Well that was cryptic.
The young Nara knew that Naruto had gone missing, he had picked up that something was going on from this dad even if the man had not actually told him himself.
After that it didn't take long to realise that Naruto had not been seen in several days, which while not overly odd for the usually sickly boy when combined with the stressed looks he had seen on the faces of the Hokage and the last remaining members of the Uzumaki Clan it was more telling.
He had come to the conclusion that Naruto's condition had either become worse, or he had gone missing.
However he had never in his wildest imagination thought Naruto had actually ran away from Konoha and his family.
Shikamaru stood quietly as the other people in the room all started talking at once, trying to understand what Naruto was talking about in his letter. Mito and Erza asking their parents what it all meant, while his father and the Hokage were once again talking, though this time they did not bother to whisper.
The only one not talking was Kushina, who was instead silently crying as she read over the letter over and over again after it had been passed to her by her husband.
Closing his eyes as all the talking was starting to give him a headache, Shikamaru tried to dissect the words from the letter in a way to make sense of it all.
To the young Nara, Naruto sounded like he was desperate and angry, probably more desperate than angry though. Something had happened; something that worried the usually quiet and composed Naruto enough that he thought wasn't safe in the village anymore, something about himself.
He had left to get stronger to protect himself that much was obvious, he thought that whatever it was that scared him meant people would be coming for him even from his own village. But what could be so bad that his own father, the Hokage, wouldn't protect him inside his own walls, what could be so bad that he wasn't confident telling his own family about it?
The way he was talking, it was like he feared for his life if this secret whatever it was got out and the Naruto he knew was no coward, the fact he was willing to confront his family at the party was proof of that.
But despite this he was still scared enough that he ran away, and with all his cryptic talk of getting stronger…. If the blonde thought whatever he was hiding or running from was that bad, Shikamaru believed there was a genuine reason behind it.
It was while he was thinking along these lines that Shikamaru realised something. There were things that the Hokage wouldn't be able to protect his own from, things that the village and people inside it would fight over, things that as Hokage it would be his duty to take advantage of for the good of Konoha.
Bloodlines and the power they gave.
Naruto said in his letter he discovered something about itself after he unlocked his chakra, something different. Everyone knew about the Uzumaki Solid Chakra Bloodline, it was common knowledge in the village like all the other Bloodlines.
But were there not other unique Uzumaki bloodlines that have been recorded before, so would it be that surprising if Naruto had unlocked something different when he unlocked his chakra…something new.
Shikamaru was once again brought back to the memory of those terrifying eyes and the feeling they gave him, it was almost like he was staring into the eyes of death itself…
"His eyes…"
Although he had said it in little more than a whisper, all conversation in the room stopped as they realised that he was still there, the different people in the room turning to look at him.
After a moment passed and he didn't elaborate Shikaku moved to kneel in front of him with a hard expression, placing his hands gently on his son's shoulders as he did so.
"Shikamaru…what do you know?"
"It was at the party, just before everything kicked off when Hokage announced he was going to teach Mito and Erza that Jutsu. I saw Naruto was upset and I grabbed his arms to try and get him to calm down, but when I did he glared at me…with these red eyes.
The sclera of both his eyes were completely black, there was no white or anything and his irises they were red, like blood. I didn't think anything of it at the time, maybe a trick of the light or something but…"
He didn't need to say anymore, the adults in the room suddenly looking a lot more worried than they had before.
....
Looking around Naruto was starting to understand why the Hidden Mist village was named like it was, even though they were nowhere near the Hidden Village itself. The closer they got to the Land of Water the harder it became to actually see, and the young blonde was beginning to get worried about the Captains ability to even find the shoreline in the ever thickening air.
According to Captain today it was thicker than usual, but they were only a few miles out from the Land of Water and would be there before the end of the day. Apparently the mist became thicker and thicker the closer you came to the Land of Water, with it being the worst the closer inland you got.
The Hidden Mist village was located somewhere in the thickest part of the mist, where even on clear days it was still hidden from a distance.
Fortunately Naruto and Victor weren't aiming for the Hidden Mist.
Victor told Naruto that he had gotten word from some friends that they had set up camp with the Rebellion, and that the two groups had come to an understanding for now. He had arranged for someone to meet them at the village that they would be docking at, who when they met them would then lead them to the Rebellion's hidden camp.
However before they even got there Victor was explaining a few things to Naruto, mostly what he should expect after they arrived.
Apparently the some of the Rebellion were only putting up with the Outcasts because they were outnumbered and had no other choice, so they were treated like unwanted trash for the most part.
But that a number of the leadership and some of the more liberal minded members of the Rebellion were starting to accept the Outcasts. For the moment however the two groups were in separate camps and the Outcasts were only allowed into the Rebellion camp if they were invited, which was a very rare occurrence.
In return for being allowed to 'do their own thing' after any battles or in some cases during them, the Outcasts helped where they could with the Rebellion. However people with needs such as Naruto and Victor were limited to the enemy Shinobi, and were not allowed to touch the fallen Rebellion soldiers.
Victor had also warned Naruto that there was a chance that they would all need to leave before the end of the war, even if the Rebellion won in the end. As it turned out that it wasn't uncommon for people to turn on the Outcasts after they no longer had any use for them, and some took the mentality that it was better to kill them when they had the chance instead of risking them being against them later.
This had happened before and so the Outcasts had wised up and now treated even their own allies with suspicion.
As without a village to protect them there were no real repercussions for the Shinobi to fear after all, because no one cared about the Outcasts. The only thing they had to fear was the Outcasts themselves, most of whom due to the harsh lifestyles they lived had become hardened veterans and more than a match for Jounin's and Chunin's from the Shinobi villages.
Naruto was disgusted with this revelation, unable to understand how people could be so cold. Though he was cheered up slightly after hearing how a number of the Rebels were beginning to accept them, after all were they not rebelling against a tyrant who was targeting people with bloodlines? Unfortunately though, not all of the Rebels have come to see the hypocrisy of their actions.
When Naruto mentioned his disgust over the treatment of the Outcasts, Victor had simply shrugged off his concerns and said that that was just how things worked, humanity was a deeply flawed race, and always would be.
The last hour of their trip Naruto spent in silence as he thought over everything Victor had told/warned him about, thinking over what his life was going to be like from now on.
It wasn't until they were finally able to see land through the now slightly thinning mist that Naruto came to one conclusion…
Things needed to change, even if he had to change them by force.
...
AN :
I know there will be some questions raised over the true origins of You, it will be fully explained later on in the story.
As will Naruto's full abilities, I will say now though that he won't be able to use other people's bloodlines by absorbing their souls, as although he has their chakra his body does not automatically adapt to using that kind of bloodline.
There maybe some exceptions depending on how I fell, but for the moment I am saying that he isn't able to take people's bloodlines when he takes their souls. Whether that changes as he becomes more powerful or other factors etc. who knows.
...
If you're too impatient to wait for updates, the story's already at chapter 96 on P atreon.
p atreon.com/sybife