A couple days had passed since my chat with the chief leaf muncher, and aside from plotting my way out of the cage so I could finally touch some grass, I've been trying to get the brat started on basic physical exercising. He was going to start the Academy soon, but I had a feeling that I'd have better luck trying to convince Naruto to do stuff than the average instructor with a grudge.
I've also tried to introduce the shrimp to the mythical concept of raw vegetables in his diet. It did not work. At all.
Maybe he'd be more open to the idea of salads as an accompanying dish? I'd have to try. Even if he had the genes to carry him despite eating cup ramen like a broke ass college student, I wasn't going to let him get away with this shit for much longer.
One day, I would get to taste food once more, and by god I wasn't letting my first experience be cup ramen. Fuck ninjas and their food pills. This world would get to know pizza and shawarma, and it would thank me for it.
A forlorn sigh escaped me as I propped my head on a hand, poking idly with a claw at the cage before me. Life was really boring in this shitty seal. As someone who used to spend most of my free time reading on the internet, living here was only marginally better than the literal torture I'd experienced in my previous hosts.
At least I've started talking to people again. I would've gone crazy from isolation having to wait another five years, or god forbid, until the Wave Arc.
Still, I'd have to try and teach the brat how to ninshū, just so I could talk to him at any time. Even just getting him receptive to one sided ninshū would be enough for a start. I could share his senses and watch some Leaf Village TV.
Beyond that, though, I didn't have many options. Yet.
I could try to persuade the shrimp into opening the seal from the inside, but Minato's chakra shade was a thing, and he might try to screw me over with his fūinjutsu fuckery. He'd pulled some wild shit in canon, and I had no idea what he was truly capable of. I'd rather play it safe for now and wait on trying to open the seal, at least until I had Naruto fully in my corner.
That shriveled mushroom was obstinate as expected, but perhaps I could do without needing his help at all. Naruto should be a lot easier to convince.
So, yeah, befriend Naruto. He was the only one who could truly set me free. Though, a small part of myself also admitted, in the privacy of my thoughts, that he'd be a nice friend to have either way.
"Why is there water in here? Why does this place look so creepy and ugly?"
I've been playing twenty questions with the brat for almost half an hour, and it didn't look like he was planning to stop any time soon. Were all kids like this?
I held back a sigh. "That's how it was made."
"Who made it?"
Minato came up with this design, but he combined two Four Symbols Seals to create it. That was probably some Uzumaki shit, just like ninety percent of the seals in this world. Those redhead nerds were some scary motherfuckers, but they were arrogant enough to think they could survive indefinitely on their little island.
"Some old guys with too much free time."
The brat seemed to find that funny for a reason, shooting me a grin. "Like gramps?"
A snort almost escaped me. Okay, that was a little funny. "I think so."
"And the water?"
How the fuck should I know? Kurama didn't give a shit about seals until Mito showed up and ruined his entire career.
That memory brought a frown to my lips. If I ever got my hands on the Impure World Reincarnation, I'd be highly tempted to bring her back and use as a stress ball.
"I'm not sure." I tapped a claw on the floor, sending a ripple through the water. "A mental representation of your chakra, perhaps? Or my influence in the seal. Could be any–"
"What's chakra?"
I shot him a glare at the interruption, but the way his face scrunched up, making him look like a chipmunk, made my mouth twitch with a brief smirk. It reminded me of those silly faces that Naruto sometimes made in the anime.
"It's the combination of your internal energies. Physical energy from your body, and spiritual energy from your mind. Your body mixes them together to create chakra."
Naruto made a drawn out, humming noise. "When do I get my chakra?"
Heh. That pineapple dolphin was going to have a surprise when Naruto showed up in his class, already knowing how to use chakra. Hopefully, I'd get to see his face.
"You already have chakra. Everyone is born with it."
"Really? Where is it?"
"It's everywhere inside you."
Naruto blinked owlishly, scratching at his head. "I don't get it." He made a face, as if concentrating on something, only to give up with a frustrated noise. "How do I use it?"
"I'll teach you after you finish your afternoon exercise."
I'd make sure the brat wouldn't suck ass at chakra control in this timeline. He was going to walk on water by the time he graduated. Maybe even make a one handed Rasengan.
"Aww, do I have to?" Naruto whined. "I don't like running. It's boring and makes me all sticky."
I held back a sigh, propping my head on a hand. Convincing this brat to do anything productive was like herding cats. Good thing I used to be a very patient man.
"You want to be a super awesome ninja, right?"
"Of course I do! I'll show everyone, and then they'll stop being so mean to me." His voice became quieter towards the end, and I couldn't help a frown. This was just sad. It was one thing to watch it in an anime, but seeing this firsthand… he looked like a kicked puppy.
"Well, all ninjas do physical exercise. How do you want to become a great ninja when you can't do a little running?"
That quickly got a reaction out of him as he pointed a finger angrily at me. "I can run! I'll show you! I'll be the greatest ninja ever, believe it!"
A smirk found its way on my muzzle. "Good answer, brat. I like your spirit. Keep it up and you'll go far in life."
Positive reinforcement was the name of the game, and it worked twice as well on neglected orphans. Maybe I wasn't so bad with kids, after all?
Naruto went quiet for a bit, eyes glancing around the chamber, but not searching for anything.
"Hey, fox… do you know anything about my parents?" He suddenly spoke up, voice a lot quieter than before. "People said that my parents left me when I was little."
I held back a grimace. Great. He went straight for the million dollar question.
Unbidden, an image flashed to mind, unfolding into a distant memory. Long, flowing hair, a darker shade than blood. Sparkling amethyst eyes full of life and mischief. A beautiful oval face with soft features and a playful, self-assured smile.
Kushina was a spectacular milf, but Kurama's memories soured her to me a little. She got so indoctrinated by Mito, she never even questioned the design of her seal. The 'best' option for tailed beast chakra suppression, my furry ass.
"Yes, I know your parents." He listened to me as if hanging by my every word. "Your mother's name is Kushina. Uzumaki Kushina. She was a Leaf ninja."
"Mom… she was a ninja? Really?"
I pulled myself up to a sitting position, tails fanning out behind me. "I can show you."
That took him aback. He looked up at me, eyes wide. "Wh-what?"
The old man's work was a wonderful thing. Ninshū was the power to gift, and a gift didn't always have to be reciprocated. I could share my chakra even with people who didn't yet know how to, or couldn't mould their own.
"Hold out your hand and make a fist."
I moved a hand between the tall bars of the cage, slowly, to not scare him off, making a fist above the water's surface.
Naruto stared at it, and I could see a little wariness in his eyes, but he stood firmly on his spot and quietly lifted his own hand, mirroring mine.
"Touch your fist against my own, and you will see."
I searched my memories, looking for something appropriate, but just thinking about her brought a heat in my chest, simmering beneath my skin, ready to bubble at the surface.
I did my best to reign it in, to separate emotion from the memories. I thought back to that scene from the story, where Kushina held her newborn son in that bed, and tried to replace her with Kurama's memory of the woman.
A tiny hand bumped against my fist, and I shared that image, quickly cutting the link before any emotion could seep through.
A quiet sniffle reached my ears as Naruto lowered his hand, eyes wide and misty. "That's my mom?"
"Yeah."
"Her hair is pretty."
"It really is."
The anime did not do her justice. Could not do her justice. She was exquisite. She was–
That heat from before boiled in my chest, twisting into something sour and ugly. My maw clenched tight, barely holding in a snarl. I wanted to rip her to shreds. For every year she kept me staked to that rock… I'd tear off a finger. Then her limbs. Then I would–
One look at Naruto's smiling face, and I felt like doused with a bucket of cold water. I reigned in my anger before it could seep out into the chamber. He looked so happy to finally learn about his mother. I did not want to ruin this moment for him.
"She really loved you."
Naruto looked up at me, cheeks wet from silent tears. "Then why did she leave me?" He wiped at his face with the back of his hands, giving another quiet sniffle.
"She died on the night when you were born. I was sealed in her, but a bad guy ripped me out. When that happens, the person always dies, unless someone quickly puts me back inside them."
"Mom was like me?"
"She was. They have a name for people like you. Jinchūriki." The power of human sacrifice.
A bitter smile crossed my lips. The old man was probably turning in his grave.
"Jinchūriki," Naruto repeated, as if testing the word. "There are more people like me?"
"Eight more. There are eight other beings like me, sealed in humans like you."
"Why?"
"That's a long story for another day."
Naruto went quiet, eyes cast at the floor, and I was a little surprised that he didn't push any further. Soon enough, he broke the silence, voice quiet, only slightly above a whisper. "What about my dad?"
And here I hoped he'd somehow forgotten.
"I can't tell you much about your father yet."
He looked up, lips wobbling. "Why?"
"Your father had a lot of enemies. He was respected in the village, but feared and hated outside of it. If you talk about this, and the wrong people hear… they will come after you and hurt you." I tried to explain, but looking at his dejected face, I knew my words weren't reaching him.
"I won't! Tell me about my dad. I want to know, please."
He really wasn't making this easy on me, huh?
I could try to hedge around it, but that would just make me the same kind of asshole like that shriveled mushroom.
"Your father was Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage."
Silence followed my words, enough to hear the drop of a pin. Wide, blue eyes stared unblinking at the cage as Naruto slowly came to terms with the revelation.
"My dad was hokage?"
I couldn't help a smirk. "I guess it runs in the family."
Naruto was quiet for a moment, just staring at his own reflection in the water. He wasn't stupid by any stretch. The resemblance was there if one looked for it.
"Did…" His voice cracked a little as he wiped at his face. "Did gramps know about this?"
"He did."
Maybe this would stop the brat from hanging to that monkey's every word.
Hurt flashed across Naruto's face. "Why didn't he tell me?"
"He thought he was keeping you safe. Only a handful of people know about your father, and Sarutobi didn't want the secret to get out."
"It's not fair…"
His eyes turned downcast, hair shadowing his face a little as he gave another sniffle.
"Life isn't fair."
Naruto glanced up at my cage for a moment, before looking away. A heavy silence filled the room, and I wasn't sure what to say next. Or even if I should say anything. I really wasn't good at this emotional stuff.
The image of a redhead girl with glasses flashed in my mind, leaving me with a brief, tiny smile. This could work.
"Your mother was part of an old clan. The Uzumaki in the Land of Whirlpools. They had a hidden village just like the Leaf."
Wide eyed, Naruto met my gaze, surprise written all over his face. "Had?" He blinked in confusion. "What happened?"
"It was destroyed decades ago. Most of the clan died, and the few survivors scattered across the world."
The hope in his eyes dimmed. "Why? Were they bad people?"
"No. That's just war. People kill each other for stupid reasons. Cloud, Mist, and Stone were afraid of the Uzumaki, so they joined forces to destroy them."
Naruto went quiet again, gaze veering down at the clear water, watching it ripple as I shifted inside the cage.
The solemn atmosphere hung heavy on my shoulders, too. I wasn't sure how to feel about those arrogant redheads, but they didn't deserve the near genocide. They were part of the old man's legacy. The only thing left of it now, were those accursed Uchiha. Pitiful existences, literally cursed with hatred. Only a handful had ever risen above it.
I banished that thought before it stoked anew the anger simmering within me, letting out a tired sigh. Back home, people memed about the Cycle of Hatred, but that shit was real. Too real. And it would be the height of arrogance to think I couldn't fall prey to it as well.
I had to stay mindful and never let that anger and hate get the best of me.
"You know," I spoke, getting the boy's attention. "You still have some family alive."
"Really?" Big, hopeful blue eyes stared back at me. "Who?"
"A cousin around your age, and her mother." I wasn't certain how close that was to truth, but considering how chakra mitigated the downsides of inbreeding, I might as well be right. Alien genes were weird like that, even diluted in mankind.
"Where are they? Why didn't they come here?" He paused, voice cracking. "D-do they hate me, too?"
Sadness spread throughout the seal chamber like a thick miasma. The power to sense negative emotions was only cool on paper. No wonder that Kurama had turned into a hermit over the centuries. Living around humans sucked most of the time.
"Of course not. Karin, your cousin, would be happy to be your friend, and her mother is very kind. They would treat you like family."
"Then why…?" A note of frustration seeped into his voice, ending his words in a strangled whisper.
"They're far away from here. The Grass Village is holding them hostage for their special chakra. They might even get hurt, but they can't leave."
"Can't you help them?"
"I wish I could, but…" A quiet sigh escaped me. "I have no power here. All I can do is give you my chakra." A sad smile found its way to my face. "But perhaps the hokage could help you. He could send his elite ninja to rescue them. You can ask him when you meet again."
Naruto nodded as soon as I finished speaking, and I could see the resolve shining in his eyes. A shame I wouldn't get to see the old monkey's face when the brat spoke to him next time.
Naruto sat on the floor in his bedroom, legs crossed and hands pressed in that Tiger seal the fox had told him about.
He'd been sitting like this for a while, and it was starting to get boring, but he wasn't going to give up, even if it took him the whole night.
Today, he was going to find his chakra and take the first step to becoming an amazing ninja. A super amazing ninja, just like his parents.
He focused on his tummy, face scrunching up as he searched for that warm thing the fox had showed him earlier.
As minutes slowly passed, his lips pulled deeper into a frown. Why was this so hard?
His focus slipped a little, messing up all of his progress, but just as he was ready to grab a fistful of his shirt and let out a frustrated noise, he felt something warm trickle deep inside him.
His eyes shot wide at the strange heat in his belly, spreading around in a spiral. That was chakra from the big fox, just like before! The fox was helping him…
He aligned his fingers again, watched closely how that warmth slowly went further inside until it joined together with a different warmth, and–
Naruto inhaled sharply, a wide grin pulling at his cheeks. Yes! He did it! He found his chakra! He could use chak–
He blinked, face scrunching up as he slumped a little, his focus slipping again, hands falling on his lap.
How did ninja use chakra? They did cool jutsu with it, but… how?
That warmth stayed like a distant presence in his mind, and when he made that sign again, he felt it even stronger.
Closing his eyes, Naruto focused on his chakra. The fox said to do some weird spinny exercise with it. Spin it like that spiral in his tummy? Yeah, that had to be it. Make his chakra swirl faster… to the right? He said to spin it the same way as a clock, so to the right.
Naruto grinned, excitement brewing in his stomach as he began practicing. He was going to become an amazing ninja in no time.
The brat kept staring at the water, a sullen look on his face.
I shifted to a sitting position, leaning closer to the gate of my cage. "What's got you moping all of a sudden?"
I was telling him a few things about what to expect at the Academy, and he suddenly did a one-eighty, going from excited to full depresso mood.
"Hey, fox…" His quiet voice barely reached my ears. "Do you think I'll be able to make any friends at the academy?"
I held back a sigh. Here we go again…
"Maybe. You can't know until you get there and talk to people. It takes time to make a real friend."
Naruto met my gaze, and, despite the sadness and loneliness in his eyes, I could see a fragile hope in there. "Everyone keeps avoiding me. Isn't the academy going to be the same?"
"You won't know for certain until you try your best. As long as you don't give up, there is always a chance."
"It's hard…" He looked away, hands balling into fists at his side. "People give me dirty looks and say mean things about me. I never did anything to them…"
"You know, we're not that different, you and I."
Naruto's head swiveled up, meeting me with a frown. "You're a giant fox who attacked the village. People hate you, and they hate me because of you."
I couldn't help a bitter smile. He was still too young to understand on his own. "They never even bothered to talk to me. Never tried to understand me. People hate me just because I exist." I looked him in the eye. "Doesn't that remind you of anything?"
He fell silent, going over my words, until his eyes suddenly grew wide. "They're treating us the same…"
Irony at its finest.
"They know you're not me, but just looking at you reminds people of what they'd lost, and grief is a strong poison." I pushed out my hand between the bars of my prison, holding out a fist in front of Naruto. "You have a hard path ahead of you, but we'll walk it together. I'll hold your hand when you stumble, and I'll help you up when you fall."
He stared at my hand for a moment, then slowly lifted his own, bumping his tiny fist to mine as our chakras connected, showing the truth as it was and making my resolve clear.
Naruto's gaze turned downcast, lips wobbly. A quiet sniffle escaped him. "Why…" When he met my eyes again, I saw the emotions warring on his face. "Why are you so nice to me?"
I pulled my hand back with a knowing smirk. "Because you are the only one who, one day, may understand me."
Brat had a prophecy about him. That was basically fate in a world like this.
Naruto blinked, face scrunching up a little. "What do you mean?"
"It's hard to explain. That's something you'll understand as you grow up."
He was quiet for a while before he looked me in the eye again, pointing a finger at my face. "I'll do it. It's a promise, fox. Believe it."
For a moment, I just stared at his determined face, eyes slightly wide. A smile curled my lips. This kid… I could see why Kurama drew those parallels in canon. Naruto was almost the spitting image of Ashura, but with a lot of Hagoromo in there, too.
Ninja Jesus might not be an exaggeration, after all.
"I believe you."
Naruto looked taken aback for a moment before a wide grin pulled at his cheeks.
I crossed my legs, resting my hands on my knees. "You want to hear a story about the past?"
He blinked, looking up at me, squinting a little. "Maybe? What's it about?"
"It's about the Sage of Six Paths and his gift of chakra to mankind."
There was a spark of curiosity in his eyes, and the way they lit up brought a smirk to my face. Maybe raising a little brat wouldn't be that bad.
Hiruzen stood in front of the seemingly unassuming door, hand hovering above for a moment before dropping a couple knocks.
A week earlier than his usual monthly visit, but he had a good reason. The Nine Tails has kept talking to Naruto for the past few days.
It would be easy to assume that the fox was plotting something, but it couldn't do anything to the boy from its cage. Talking might very well be a way to pass the time. Trying to befriend Naruto would benefit the fox in the long term, but if it was genuine…
Was the Nine Tails truly aiming to help?
Regardless of the answer, though, he was the hokage, and he needed to make certain that the fox could be trusted.
He knocked again, this time a little louder, and soon enough, a shuffling of feet came from inside the apartment. The door quickly opened, revealing a smiling Naruto.
"Gramps! You came early this month! Something happened?
Hiruzen stepped inside with a smile, making his way inside the kitchen as Naruto followed after him. He reached within the folds of his robe, pulling out a small, white envelope and leaving it on the nearby table.
"No, nothing of the sort. You're starting the Academy in two days, and I thought to give you the money a little earlier." He gave the boy a knowing look as a tiny smile tugged at his mouth. "In case you have something else you need to buy."
"Ah, thank you!" Naruto looked at him with a smile, leaving Hiruzen with a pang in his chest. It was good that he could still smile like that despite everything. "You want some, uh, water?"
He shook his head with a brief, quiet chuckle. "No need. I had a cup earlier."
"Okay."
Hiruzen took a seat at the table, watching with a flicker of amusement as Naruto hopped on the counter.
"Anything interesting happened since we've last met?"
The boy's face creased in thought before his eyes lit up as a grin pulled at his cheeks. "Oh! I can feel my chakra! And I can do that spinny thing with it in my tummy. Look!"
Hiruzen's eyebrows climbed up a fraction as Naruto pressed his hands in the Tiger seal, and, barely a moment later, his chakra spiked, flowing a little faster in his navel.
While not all that impressive for his age, in times of peace like these, it was certainly an achievement. Only the clan children might be ahead of him, but if Naruto took his training seriously, he had all the chances to surpass them.
Still, it seemed the fox had made good on its promise so far. It was too early to draw any judgement, but it was a good start.
"That's quite impressive, Naruto. The Academy won't teach that for a few months."
That served to further stoke the boy's excitement, who preened a little at the praise before pointing a finger in his direction.
"See, gramps? I told you I'd be an amazing ninja!"
"I never doubted you," Hiruzen said with a chuckle. "Did the Nine Tails help you with that?"
Naruto nodded, though his smile dimmed after a moment. "Yeah…" The boy's jaw clenched, his eyes veered down as the beginning of a frown pulled at his lips.
"Is there something on your mind, Naruto?"
When the boy looked up, Hiruzen almost shrunk back at the flash of hurt in those blue eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me, gramps… about my mom and dad?"
The pleading note in the boy's voice made Hiruzen feel a decade older, guilt stabbing at his chest like a claw.
Naruto knew. The Nine Tails had told him.
"I wanted to keep you safe, my boy. You are young, and I couldn't risk this secret reaching the wrong ears. I would have told you when you graduated as a shinobi."
"I thought my parents abandoned me."
The brittle whisper felt like another stab at his old heart. His guilt was heavy, but his duty as Hokage superseded it.
"You must understand, Naruto, that I couldn't risk your safety. Your father had a lot of enemies that would have hurt you had they known."
Naruto was quiet for a while, avoiding his gaze. When he finally looked at him again, the boy clenched his jaw, a resolute look in his eyes.
"The fox said I have family in Grass Village. A cousin and her mom. Bad guys are going to hurt them, and they can't leave. Can you help them? Please?"
Hiruzen let out a quiet hum, keeping the storm in his thoughts from showing on his face. "I'll visit again tomorrow and talk to the fox. It's good that you told me."
The tiny smile that briefly crossed the boy's face felt like a small mercy to Hiruzen. It was yet another mistake to add to his numerous list, but Naruto was a forgiving child. Perhaps not the best quality for a shinobi, but… he wasn't too different, was he? With his old friend… he'd forgiven perhaps one too many things.
Hiruzen returned the smile, reaching to ruffle the boy's hair.
He wasn't sure what the fox was aiming for, but it was the first time he'd heard about Uzumaki survivors since the collapse of Whirlpool. That alone demanded more questioning.
Head resting on my haunches, I watched in thinly veiled amusement as the shriveled mushroom glared at me through the thick bars of my prison.
"You told Naruto about his parents."
The ghost of a smirk curled my lips. "He has the right to know."
Judging by the slight twitch on his brow, he was probably close to getting a headache. It sparked a brief, bubbling warmth in the vast, foamy sea that simmered within my chakra.
Being stuck in here left me with no options for entertainment, other than messing with this old monkey.
Naruto needed to practice his chakra control a little more before I could get him started on ninshū meditation. So, it'd probably take another week before I got my TV running.
Sarutobi frowned. "Yes, but not so soon. If the wrong people learn about it, he will be in great danger."
This guy gave the brat way too little credit. Naruto wasn't that stupid, nor that big of a blabbermouth.
"They won't. He knows how to keep a secret." A faint, knowing smirk tugged at my lips. "And I can help him, should the worst come to pass."
The shriveled mushroom arched an eyebrow, eyeing me skeptically. "What can you even do from inside this cage?"
I held back a chuckle. If only he knew.
"The seal was designed to gradually allow me to share my power."
The frown on the old monkey's face deepened, eyes turning flinty. "That might cause panic, should it happen near the village."
"He needs to learn how to use my chakra. That's what The Fourth intended with this seal. The sooner he starts training, the stronger he will become."
Sarutobi considered my words for a quiet moment, gaze narrowing. "I hope you don't mind if I assign someone to supervise him during such training."
Oh? Who was he going to bring? Yamato? Was that guy even out of Root by this point?
"Of course not. If you wish for further precaution, we could have him try this through a shadow clone at first."
I might even be able to possess one for myself, once I got this seal opened. There were baddies like Tayuya in this world who needed a thorough breeding, and a shadow clone penis was still better than no penis.
I could only hope that my assumption turned out true.
"Perhaps." Sarutobi stroked at his tapering beard. "He should have enough chakra to make a few shadow clones, though he needs better control. I wouldn't trust him with such a technique before then."
"He should be good enough in a few weeks."
The old fart gave a thoughtful hum. "You have high expectations from him."
"He is their son." And Ashura's vessel. "The brat will get far in less than a decade."
Sarutobi gave a thoughtful hum, but said nothing. We stood in silence for the better part of a minute before the old monkey opened his mouth again.
"You told the boy about a cousin and her mother. Two Uzumaki survivors in Hidden Grass Village. I find it a little strange for you to know such things, considering your current predicament."
I couldn't help a smirk as I watched the chief leaf muncher try to figure out a puzzle using completely wrong pieces. "We may be trapped in cages, but we are not ignorant of the outside world. We have means to acquire knowledge."
"But you're not going to tell me how, are you?"
He fixed me with a gimlet stare, and I didn't need any super empathy power to notice the annoyance wafting off him.
My lips stretched further, revealing a glimpse of ivory fangs. Playing this whole mysterious old master act was surprisingly fun.
"Perhaps, one day, I'll tell you more."
Sarutobi frowned, but didn't push the topic any further. Cope and seethe, you old monkey. I did that for five years, now it was his turn.
"Do you have anything else to share about those two Uzumaki?"
"Both the mother and her daughter possess the healing chakra of their clan. Overuse saps the life-force and leads to death, especially after prolonged usage over the years. I doubt the mother will survive, should Grass enter conflict with one of its neighbors."
"Retrieving such high value assets from a nominal ally would be far from simple."
A flash of anger bubbled to the surface, but I covered it with a sneer. This man had not only shriveled with old age, he'd also lost his spine. No wonder the other villages dared to walk all over him.
"Three great nations had banded together to destroy the Uzumaki. A single clan with less than three hundred strong. That's how dangerous their sealing knowledge and how powerful their bloodline limit were." I lifted my head, looking down on the coward standing before my cage. "The Cloud risked starting a war just to steal a Hyūga child. You wouldn't risk the enmity of those Grass weaklings for two pureblood descendants of Ashura?"
Sarutobi's face creased deeply with a frown, making him look a decade older. "I admit, two more Uzumaki would be a boon for the village, but this could easily result in long term political backlash."
I fought back the urge to roll my eyes. What? Was he worried they wouldn't sell him weed anymore?
"The girl is still young. She might have the other bloodlines yet to awaken. You've lost the Senju, and it weakened the village greatly. You have a great opportunity here."
An image flashed in my mind, unfolding into a vivid memory of bright golden chains wrapped tightly around my form, digging into my flesh.
My jaw tensed as I quelled a growl before it could even leave my chest. "She had one foot in the grave, and still held me back with her chains on that night." A fierce woman who fought until the very end. "I thought you would leap at this chance, just to have another insurance against me."
Sarutobi considered my words before his shoulders sagged ever so slightly. "This is not a decision I can take lightly. I'll have to think about it."
He turned away from the cage, ready to leave, but a sudden thought left me smirking. I failed to deliver that promised headache, but I could always give him a bit more paranoia.
"Have you ever heard about the Rinnegan?"
The old monkey paused mid-step, turning around, a curious glint in his gaze. "Legend says they were the mythical eyes of the Sage of Six Paths."
"Mythical, certainly, but they are not a mere fable. The old man possessed those Eyes of Samsara. A deep, dark purple on a backdrop of six concentric rings. One for each Path that one must understand in order to wield the power of god."
I always found it a little strange how Jiraiya kept Nagato and his Rinnegan a secret until Pain became a problem. Even if he assumed that the kid had died in the war, he should have at least told his teacher about those bullshit eyes.
Sarutobi hummed thoughtfully. "I assume the Rinnegan grants the wielder six separate powers?"
"Indeed. The Eyes of Six Paths, as named by The Sage."
If that wheelchair cripple, Nagato, expected to get away with his shit like in canon, he was in for a surprise.
"The Deva Path, with dominion over gravity," I said, "The Asura Path, with dominion over weapons. The Human Path, with dominion over souls and knowledge. A single touch can read a person like a book and rip out their soul."
Sarutobi's eyes widened a fraction, and I had to agree with the sentiment. That was the nastiest of the abilities, right after the Preta.
"The Animal Path, with dominion over summoning, be it people or strange creatures. The Preta Path, with dominion over chakra, capable of absorbing it in any of its forms. And the Hell Path, with dominion over truth and healing. There is an Outer Path, which grants the wielder dominion over life and death, though at a steep cost."
Sarutobi's face looked like it was carved from stone. "How steep?"
A knowing smile curled my lips. "If the wielder lacks in power, they must pay the toll with their own life."
"A forbidden technique."
"They are formidable eyes, but the most dangerous aspect is the fact that it is quite possible to awaken them."
The chief leaf muncher had a good poker face, but the brewing storm of his emotions was like an open book to me. If this was how he reacted to the Rinnegan, I could only wonder how he might react to the immortal alien farmers.
"How?"
"The Sage had two sons. One of them inherited his body, strong life force and chakra, and the other, his eyes, albeit in a lesser form. The Sharingan."
"The Senju and the Uchiha," Sarutobi breathed out. "I've heard tales in the past, but never found concrete proof to confirm most of them."
Probably because the Uchiha kept Hagoromo's stone tablet hidden in their basement. Not that it would help much after Zetsu messed with it.
"Much knowledge of the past has been lost. But the Sharingan is not merely a mutation of the Sage's eyes. It is just a downgraded form. An intermediary stage." My lips peeled apart into a fanged grin. "In truth, the Rinnegan is the natural evolution of the Sharingan."
"Then, a child between the two…" Sarutobi trailed off, looking grimly at my cage.
I held back a snort. Thank god it wasn't that easy to get those magic eyes.
"Thankfully, not. Such unions have been attempted a scant few times in the past, yet without results. The chakra of mere descendants is not sufficient. The Rinnegan will only manifest through recreating the power of the Sage. Six Paths Chakra."
"By uniting the chakra of his sons, I assume?"
"Indeed." I smirked. "But Indra and Ashura have been dead for a thousand years, their chakra long gone. And I doubt that anyone can bring them back from the Pure Land."
I didn't miss the way his eyes briefly widened before he schooled his expression under a neutral mask. Did he perhaps remember the Impure World Reincarnation? I hoped this kept him up at night for the next month. If he didn't want to deal with my shit, he should hurry up and appoint a better successor.
"While I appreciate the history lesson, is there a reason as to why you mentioned this particular topic out of a sudden?"
A chuckle escaped me, though it sounded quite ominous in my deep, gravelly voice.
"No, there isn't. I doubt that the world will ever see those eyes again, but it irks me that people have forgotten. The Sage has done so much for you, mortals. He gave you a priceless gift… he should be remembered."
Naruto slurped the last of the salty broth, putting the bowl down with a smile.
His first day at the academy wasn't as bad as he thought. A lot of the kids treated him badly like everyone else, but some of them talked to him. He wasn't sure if he made any friends, but Daiki and Kenji didn't give him any bad looks like most people in the village.
Daiki even said they could play ninja tomorrow after class.
Naruto's smile widened, a fuzzy feeling churning inside him. He couldn't wait.
He kicked his legs back and forth, leaning forward on his seat to try and get a better look inside the shop, only to frown a little. He couldn't see anything from this angle.
He never saw the ramen shop from the inside, but he wasn't going to barge inside like that uninvited. It was rude.
He should ask big sis Ayame to show him inside when she had the time.
Just as his stomach growled in protest, old man Teuchi came back from the kitchen with another bowl of pork ramen, laying it on the counter in front of him. His nose twitched at the delicious smell. A single bowl of ramen was never enough.
"This one's free of charge, my boy." Teuchi picked up the empty bowl with a smile. "Eat up and celebrate your first day at the academy."
Naruto couldn't help a grin as he pointed at Teuchi with his chopsticks. "You're the best, old man!"
Chuckling, Teuchi went back to the kitchen, leaving Naruto with his his food. Eyes going back to his bowl, Naruto grabbed a chunk of noodles and dug in. His favorite ramen tasted even better today.
As he slurped the last of the broth, big sis Ayame also showed up from the backroom, giving him a smile that made his tummy warm in a way that had nothing to do with the hot ramen.
"Had fun on your first day?"
"Yeah! I talked to two boys in my class, and they weren't mean to me. We're playing ninja tomorrow."
Big sis Ayame reached a hand over the counter and ruffled his hair, making his tummy feel fuzzy again. "That's great, Naruto. But be careful not to hurt yourself, okay? Don't play with dangerous things like kunai and shuriken before the teachers show you how to use them."
"I won't." Naruto shook his head. "I'll be careful." He didn't want to make big sis Ayame sad.
She smiled, holding out her pinky in front of him. "Promise?"
Grinning, Naruto wrapped his own pinky around Ayame's, and they shook hands in promise. "Mm-hmm! Believe it!"
Big sis Ayame covered her mouth with a hand as she giggled. He had no idea why some girls did that. Maybe he could ask the fox later. The fox seemed to know a lot of stuff, just like gramps.
"Are you still hungry?"
"Nope." Naruto shook his head, watching as big sis Ayame took the empty ramen bowl. "I'll pay now. I need to get home and do my super ninja training before sleep."
Ayame gave another giggle. "You'll become an amazing ninja in no time at this rate."
Naruto looked up at her with a grin. "Of course I will. Believe it!"
Sticking a hand in his pocket, he pulled out a handful coins, carefully counted them, and dropped a few on the counter, smiling all the while. He said his goodbyes to big sis Ayame and quickly made his way through the busy streets.
He had so much to tell the fox once he got home.
I sat in my dreary prison, head propped lazily on one hand while I poked idly with the other at the ground.
The brat came back all smiles from his first day at the Academy and just finished telling me everything about it. I wasn't heartless enough to tell him that the other shoe had yet to drop. I've seen how this story went, and things were going to get a little worse before they got better.
A frown crossed my lips. Dumb meatbags…
That aside, it turned out that Naruto was in the same class as the clan heirs, their instructor none other than the pineapple dolphin. It was a pleasant surprise, because canon contradicted itself a few times on this matter. This was either the canon retcon in effect, or maybe the old monkey just pulled some strings now that the brat suddenly had a lot more obvious potential for growth.
Just by abusing the shadow clone training as soon as feasible, Naruto would become a ninjutsu monster. He could probably master all nature transformations by the time he graduated.
I blinked, staring blankly at my reflection in the water. Speaking about ninjutsu…
Couldn't tailed beasts use their chakra to achieve something similar. It was all just chakra manipulation at its very root, and we could obviously do that, too.
I couldn't recall any specific instances from the story, but Isobu could manipulate water like most jutsu and Matatabi could do similar stuff with her fire. Or Son Gokū with his lava.
It should work. I couldn't see why it wouldn't, it was just–
A memory of Hagoromo teaching us ninshū surfaced to mind, and a sour feeling coiled deep within me, twisting beneath the surface until my chakra bubbled at a low simmer.
I took a slow, calming breath, resting my head on my haunches.
That explained why the tailed beasts never tried to do something like this. They saw ninjutsu as some sort of heresy, and they could barely tolerate watching the humans practice it.
Well, tough luck, because we had roughly three decades left until the homicidal alien farmers came knocking, and I needed all the advantages I could get.
So, what if part of me hated the mere idea of trying to mimic ninjutsu for my own benefit? I needed every weapon in the arsenal to prevent the world, and my furry ass, from getting harvested.
I wasn't too keen on killing myself with Baryon Mode, even knowing I could respawn, so I needed a better alternative.
Spamming tailed beast bombs was a very efficient solution, until it stopped working anymore. The Ten Tails could shrug off that stuff, and Isshiki could probably just no-sell them with his hax eye.
I needed more diversity, even if only for the sake of utility.
Though, I couldn't deny, in the privacy of my thoughts, that a part of me just wanted to do it for fun.
Being able to pull off something like a Rasengan would be epic. I'd be satisfied even with just doing a Transformation. I've always wanted to see what Kaguya looked like from up close, and I had a few other characters in mind that I'd like to inspect.
I wasn't doing anything else with my chakra anyway. It would be a waste to not use it and just sit on my ass, twiddling my thumbs. I was more than just a convenient chakra battery.
Naruto stepped inside the classroom, a smile pulling at his cheeks. He looked around the half empty rows of seats, ignoring the mean looks from some of the kids, until he found two boys talking by the window.
He ran up to them, quickly getting their attention. "Hey, Daiki, do you like ramen? I know an awesome place we can go after class."
Daiki turned around, and Naruto's smile froze. He felt a familiar, cold feeling in his stomach when he saw the look on the boy's face.
"No. Don't talk to us anymore."
Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but his throat clenched, forming a knot. No words came out.
Why…
Kenji looked between them, face scrunched up in confusion. "Didn't you say we were gonna play ninja together after class?"
Daiki shook his head. "We can play without him."
Naruto felt a pressure behind his eyes as the cold spread to his chest, gripping on the inside like a claw.
"Why?" Kenji asked, scratching at his head.
"Mom said to stay away from him."
"Really? Why?"
Daiki shrugged. "Dunno. She just said he's bad news."
"Weird. I'll ask my dad later, maybe he knows."
Daiki looked at Naruto with a frown. "Go away."
Naruto swallowed the knot in his throat, looking away. He held back a sniffle as his eyes got blurry, but he just clenched his jaw, blinking away the tears.
He wouldn't cry. He wouldn't cry…
He turned away, walking past the other kids, quietly making his way to his seat.
He wouldn't cry here.
Naruto stood quietly in front of my cage, eyes downcast at the rippling water, hair shadowing his face.
I held back a sigh, lifting my head and sitting cross-legged.
Oh boy… I kind of expected this, but it still pissed me off a little to see the results.
A quiet sniffle escaped the brat, and just looking at his face was enough to make me almost hear Sadness and Sorrow play in the background.
I fought back a frown. And now I couldn't get that stupid song out of my head. Great.
Naruto looked up, tears falling silently down his cheeks. "It's the same… Everyone hates me…"
"Don't be sad, Naruto." My rumbling voice carried a softer note as I spoke, "One day, you'll have a lot of friends. As long as you keep believing in yourself and never give up, anything is possible for you."
He rubbed at his face with his hands, giving another sniffle. "I tried… I talked to them, but today they were mean to me like everyone else."
"Sometimes, in life, things will get worse before they get better." I leaned closer to the tall bars of my cage, a small, encouraging smile tugging at my lips. "Try talking to the Inuzuka brat or the Nara tomorrow. They might not care that you're my host."
Naruto glanced at the rippling water, rubbing at his eyes again as a brief silence fell between us. When he looked back up, amidst the ugly tears and snot, there was a tiny, wobbly smile on his face.
"You're my friend… right?" His voice came out barely above a whisper, the fragile hope in his eyes one fracture away from shattering.
My smile took a melancholic note. I could see how that whole Dark Naruto nonsense came to be in the original timeline. But things were about to change here.
"We're better than friends."
Bright blue eyes stared at me, the smile on his face daring to grow a little. "Really? You mean it?"
I reached a hand between the bars of my cage, making a fist in front of the brat. He touched his fist to my own, and I shared a sliver of my chakra, forging a fleeting link between us that revealed the truth.
Naruto's eyes grew misty and he sniffled.
"Yeah." I drew my hand back with a smile. "We're partners."
Tears fell down his cheeks, but this time, he was smiling, too. He wiped at his face with the back of his hand before meeting my gaze.
"Okay."
Seeing him like this, a distant memory stirred in my mind.
I grew up with Naruto. I still remembered back then, when I first watched the Pain fight. Still in high-school, during summer break. I binge watched the whole arc until three in the morning. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Shit gave me chills.
"Hey..."
Naruto's quiet voice reached my ears, and I glanced curiously at him.
"That fist bump you do… it's that ninshū thing you told me about, right?"
"Yes. Want me to teach you?"
The shrimp nodded, smiling in excitement. "Yeah!"
"We'll start in a few days."
He nodded again before going quiet for a while. Suddenly, he looked up at my face, a curious glint in his eyes. "Hey, fox..."
"Mm?"
"...do you have a name?"
I couldn't help a smirk. I've been wondering when he'd finally ask. "What makes you ask that?"
"You can talk and you're smart like gramps..." Naruto scratched at his head, looking a little sheepish. "You're a giant fox, but don't you have a name, too?"
Leaning closer to the gate, I looked Naruto in the eye. "Brat."
Naruto was a bit annoying as a kid, but he grew up to be really cool in Shippuden. I grew up along him, in a way. I first watched the Wave Arc in 6th grade, when it aired on TV with shitty dubs.
I couldn't help a smile at the fond memories. Naruto taught me to never give up on my dreams. Changed my life, I'd say. Now it was my turn to change his.
The brat scowled. "I'm not 'brat'. My name is Naruto. Believe it."
My lips peeled back into a fanged grin. "My name is Kurama." I rose up to my full height, tails swishing lazily behind me as Naruto's eyes widened. "And from now on, we're partners. Believe it."