A/N: Hello everyone. Welcome back to the fifth arc of Of Scrolls and Chains. Like Naruto, I will try to get a bit darker in the following Arcs.
Characters could die. Lemons may be a bit more common with more and more characters getting to the right age to engage in such things with each other.
After more than three years of traveling, training, and talking to people Naruto and Jiraiya were on their way back to Konoha. For the last six months, Naruto had trained with both sages. The ones from the toads and the phoenixes. He got some news back from Uzushiogakure.
His clones had started to research the Juin of Orochimaru. While he would call it the work of an amateur at doing its job, which led to the high death rate of the snake's henchman, it still was creative. Nothing the Uzumaki not already hadn't come up with but unlike the Snake Sannin who not only corrupted the pure energy of nature for his purposes, his clan came up with a theory.
Never followed it up though. They had ideas to store chakra and collect nature chakra but as far as recordings go no Uzumaki ever achieved a true sage mode. Armed with a bit more knowledge than his ancestors, an army of clones, and a live example of something that worked, he came up with a way to erase the component that would corrupt the absorbed nature chakra and most possibly lead to something like a sage mode lite.
To master sage mode someone would have to be trained in using it by a sage. Using the chakra intuitively just took you half the way. Thinking about all of that, Naruto had come up with an idea. Why not combine his idea of an artificial chakra network not with charka storage and nature chakra?
He wanted something like Grandma Mito had come up with but not limited to the normal chakra. Kurama also hinted that he would maybe need enormous amounts of chakra in the future if he wanted to do the things he wanted to do. So, all things considered, he started his clones by researching the possibility of nine interconnected storage seals that would be able to store different types of chakra. purified biju chakra, nature, and just and plain.
He needed to figure out the balance of each seal and how he would not implode with all the chakra on him. By creating pocket dimensions or something. He, or better his clones would figure it out.
Jiraiya and him had taken the long way back to Konoha. While he could have gotten them back very fast, in a flash, so to speak, they decided to walk. Calm down and recapture all the things they experienced. Jiraiya would just deliver him to the gate and get back to dealing with his spy network. As for Naruto, he had gotten some mysterious information from the different capitals. Some could ask why Naruto and Jiraiya did not combine their networks or exchange information. While it would be a good idea for the reach and stability, it was important to have different sources to crosscheck everything they gathered.
For two months now their agents collected intel about a movement or better a new way of thinking around different capitals that ninjas were a danger to civilized society. That Kunoichi were just a better whore or Shinobi nothing more than wild animals that would need to be put down.
Some Daimyos had started to increase the numbers of their samurai to calm down the masses. But why now? Naruto knew from insurgents breaking out everywhere. Bandits attacked merchants more often. Arson was more common than usual but mission requests for the ninja villages, as far as his or Jiraiya's sources could say had stayed the same. It did not help that most of the time, those bandits would be led by a rouge ninja. The reputation of the ninjas, no matter their origin was on the decline outside of the villages or the area around them.
Jiraiya wanted to find the root cause for those problems and changes, and with Akatsuki mostly under control, he left it to his student to defend himself. He and Naruto had trained the last month together, the blonde had even helped Jiraiya complete the sage mode he never had managed before. After that, they had one deep into the mountains of the toad realm to train in sage mode. A training that erased some mountains out of existence.
Naruto had changed he looked mature now. His blonde and spiky hair was held in a high Ponytail with bangs framing his face. he had some streaks of reddish color in those, as some red tips.
The Face was half-covered through an orange scarf. His top was a Kimono-style shirt with Samurai-like shoulder plates. Naruto hid well-defined muscles under that and the Haori he wore over the jacket. As for bottoms, he wore Anbu pants in a deep grey tone and black ninja sandals. He had forgone his flack jacket but on his belt were many smaller scrolls to be seen, as was the Katana he now wore most of the time openly. What only those with Dojutsu could see was that every part of his clothing he could use and find was littered with seals.
What some people might recognize was that he did not wear his headband anymore. On the edge of the sensor barrier Jiraiya and Naruto looked at each other. The seasoned Sannin smiled at him. "She will understand Naruto. Hime is not a person that will give you trouble about something like that. The ones you need to be on the lookout for are the elders. With Danzo on the run, they hold most of his might regarding the civilian side. Sensei has retired and just teaches Konohamaru from time to time som Bo Jutsu. And if everything went to shit you know how to contact me."
Naruto looked thoughtful but nodded in the end. "Sure Jiraiya Sensei. Keep me up to date with the rumors won't you? That nobody could find Danzo or that snake is concerning."
Jiraiya gave him a nod. "Well, both are more than experienced in hidden operations. No surprise there. Keep your head held high. You achieved many things in those three years. Don't let those idiots kill your drive."
Naruto nodded again before he bumped fists with his Sensei before the Sannin Shunshined away as Naruto slipped through the barrier unnoticed. Seriously they should have made some adjustments after the near invasion, shouldn't they? Naruto jumped through trees and above rooftops. Thanks to his sensor abilities dodged the anbu patrols and landed in front of the Hokage building. Using a henge he had worked his way through the door to the Hokage's office. Dropping his Henge he coughed to alert Shizune to his presence.
"Yeah.. what is it?" She said without looking at him. Naruto coughed again before he used his jokester tone.
"I thought I would get a hug as the bare minimum but the cold shoulder. I am hurt Shizune neechan." The young man said as he leaned at the doorframe.
Shizune was pulled from her work as she heard the familiar voice even if it got a bit deeper. She looked up and stopped doing anything at all. Her onyx eyes fixed on his blue ones. Taking in his appearance. Maybe taking a bit too long to do so.
"Yeah I know I look good but my eyes are up here Shizune."
A bit flustered the Konoha Jonin looked up, trying to play cool, she said. "I was just shocked to see you in here without any notice. I thought you would check in with the guards at the southern gate and maybe take a ramen break after?"
Naruto chuckled. "Sounds like me doesn't it? Well as you can see, I decided to come straight to this office. You should be grateful that I wouldn't use senseis entrance. Can I go in?"
He asked straight after that with his smile getting an exasperated sigh and a nod, he knocked once and waited for a grunted "enter" before he got into Tsunade's office.
"Hey there Ba-chan," he exclaimed joyously taking in the office that had changed not the tiniest amount in his time away.
Tsunade looked up from her paperwork and as Shizune, she was quite surprised at what she saw. This Naruto looked so very different than the last time he had entered this very office.
"You've changed Naruto." she just said.
"Oh, you don't even know the half of it. But thank you anyway. I came here to check in and hand in my resignation…" he trailed off as the blonde noticed that Tsuande was still speaking.
"... I hope to promote you to Jonin … Jiraiya gave me his reports... wait a moment your resignation?" Now Tsunade looked up in shock. "What do you mean? You quit your shinobi life? I thought you wanted to be Hokage and all that?"
"Well," he said and put a scroll on her desk. "I not only found myself in quite a dilemma but also uncovered some things that Hiruzen maybe missed to tell me. Like how Konoha managed to reallocate funds of my clan without my knowing after the Kyuubi incident. While I may understand that, I can't understand that Konoha never paid the Uzumaki back. Even after I made Chunin the village economy was back on track." His smile has gotten smaller and overall his expression got quite serious.
Tsunade blinked once. "SHIZUNE, get me Sensei in here," she exclaimed quite loudly. She looked at Naruto, concerned. "I hope you believe me if I said I did not know of all those things. I would never steal from my ancestors."
Naruto gave her a small nod but said nothing as he looked out of the window. "I don't blame you Baa-chan. Not really just accept my resignation and I am out here. I won't lift a finger for this village as long as there are not only outstanding debts but I am also not accepted and ridiculed."
Tsunade nodded just as the door to her office opened and Hiruzen entered with an out of breath Shizune. As Hiruzen noticed the person looking out of the window he smiled. "Ahh Naruto you are back welcome young man." He said supporting himself on a cane that had an elegant carved monkey head.
Naruto did not even turn. "Old man. Using a cane now?" he said without much emotion in his voice. Alone those things let the old veteran stop in his tracks. With a questioning look he looked at Tsunade.
Tsunade sighed. "Sensei, you may want to explain why the village did not start to pay back the Uzumaki after the Kyuubi Incident."
To say Hiruzen was surprised would be a classical understatement he took a step back, and while Naruto still looked out of the window, over Konoha he chuckled.
"Yeah, old man. Quite a shocker for myself as I looked into the account ledgers at the capital with Jiraiya." He turned towards the older man, and with a small puff of smoke he held the headband in hand that he had been gifted with. "I won't even think about putting this back on till the debt is paid." His voice and expression were hard. "You expect me to fight for those people?" he pointed out of the window. "After what they did? Now, when I am much stronger they would not even try to do something stupid."
Hiruzen tried to stay calm and not pale more than he had already been. "I won't waste our time making excuses, the decision was not mine alone. After this fateful night, I mourned so many people. after that, I lost my edge quite badly. I let myself be run over and it did take time for me to take the reins back."
Naruto huffed. "Sure. While I may understand some of your shortcomings, I do not. And neither I do forgive them. The only reason you are still breathing old man, is that you have been there for me in my younger years. Even if you may tried to groom myself. But who doesn't in this kami-forsaken world, where children are forced to kill each other because stupid old people say so?"
His voice got even more emotional now. Hiruzen took his verbal lashings without big reactions and Tsunade and Shizune were stunned into silence.
Naruto turned to Tsunade. "If the council wants to speak to me, I will be at training ground seven. in three hours. They should not even think for a second, that they have the slightest chance to bargain with me over this." He vanished in a yellow flash but not before he unleashed a wave of concentrated killing intent that put Shizune on the floor for a second and sweat onto the faces of Hiruzen and Tsunade.
Tsunade looked at the spot where her favorite blonde just vanished from and then to her former teacher. "You know, Jiraiya told me he beat him in combat. Without even touching his tenant's chakra. Whatever you did or better did not Sensei you fucked this village up. Shizune, Sake. Now."
It would be a testament to the amount of shock the apprentice was in that she not only spoke out she just reappeared with the sake and three bowls.
After Naruto had vanished he had reappeared just a minute from his favourite place in the village. Ichirakus. He had dealt with his emotions quite professionally already and had himself under control again. Now he wanted to relax with some ramen before he would make his rounds. He was surprised to see that both were not empty but occupied by two young women.
Ducking under the screen, he entered Ichiraku's ramen stand. Just as he was about to give a friendly greeting, it got stuck in his throat as he looked into the faces of Hinata and Sakura.
Hinata was beaming from the inside out when she saw Naruto. " Hey, Naruto-kun. You're back again? I'm really glad to see you. Your noodles are on me. Hey, Sakura Naruto is back." She said in the direction of the pink-haired woman.
Sakura nodded to Naruto, but she seemed a little introverted and not like her usual loud self. Naruto could tell that she must have been awake for a long time or slept badly.
"Sakura, sorry but you look like you really had some bad days?" Naruto said looking quite concerned. Hinate laid a hand in support on her shoulder as the girl had her head dropped and gave the Hyuuga a pleading look. Naruto noticed this too and looked to Hinata while he ordered his ramen.
Hinata sighed and still hugged Sakura one-armed to give her some support. "You heard about the insurgence of bandits everywhere?" Naruto nodded shortly. Hinata continued with a bit of a solemn look.
"Sakuras family, being civilian merchants need to undertake caravans to transport their wares. Three months ago their primary caravan got attacked. It's currently unknown if her parents are still alive or not. Missions to look after them came back negative and they are officially listed as dead. Village rules say that no further missions are to be undertaken. The Haruno estate was not that big and last month the savings dried up. With the mission requests getting lower each month and no savings left Sakura decided to join the Hyuuga clan as my assistant."
Naruto looked shocked as his steaming bowl of ramen was placed right in front of him. He looked at Sakura even more concerned than before. "Kami, Sakura I am very sorry about all that."
Sakura nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Naruto. Hinata treats me well so I want for nothing. I always knew that my parents or friends could die. Not knowing if they are still alive? It eats me up. Sensei Tsunade won't give me a mission to check. Without Hinata, I would probably have fled into madness long ago."
Naruto nodded and thanked for his meal and began to eat some of it. "Well, no better time than now to tell you guys. Out of some problems with the village, I quit being a Konoha ninja. So I could look into your parent's case."
Before Sakura even was able to say a thing Hinata answered for her. "I will fund this if needed Naruto. I tried to talk to my father to build up a team supported by me and Sakura, maybe Ino even. You know we trained very hard in your absence. All three of us can pack a punch but with the missions in decline and everything the clan leaders got careful about how they deal with expanses or self-sponsored missions." She never even reacted openly to Naruto's statement but it became clear that she was having her problems with the village leadership.
After those serious topics, they switched to the smaller ones and chit-chatted while they ate some bowls of ramen. He invited them to the training ground for later but for now, he had things to do so he summoned a clone to relay the information to his other clones and bid the girls goodbye.
It was three hours later some of Konoha's council, both old and current Hokages and some others had gathered at training ground seven.
"Where is this brat?" Homura asked quite angry.
"He should be marked a traitor," Koharu said.
Many others also shouted their opinions before Hiruzen had enough and flooded the place with his killing intent. Kakashi and Anko stood a bit to the side and just waited on what would happen as a three-pronged Kunai impacted straight in front of the monument of the fallen. A yellow flash later Naruto appeared. He was not alone though.
He was flanked by two masked Shinobi with crow masks. The Uzumaki anbu uniform hid their features quite well. The Ninjato on their backs paired with Naruto's appearance was enough to stop the chatters completely.
"Hello there" Naruto joked as he took in all those that had gathered. As his eyes landed on the elders he sighed. "Still not dead you two?" While his voice had some joke in it, it was not clear if he did intend it as such.
Koharu escalated really quickly. "You brat. Anbu seize him!" Before Tsunade could revoke that order though something happened that left the audience in complete disbelief.
Naruto glowed for a moment before he got wings that seemed to be made out of pure red flames. Markings appeared and glowed on his face. But what had all of them in a shocked standstill was the fact that Naruto appeared right behind Koharu. His Mangekyou Sharingan looking at the audience.
"Just to make some things clear, elder. There are times to fight and times to talk. If you come here to fight me you are sorely mistaken, that the corrupt anbu you may still have on your payroll can do much." After they looked around they noticed that there was some charred grass that looked like Naruto was just this fast.
Somewhere out of the back, you could hear somebody shouting. "YOU GO NARUTO-SAN. THE FLAMES OF YOUR YOUTH HAVE SET YOU FREE!"
Another voice a bit younger joined.
"A YOUTH SAGE I WILL NEED TO TRAIN EVEN MORE!"
Naruto just chuckled at the antics of the Tai Jutsu Masters of Konoha. He looked at Koharu before he just began to fly, or did he fly? It looked like he floated.
"I stand with that I told the Sandaime. I am Naruto Uzumaki. Leader of the Uzumaki. A clan that while it may be just ashes now. Will rise out of them in new glory. And before you get any ideas." He stopped and unleashed a massive wave of heated chakra.
As they could open their eyes again they stood before the avatar of Narutos Susanno. The proud Samurai looked perfect in his armor with the thump on the sword's tsuba. Ready to draw it in an instant.
"That is just plain me. Without the Kyuubi joining the fun. Who thinks they can match me? I challenge every one of you to prove me wrong."
The red and blonde boy shouted to the crowd. As nobody stepped up to the challenge he chuckled again. "Thought so. Don't stand in my way and I won't do you any harm. Pay your debt and I may even take up missions for the village again. That everything needed to be said and done. Ja ne!" Giving a two-finger salute, he and his two companions disappeared in a yellow flash.
He left the crowd in different moods mostly the older ones and clan heads like the Inuzuka or Akimichi raged about his demands. Others took a step back to think like the Nara, Hyuuga, and Yamanaka.
Kakashi just looked at his fiancee and gave her a nod and the two vanished. Naruto's former classmates mostly adapted to their parent's moods while Hinata and Sakura had small smiles on their faces. Somehow their suspicions about what Naruto was about with this whole event. Tsunade looked at Shizune and a bit defeated she asked her to collect all information about the Uzumaki accounts and how big this debt is before she gave one look full of scorn towards Hiruzen and the elders before she moved back to her office.
Sitting on his father's stone head Naruto shook his head as he looked over the village he had called home back then. Now as he was significantly more mature than before he still could not believe how they had treated him. At the time of the Shodai Konoha was known for his open-minded and progressive nature. That had started to decline with the Ni and Sandaime.
With his father, it got a slight pushback to where it should have been but under Hiruzen it stayed there. While Hiruzen tried to match up to some things he messed up in more than one. Letting his wayward student live, or Danzo were just two that had hit them in the face like a boomerang. Now with the nobles more than before giving missions to their samurai forces.
He had already a good rapport with most of the Biju and even most of the Jinchurikii.
Unfortunately, while Naruto got to talk with Yugito and Bee, he was not sure that he had the two of them on his side. He sensed two familiar chakras nearing so he stopped his inner monologue and looked around. It did not take him long to find Kakashi and Anko.
"Hey Naruto," Kakashi said while Anko gave him a saucy look only followed up with a wink and a friendly wave. "Nice show you gave us there. Not with the whole debt thing and all that but showing off sage mode and your speed like that is very good" Kakashi smiled with his eyes. Naruto acknowledged that with a smirk of his own before his former Jonin instructor moved on. "I have a feeling that you will retreat to Uzushio soon, but first I wanted to ask a question."
"You're right about that Kakashi, but questions are always fine, as the two of you are always welcome as long as your intentions are good of course," Naruto answered.
Kakashi gave him a thankful nod. "We may take you up on that, but I came here to make a request." Naruto looked intrigued and gave him a nod that he was listening. Kakashi looked at Anko who gave him an appreciative smile. "You know about Orochimarus Juiin right?" Naruto nodded looking even more intrigued. "Well, as a master of the sealing arts that is even better than Jiraiya, what would it cost me for you to remove Ankos Juiin?"
The seasoned Jonin decided on the straight-on approach.
Naruto blinked once, he eyed Anko before he spoke. "So that snake gave you a hickey too." Now Anko had to blink and simply nodded. Naruto smirked. "Well should we do it here or should I take you home for that?"
Both, Anko and Kakashi looked dumbfounded. Anko was the first person to recover as she looked at the the ninja with the red tipped hair. "WAIT A MINUTE! You.. You can't just drop something like that." She half screamed half stuttered.
Naruto only chuckled. "I can't? Oh well, my bad then" he gave his signature foxy grin before he looked at her with a serious expression. "Well, where is it? I could be a trouble if its a newer one. He put something in there that needs something like a ritual to dispose of it. The older ones though? Not a big deal if you meet the requirements." He said confidently.
Anko was shocked into silence and Kakashi had to pick up the conversation and close the mouth of his fiance gently with his hand. Looking at his former student he asked in a much more serious tone. "So, how much would that cost me Naruto? I want her free off this mark and she does too." Anko still in a complete state of shock locked at Kakshi and Naruto again slowly nodding her head.
Naruto unsealed a scroll that had the Kanjis for "snake hickey remover version 1" printed on it. "Nothing Kakshi, those abdominations of Fuinjutsu are to be erased out of existence."
Looking at Anko he pointed on the ground. "You may take a seat and show me the seal. I don't think it will take long. Could hurt quite a bit though. And It will leave behind quite the scar. But, everything else is like a walk in the park".
Never would Naruto mention what really had led to the point. Yuya-chan would tell quite the stories. After he had reached sage mode he tried out his idea to remove the seal. The only way he had found to remove the seal was to literally burn the corrupted chakra with his sage chakra. Like a counter agent.
The way Orochimaru had found a way to collect not only sage chakra but also include a tiny part of his essence would have earned him his mastery if his essence would not have corrupted the sage chakra. There was the problem the snake sannin forced nature to bend to his will. Which, quite easily was the biggest error in the whole seal and was the reason so many died in the process. You just don't force nature to do your bidding.
As Anko sat before Naruto turning her back to him and dropping her coat a bit the teenager got a good look at the seal. He smiled.
"You smile? That is a good sign right?" Kakashi asked a bit impatiently. Naruto could feel the emotions rolling off as he gave the scroll to a summoned clone and raised his body temperature in preparation to enter sage mode.
"Yeah. That is an older version than Sasuke's so it should not be as I already said. Hurts like a bitch but not a big thing." He calmly explained as he prepared the formula to open the seal.
"Not a big thing, he says" Anko said. "I don't think your student knows what he is talking about." But the next thing she did was to put some cloth into her mouth to bite on it while she ordered Kakaskhi to stay with her with her eyes alone.
Naruto closed his ees and felt the sun on his skin. The warming feeling. The tickling of his senses before he took hold of the chakra in it. Drawing it into him in mere seconds his flaming marlins on his skin appeared as did the flaming wings on his back. "Okay, Anko you ready?" The woman just nodded as Naruto flew through handseals to activate his golden key to unlock the Juiin. As the Juin began to sizzle and wanted to expand he put his right hand on it. White flames on his fingertips he exclaimed calmly. "Sage Art: Purifying Flame."
Even as Anko has something to bite on she grunted in pain and Kakashi had to hold her in place, looking a bit worried as it looked like Naruto would send burning flames into Ankos body. He could feel her heating up as she thrashed around. As the flames turned green after the longest thirty seconds of his life and Anko felt into unconsciousness he was about to yell at Naruto that he had done something wrong. Till he saw it. Or better the lack thereof. In the place of the Juiin was the start of something that looked like Lichtenberg Figures. It coverd a good part of her back, as far as he could see for the moment but it looked like the Juiin was gone. With an unspoken question on his face he looked at Naruto.
"Yeah. That was everything" the young adult said, as he let his flames go out and gently guided Anko's head to Kakashi's lap. "She will be asleep for a bit. Mostly have a hoarse voice and will want to exact some revenge on myse…" He got no further as he was pulled into a one armed hug by his former Sensei as had kneeled right beside him.
"I can't say how thankful I am Naruto. She will be too. But yeah… Maybe she will attack you. It must have hurt quite a bit that it knocked her out." He explained with a smile on his face.
Naruto gave him a nod back before he took out one of his special Kunai.
"Well, I better be off than, right? I will be at the Uzumaki compound for the next days. I have some things to do in the area and wanted to catch up with some of my old classmates. So if anything comes up, you have the Kunai or just come over Kakashi." He slowly stood up brushing up some dust as his old Sensei stayed behind but giving him his eye-smile.
"Take care Naruto." He said as Naruto gave him a two-fingered salute and disappeared in a yellow flash. Looking at his sleeping finance Kakshi smiled. "Truely. The best of both of his parents and it looks like he is ready to take on the world."