contained nothing but a list.

"Are these active Titan members?" Naruto said in shock, not believing such a crucial piece of information would be left behind. A small portion of the page was ripped at the bottom, meaning this wasn't a complete list. However, a decent list was better than no list.

Reading it over, he was surprised at how well-armed the Titan army was.

- Hyperion

- Krios

- Oceanus

- Prometheus

- Hecate

- Morpheus

- Aigaios

- Keto

- Phorcys

The rest of the names were cut off, meaning there were still more members.

"This is intel…I need to get this back somehow…" Naruto thought before sealing the folder into his sealing scroll.

He couldn't believe the betrayal ran deep, as he saw that some Greek gods and goddesses were helping Kronos behind the scenes.

Feeling the boat shift to its side, Naruto decided to cut his losses and run before it sank.

Running, he launched himself over the railing and landed upon the water below. His water-walking exercise kept him afloat.

"Crap…I'm lost…" Naruto could admit to himself that he had no idea where he was. He just knew that they had stumbled upon Luke's base of operations, and he could possibly still be in enemy territory.

He planned to catch up with Percy, but he took longer than expected scouring the ship. It was another mistake that he couldn't afford to repeat.

With a deep sigh, Naruto used his chakra control in perfect balance, so he wasn't overusing it as he ran above the sea. He needed every drop in case the land was not nearby.

The sun was setting, and he didn't want to run in the middle of the ocean, late at night. That would only make him more lost.

Picking a direction, he sprinted above the water. Once finding land, he could figure out where he was and go from there. It would only be a matter of time afterward for him to regroup with Percy.

Calming his breathing, the blonde ran along the waves of the ocean. The air brushed past his face while he stayed determined.

He was grateful that his necklace provided a small glow, helping light the path before him.

Even when not around, his guardians were there, protecting him.

OH BOY! We are done with this chapter!

As you can tell, Naruto's arsenal is growing steadily. Before everyone gives the "OP" comment, trust me when I say, it'll work out well in the end.

There are going to be changes in the future that I know nobody is going to be expecting. It'll be a pleasant surprise for many.

We got big things moving and gears turning.

Please review and tell me what you think!

Until next time!

Cheers!

Ages:

Annabeth: 13

Naruto: 14

Percy: 13

Updated Skill-Set For Naruto:

- Eight Inner Gates – Only opened the 1st & 2nd gates so far

- Kyuubi's chakra has been siphoning into his chakra network for years at this point

- Budding relationship with Kyuubi

- Negative Emotion Sensing

- Mokuton – training with Hashirama's scroll & journal, only learned two so far

- Mokuton: Bunshin no Jutsu (Wood Clone Technique)

- Mokuton: Jukai Heki (Dense Woodland Wall)

- Weapon – Enchanted Trench Blades & Kunai

- Fuinjutsu – Intermediate in Seals

- Taijutsu – Low Jonin

- Elemental Jutsu – Proficient in Wind & Fire

- Elemental Jutsu – Novice in using Earth, Water, and Lighting