Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 61
"New Horizon"
[Discovery, Part 1]

Today is the day. Naruto and I are going to create our combination technique.

Yesterday saw the end of one B-Rank mission that I finished on my own, just to make sure I was back to my normal speed. I suppose something of that rank wouldn't count as practice for most, but it was uncomplicated. With that done and some spare money in my pocket as a result, we can get to work for at least a few days uninterrupted.

"I gotta check in with Gramps today," Fio says as I leave the bathroom. "I just got a letter! It's from the Sheep Boss!"

"They finally made contact with you. That's good. Did you need me to come with you? I have my own plans, but I can always adjust for your sake."

"Thanks, but I think it'll be okay on my end. Luna said she was gonna come with me to make sure things go well."

"In that case, you'll be in the best hands. But you knew that already, hmhm."

"Sure did. I hope things go well and they take me on. Thinking about having to shop around for summons sounds weird, eh. I guess most of us go without, though."

"There are some rules that one needs to follow," I say as I find a comb and sit down on my bed. "Depending on the group you fall into, there could be ceremonies and other demands. Truly ruthless individuals like Manda demanded sacrifices from their summoners each time they were called to our world."

"Yeesh. Wonder what sheep would want as a sacrifice, anyways. Hay, I guess."

"I don't think you have to worry about that. Midori-nee is very open about her contempt for certain cultural practices if they prove to be harmful. Very open, in fact. She's expressed her grievances directly to other parties, more than once. But I suppose you can do that when you're that much stronger than anyone else."

"Words to live by."

"Indeed."

"I'm gonna get going, then. Good luck on your training thing with Naruto!"

"Thank you, love. You know just how to reach me, as always."

"Yep." Fio gives me a kiss. "Love you lots, Lili. Be safe."

"I'll do my best. Just make sure to do the same for me."

"Promise!"

She heads out and closes the door behind her, while I start combing my hair properly. Speaking of messages, I wonder how much Suigetsu knows about recent events. He shouldn't be too far apart in age from those psychopaths, I think. It seems to have slipped everyone's minds. I'll try and get in a meeting with him, or at the least have Fio or Karin ask him a few questions on my behalf. Always something new to do, it seems.

"That can be sorted out later, thankfully. This time is going to be dedicated to my precious friend."

I have the remaining breakfast left out for me with a cup of tea, then get myself dressed and check over my bag one more time. Everything should be in place...never hurts to have some spare clothing and supplies, even if we won't be doing too much. With everything solidified on both of our ends, this shouldn't take nearly as long as the training for the new Rasengan did. I just hope it works, because it will open up a great deal of things for all of us later.

"Ready to go. Time to meet up with Naruto."

I lock in the straps on my backpack and leave the hotel. A quick skip across the rooftops towards the main gate, where I see a familiar head of hair before I land.

"Good morning, my love. We're here early."

"Sure are!" Naruto says with a bright smile. "Made sure I went to sleep early, too. I didn't want to miss this for anything."

"Lovely to hear." I kiss him on the cheek. "Well, shall we? I'll give you a detailed explanation on what we're going to do once we arrive at our destination."

"Sounds good to me. Let's go."

We pass the guards at the entrance and then take off through the forest ahead. The place I've selected isn't too far from the village, much like our last training session. There's no need for extra help and we will be easily found if there is an emergency. Hiruzen said that the other villages were caught off guard at the intentionally leaked reports of my trip outside of the village, which validates our security practices. Now all we have to do is continue to refine them.

Then again, there's nothing to worry about when it comes to the safety of the Leaf. We're spoiled for talented shinobi and battle frenzied individuals of all kinds, which includes my exceptional friend here.

"I'll handle all of our meals for the next while. No sense in going back and forth to the village unless we have to, and we don't want to give away our project without reason," I say as we come to a stop. An oval-shaped section surrounded by many trees, relatively flat with short grass on the ground.

"Alright, it's finally time!" Naruto says as he drops his bag on the ground. "So can we start now? Can we?"

"In a moment. Let's go over what we have so far," I say as I put my bag beside his. "You learned the Rasengan from Jiraiya. After that, you helped me to learn it, and then together with everyone else you completed a new Rasengan."

"Yeah, and then we made it into the Rasenshuriken."

"Yes, that." It's still so...never mind. "A technique that takes the highest level of shape transformation, and combines it with nature transformation in order to create something truly powerful. We will be dealing with the normal wind type Rasengan for now, since it's generally more stable."

"Right, right. Okay, so what does all of that mean?"

"We're getting to that in good time. Do you remember our talk about advanced natures?"

"Those kekkai things? You and Hinata said that people who had special bloodlines could turn two types of element chakra into one new type that's even stronger than normal."

"Kekkei genkai, darling. Otherwise, you are correct. Normally, it's beyond the scope of most human beings to combine elements on their own in that manner without the benefit of an existing bloodline limit. There are methods, however. For example, someone skilled enough with one of the three great doujutsu could be able to measure out the correct amounts of chakra that would go into creating an advanced chakra nature."

"So...you mean like the Sharingan? Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei could do something like that, you think?"

"With the right amount of skill and opportunity, yes. But there are methods other than that, difficult as they might be."

"Alright, alright. So...what does this advanced nature stuff have to do with us, and what we're doing?" he asks.

I sigh and shake my head. "You really can be adorable sometimes."

"Eh?"

"Naruto...we are going to create another Rasengan together, with an advanced element of our own."

"We're gonna do that?!" he says with his eyes wide. "But I don't have that special blood thing, and you said you don't either!"

"I'm going to explain how we will arrive there simply," I say to him. I snap my fingers on one hand and have an orb of water appear above it. "I have control of three different elements at this point in time. One of them is as you see here, water. My command of this element is sharp, as it is one of the two that I was born most responsive to. Do you remember what happens when water and wind are perfectly combined?"

"Those make ice together. Like Haku did, right?"

"Yes, that's exactly right. Wind Release and Water Release together create Ice Release. As for how we can do that, I have a secret technique of my own. That, and a little magic that only comes with the power of love."

"Really..."

"Mm-hm." I have the orb of water spin itself into droplets, disappearing from above my fingers. "The secret technique is one I make frequent use of, called Crimson Depths. A technique that I learned from Midori-nee back when I first started out as a shinobi, originally known as Jacobson's Eye. As a skilled sensor type, I can detect chakra levels and changes in such, as well as identify different types of techniques once I recognize them. In other words, I can use my ability to sense the correct ratio and speed we need in order to complete our special technique."

"That sounds awesome! So you can do stuff on the same level as Kakashi-sensei can, basically?"

"In a different way, yes. It takes a little more effort and concentration, though."

"Hmm, I see now. Well, I think so." He nods. "You said something else...about love."

"I did. The biggest reason that we'll be able to accomplish this is because of the bond we have with each other," I say. "When two people trust each other, they're able to do wonderful things. They can surpass the limits that we normally have, make new discoveries, and solve all kinds of problems that seem insurmountable. To connect with each other, using the power of chakra...I think that will allow us to do something that one would normally need a bloodline limit for."

"Whoa..."

"I know that you've been waiting a long while, so let's get started with the first step."

"Got it! Ready when you are!"

"Okay." We move away from our bags and towards the middle of our clearing. "Go from memory and start with Wind Release: Rasengan for me."

"Yup!" Naruto forms two clones and quickly creates the spiralling sphere before having them disperse. The technique is stable and looks even more refined than before. He's definitely been practising regularly.

"Now, let's start with a simple question. How did you form your technique just now?"

"Oh. Um...well, after doing it so many times and all that practice, I just kind of know how much of everything I need to put in."

"A fine answer, love. That is the principle that we will lean on in order to make everything run smoothly." I hold out my hand and form a Rasengan above my palm. "Remember that you taught this to me. All of it was for this future moment."

"Oh..."

"There are a great number of ways to try and reach the goal, just as it was with the Rasengan. You found your method, and I found mine. Creating a new one together presents many more options, but I've already narrowed it down for us based on our strengths. Naturally, we will need to provide both wind and water chakra from both sides. Then comes the Rasengan itself, which you will be in charge of forming and maintaining. My other job will be to find the correct ratio of chakra to mix into yours, so that we can create our advanced nature and properly infuse it into the Rasengan."

"Sounds complicated," he says with a frown.

It does, a little bit. I wonder...ah, I know.

"Depending on how you choose to do this...I would be like the first copy of you when you make your wind Rasengan," I explain. He thinks about it for a bit before understanding.

"Oh! I get it now. So you'd be like the one shaping the chakra, then."

"Yes, that would be it."

"So my job would be to...um..." He has his Rasengan dissipate, and I do the same while he scratches his head. "Maybe..."

"Are you alright?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm just nervous. I don't want to screw this up any, you know?"

I step forward and take his hand in mine.

"You won't. We're going to make something special, together. I'll be with you every step of the way, and nothing you do will ever disappoint me. I want you to know that. No matter what the outcome, I will always love you. And I'll be proud of you forever."

"Lili...thank you." I feel him squeeze my hand back. "You're right, I shouldn't be so nervous with you around. Let's do this."

"Yes, let's. I'll simplify things for us both. Tell me if you agree."

"Okay."

"In the three man setup you use, your Shadow Clones operate as effectively two extra hands. One to shape the chakra that you emit for the Rasengan, and the other to mix in the wind chakra for the change in nature. With me so far?"

"Yeah, I'm with you."

"Good. We're going to be a bit ambitious and have you forego clones for now, unless we think we desperately need them. Your job is to emit the chakra as you know how to do, and add wind chakra from the top. My job will be to shape the chakra that you emit from your hand, and add water chakra from the top while feeling out the correct ratio to mix the two elements together. We will each have our own share of work to do, balanced towards our strengths."

"I get it, yeah. So you're gonna shape the chakra I put out...but then, how're you gonna add in water chakra with both of your hands going like that?"

"I'll only need the one. Let's test it out, so that you can get a good feel of what's going on. Take your normal stance and put out the amount of chakra you would for the Rasengan."

He nods and holds his right hand out. I put my left underneath his, and bring the chakra into the shape that I remember as it rotates. His chakra feels heavier than mine...more dense, and very vibrant in its own way. The unfamiliarity isn't too much of an obstacle, and I quickly adjust to create the Rasengan's shell. It floats freely above his palm as we look at it together.

"No way. You really did that, in like a second!" he says with awe.

"Nothing to it, really. I have to admit, I was expecting a bit more difficulty on my end...but it's worked out very well for us. Did you feel any discomfort, Naruto?"

"None at all. This is amazing. It looks the same as any Rasengan that I would make, but you made this."

"We made it," I correct him.

"Yeah, you're right. We made it, together. This is so cool. So you think we can do the next step?"

"One more test to confirm something. I want us to do the same thing, only this time...I'm going to feed some of my chakra into the Rasengan. That is to say, I'll pass it on to you so that you can create the base of the technique, and then I'll shape it."

"Okay. Never done something like that before, but I trust you a whole lot. I'm ready."

"Good. Here we are..."

I press my hand underneath his, and start to flow my chakra upwards. As he starts to create the basis for the Rasengan, I can feel my chakra and his mixing together. And all of a sudden, I can...see things.

More than that. I can feel them.

Pieces of memories. The past that Naruto always told me about, but...for real in my sight, and against my skin. Melancholy, loneliness, jealousy...so many different, swirling things. Somehow, I know what this is, like I've been here before, even though I haven't...

The Rasengan comes to life in Naruto's palm, and I see him look at me with the same realization.

"Was...that supposed to happen?" he asks, confused.

My mind goes back to when I first presented Fio with her bracelet, so that we could remain connected to each other no matter what happened. The faint, unknown feeling from that time was a shadow of what I felt just now. Connecting to each other, looking into someone else's heart in a very real sense. That's what it was all along.

"I think it was," I say quietly. "I think it...always was, somehow."

"Always was? What do you mean?"

I look at my left hand.

"I think that...seeing into the hearts of others was one of the original functions of chakra. I think that maybe chakra was meant to do more than create and destroy. It might have been meant to connect people to each other, directly."

"You really think so?"

"It must be the truth. You saw into my heart too, didn't you? Just...a little bit?"

Naruto has the Rasengan disappear while he turns to me.

"I felt how alone you were."

"It was the same for me. Just bits and pieces, but I could feel the emotions you had, back then. What made you happy, and sad. I didn't expect that to happen, but it did."

"..." Naruto looks down at his right hand and nods. "I think I've felt stuff like this before."

"Where?" I ask.

"It's not really the same, but...when Sasuke and I fight sometimes, and it gets a bit intense, we can sort of feel what the other person's thinking. You know? Not like I can read his mind or he can read mine, but I know how he's feeling, just without knowing the words..."

"Somehow, I think I can understand that."

"Really, huh. How come it doesn't happen all the time? Like when Sakura helps with my chakra, or stuff like that? Isn't this something that everyone goes through?"

"No. It's not."

"How come?"

"It's the emotion behind it. Chakra as it is must be different from what it used to be, in some way. But aside from that...Naruto, you and Sasuke care for each other deeply. More deeply than maybe either of you understand at this moment, but you realize it all the same. And of course, we love each other very much, more than most in this world would."

"Can't disagree with that. So you think it's love?"

"It's the bond between us, as people. In battle, it might manifest in a clash between two rivals. And in intimate settings like this, it happens when we mix our energies together closely. Something like this isn't common, even when combining techniques. It takes love, and it takes trust, and it takes emotion. Most of all, it takes harmony. One that you can reach Sasuke with when you fight, and the type that you can reach when you're next to me like this." I rub his shoulder gently. "There are a lot of unintended implications to take away from this. The connections that people have through chakra aren't what defines their relationships, and connections in this world aren't what society makes them out to be. But...I also think that as shinobi, people who are compatible in multiple dimensions will be able to connect like this in an easier manner."

He looks to the sky, thinking.

"Lili? Do you think that maybe...if we could connect the whole world like this, that people would understand each other? That there would finally be peace?"

"I don't think so, Naruto. I think that it could be a start...but it will take far more than that to bring the world together."

"I see. I was hoping for a different answer."

"That's only fair. Maybe you're right, and I'm the one that's wrong. We will have to see what the future holds."

"Yeah." He smiles and pats me on the back. "Wanna finish our thing now? I'm super ready."

"I am too. Let's get back to it. Do you remember what our assignments were?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna supply the regular and wind chakra, and you're gonna shape it and supply the water chakra."

"Good. Then we're ready to start. Same routine as before."

"Yup."

I place my left hand gently under his right again, and flow my chakra into it. At the same time, I can feel his chakra against my hand. The same feelings as before start to reach me, but it's nothing that I'm bothered by now. Without needing to think, my body moves in time with his. Our free hands hover over the forming Rasengan and push the elemental chakra into it. A swirling force of wind and water starts to form.

Without a word between us, we progress. Naruto does what he does best, and I follow his lead, adding my water chakra in until I can feel the faintest of changes...the sharp, cool sensation that I was hoping for. His eye catches mine, and he immediately increases the amount of wind chakra coming from his hand, allowing me to continue mixing things together. The air feels colder now. Those memories are even more vivid than before as our chakras continue to mix, and I can see more of Naruto's life. Not just the sad times, but the small triumphs that he took pride in. As young as he was, he was still determined to do things on his own. Hiruzen must have thought it right to give him that freedom, even if some would call it cruel that he didn't immediately devote more time and energy to his successor's child. I can see the moments where he gained understanding, and came to love those who tried their best to guide him, like Iruka.

I can see that moment with Sasuke, where they came across each other and immediately put on tough looks. But that unmistakable feeling...the relief that even if they were just rivals, just boys who constantly fought and mocked each other in public...

...in the end, they had something more meaningful and valuable than most anything else. More than a friendship. A true connection.

"You've been through a lot, Lili. Way more than I could understand."

I look at Naruto as he floats across from me, in the middle of this vast white space.

"I didn't have anyone growing up. So...in a lot of ways, I didn't know what it was like to lose people. Like you did, and like Sasuke did. Or like Kakashi-sensei did. It's a lot to take...it must have hurt so much when your mom died. Even if I felt some of what you felt...I dunno. It's like I understand, but I don't at the same time, fully. Is this what you meant?"

"I did. We can see into each other's hearts, but there is never a guarantee of acceptance, or understanding. It's possible that people might not get the full scope of what another person's pain means to them. Connecting to another person is not...an easy thing."

"It's not..."

"But you're not wrong to try," I say. "You've inspired me as well, Naruto. No matter what happens, I will find my own path to changing this world. It might divert from yours, from everyone's...but I know what I have to do. As long as I can move forward, nothing will stop me."

I give him my brightest smile.

"To be Hokage means to lead the village, and the world. To endure, as shinobi are born to do. And to never give up on my dreams, just like you taught me. Looking into your beautiful heart has given me even more courage. I promise to bring us happiness."

"I'm glad that I could do that for you, Lili. I'm pretty determined, too! Maybe one day, I'll find a way to end all the fighting in this world with Pervy Sage, and then you can live life the way you want to."

"If you make it that far, then I can accept that. Thank you for thinking of me, Naruto. I love you, forever and always."

"I love you too, Lili. I'm so glad that you're my best friend in the world."

The sheer cold that reaches my skin brings me back to the spinning sphere, as the water going around it starts to shimmer and sparkle. And then, the colour bursts out in my senses, changing the miniature vortex of wind and water into something brand new.

Ice.

A rapidly spinning, frozen Rasengan with icy blades around its middle. Frost is thrown outwards, sparkling in the light like powdered diamond. An incredibly beautiful sight.

"I really can't believe we did it, and in one go..."

"It's the power of love, as I mentioned before," I say as I stare at the new Rasengan with admiration.

"I'm holding it, I'm looking at it...but I still can't believe it's real. This is wild." He shakes his head slowly. "We made a Rasengan out of ice. And without those special bloodline things."

"Want to test it out?"

"Hell yeah! Alright...that tree looks good." He gets himself ready and holds the Rasengan behind him. "All set."

"Go," I say.

He takes off and measures his distance, before thrusting forward with the Rasengan and slamming it into the tree ahead. It grinds into the trunk before a curious thing starts to happen...the sparkling dust increases in volume, spreading outwards before the trunk starts to rapidly freeze. Naruto hops back as the Rasengan detonates, sending a wave of frost outwards and cracks spreading like spiderwebs along the length of the tree trunk.

A moment later, with the cracks continuing to spread, the tree breaks apart into varying pieces of ice.

"O...kay. That was even wilder than I thought. It...uh, it froze the tree."

"That's the power of an advanced chakra nature," I say as I walk over to inspect the impact site. Even the grass in the immediate area is frozen over thanks to the detonation.

"Yeah, no kidding. Guessing I'll need gloves if we want to use this one again," he says while shaking out his hand. "And it's lucky that we didn't try it with the Rasenshuriken, then. Great call."

"Thank you kindly."

"One hell of a jutsu." He lets out a breath and looks out proudly at his handiwork. It's only fair that he feel that way. From dead last in his class at the academy, to surpassing the Fourth by infusing two different natures into his signature technique, the Rasengan. He's come a very long way, and I'm extremely proud of him.

"Indeed," I say in agreement.

"I guess we might wanna practice it a few more times. But no Rasenshuriken yet, eh?"

"No. Not until we figure out how to get rid of that terrible blow-back it has. Hina loves me dearly, but she'll still have my head on a platter if you go back to the village with an arm frozen solid."

"Sheesh."

"She does not play games when it comes to you," I say.

"Definitely."

"We can probably have another try later on, or tomorrow preferably. I'll make us something to eat for now, and then we can talk about my recent adventures."

"Yeah, yeah. You were out of the village for a while, on a secret mission. So you can tell me about this one?"

"I can give you plenty of details. All of the secret material is safely dealt with."

"Awesome! And of course, there's one more thing we need to take care of."

"What might that be?" I ask.

"The name of our super cool new jutsu, duh! I know you, Lili. You wouldn't forget something so important, especially as the Chunni Princess of the Leaf."

"The...what? Are you spreading that name around?"

"Hey, don't blame me for anything like that. You're the one calling yourself stuff like Crimson Nightmare and all that."

"Listen, there's a certain aesthetic that needs to be considered. Chunni Princess, how uncouth!" I complain playfully, folding my arms.

"Complain about that later! What's the name you got for us?"

I close my eyes, pretending to think for a bit. Unfortunately, I have to admit that Naruto has me pretty well pegged down...I've been thinking about potential names for the jutsu ever since I planned our trip out here. One stuck with me the entire time.

"Hmph." I open one eye and give him a haughty look. "The name of our most glorious technique...Ice Release: Diamond Dust Rasengan."

"Dude. That...sounds super cool," he says with approval. "But you're gonna have to explain to me what diamond dust is."

"Diamond dust is another way to refer to a gathering of ice crystals."

"'Cos they sparkle like diamonds...ohh. I get it! Wow, you come up with the craziest stuff sometimes, Lili. It's awesome!"

I smile. "Thank you, love. I appreciate that you trusted me with something like that."

"Yeah, I just wanted to get Pervy Sage off my back. He keeps chirping at me about calling my cool new jutsu the Rasenshuriken." A broken clock really is right twice a day, it seems. "It's not lame, is it?"

"It's...inspired. That much can be said about it," I say as I start to go through my bag.

"So that's good, right?"

"Some have a different appreciation for these things, so it's best not to dwell on them too much."

"Sounds suspicious, but I'll let it go for now." He flops back onto the grass. "Diamond Dust Rasengan. Heh, awesome. Hey, what does fire and wind make? And fire and lightning? Is there a thing for those?"

"We didn't go over everything the last time, in order to keep our focus on the project in front of us. But we're blessed with time now, so I can go over some of the advanced natures with you once I'm done cooking."

"Okay! Tell me where you want your fire pit, and I'll start digging right away!"

"A few feet ahead of where you are now will be good," I say without turning. "And dig it properly, love. No Rasengans."

"Aw, man. Alright, alright...listen, Kakashi-sensei appreciates how fast I do it on missions."

"And is it him who does the cooking when you're out? Or do you pile that work onto Sakura?" I ask as I inspect my frying pan. A predictable silence follows. "I think that when we get back, you should apologize to her for the trouble you caused. Before it's too late to do so."

"...right. Yes, ma'am. Digging now."

"Hmhm. Good boy."