Chapter Two: Voyage
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The sounds of water trickling down and splashing reverberated, as the blonde's eyes fluttered open. Bright cerulean orbs, quickly began to survey the surrounding area. A deep sigh came from the blonde, as realization sank in. They were in their mindscape. This probably wasn't a good sign. What the heck happened? It took a few moments, before memories came rushing back. Oh right, the seal! Oh crap! He performed the seal! His eyes darted around his surroundings once more. Had the seal malfunctioned? Without a second thought, the blonde began to sprint down the darkened tunnel. After a few seconds, the blonde came upon a familiar sight. Kurama's enormous cage. "Kurama" The blonde called nervously, not realizing the higher pitch of his voice.
A low growl responded. "Yes, kit. You are just as loud as you ever were. What is it that you need? I'm trying to regain the chakra we used." Kurama responded slightly irritated, as large ruby orbs pried out from the darkness. Suddenly, the orbs widened, as the bored into his container. "Where are we?" The blonde asked, without noticing his oldest friend's shocked look. "Maybe, my calculations where off..." The blonde continued, as he began to pace. "No, that couldn't-" The blonde started to analyze, but was quickly silenced by Kurama. "Naruto..." The fox began uneasily, as it began to move closer to the cage. Naruto stopped pacing and looked up at the fox with a raised eyebrow. "What?" He asked in a confused voice. As he returned to his pacing. "The seal malfunctioned." Kurama continued in an unusually tendered voice.
"It malfunctioned? But how? We went over ever single part of the array, multiple times. The only way that could've happened was if..." Naruto began, but his mind went to Sakura. She had come running into the seal at the last moment. But even if she was there, the seal would've ignored her chakra and only drains his, unless… His eyes widened, as he remembered the blood streaming down her arm. "Shit!" He exclaimed, as he realized what happened. Her blood had mixed with the seal, which means she was the missing variable. "Sakura's blood mixed with the seal, which means all the calculations..." Naruto said, as his eyes locked onto Kurama's. "Have been thrown off…" The blonde finished, as he lowered his head in defeat
"It's not just the calculations, Naruto. Because the seal was only meant for you, and you alone there seems to have been some unforeseen side effects..." Kurama continued gingerly, as the fox watched the blonde closely. "Like what? What else could've possibly happened?" Naruto shot at Kurama irritability. "Naruto, take a look at yourself..." Kurama gestured for the blonde to look at their reflection. Without a response, the blonde glanced down at their reflection.
Naruto felt the color drain from his face, as he stared down at his reflection. The image staring back was a beautiful young girl. She had shoulder length sunny blonde hair, and beautiful cerulean orbs, which seemed to twinkle like the starry night sky. Her delicate cheeks bore the oh-so-familiar whisker marks, which he had been known for. He was a girl. Naruto let out a sharp intake of breath, as he or rather she stared down at herself. Her mind was racing with thoughts, as she bit her bottle lip. How could this have happened? Sure Sakura's blood was uncounted for, but how could that alone cause such a reaction?
Kurama slightly watched the blonde, as she mused over the new developments. "Well, at least you don't need to worry about the ripple effect anymore. I would say this, changes pretty much everything." The fox teased lightly at their current predicament. Naruto's eyes shot up and meant with Kurama's, as she began to pace. "Kurama? Could your chakra, have had effects on this as well?" The blonde asked, as she continued to pace around. "I mean, you are pure chakra and we did account for you. But is it possible that you lean more towards feminine energy, and maybe the excess from Sakura caused the seal to change?" Naruto speculated, as she came to a sudden stop.
There was a brief silence, as the fox and the blonde thought about the suggestion. "Even if that were the case, and I am saying, if and I mean a big if. I doubt see how that could cause such a reaction. My guess is that, when her blood was introduced, the seal couldn't differentiate between you and her. Causing a dramatic shift in the original matrices, which caused it to become overwhelmed? So, instead of simply failing outright most likely because of the built-in safe guards you added, the change occurred. However, I am not a seal master, so all this is just speculation." Kurama responded sagely, as he rested his head on his paws.
Naruto let out another sigh, as she let the information set in. "I don't suppose, there's anyway to fix this?" She asked hopefully, as she leaned against the cage. "Afraid not, dear." A voice spoke softly, as soft splashes signaled another's arrival. Naruto's eyes widened, as she looked towards the newcomer. A beautiful redhead stood mere feet away beaming brightly at her. "Mom!" the girl ran forward and embraced the redhead. Softly the older woman began to pat the girl's head. "Hey kiddo." She said tenderly, as she smiled lovingly down at her child.
Naruto suddenly broke away from her mother, with fearful eyes. "But if you're here..." Her mother just smiled down sadly at her. "Don't be sad, kiddo. It's a mother's job to protect their children, ya know! But honestly, I never thought we would meet like this. To think you would grow up and become the Hokage, and a seal master to boot! I couldn't be prouder!" Kushina said, as she gently placed a hand on her daughter's cheek. "To answer your questions, the seal did fail. When you were ripping from your time, and brought here I sensed the danger. So, I interfered at first I believed it to be the fuzz ball's doing. Then all your memories followed, and I was able to understand what happened. Being a seal master and an Uzumaki myself, fixing the matrix was child's play. However, it came with a price. My chakra. The changes, which you are experiencing, are because the matrix is using my chakra network to remap yours. You are taking on my characteristic, which means you will no longer be a boy." Kushina, said somberly as she embraced her child once more. "I'm sorry dear; it was all I could do to keep you and your friend safe."
"Mom." The sound of Naruto's voice caused the elder woman to look down at her with tearful eyes. "It's okay. This just means, I am more like you now. Thank you, for saving me once again." Naruto said with a bright smile, which caused all of the concerns to wash away. Kushina smiled down brightly, as she slowly began to fade away. Her eyes darted towards the fox, as she spoke in a soft tone. "Take care of our girl, Fur ball. I'll be watching, ya know!" And with that the chakra imprint of Kushina, was gone.
Tears rolled down Naruto's cheeks, as she felt her arms fall. Her eyes fell towards her reflection once more, and smiled as she saw her eyes gained a slight bit of violet. "Thank you, mom." She whispered, as she looked back to Kurama. "We need to make sure that we don't waste this chance, that mom gave to us. Ya know!" Naruto said, as she watched Kurama's eye twitch at her mother's verbal tick. "Alright kit, but I won't be able to help much for the time being. I'll need to rest and replenish my chakra stores. And you should really be returning to the real world, I'm sure you're going to have a lot of explaining to do." With that Kurama, flicked one of his massive tails and sent the girl away.
With Sakura
Pain, which was the first thing Sakura felt, as she slowly regained consciousness. What happened? Better yet, where was she? Her eyes darted around the unfamiliar room, as she forced herself into a sitting position. That was a mistake; she felt dizziness and light headedness hit her, like one of Tsunade's chakra infused punches. "I swear to God, when I find you Ino..." She mumbled; believe her current predicament a result of a drunken night with her party obsessed friend. "This is the worst hangover of my life..." She groaned, as she pushed herself off the futon.
She began to stumble over herself, as she attempted to walk. "What on Earth..." She said, as she stared around at the room. It seemed like the whole room was off. She felt small? Yes, she was never the tallest person that is true. But something was very wrong about this. She glanced do at her hands, her small, soft, well kept hands? "What the hell?!" Her hands hadn't looked like this, since she was an obnoxious fan girl. She quickly tore open the unfamiliar door, and sprinted out into the hallway in search of a mirror.
She felt her heart racing, as she unknowingly ran into someone. She fell to the ground with a soft crash. Her eyes darted over to the person, she had run into. She was about to apologize, when her eyes caught sight of his silver hair. He was a tall slender man, like she remembered. He looked exactly like he had the last time, she had seen him. Her eyes glistened with tears, as she flung herself around the man in a tight hug.
Kakashi was completely frozen, by his young student's reaction. It had been, like she had seen a ghost. When the shock wore off, he gently reached down and gently stroked her hair. "Ma, Ma. What has gotten into you?" He asked, as he eye smiled down at her softly. Sakura tensed slightly, as she felt the soothing strokes. It's him, it's really him. But how? The memories from the night before slowly began to resurface, as she blinked away her tears.
She looked up at her sensei, and smile nervously. "Just a really bad dream. Have you seen Naruto?" She said, as she released the man. Kakashi thought for a moment, as he stared curiously down at his cute genin. He shrugged and turned to walk away, he raised his hand in a farewell gesture. "Him and Sasuke, stayed out training all night. He should be by the lake. When you find them, send them back to the house to get some rest. Tomorrow we all will be guarding Tazuna." He called back, as he disappeared in a body flicker.
Tazuna? What? Wasn't that the name of the bridge builder from their first C-Rank mission? The thoughts were racing through her mind, but shook her head to clear it. It doesn't matter, she needed to find Naruto. Hopefully, he would have the answers she needed. She quickly sprinted down the stairs, taking two at a time. Within seconds, she was out the door. She hadn't even stopped, to greet her host. Once she was a safe distance away, she felt safe enough to body flicker.
She stumbled, as she reappeared in the forest clearing. She let out a frustrated sigh, first she wakes up in her twelve year old body, and now she can't even body flicker properly. What else can't she do anymore! She let out a shriek, as clenched her fist. When she found that idiot, he's going to be sorry! "First, you leave me for five years, to write those perverted books! Then you send us into the past! When I find you Naruto, you're going to wish you never came back!" She screamed to herself, as she stormed off further into the forest.
Back with Naruto
Naruto awoken to a beautiful melody, she figured that this must have been what a mother's lullaby must've sounded like, soft and gently. The sound tickled against her ear drums, as she strained herself to listen more. Beautiful, simple beautiful she thought quietly to herself. Her stirring must have alerted the singer, because not soon after the melody had stopped. "You know, if you stay out here too long, you'll catch a cold." A soft voice wisped throughout the air, almost in a singsong manner.
Naruto slowly opened her eyes, and was instantly blinded by the radiating beams of sunlight. The speaker was hidden by the morning haze. It almost gave her an angelic aura. She had long flowing black hair, and gentle gray eyes. She was pretty, very pretty in fact. She was wearing a soft pink kimono. Her innocent smile, sent a sudden feeling of grief throughout Naruto's being, which threatened to crack her already broken heart. "Haku..." She whispered, as she knew exactly where and when she was.
"What are you doing out here, so early?" The girl, no rather the boy asked quizzically. Naruto found herself lost in those gentle gray eyes, as she barely registered the question. She put on a huge smile, as she responded, much like her annoying younger self. "I'm training! I am going to become the Hokage one day. Believe it!" She almost cringed, at her former catch phrase. What was she thinking, back then? Yes, she had wanted to be noticed, but seriously? This was ridiculous, she mentally sighed at her younger antics.
"You're a shinobi then?" Haku asked sorrowfully, as he continued to gather the medical herbs. The blonde girl, quickly sat up into a sitting position, and excitedly began to adjust her forehead protector. "Yea, yea! See this! This is my forehead protector, only shinobi can wear these!" The girl responded proudly, as she smiled brightly over at Haku. The dark hair boy smiled softly, at the girl's cheerful attitude. "What a ray of sunshine. So young and untainted." Haku mumbled to himself, in a bittersweet whisper. What a shame, maybe in a different time they could've been friends. He would've liked that, but that's not the world they live in. This world is filled with violence, hatred and death. Haku let out a sigh.
"Do you have someone precious to you?" He asked the blonde, as he closely watched her. The blonde stiffened slightly at the question, as she seemed to drift off a little. "Someone precious...?" She repeated softly, as her eyes seemed to glisten. She found herself, thinking about everyone she had failed. She quickly pushed the thoughts away, which were another lifetime, this time things will be different! She nodded, as she returned her cheery smile. "Yes." She said shortly, as she beamed over at the dark-haired boy.
Haku paused momentarily, as he noticed the hesitation of the blonde. He considered, what would cause the young blonde such contemplation, but just softly smiled over at her. "Then I have no doubt, you will become strong. You only become truly strong, when you have something to protect." Haku said sagely, as he rose to his feet. With another soft smile, the dark-haired boy began to walk away. "Maybe we will meet again." He said just loud enough, so the blonde could hear, as he vanished from view.
Naruto sat there and watched the disappearing brunette, as she thought about the upcoming encounter. "Sooner, then you think." She muttered solemnly to herself, with that she let out a sigh and lay back in the grass. She really didn't want to fight the soft-hearted boy once more, but she knew some things needed to remain the same. "This is too much responsibility." She groaned inwardly to herself.
"It is what it is, kit." Kurama's low voice rumbled back in a deep growl. "To keep everything on track, you will need to allow some things to happen. It won't be easy, but it will be necessary. Think of every interaction, every conversation, every little moment, but droplets in a pool of water. One small misstep can cause ever-changing ripples. Be careful what you change, or you may not be able to predict the outcome. Although, we don't know what changes Kushina's intervention will bring. It's for the best to try and stay as close to our time-line, as possible." The fox continued sagely, as the blonde contemplated his words.
She wanted to change things for the better, but she knew the fox was right. She would need to be smart with the changes, she would make. If saving Haku and Zabuza now meant sacrifices later than, as cold as it was, she would just let things play out. This is an all or nothing move she doesn't have the luxury of making hasty changes. "Ugh! I wish Shikamaru was here! He would be way better at this!" She let out an exasperated groan, as she pulled on her now longer hair.
Naruto's eyes slightly glazed over with unshed tears, as her thoughts returned to those she had lost. She was alone now, her friends and the people they would become, were lost to her. Sure, she had their younger counterparts, but it wasn't the same. So many memories, so many battles had forged unshakable bonds. Here and now, it wouldn't be the same. What she wouldn't give, to just have one of them with her now. True, there was a chance Sakura had made the journey with her, but that was just a small chance. From her past experiences, she knew not to place too much faith in that hope. Life always had a way of disappointing her.
She took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled from her mouth. With the warmth breath, she released all her built-up emotions. She closed her eyes, as she began to center herself. "Where to begin..?" She mused to herself, as she pushed off the ground. Unsteadily, she rose to her feet. She felt the waves of chakra exhaustion hit her, as she began her journey back towards the house.
Sakura loudly crashed into the small clearing next to the lake, which had served as Team Seven's temporary training grounds. She was muttering loudly, as she violently crashed through the thickets. The grounds slightly began to crack, as her feet mercilessly stomped. Her beautiful emerald eyes were blazing with flames as she searched for the blonde.
Her long hair swished behind her, like fearsome tendrils as she stormed off throughout the clearing. "Where is that idiot?" She screeched loudly, as her blazing eyes surveyed her surroundings, seeing no trace of her quarry, she headed off again. She forcibly yanked her hair, as it began to tangle some of the brush. "Ugh!! Stupid hair!! Stupid twelve-year-old body!! Damnit Naruto!!!" She bellowed, as she disappeared once more into the wilderness.
Cold, arrogant, onyx eyes peered down from atop a nearby tree. Sasuke had smirked, as he watched his annoying fan girl leave the area. He was not in the mood to deal with that annoyance. Although, he was rather curious, to what the loser had done to put her in such a state. He shrugged, and leaned back against the tree. Knowing the blonde, it was probably some ingenious prank. The dark-haired avenger let out a snort. If only the blonde put that much effort into being a shinobi, he would indeed be fearsome. "Whatever, it's not like I actually care about those two worthless pests." He said coldly to himself, as he shut his eyes.
Naruto was slowly making her way out of the secluded area, when she felt a sudden spike in killing intent. Before she could do much of anything, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach, as she was sent flying backwards. "What the hell..." She groaned, as her eyes fell on her attacker. A flash of red and pink appeared in front of her, as she felt herself being embraced. "You are an idiot!" The sounds of sobbing filled her ears, as she felt her orange jacket become moistened with tears. Instinctively, Naruto felt her arms wrap around the sobbing mess, which she had little doubt was Sakura.
A small smile graced the blonde's lips, as she felt relief. She wasn't alone after all; her best friend was here with her. "Sakura-chan," She began softly, as she gently began to stroke the pinket's hair. Suddenly, the sobbing girl stiffened, as her eyes shot up towards the blonde's. "Naruto..?" She asked, as she stared up at the girl with wide eyes. "How? What happened to you-" The questions came out rapidly, as Sakura pushed away to take in the other girl's full appearance. It was definitely Naruto; there was no doubt about it. But at the same time, it wasn't. The person before her was a beautiful girl. She was rather petite; she had smooth tan skin, which seemed to radiate warmth like the sun. Her eyes were the same soft cerulean, she always remembered. But they seem to sparkle with soft violet now, almost giving them an enchanted look. On her cheeks, were the same adorable whiskers her blonde was known for? All in all, this girl before her, could easily be mistaken for and angel. She gently reached out a hand, and traced the whiskers with her finger tips. "Is that really you?" She asked, as her eyes shimmered with tears.
Naruto reached up and softly grabbed Sakura's slender hand. "It's a long story-" She began, but was silenced by the other girl's deadpan stare. "Okay, okay." She relented, as she let out a low sigh. "What do you want to know first?" Naruto asked, as she let out another groan as she tried to stand once more. Sakura was silent for a moment, as her mind began to race with questions. "Where did you go? I mean, after you left Konoha?" She asked, as she too returned to her feet.
Naruto let out another sigh, as she began to think about what to say. "You really don't pull your punches." She began, as she motioned towards the trail returning towards the village. "After I appointed Kono my successor, I went on an odyssey. I needed to see the world; I needed to see there was still something worthwhile out there. I traveled long and far. I was always disguised, so no one would recognize me. Only when you live amongst the common folk, can you truly see the way they live. I continued to live like that for a few years. I saw many things, some good some heart wrenching, but I promised myself to only be an observer. It was difficult not rushing into save the day, but I had to experience life." She stopped and glanced over at her oldest friend, as she allowed for a brief moment. She wasn't disappointed, because almost one queue the questions began. "And? What did you find?" Sakura's voice rang out over the unsteady silence.
Naruto smirked over at her friend, as she continued. "I found serenity. Even through all the chaos and sadness, hope remained to be a beckoning light. Someone always stood up for those in need, someone always went out of their way to help, even if they would've been better off no intervening. Slowly, I began to understand what Pervy Sage saw within people, and my hope was renewed." She finished, as she pushed past some brush leading towards their temporary training area.
Sakura quickly followed after the blonde, as she began to question her once more. "Okay, so I am assuming this epiphany lead to the creation of the seal?" She asked more forcibly, then she intended. Naruto only chuckled slightly. At hearing the blonde chuckling, she felt butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't remember the last time; the blonde was this lively. She smiled to herself, as she quietly thanked whatever deity returned her blonde to her.
After a few seconds, Naruto finally calmed down enough to continue. "So, the seal, well yes and no. Kurama and I worked tirelessly on a way to fix the mistakes of the past. In my travels, I only accidentally stumbled upon a scroll of Fuinjutsu, which I never encountered before. And of course, as you may have guessed, it was an Uzumaki kinjutsu. Upon further investigation, we found out it was a powerful space-time Fuinjutsu." Naruto glanced over at his companion, to see her shocked expression. She was about to begin questioning her, when Naruto raised a hand. "I know what you're thinking, and no. There was no relation with the Haraishin. That was my first thought too, but it was much more complicated than my father's signature jutsu. It took me almost two and half years of nonstop study, with clones to even begin to understand the secrets of the seal. Once I finally understood the finer intricacies, I began work on the sealing matrices. The only probably was the seal needed to be placed in a location, which strongly resonated with the targeted destination. Hence why I chose the spot, where it all began." Naruto finished her explanation, as began to survey the area. A small smile graced her lips, as the memories came racing back. They were so young and innocent back here, their very first mission outside the village.
Sakura smiled fondly at the blonde, who was deep in thought. She was really beautiful. Sakura quickly averted her eyes, as she felt her cheeks begin to heat up. "Anyway," Sakura said, as she cleared her throat. "That doesn't explain why you choose this moment to go back to, or for that matter why you are a girl?" She continued raising a questioning eyebrow at the distracted blonde. Naruto shook her head, as she regained her focus. "Right, well honestly this wasn't my intended time." She started, as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. She glanced over to the pinkette with somber eyes. "My intended time was right before the Pein invasion..." She said, as her eyes took on a distant look.
Sakura felt her heart grow heavy, as she softly responded. "Right, that's about the time everything started going downhill. Jiraiya, Kakashi-sensei, and Lady Tsunade..." She whispered each of the names softly, as she felt her eyes begin to well up. She felt one of Naruto's hands gently rub her back, as she heard her voice once more. "Yeah, that was the plan." She responded softly, before speaking in a more upbeat tone. "But, this could probably work out even better. We might even be able to save Sasuke from his dumbass self sooner!" Naruto finished with one of her trademark bright smiles, which could rival the very sun. With that she turned to start walking once more, but found herself stopped by Sakura's hand.
"But that doesn't explain how or why you are a girl now? Normal seals don't have the power or properties to just change genetic makeup. What aren't you telling me, Naruto?" Sakura asked in a rather matter-of-fact tone, as she stared over at the blonde.
Naruto let out a low groan, as she averted her eyes from Sakura. "Ha. Of course you would ask about that, and use your medical knowledge to boot. Well, when you crossed over the matrix you were bleeding. Some of your blood managed to mix within the seal. Normally, this wouldn't have been an issue. However, Uzumaki Kinjutsu is a little more involved, they are primarily designed only for the user, in this case myself. So, when your blood was mixed in, it threw the whole thing into a cataclysmic failure. When our future selves were thrust back into our past bodies, my mother's chakra imprint instantly sensed the danger. She quickly responded, and was able to mend the matrix by using her own chakra coils and genetic information to fix my fracture one. However, in doing so, she used up her limited chakra." Naruto concluded sadly, as he thought about this mother's sacrifice.
Sakura's eyes grew in size, as she digested the information. "You-your mother...?' She repeated, as she felt the tears swelling in her eyes. Without warning, she quickly threw her arms around the blonde. "I'm so sorry Naru-chan." She muttered through sobs, as she tightly embraced her friend. Sakura felt the tender hands of the blonde rub comfortably on her back. "It's okay Sakura-chan, she gave us another chance. Now we have to make it count." Naruto spoke softly, as she continued to comfort her friend. After a few more minutes of this the two girls finally broke apart. Naruto awkwardly rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, as Sakura looked away flustered.
"Anyway, what are to you going to tell everyone about your suddenly change?" Sakura asked while still avoiding the blonde eyes. "Ha. You know, I didn't even think about that." Naruto said while she continued to rub the back of her head. "I guess they will notice me being a girl." She continued with a bright chuckle. Sakura deadpanned, as she nearly fell towards the ground at her friend's response.
"You're such an idiot! It's amazing that you became the Hokage!" Sakura said, as a vein began to pulse above her eyebrow. The blonde just continued to rub her head nervously, as the she was berated. Kurama let out a snort, as he began to speak in a low growl. "She is right, you know. You will really need to come up with some excuse for your sudden change. Without revealing too much, about what happened, or you might find yourself in interrogation." Kurama said sagely, before returning to his slumber.
Naruto mentally groaned at the fox's words. "That was really helpful, fuzz ball!" She spat back venomous, before thinking of some sort of excuse. "I don't know, what if I say we overcharged the sexy jutsu?" She asked thoughtfully towards her companion. "Hmm. It's a simple solution, and you are supposed to be rather dumb. That could possibly work, however I'm not sure over charging a jutsu could cause a lasting effect." Kurama responded thoughtfully, as he also began to think for a plausible explanation.
"Well, my transformation jutsu have always been more than just mere illusion. Maybe I could have been trying to improve upon the jutsu? You know make it stronger! Believe it!" Naruto responded half jokingly, as she thought about how she used to act. The fox just responded with an annoyed groan, as he tried to mentally forget about how obnoxious his host once acted. The blonde smiled to herself, as she took her silent victory. She looked down towards Sakura, who remained sobbing into her jacket. "I think we have figured out a plausible excuse." She started, as she tried to capture the pinkette attention. "I will say that I was trying to improve upon my sexy jutsu. Even though it is already a master piece. But I over loaded the transformation with Kyuubi chakra, and caused a permanent change." Naruto concluded, with a foxy grin.
Sakura released her friend and shook her head with a small smile. "Only you." She said with a small chuckle. "But yeah, I could totally see that happening." She confessed thoughtfully, as she began to rub her chin. "But, you're going to need to really sell it. I mean like really pulled out the old Naruto. We are talking about Kakashi-sensei here." Sakura continued, as she began to think about how shrewd their sensei was. The laughed nervously, as she spoke in a cheerful voice. "Yeah, you're probably right. I think we should talk about what we plan to do." The blonde added thoughtfully, as she softly scratched her head.
Sakura tilted her head thoughtfully, as she began in know-it-all tone. "Well, our first problem will probably be our chakra levels. Due to the drain, they are passable for our genin levels. However, I definitely have more chakra, than I should. It isn't nearly, as much as I had in the future. But, even a fraction of my former levels, will still be noticeable. Not to mention, where our other skills remain. I may not have access to all my abilities, but I am definitely more proficient now. We will have to find away to limit ourselves." Sakura continued thoughtfully, as she slowly began to pace.
"Well, that should be easy enough to solve." The voice of Naruto brought her back from her musings. With that, the blonde quickly began digging around in her pouches. "Come on! I should have some supplies on me..." The blonde started frustratingly, but suddenly stopped with a look of disappointment. "Shit. I forgot... I didn't start carrying Fuinjutsu supplies until after my training trip." She said with a cast fallen expression, as she hung her head.
Sakura let out a small chuckle at her disappointed companion. She quickly reached into one of her pouches and pulled out a brush and some ink. "Here" she said with a slight smile, as she handed the blonde her supplies. Naruto took the supplies and gave her a questioning look. "What? Do you remember how I used to be? I always carried them with me, even though I never used them." She continued with a knowing glance, before Naruto could respond. "Anyway, what are you going to do with them?" She continued, raising a questioning eyebrow at her friend.
"Well," The blonde began, as she pulled out a kunai and sliced her hand. She then carefully began dripping some of her blood into the ink. She carefully stirred the mixture, while imbuing it with her chakra. "The easiest way to cover up our oddities is to begin with seals. I will first create custom resistance seals, to help regain our lost strength and physical ability. While also creating chakra suppression seal, with I will layer with a slight chakra draining one. This will serve the dual purposes of hiding and helping us build up our reserves. You need to use chakra, to get chakra." She continued in a cheerful voice, as she began to think up the matrices, which would be used.
Sakura gazed at her friend in awe, as she took in the information. She was truly amazing. She knew her friend was incredible, but it was really refreshing to see this side of her. Sakura began to zone out, as she found herself lost with wonder of her old friend. A soft voice full of concern jolted the pinkette back to her senses. "Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan?" Naruto said, as she began to softly shake Sakura. The pinkette eyes fluttered, as she slowly regained focus. "Hmmm?" She asked wearily.
"I asked where you would like you seal located. I should be able to layer them together, and could probably cast a genjutsu over them, to keep them hidden. But you should probably do that, since you know I am terrible at those." Naruto said sheepishly, as she moved towards Sakura to begin. The pinkette let out a soft laugh, as she nodded in agreement. She then reached and pulled away her hair exposing the skin of her neck. "You can put mine on the back of my neck." She said softly, as she timidly began playing with her hair. Naruto felt her cheeks brighten, as she moved closer towards her friend.
"Alright, but I might need you to um..." She began to stutter nervously, as she began to fidget. Sakura glanced back at her, with one of her beautiful, bright, emerald orbs. "What is it Naru-chan?" She asked in a playful tone, as she smiled softly at the nervous, blushing girl. The blonde averted her eyes, as she began to twirl the brush in her fingers. "Um... well, you see. In order to place the seal, there... I... umm... need you to not... have anything covering your back..." She managed to say, as she began to stare anywhere but at Sakura.
"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed with embarrassment, as she felt her face begin to burn brightly. "O-okay, just give me a second. And don't you dare peek!" She continued, as she nervously began to unfasten her dress. She quickly removed it, and covered her exposed chest. Her soft, pale skin almost glistened in the early morning light. She was truly beautiful, nearly perfection, with her delicate porcelain like complexion. Naruto found herself mesmerized, as she stood there gapping. Until, Sakura's nervous chattering began. "Hey! Hurry up! This is very embarrassing, you know!"
Naruto couldn't help but smile to herself, at her mother's verbal tick. "R-Right! Sorry Sakura-chan!" She said, as she rushed over towards the pinkette, and began lightly scribing complexion matrices, upon the other girl's exposed skin. Sakura slightly squirmed at the blonde's gentle strokes. "Th-that tickles!" She giggled softly, at the tender brushes. Naruto momentarily stopped her work, as she began to apologize. "S-sorry Sakura-chan, I am almost done. Just hold on a little longer." The blonde rubbed the back of her head, as she nervously averted her eyes. After a few moments, she returned to her work.
It took serial more minutes, before she managed to complete the matrices. She took a deep breath, and stared down at her work. She carefully began to go over ever single inch, insuring that everything was done correctly. With a satisfied sigh, she began to speak once more. "Okay, Sakura-chan. I need you to channel some charka into the seal now. That way you will be able to regulate it, once I finish the process." Sakura nodded stiffly, as she began to focus on the sealing matrices on her back. The matrices began to glow a soft pink, as her chakra began to course throughout the intricate signs. "Okay, that's enough. You can relax now, Sakura-chan." Naruto began softly, as her fingers traced the matrix. "This is probably going to be painful." She warned, as she began to form hand signs behind the other girl. Without pausing for a reaction, the blonde placed her hand on Sakura's neck. "Seal!" She said, as she began to funnel her chakra until the matrices. They began to glow brightly, as the slowly inched up the back of the other girl.
The pain was excruciating, it was like someone had set her whole body aflame. Every inch of her being, was screaming. Her body felt heavy, extremely heavy. She felt her chakra coils burn, as they began to tighten. She suddenly felt weak, much weaker than she had before. Her whole being felt loud and chaotic, but at the same time she felt at peace. Serenity. Utter bliss. That's what she felt, after the pain had finally subsided. She felt whole once more. She wasn't sure how long it had been, but when she finally regained consciousness, she awoke to see Naruto sitting on the ground. She had removed her now much too large pants, and had her rolled all the way up to her hip.
Naruto had begun to painstakingly craft the matrices down her soft, velvety, sun-kissed leg. Sakura watched her quietly, as she felt her race redden once more. She remained their entrance, until a sudden chill made her remember her lack of clothing. Quickly, she began to redress herself. Once she was done, her fingers went immediately towards her new seal. It was amazing, she finally felt normal again. Before everything felt hazy, she had surmised, that it was because she was producing far too much chakra for her immature coils. However, with the seal everything felt better. It was as if a dense fog had finally cleared. Her eyes returned towards her blonde, as the girl began to place the final touches on her own seal.
Naruto took a deep breath, as she began to channel chakra throughout the matrices on her leg. White-hot pain filled her senses, as she felt her coils begin to constrict. She bit the corner of her mouth, as the burning spread quickly throughout her body. Then she felt a massive weight press down upon her, as the restriction seal began to activate. After serial excruciating minutes, the pain had resided. She glanced down and saw the matrices slowly begin to recede up her leg towards her thigh. She smiled softly, as the kanji for seal appear on her thigh. It was unclosed by a circle of jagged symbols. With a relaxed breath, she glances up towards Sakura. "Okay, you're up. Time to cast a genjutsu to hide these!" She said breathlessly, as she lay back on the ground.
"Right." Sakura said, as she slightly shook her head, clearing it of thoughts. She glanced down towards the seal, as she began to speak once more. "So unfortunately, I am not skilled enough in genjutsu to completely hide the seals. However, I can cover them up, and give them the appearance of something else. I was thinking about making mine appear to be a cherry blossom. What would you like yours to be?" She asked, as she gently placed her hand on her seal. Within seconds, the once black kanji changed into a beautiful cherry blossom.
Naruto squinted her eyes tightly closed in concentration for a moment, and then relaxed with a soft smile on her face. "Make it the Uzumaki crest." She said in a soft voice. "That way I can honor my mother for her sacrifice." She continued, as she clenched at her oversized jacket, with slight tears glistening in her beautiful eyes. "Yeah." Sakura said softly, as she began to manipulate her chakra to form the genjutsu. After a few moments the blonde's seal was replaced by a perfect replica of her family crest. The girl quietly traced the swirl on her thigh with a delicate finger for a few seconds, before she began to redress herself. She took extra care, as she began to tighten her belt significantly tighter than before. She let out a disgruntled sigh, as she realized her pants where far too long. She began to cuff the bottoms up, so she could walk once more.
"Ugh!" She groaned after the fifth time she rolled them up. "Why am I so small? This is ridiculous!" She began to pout, as her companion stared on with a smirk. "Oh, relax!" Sakura said with a slight giggle. "When we get to the house, I will let you wear some of my extra clothes." She continued, as she ruffled the blonde's much longer hair. With that she took off with a sprint towards their temporary home. With a teasing taunt, she stuck her tongue out and disappeared from view. Naruto had a slight blush on her face, as she watched her friend vanish. With another grunt she headed off after her.
