against the tide - chapter 8

As the barrier went down and Natsuo began approaching him, Jiraiya had never felt more intimidated by a tiny squirt before. That was until the tiny squirt turned around to reveal reddened, watery eyes and a mouth pursed into a little, sulky pout.

There was a long-suffering sigh behind him- Koji.

Jiraiya felt a snort of laughter push through his mouth and at Natsuo's frankly adorable glare, he slipped on a poker face and shot him a serious nod.

'That's right: he's still a child.' Jiraiya felt a part of his tension dissolve. If there was one thing he particularly hated in war: it was the children who were affected before they even got to live their lives.

Natsuo was harrowed- His home was gone, his family gone- All at his tiny age. How old was he even? Now that there were remnants of tears in his mismatched eyes, he looked even younger.

"Don't look at me like that." Natsuo said coldly- as cold as that baby voice could get. He dragged his forearm across his face and sniffed. "Make your questions quick."

Jiraiya… could no longer take this seriously. His mouth twitched with the threat of breaking into a grin.

Koji snorted. "This'll help you sober real quick: is the Prophecy real? Who's the Child of the Prophecy?"

Jiraiya scowled. "Thanks, asshole."

"You're welcome, dunce."

"Hey, you-!"

Natsuo stared blankly at the bickering two Jiraiya's. Although Koji wasn't a Jiraiya, it was still strange to think that his origins lie in being his clone.

"The Prophecy is real." Natsuo dropped the bomb. "But the Child of the Prophecy is not this grand messiah figure you're thinking of."

"Wh… What? But there is one… right?"

"In a sense, yes. That Child of the Prophecy won't be born for many years. Although this trio you're helping will be fundamental to that child. You better not abandon them now that you know this."

"What-" He looked flustered. "Of course I wouldn't."

"Because the world isn't as simple and straightforward as to fall in place all because of one person. One miracle. That isn't how it works. Even the most powerful person couldn't do anything without others. It isn't purely inspirational- It's simply a fact."

'That's why,' Natsuo thinks, '-The 'Naruto' that Kishimoto wrote was a little hypocritical. Madara could've been the Child as much as Naruto could've been. As fiction, it all felt quite… flimsy.'

"I know that." Jiraiya started. "World peace isn't something that solely one person can bring about."

"Exactly." He replied, but then unexpectedly, Koji interrupted-

"So why are you wasting your whole life putting all your bets on this elusive 'child'?"

Jiraiya raised a brow and scoffed. "What would you know about my life?"

Natsuo looked amused. "That's funny." He even went to say aloud. "That's a funny thing to say."

"Yeah right." Koji said dryly. "Whatever could I ever know about your life…"

"But Koji's right." Natsuo intoned seriously. "You're wasting your years on a chance bet. How would you know who that Child would be? And if you so strongly believe in this prophecy- Why are you involving yourself so much? Did you want to hurry this prophecy? Do you think you can do that? That you could do anything to influence the turn of fate?"

"Woah," Jiraiya felt a bead of sweat suddenly forming at the back of his neck. "What an attack."

Natsuo didn't let him continue forming a response. "Ground yourself, Jiraiya. Look around you. Look at your life. It's honourable that you've taken these orphans under your wing, but what then? None of them are the supposed 'Child'. Do they become meaningless to you then? No. Because Jiraiya, you are not just a stepping stone for the Child of the Prophecy-"

'This was a child right?' Jiraiya thought to himself, suddenly feeling like his world was in a vacuum. He'd simply been at a constant loss his whole life- That prophecy was the only hope for him. The only thing that gave him a will to move forward and believe that humanity- that this terrible world could bear the fruit of harmony.

"-Jiraiya, you are a person."

So what if he was just coping?

So what if now he's asking a child for life advice- "Then what's a 'person' meant to do?" Jiraiya knew to accept the truths he was saying because he wasn't stupid either: he knew all of this. He knew that he was scrambling desperately from person to person, paranoid and hopeful to a fanatic extent- Were they that Child? Was it him? Or her?

"Well," Natsuo said carefully. "There is one male figure I'd looked up to that I could use as an example."

He swallowed and it wasn't subtle. (He'd already forgotten his face. The exact shade of his hair. The way his smile lines creased with his laughter. He'd been so abundant in his laughter.)

"My father. He grew up with both his parents killed in action and found salvation in little joys. He found my mother, he made friends, he grew up and had a family. He was loving to me and briefly, the true happiness came in that simple, bland, domestic life…"

Jiraiya had seen that look in many people's eyes before: his comrades, his enemies, and in the mirror of course. Natsuo had lost both his parents. It didn't come as a surprise.

"When otherworldly, supernatural, incomprehensible matters are concerned, mortal beings have little to say. What you should be doing is maximising your own happiness- your own life. Live, Jiraiya. Live for yourself. That's my one message to you."

"Then that Child- Who is it?"

Natsuo frowned slightly, "Just because you asked, I won't tell you. You'll be alive when the Child is born and I'll make sure you're alive when the Prophecy comes to fruition. So do more than survive, Jiraiya. That is all and enough."

Taking the cue, Koji grabbed his shoulder, and they vanished in a Shunshin.

Jiraiya let them go. What more could he do?

"What else could you possibly need from Ame?" Koji sighed at Natsuo's narrow-eyed squint.

"How could you tell?" Natsuo asked, eyes rounded in surprise.

"I've been around you like all the time. I think I know you better than you know yourself." The man sighed with exasperated affection. "So, what is it?"

"I want… Hanzo."

"Hanzo?" Koji grimaced briefly. "What do you want with- No, I already know."

"He's not a bad person." Natsuo started. "Like how many people aren't. Hanzo is actually far from it. He's spared so many people beyond just the Sannin. He's a pacifist. He wants peace. That was until- as always- he gets tricked and turns…" He tipped his head. "Let's just say- to an unpleasant path. He's powerful and he wants peace. His ill fate is preventable. Why not snag him for Uzushio? For me? After all, Ame is quite an important country."

"This world really just is a chess board for a toddler." Koji muttered.

"It's all too simple." He replied with a bit of cheek, godly eye glowing with cunning.

It was.

For a world that got dominated by Naruto and his rather questionable Talk no Jutsu, Natsuo found it all too easy. He didn't need to 'find out their past' in the way Naruto did. He could see it through his eye. And he could see it down to each tear and sweat- each atom of suffering.

Naruto showed that words could do a lot- Natsuo had more than just words. He could adjust his speech, his mannerisms, his gaze to target anyone. Humans were such easily manipulatable things, especially when you knew everything about them.

"Ame will always have your back, Uzumaki Natsuo." Hanzo said with certainty. "As will I."

"We will find that peace in our lifetime, Hanzo." Natsuo replied with equal confidence.

He will. Because he will ensure Uzushio reigns above all else. So much so that no one would dare to violate peace.

-Konoha-

A curtain of red hair snapped out, blocking her vision as her abductor leapt forward yet again. She gritted her teeth in helpless anger. Slung over a shoulder, gagged, and with her arms and feet bound, there wasn't much Kushina could do. She couldn't even leave strands of hair like she did last time.

They'd injected her with some kind of drug, but it burnt out of her system in less than five minutes. Although either way, she knew she couldn't fight her way out of this.

She was one of the last of the Uzumaki and now she was getting kidnapped for it, for the second time. It wasn't just because of the Kyuubi and her unique chakra, but also because of what happened to Uzushio. With its borders mysteriously closed and its entire culture and knowledge locked within, any scraps of that land were desired.

Her kind- Her blood was now a rarity. Like some antique to be hoarded.

After the last kidnapping where Minato had saved her, she had ANBU shadowing her every step, the Hokage keeping a constant eye on her. Even now, when she's stronger than she had been last time and had more will to live on in Konoha, she was taken again.

She couldn't recognise these shinobi- Last time it was Kumo. This time, she had no way of knowing as the three were fully cloaked with unrecognisable masks. She flared her chakra once more, ignoring the annoyed tsk of her kidnapper and the metallic sound of a kunai being drawn threateningly.

She held back a scoff. They couldn't kill her anyway. And if they did, while she'd have many regrets, she'd also be able to meet her lost family. Kushina didn't think she'd mind a whole lot. Her sanity was thinner than a strand of hair.

Then her captor twitched and a second later, she felt it: Minato's presence. He was alone. Her captor increased in speed, as one stayed behind to confront Minato.

'Minato, that IDIOT!' She thought furiously. 'How could he come alone? These people outmatched both of us heavily!'

She peered through her long locks of hair and saw Minato sprinting towards her, the other man hot on his trail. His priority was definitely to reach her. So how could she not help him with it?

She inhaled sharply, raising her head and chest up. Her captor jerked- surprised probably, at the drugs having no effect on her now. Then she threw her weight as hard as she could forward, headbutting the flank of her captor and kicking wildly to escape their grasp.

At the perfect timing, Minato grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her towards him, swiftly cutting the ropes binding her hands before he flung her over his shoulder and took a sharp turn back towards Konoha.

Kushina immediately tore the gag out of her mouth and screamed. "Minato, you DUMBASS!"

Minato winced a little, looking sheepish as he panted. "Sorry for grabbing your hair, it was the only-"

"Not that-ttebane!" Kushina rolled her eyes as she removed the ropes at her feet. "I'm free! Put me down and go, go GO!"

"I'm faster than you!" Minato cried as he fumbled in his bag for a flare, sending it soaring into the sky. "I'm already barely staying ahead of them."

"And you're a weak little punk! You won't be able to keep this up for long, dattebane!" She yelled, quickly going through hand signs before she inhaled- "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

There was a brief long-suffering groan from Minato before an enormous gust of wind tore through the trees, whipping the branches and stripping it of leaves. Her captors braced themselves before it completely took them off their feet.

Minato flew forwards from the impact, catching the two of them on a branch and exhaled roughly. "Your Jutsus are always terrifying… Did- Did you get them?" He peered up at her, watching her contemplative expression as she propped herself up on his shoulder.

"Keep running, blondie." Kushina smacked his head.

"I'm not a horse." He whined but complied.

"I can still sense them. They're conscious." She continued, ignoring him. "I think they didn't expect it to be that strong, so that's why it blew them back. They're strong, Minato. Like Jonin strong. Maybe stronger. You shouldn't've came alone, dattebane. It was too dangerous."

"I sent a flare-"

"You could've asked for backup before you even came. Or sent a flare earlier."

"I know, it's just… I wanted to get to you first." Minato hesitated then continued quietly. "I'm suspicious…"

"Of your beloved Konoha?" Kushina prodded in disbelief. "I'm surprised, dattebane. I gave you so much 'nagging' about Konoha's creepy orphan brainwashing, but you never believed me."

"It's not that! Of course the Hokage would encourage orphans to become shinobi. Like economically-"

"Wrap it up, Minato."

"I didn't even start!"

"And you better not, dattebane!"

"Okay, okay… I'm just saying, the security was so tight around you-"

"Tch, don't remind me." Kushina griped. "Run faster. And let me down, I can tell you're tired. They're catching up. They've got a sensor amongst them. A better one than I am, crazy as it sounds."

"Urgh," Minato grumbled, setting Kushina down before the two of them continued to tree hop. "See, they're so good at tree hopping, it's weird. The security was near impenetrable. I'm not saying there's a traitor; I'm just saying that there must've been some insider information…"

"So, a traitor."

"Well… yeah."

"Some Konoha shinobi are coming. Zip it." Kushina pressed a finger against her lips.

He nodded then sighed. "I'm just glad you're okay, Kushina."

"…Thanks for coming for me." She returned, cheeks flushing.

"Always."

"Danzo." Natsuo gritted out. "He's gone too far, targeting Kushina. Someday- One day, I'll have him utterly ruined. And that damned Jiraiya- he ended up leaving the orphans a year earlier than canon…"

-Ame-

"Are you Yahiko?" It was a large man with a large helmet-like respirator. Long blonde hair tumbled down his back. His eyes were dark, and his face was scarred. "And you two, Nagato and Konan?"

Yahiko put his arms up to hide Nagato and Konan behind him. "W-Well, who are you?"

"My name is Hanzo." He crouched down, voice rumbling with power. "Don't be scared."

"Hanzo?!" The three orphans exclaimed and glanced at each other nervously, hearts pounding in fear. Jiraiya had just left a day ago… But- "Hanzo- Hanzo-sama, you're the leader of Ame." Yahiko replied shakily. "What did you want with a bunch of kids like us?"

"Don't worry about calling me that." The man smiled. "I've heard from Natsuo that you children are after peace. Quite the conviction. A conviction I believe in as well."

"You know Natsuo?" Yahiko blinked widely, turning around to the other two.

"Yes, he spoke to me. He had a strong faith. He believed in great things for such a young child."

"So, you're friends?" Yahiko continued, tilting his head slightly.

Hanzo's smile broadened and he patted the boy on his shoulder. "You could say that. Did you want us to all work together? Natsuo had asked me to take care of you three."

"Natsuo…" Nagato sniffed tearily. "He's just a child himself. Why's he looking after us so much?"

"We're just three orphan children." Konan said warily. "Why?"

"I agreed because there is something worthy in you children, who look for peace when being raised in war. I can feel the depth of your faith. I believe that you can succeed- that we all can. So, what do you say?"

The three children looked at each other, sharing unspoken words through their gazes. Everyone knew Hanzo's desire for peace and his stoic demeanour. He was a man of honour- as close as a shinobi to get to a warrior.

"I'm in." Nagato nodded.

"Then me too." Yahiko added.

Konan sighed lightly and smiled. "Alright, Hanzo-sama. Let us humbly accept your offer."

War ended the following year.

But it was more like a stalemate rather than a proper end.

-Six years old-

"What a terrible birthday present." Natsuo exclaimed dully as he opened his eyes. "The Third Shinobi War has begun."

"Yes, the Second and Third were really just one long and messy war." Koji nodded, unsurprised. "The peace treaties weren't done properly at the end of the Second. You can prevent the Third from lasting as long though. Here is when…"

"Here is when Hatake Sakumo fails and unintentionally lengthens the Third War. Do you remember when exactly that happens? Sakumo is one of their strongest, so the mission will have to be issued to him. I've been keeping an eye on every order that comes out of Hiruzen's mouth- And Danzo's, but things happen so quickly…"

"Later this year or early next year. He committed suicide late next year." Koji frowned. "Although I'm not an information centre; I don't remember the exact dates. Are you going to save him?"

"Yes."

"Sakumo is unbelievably loyal… Why give Konoha its weapon back?"

"I'm not going to give them anything. I'm handing their weapon a reason to point elsewhere."

"So, you mean to say… you're letting him fail the mission. You aren't going to try stop the war here?"

"Hmm," Natsuo shrugged as he glanced over the map. (Uzushio was erased from the newer editions. But soon, it'd return as an Uzushio larger than ever before.) "I'm freshly six. What could I do to a war? I'm just doing my part for Uzushio."

"'Your part'." Koji echoed with an exasperated scoff. "Taking in the Yuki Clan, the Hoshigake Clan, Yota's Tenki Clan, Fuma Clan and a bunch more onto Uzushio's side and promising them refuge in Uzushio in the future. Now saving Sakumo to try to bring him into Uzushio. That's a huge 'part'."

"It's hardly much since Uzushio will be all mine." He shrugged again. "And well, I know a lot of information and Kiri is making it too simple for me. If they don't want the bloodlines, I'll for sure take them. Some were still stubborn, but they'll soon see how terrible Kiri treats those with bloodlines."

Koji raised a brow. "Speaking of, how is Uzushio going?"

"Perfectly." He smiled with satisfaction. "Uzushio always had brilliant culture, so people are picking themselves up really quickly. Ashiro-jii is great at managing it all and expanding infrastructure. If anything goes wrong, Shugora's there and I can see it anyway. I'll just ask her to reverse summon me."

"One of these days, your plans won't go so smoothly." Koji said cautiously. "Be careful. Although they are valid powers, you should build yourself up in case any of them happens to fail you. You can't rely on using these shortcuts for too long."

"Dojutsu isn't everything." Natsuo agreed begrudgingly. "But I don't have time to focus on training too much. Using words and knowledge will get me further than just training mindlessly for now."

The man inclined his head, moving on to ask, "Shugora is the summon with the ball, correct? I've only seen you summon Kinha."

"Yeah," Natsuo confirmed. "Kinha's the one that I summon when your real body isn't with me. Although I don't summon him a whole lot."

"Few and far between, boy." Kinha rumbled, flickering around Natsuo's body. "Koji is right. Remember, before you make more moves: you can only change the world with as much power as you have yourself."

"I didn't summon you." He blinked in confusion. "Do you appear just to back up Koji?"

"We aren't regular summons." The glittering then disappeared, leaving golden dust fluttering in the air. "We are with you all the time, so we can tell: yours may be running out at the rate you're going at."

"That's all quite ominous." Natsuo grumbled, folding his arms. "My time isn't running nowhere. I have the power closest to being able to predict the future here."

"And you're also a tiny squirt that can barely defend himself against a Chuunin."

"I have you. And Kinha. And my chakra. And you're training me as we travel anyway. I have time to get stronger- I don't have time to find and save people, so I have to do it now."

"People die."

"You're saying that like I haven't seen it all."

"Well, you aren't preventing Sakumo's failure, are you?"

Natsuo halted, giving the man an intense, not quite angry, but displeased stare. "What are you trying to argue here? That I have to focus on myself, or that I should be saving people?"

"You're rationalising your decisions. That will be your downfall."

His stare hardened, "Okay, if you want the cold hard truth, Koji, I'll give it to you. Because I know, there's nowhere you can go if you betray me. I'm going to save Sakumo, yes, but he's going to be mine. The Nations can self-destruct in this war for all I care."

"Okay, and how do you plan on saving Sakumo while also wanting him to fail his mission?"

"He didn't die because he failed the mission." Natsuo said gravely. "He died because he had nowhere to belong. And I'll give him just that."

"You want to save and shelter a man who could crush us someday?"

"If this mission fails, the whole board shifts. This is about keeping the game in my hands. Sakumo is instrumental. I need him on my side."

"You're betting a lot on a man they'll want dead. Whether a traitor or not, he'll be scorned."

"It's not a bet. It's investment. I'm investing in a man they fear. That kind of power is worth the risk."

"You're playing god with a man's life."

"Isn't that the point? If I can save him, I'm already winning. If they all fight, it's none of my business for now."

"I was under the impression that you wanted peace."

"That's for later!" Natsuo shouted, impatient with the back-to-forth. "With the way Uzushio is now, we can't have peace! We need power now- Why're you arguing so much? I can't save everyone! People already know there's an Uzumaki lurking around. I can't be seen helping Konoha. I don't want to help Konoha when this is their problem! Uzushio is the only thing I've ever cared about and you know it!"

"You said we need power. You're doing too much at once- so much so that you're contradicting. You're using yourself as bait, right? So you need to focus on getting stronger too. Stop for one moment. What are you really trying to do? What's your next plan?"

With a shaky exhale, Natsuo indulged the question, shooting out his answer rapid fire. "The Chinoike Clan. I need to plan how to get my hands on them while I keep an eye on Sakumo and Danzo. Then, I need to start pulling the favours of the Daimyo and influential merchants. We need some money. Then by the time the Third Shinobi War ends, we can open borders. I'll built Uzushio up while the world is still caught up in that war."

"…Be careful."

"You'll be with me." Natsuo's eye gleamed in the moonlight. "And there's no one who knows this world as much as I do. They'll all be easy pickings."

"You are a scary, scary child."

Natsuo's heard that quite a lot of times already.

Hatake Sakumo has heard the rumours of a small ghostling with fire for hair and stars for eyes. Shadowed by a cloaked giant, this ghost of Uzushio leaves untold miracles at its wake.

Whether wholly true or a mere hallucination from those terrified of Uzushio's catastrophic collapse, Sakumo did not know. He knew his temporarily assigned apprentice, Uzumaki Kushina, felt quite strongly about their downfall, as did himself. He'd been amicable with quite a few Uzumaki shinobi himself.

It was truly a devastating thing to hear. Being one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha as well, he was definitely privy to some information of Konoha's inaction. It didn't feel too great, but Konoha was his home.

Konoha was his as much as he was Konoha's.

Their glory was his and their dishonour was as well.

That might be why he's been taking more missions than usual to avoid looking Kushina in the eye.

Although this mission-

This mission was important.

And in this moment, teetering between wanting to save the mission or to save his comrades and fail- he thought of that rumoured Uzumaki child.

Sakumo wished that maybe those ridiculous tales had some semblance of truth to them- That that child would show up at a crazily coincidental time and fix everything.

He abandoned those fleeting thoughts within the span of a few seconds. He was never a delusional man and he never will be.

Sakumo knew his truth: those who abandoned their mission were utter failures of a shinobi, but those who abandoned their comrades to death were worse than that: they were utter failures of a human being.

Sakumo glanced forward into the clearing one last time, before he turned around and went to rescue his friends.