️ Naruto: Rise of the Whirlpool King — Chapter 1: The Birth of a Nation Naruto: King of the Whirlpool Chapter 1: The Broken Prince The night was cold. Cold enough that Naruto felt it even through his orange jacket, though maybe that was just his mind playing tricks on him. Maybe it was because, for the first time in his life, he felt truly alone.
The gates of Konoha were far behind him now. The village—his so-called home—was nothing but a memory. His fists clenched as he walked through the dense forest, his sandals crunching against the dry leaves.
He didn't know exactly where he was going. He just knew he couldn't stay.
The Truth Hurts The revelation about his heritage burned in his mind like an open wound.
His mother—Kushina Uzumaki—wasn't just some ordinary kunoichi. She was royalty. A princess from a nation that no longer existed.
And Konoha had known. They all had known.
Tsunade. The old man—Hiruzen. Even Kakashi. They had all let him suffer, let him live his whole life thinking he was just some unwanted orphan, when in reality, he was the last heir of a once-great people.
"Why didn't they tell me? Why did they let me be treated like garbage?" The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
Kurama stirred inside him, his deep voice rumbling. "Tch. Because they didn't see you as a prince, boy. They saw you as a weapon. And weapons don't need history."
Naruto gritted his teeth. "Yeah? Well, screw them. I don't need Konoha."
But did he really believe that?
A part of him—the little kid who had dreamed of being Hokage—felt hollow. Was he really just going to leave everything behind? Sakura? Kakashi? The Ichiraku Ramen stand?
No.
They had chosen to lie to him. So now, he would choose his own path.
A Long Journey to Nowhere For weeks, Naruto wandered. He hunted, fished, and camped out under the stars. It wasn't easy. He had no idea where to even begin looking for his clan's lost homeland.
"Tch, if ero-sennin were here, he'd probably lecture me about strategy or some crap…" The thought made his chest tighten. Jiraiya had been the one person who truly cared about him.
But he was gone.
Naruto had to figure this out alone.
He followed the oldest maps he could find, tracing back what little information existed on Uzushiogakure. Some said the island had sunk. Others said it had been swallowed by nature. But Naruto didn't believe in ghosts.
If his people were really wiped out, then he would bring them back.
The Ghost of Uzushio Naruto stood on the shores of an abandoned island.
It was silent. Too silent.
The ruins of Uzushio stretched before him—crumbling towers covered in vines, old stone streets cracked by time. The once-great village was nothing more than an empty graveyard.
Naruto stepped forward, running his fingers over a faded symbol of the Uzumaki clan. His clan.
"What the hell am I supposed to do now…?" For the first time since leaving Konoha, doubt crept in. He was just one guy. How was he supposed to rebuild a village? He didn't know a damn thing about running a country!
Was he even worthy of being a leader?
"Hesitating already, brat?"
Naruto's breath hitched. The voice was deep, ancient.
Turning, he saw a massive monkey-like creature, its body made of molten rock and blackened stone. Its golden eyes burned with recognition.
"You… you're one of the lava monkeys, aren't you?" The creature snorted. "I am Enma of the Lava Clan. You are the last Uzumaki prince, are you not?"
Naruto swallowed. "Yeah… yeah, I guess I am."
Enma studied him for a long moment.
"Then prove it."
Naruto blinked. "Huh?"
Before he could react, Enma lunged—a massive fist of burning rock heading straight for him.
Trial by Fire Naruto barely dodged in time, flipping backward as Enma pounded the ground, sending cracks through the earth.
"Oh, so that's how it is?!" His chakra flared. Fine. If this was what it took to be acknowledged—he'd fight!
Naruto charged forward, his fists glowing with chakra, aiming straight for Enma's jaw—only for the monkey to sidestep and slam Naruto into the dirt.
He coughed, spitting up dust.
"Damn it, he's fast—" Another blow came, but Naruto rolled away just in time. He threw a kunai—only for it to melt mid-air from the heat radiating off Enma's body.
"Crap." "You're weak," Enma rumbled. "You rely too much on instinct."
Naruto grit his teeth, forcing himself up.
"Then I'll get stronger."
"Words mean nothing. Show me."
Naruto clenched his fists. He wouldn't run from this.
So he fought. Again. And again. And again.
Days passed. He got burned. He got beaten. But he never gave up.
And then—one night, under the full moon—something changed.
His chakra shifted. The air around him heated.
Lava.
For the first time, Naruto's chakra melted the ground beneath him.
"This… this is my bloodline." A grin spread across his face. "Alright, monkey-face. Let's go again!"
Enma laughed. "Now you're learning, brat."
Becoming a Leader, the Hard Way It would take months before Naruto could truly control his new powers.
It would take even longer before he figured out how to lead.
He wasn't a king. Not yet.
He was still just Naruto—hot-headed, reckless, and still learning.
But every day, as he trained, as he explored, as he began gathering others like him, he took another step forward.
Because he wasn't just doing this for himself.
He was doing it for his mother.
For his lost people.
For the future he wanted to build.
And no matter how hard it got—he wasn't giving up.