章 11: Chapter 11: The Child of the Prophecy Part II
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
"Hmm…."-Kurama/Bijuu
"Hmm…."- Flashback
Chapter 11:
The Child of the Prophecy Part II
Naruto's mind did a once over as his ears transmitted what the mysterious old woman in front of him had just uttered to him. Needless to say, he was confused beyond belief. One minute, everything was dandy. It seemed as if them exploring the old and abandoned temple wasn't going to lead to anything bad. And then, bam. Everything went to hell. Both Aika and Haru were taken to who knew where. And then this weird old hag, which Naruto was basing on by her voice alone since he still didn't know what she looked like because of her black robe covering her features, showed up and started to say that he was this Hagoromo person which Naruto didn't know.
Scowling, Naruto pointed at her, his anger rising again. "Just what the hell are you saying, you old hag!? I told you my name! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Not Hagoromo! That's not even close!"
The robed woman lapsed into a small period of silence again, which drove Naruto crazy to no end. Eying the other hooded entity that stood between them, Naruto wondered how strong the thing or person was and if he could get around it to get to the woman so that he could force her to comply in bringing back both Aika and Haru.
But before he could move a muscle and as if sensing his intention, the woman spoke again with a small shake of her head. "Don't bother trying anything. I'm not here to bring you or your friends any harm."
Naruto frowned. "I'll start believing that after you bring them back here, safe and sound. Until then, you and I are going to have a problem," Naruto retorted, getting ready to use his Kawazu Kumite. Only a few more seconds until he would be able to go into Sage Mode. After being on friendlier terms with Kurama, Naruto had realized that he could gather natural energy much faster thanks to said bijuu helping him along with it. Speaking of Kurama, the fox was currently staring at the situation in front of him and his host with the utmost seriousness. Of course, he already knew as to whom the woman was talking about when she called Naruto Hagoromo. After all, the man was like a father to him along with the rest of the bijuu. But still. Why was this woman calling Naruto that? Kurama already knew that Naruto was the one that the Old Man had told him and the rest of the bijuu about that would be the one to reunite all the bijuu together, treating them like actual sentient beings rather than simple tools to be used. But this went beyond his expectations.
'Just who is this woman?' he asked himself, desperate for the answer as well to see if she was telling the truth at the moment.
The woman hummed in surprise. "I thought I said that I didn't mean any harm to you, Uzumaki Naruto. But if you wish to have a duel with me, I am not beyond agreeing to it."
"All I want is to walk out of here with my friends," Naruto retorted, his normal eyes changing into the frog-like irises with the orange marks around his eyes as well. "And right now, I'm not seeing you as being anything other than a threat to that."
'He's not completely wrong about that,' thought the woman for a moment before a small smile appeared on her face, not that Naruto could see it. "You certainly do care a lot about them, despite being here for only a week now." Her smile disappeared. "However, let me give you a word of an advice: bonds are both a blessing and a curse. I'm sure you've experienced this yourself already. The most recent example would be that Hyuuga boy who gave up his life to protect you. Are you certain that creating new ones won't be hindrance to you later on? After all, there is always the chance that they will be taken from you, leaving you in solitude only. That's what you fear the most, isn't it?"
"I already know that," Naruto replied. "But it doesn't change the fact that I will save them. All I have to do is protect them. That's all."
"Seems like you haven't learned anything yet," the woman muttered to herself. But Naruto was able to pick it up quite well. Just what was this hag going on about? Not only that, but who the hell was she? Naruto had yet to figure that out as well. And it was starting to irritate him. Not to mention that, every second that he wasted talking to this woman, it was another second that Aika and Haru could be in danger without him being able to save them. As far as Naruto was concerned, this whole mess was his fault. He should have tried to do something more to keep the two of them from trying to enter this place. After all, Kurama had warned him from the beginning that something was off about the temple. But instead, he had used his brain instead of his heart, deeming it even more risky if he had tried to put more effort into stopping them since there was a possibility that he would have to reveal just who he really was.
Without a word, the other hooded figure sprung into action. Naruto dodged to the side as the figure rushed at him, or rather flung itself at him through the air despite the fact that it had legs. Or as far as Naruto could tell, though. But now that he was in his sage mode, Naruto instantly picked up an interesting detail as he came to a halt by the only entrance and exit of the basement.
Frowning, Naruto said to the woman, "You're a puppeteer, aren't you?" He phrased it as a question, but the blond was already certain of that fact.
The woman hummed in surprise. "Well, I didn't think one of my secrets would be exposed so quickly. Then again, you do have the power of the earth on your side. I guess that was my mistake right there. So to keep this little game of mine interesting to the end, why don't we change locations?"
Naruto frowned, trying to understand what the woman was saying. But he didn't have to. In the next moment, Naruto's eyes widened as the room around them began to shift out of existence. It was the best way that Naruto could describe it as. The walls shifted into nothingness. What became of the large basement was simply a black space devoid of everything. And to make things worse, Naruto realized that he could no longer feel the natural energy around him. Hell, he couldn't even sense the chakra of the rest of the village!
Now the blond jinchuriki started to become a bit nervous. Just what had the woman done?
As if sensing his dilemma, the woman chuckled. "You and your friends have entered my domain, boy. The temple itself is the doorway to a shift on time and space itself. I've simply transferred us to the place that connects all the routes together. But here, there is no natural energy. Meaning that you only have the energy that you absorbed before. And do not think about summoning your toads either. In here, it will not work."
The other hooded figure, which Naruto now knew to be puppet, appeared in front of her in an instant. Naruto knew that it was ready to attack him the moment that she made it to. But his mind was still trying to understand just what the hell was going on at the moment.
"We can figure that out later, brat," Kurama cut in with a serious tone for once. The fox knew the gravity of the situation already. "Right now, our first priority is to get out of here and find the other two before she does anything to them."
'But how are we going to do that?' Naruto asked.
"We'll have to defeat her," was the fox's answer. "That's the only way that I can see us getting out of this place in one piece. You know nothing about fuinjutsu, but then again I doubt this is the product of fuinjutsu. In any case, you shouldn't hold back. Use my chakra."
'But then she'll-'
"Haven't you been paying attention?" Kurama interrupted with a shake of his head. "She already knows about me and the others somehow and the fact that you're from the future."
'Wait, what others?'
Kurama shook his head again at that. "I'll tell you about that later. They can't exactly help us right now either. Right now, we have to conserve what nature energy you have. And the best way to do that is to combine it with my chakra. Besides, I have a feeling this old woman has even more powers than simply being a puppeteer. The fact that she was able to bring us to this place is proof of that."
Naruto understood what the bijuu was telling him, and while he did have many questions he wanted answered, the blond knew that now wasn't the time to ask them. He had to get out of here so that he could save Aika and Haru. That was all that Naruto cared about the most right now.
The woman raised an eyebrow in slight surprise at seeing Naruto activate his bijuu mode a moment later. "So, you're going all out on me right from the beginning, are you?"
"Like I told you," Naruto replied, his eyes now being golden slitted ones combined with the frog irises, "I don't have any moment to waste on you. Besides, you already seem to know a lot about me and my secrets. There's no point in holding back, now is there?"
The woman chuckled. "That is true. But you still seem to be under the impression that I actually wish to inflict any harm unto you. Now that you're in that mode, you should know that I've been telling the truth."
Naruto frowned, knowing that the old woman did have a point. He didn't detect any deceit from her. But still. That didn't mean he was about to trust her. The only ones that should know about him were Sasuke and the Sennin, one of which was a spirit that could only talk to him and Sasuke for whatever reason. It wasn't something that Naruto had bothered to think about, and now wasn't the moment to do so either.
However, Naruto was still able to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Then, what is it that you want with us?"
The woman shook her head, her form relaxing ever slightly at seeing that Naruto was now willing to listen to her for a bit. "I'm not interested in your friends. They are irrelevant to me. If anything, they just so happened to have come with you here, nothing else. No, you are the one I am interested in, Uzumaki Naruto. You and what you are planning on doing."
"Did the Sennin send you?" Naruto asked, seeing it a moot point to try and hide the fact that he knew the creator of the shinobi world. If the old hag knew that he was from the future, then she probably already knew how he got here in the first place.
The robed woman hummed for a moment at the question. "Now, that is an interesting question. As to the answer, I'm going to have to go with no."
Naruto tensed up again. If she wasn't with the Sennin, then whose side was she on? Inside his mind, Kurama was trying to answer that same question as well.
Noticing this, the woman continued. "I'm here on my own will. Or rather, you should say that I've been here the whole time. It is just now that you came to me. I've been watching everything from the beginning. You, your birth, your life, your battles, and your suffering. And I have to say that you have surprised me to a great extent."
"And why is that?"
The woman grinned, something that was hidden to Naruto. "Given the environment you grew up in, namely in hatred, I would have thought that you would like to see nothing more than for the whole world to die."
Naruto snorted. "Well, I'm glad to disappoint you. Something as that is trivial to me. Irrelevant. I only care about the people close to me."
"And that is where you will fail."
Naruto clenched his teeth. "What?"
The woman paused for a moment, her eyes taking in Naruto's form from behind the hood that covered her face. After a few more moments, she asked.
"What would you do if everyone around you was killed in an instant?"
Aika groaned against the hard and cold ground, her head stinging with pain. Slowly standing up, Aika thankfully thanked whatever deity out there saved her from getting a serious concussion. Looking up at the ceiling that she fell through, Aika let out a sigh of irritation. Just what in the world had happened? Not only that, but why did she fall through the ceiling of things? She had been in the basement, not the roof or anything.
Turning her attention to her surroundings, the young redhead quickly realized that she was no longer in the temple. The room didn't look like the abandoned ones that she and the others had seen before. If she had to guess, Aika would say that she was now inside some sort of elaborate castle. The floor was a rich white marble with giant pillars all around the room. Just what was happening?
A groan below her reached her ears. Looking down, Aika cursed as she saw Haru's downed form. How had that escaped her? It seemed as if the fall had left her a bit more delirious than she had anticipated.
Kneeling beside the still groaning boy, Aika shook him. "Oi, Haru, this isn't the time to be taking a nap. You have to get up!"
It didn't take long before Haru's eyes opened. But from what she could tell, Haru was just as groggy as she felt, maybe even worse.
"Aika," Haru muttered, one of his hands quickly shooting up to his head. "What happened?"
Helping the boy stand up, Aika shook her head. "I have no idea. I'm just as confused as you are. At least we're still together. I wish I could say the same about whiskers…."
Haru frowned at seeing the sad look suddenly befall the girl's face at the last part. Not that he could blame her. Naruto, who they both considered to be their precious friend, was alone against…..whatever those things were. Haru didn't want to admit it, but it didn't look good for the blond, especially since, if the academy was anything to go by, Naruto wasn't all that strong.
Haru then blinked in puzzlement as he suddenly realized that he didn't have his bow with him. The sudden information filled him with dread. Now, he really was completely useless. He didn't know any ninjutsu yet, and his taijutsu wasn't all that good either. For the first time in his life, Haru gritted his teeth in frustration. Naruto, the first person his age to actually reach out to him, was in trouble and he couldn't do anything to help him. It was extremely frustrating for the boy.
"So, you two are already awake. Good."
Both Aika and Haru were instantly on guard as the voice reached their ears. Looking towards the entrance of the elaborate room, both Uzumakis found a cloaked figure standing there without a care in the world. From what they had heard, the two deduced that it was a woman, an old one at that.
Aika narrowed her eyes. "Are you the one responsible for all of this?"
The woman shrugged ever so slightly. "That depends on what you mean, my young Uzumaki. But I do have to tell you that you're trying to get involved in something that doesn't concern you. Or should I say, something that is way over your head. If you continue down the path that you are, it will not have a happy ending. And the person you care about the most will pay the price."
Despite her age, Aika wasn't like other girls. The young female Uzumaki had never truly fit in with other girls her age. She wasn't entirely sure why that was, except that maybe it had to do with the way she was raised up. Her father had always been strict with her from the beginning. That wasn't to say that he didn't show any affection to her. Only that he always kept things separate. The same rang true with her mother. They both attributed to her quick maturity. Thus, she had never truly felt like she could fit in with other girls, especially the ones in her class. They were simply way too immature in her mind, worrying about things like games and boys. It was also because of this early maturity that she understood what the woman was trying to tell her. And she didn't like it.
"Are you telling me to leave Naruto alone?" she asked, using Naruto's actual name this time.
The woman smiled at her, something which Aika wasn't able to see. "So you do understand me. Good."
Haru glanced at Aika with a nervous look, trying to understand what the woman was trying to tell her.
The woman then continued. "As for your question, yes. That is exactly what I'm telling you. You, along with that boy next to you, are unnecessary. You have no role in what is to come except to bring misery to Naruto, which could change him into something completely different from what he is today. Is that really what you want, Uzumaki Aika?"
Aika's gaze went down to her feet, her hands turning into fists at her sides. "No, I don't want that."
Smiling again, she said. "Good. Then we-"
"But I'm not going to leave him, no matter what you say."
"Oh?" The woman paused while Aika's gaze returned to her at full force.
"I'm not entirely sure why you even care if we stay with Naruto. But at least this lets me know that I was right about Naruto all along. There's something different about him from everyone else, isn't there?"
The woman was silent for a few moments before she released a low laughter filled with amusement. "Interesting. You are quite interesting, Uzumaki Aika. Of all the things for you to say, I did not expect this. But tell me, if you think so, then why even bother with him? Would it not be easier for you if you did not?"
"Easier doesn't necessarily mean happier," Aika retorted with a shake of her head. "And I've been watching that idiot from day one. He's not really good at hiding stuff. I can always sense that there's this huge weight on his shoulders that he's trying to shoulder by himself. I don't exactly know why, but he doesn't want to include us in that either. It doesn't matter, though. Naruto may have his faults, but I know that he's a good person. He's a precious friend of mine, my first friend. And if you think that I'm going to leave him alone just because you bring some dire warning or whatever, then you're sorely mistaken." Pointing at herself, she continued. "No matter what, I'll always be at his side to smack him if he starts being too much of an idiot. The same goes for Haru. So you can just buzz off, you old hag!"
Next to her, Haru looked at Aika with a look full of respect. And a bit of jealousy too. Even though he felt the same way, Haru knew that he would have had a tough time trying to tell the same thing to the mysterious woman. Putting his thoughts into words wasn't his forte, something that he disliked with a passion.
The woman sighed. "I see. So that is your answer. Well, it is not like I wasn't expecting you to agree with me. But I guess this just makes everything more interesting."
Pointing at her, Aika replied. "All right then. Enough with your mind games. Tell us what you want with whiskers right now."
"That is something that doesn't concern you."
Both Aika and Haru stepped back as the air around the woman shifted. Frowning, Aika realized what was happening. 'She's getting ready to fight us…..'
But why!? This whole thing was just too damn confusing.
"Since you do not plan to heed my words, I have to see if you can back up your words," the woman stated with a cold tone as two other hooded figures appeared next to her out of nothingness. "Show me if you really are prepared to handle what will happen!"
The two puppets lunged at them.
Naruto scowled at the woman in front of her, trying to fight back his urge to punch her into oblivion. If he could talk her into giving him back Aika and Haru willingly, then it would save him a lot of trouble.
"And just what do you mean by that?"
The cloaked woman in front of him shrugged. "Exactly what I asked. You felt the same feeling before when the Hyuuga boy died right in front of your eyes. It almost resulted in you giving into despair if it weren't for the rest of your comrades standing by your side. But tell me, what if there was no one there to offer you that support when the same thing happens again? Can you truly say that you won't give into despair then?"
Naruto t'ched. 'All this cryptic talk is really starting to get on my nerves.' Out loud, he replied. "I'm not the same I was back then. It's true, if it weren't for Hinata standing by me that time, perhaps I would have done what Obito wanted me to. But I'm never alone. Just like with Neji, my friends will always be in my heart. And that's all that matters." A grin then graced his lips. "Also, you're forgetting one thing," he added, his hand going to his stomach. "No matter what, Kurama will always be with me. And I can count on him to never allow me to make that mistake again."
Within his mind, Kurama closed his eyes, silently appreciating what Naruto had just said. Even if he wasn't going to say it, he really was grateful. Not that it mattered. He could already tell that the blond knew that.
The woman sighed. "You are all just the same. Always doing things recklessly. Then again, I suppose your dream would never become a reality if you weren't like this. However…"
Naruto tensed up as a horde of more puppets appeared out of nowhere around the hooded woman.
"I have heard your words. Now, I want to see your actions. The only way out of here is to defeat me. But do not think that it will be that simple, Uzumaki Naruto. I am a lot tougher than I look."
Naruto smirked as he crouched down. 'So it comes to this then.'
Kurama snorted at that. "With your luck, did you expect anything else? At the least, this will get us to see if you've gotten rusty since we've been dropped here. The stakes are too high, though, even for my tastes."
Naruto grinned to himself. 'That's a first for you, Kurama. You usually say that nothing can get to you.'
Kurama merely huffed in response, not bothering to actually comment.
Their conversation ceased as the puppets charged at Naruto without any weapons insight. Not that they actually needed that. Naruto had already seen what they had done to Aika and Haru. It reminded him too much of Obito's technique. The blond also wouldn't be too surprised if they had another secret up their sleeves at this point.
The cloaked woman looked on as her puppets began to surround the blond Uzumaki only for said jinchuriki to disappear in a spark in an instant.
"I wouldn't depend too much on those things if I were you!"
The woman smiled to herself as the puppets all broke down into pieces, no doubt from Naruto's cloaked chakra arms. But if she was worried, she didn't show it. Nor did she react as Naruto reappeared behind her, a rasengan already in hand.
Naruto began to bring his hand forward so that he could send the old hag flying courtesy of his rasengan only to grit his teeth in frustration as yet another puppet appeared between him and the woman. Or to be more precise, only the upper part of the puppet appeared.
"Rasengan!"
The puppet was immediately shattered into pieces. Naruto then brought his hands in front of him, shielding himself from a kick that still sent him flying back despite being in sage mode.
'The old hag can kick,' he thought to himself, his eyes on the woman who had her leg stretched out.
"Do not think I am a pushover just because I look old," she said with a mirth filled tone. "If you do, then you really are not going to get out of here."
Naruto didn't respond. Instead, his eyes were looking all around him, rechecking his surroundings to make sure that he really was where he thought he was. Which was nowhere. Even through his sage mode, he really couldn't detect anything. Not only that, but this…void was infinite. He couldn't see or detect any end to it whatsoever. His eyes went back to the cloaked woman, his anger rising again.
'Tch, I'm not going to play her games anymore. Oi, Kurama, we're going to bust out of here right now.'
Kurama grinned. "Heh, you're not even going to play around with her to see what she can do?"
'No time. Besides, I'm not one to beat around the bush. I only want so save both Aika and Haru. Besides, a drawn out battle wouldn't be to our advantage. My sage chakra is limited, after all.'
"Then let's go for it."
For the first time, the cloaked woman frowned as more chakra erupted out of Naruto's body. She already knew what was coming. And a few moments later, her guess was proven right as the chakra too Kurama's form with Naruto now standing inside the bijuu's head with a look filled with determination. It seemed as if she had provoked the boy too much. Even she wouldn't be able to this without having to unleash her true powers…and form. But she couldn't do that. It was too early.
'Oh well. This was simply a test run. I wasn't even planning on fighting him. My puppets aren't well suited for combat, after all. At least I was able to confirm that his determination is real. He's not planning on backing down. Now then, I guess I should get the gifts ready…'
Her thoughts ceased as Naruto began to form a bijudama mixed with sage chakra. Gritting her teeth, the woman took a step back as a portal opened below her feet in a swirl.
The boy really needed to learn about restraint dammit!
Aika was panting heavily as she and Haru hid behind one of the many pillars. In the center of the room stood the woman with her many puppets surrounding her. Right now, she was being the biggest pain ever. And as much as she hated to admit it, Aika knew that they wouldn't be able to get out of this with the strength that they currently had.
"What's this?" the woman said to them with a shake of her head. "Do you really plan on staying by Naruto's side with this kind of determination? It seems as if your words were only that. Words. I guess it would be better if I took him with me, after all."
Something within Aika snapped at that. She wasn't sure what it was, only that she had had enough. She was already confused enough as to why this was even happening in the first place. But now, this old hag was questioning the validity of her feelings? That crossed the line.
Haru's eyes widened as he saw Aika walk calmly from behind the pillar and into view of the woman and the puppets. "What are you-"
"I've had enough of this."
The woman raised an eyebrow as the icy tone reached her ears. But before she could reply, gold glowing chains erupted out of Aika's body in an instant. The woman raised an eyebrow at this, her curiosity now piqued. Her curiosity grew as the chains quickly made their way to her puppets, breaking right through them like they were nothing.
'Now this I wasn't expecting…..'
She smiled again as the chains made their way to her, only for the chains to phase right through her as if she were made out of air. Seeing this, Aika gritted her teeth only for her to fall to her knees, panting more heavily than before with sweat pouring down her face. The chains disappeared as well.
"Interesting power of yours," the woman commented with slight praise in her tone. "Unfortunately, you don't have the chakra to maintain it."
Aika looked at her with a gazed filled with frustration, knowing she was right. After all, she didn't even know that she could do that until today.
From behind the pillar, Haru looked on with helplessness as even more puppets began to appear and surround Aika who couldn't move at this point. Shaking in anger, the boy tried to come up with anything that he could do to save Aika, only for his mind to come to a blank.
'Is this is how it goes? I finally find friends, but it all ends before I can truly enjoy it!?'
His mind then realized that that wasn't true. He did have something. He still had his bow, just like his father had told him.
Flashback: Start
A four year old Haru sat on top of a box with a sad look on his face as he watched his father search through the many things that were scattered about in the basement of their house.
"And then they told me that I was too weak and that I would never make it as a shinobi."
Kenji sighed as he stopped ransacking through his old things. Turning around, he looked at his son who was staring at the ground with tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. Cheering others up had never been one of his strong suits. That was one of the things that Arashi had always excelled at. But even so, Haru wasn't just anyone. He was his son. At the same time, though, they were shinobi. Kenji already knew the worst horror of them all: war. Uzu had been involved in the First Shinobi War. It was only because of that war that they had decided to remain neutral in this one. It went without saying that if Haru remained the way that he was, he wasn't going to last long in the shinobi world. It was one of the reasons, the main one, that he had told Haru that he didn't have to join the ninja academy when the time came. But for whatever reason, his son didn't want to budge on the issue.
A sudden idea popped up inside of the Uzumaki's head. A brilliant one if he did say so himself. It would be like shooting two birds with one stone. But still. He needed to be sure of something.
"So tell me," Kenji began, causing Haru to look up at him, "despite all of this, do you still wish to be a shinobi one day?"
Hearing his father use a tone that he had never heard before, Haru couldn't do anything else but nod. He was already aware of his shortcomings, especially that he was too gentle. Despite that, though, he still wanted to become a strong shinobi, one that his father would be proud of. And then, when that day came, his father wouldn't have to be embarrassed at having him for a son. At least, that was how Haru saw it in his head. After all, his father was one of the strongest shinobi in the clan. He was also the right hand man of the clan leader. Haru wanted to become somebody that equaled all of that, maybe even surpass it.
Seeing the rare look of determination on his son's face, Kenji knew what he needed to do. As Haru's father, Kenji was ready to help him in any way that he could.
Smiling, he said, "Well, if that's the case, I have a gift for you. Follow me."
His curiosity raised, Haru followed behind his father who guided him to the back of the cluttered room. Humming, Kenji looked around for a few moments before his eyes caught what he was looking for. Grinning, the man picked up a large rectangular box. It was obvious it hadn't been touched in quite some time by the dust that it had gathered.
Haru's curiosity continued to grow as Kenji placed the box between the two of them.
"What I'm about to give you is a very rare gift," Kenji said as he ran a hand on the box. "I had actually forgotten about this since I never really used it before."
"What is it?" Haru asked, his curiosity at its max.
"Have you ever heard of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist?"
Haru nodded. "Yes. I've read about them. They're the strongest shinobi in Kiri, right? Other than the Mizukage."
Kenji chuckled as he rubbed Haru's head in affection. "Always so smart. But yes, that's right. However, what's fascinating about them is why they're such formidable shinobi in the first place."
"Because they trained?" Haru answered, even though it was more of a question than anything else.
Kenji chuckled again. "Well, yes, that's true. But what I was referring to is their weapons. Kiri has always had the best kenjutsu masters. The Seven Swordsmen are the best in large part because of the weapons they each possess."
"What's so special about them?" Haru asked, a little excitement bleeding into his voice. He was always eager to learn something new.
"They each posses a special ability that gives the user an edge in combat. But like you said, they have to train as well. Never forget that a weapon is only as strong as its user. That rings true for bloodlines as well. So never think that you'll be certain to lose if you face someone who has a bloodline. But at the same time, don't be so certain that you'll always win after what I'm about to give you. You'll still have to train hard to master it and other skills you can use to fall back on if the need arises. Understand?"
Haru nodded. "Yes, father."
"Good."
Haru's eyes were immediately drawn to inside of the box the moment that his father opened it. However, the last thing the boy expected to see was a bow. And it wasn't even a fancy looking one either. It seemed like an ordinary one.
Chuckling at his son's somewhat disappointed face, Kenji said, "My father said that that was the exact look I had when he first showed it to me."
Haru blinked at hearing that. "Grandfather gave you this?"
Kenji nodded. "Yes. It's been passed down our family since the founding of the village, maybe even earlier than that."
"What's so special about it?" Haru asked, not really understanding why the bow was so significant. Couldn't he just get a new one? It would be more proficient than using a hundred something year old one.
Kenji smiled. "That, you'll have to find out on your own. Like I told you, I never used it. I preferred my ninjutsu and fuinjutsu over trying to master this. But I have the feeling that you will know how to use it. All I can tell you is that it's alive, at least that's what my father told me. Just like with the famous Samehada, it's sentient. No matter where you are, you can always summon it at your side. It has specials seals engraved to it that were placed by its creator. When the time comes, it will recognize you as its true master. But you will have to train hard for it. Are you prepared for that?"
Haru nodded.
Smiling, Kenji stood up and backed away a couple of feet. "Well then, it's all yours, son."
Looking at the bow again, Haru gently picked it up. The moment he did, he felt his chakra being…..scanned? The boy didn't know how to describe it. But somewhere in his mind he knew that the bow already knew who he was.
Flashback: End
'That's it…..father said it would always be with me…..no matter where I was.'
The trouble was, Haru wasn't exactly sure how that worked. But looking at the situation at hand, the Uzumaki knew it was no time to be hesitating. It was time for action. He could think about anything he wanted later.
Closing his eyes, Haru concentrated the best he could. Expanding his chakra, he recalled the first feeling he had had when he had first picked up the bow. A sense of wonder. Honing in on that, he pictured the bow in his hand.
The basement that the three Uzumakis had first been in was now vacated. It was as if no one had ever been there in the first place. The only thing that remained was Haru's bow which he had dropped when both he and Aika had been ambushed by the woman's puppets.
The bow began to glow a hazy blue. A moment later, it too disappeared without a trace.
Aika panted heavily as she looked at her opponent in front of her. Although, as much as she hated to admit it, she knew that she wasn't much of a challenge to the old hag in the first place. But that didn't mean she was about to surrender. Even though her chakra was nearly depleted already, she would go down fighting.
But her thoughts about defeat died the moment she saw three arrows covered in lightning making their way to the woman. Three of her cloaked puppets sprung into action in an instant, taking position in front of her in order to shield her. But to Aika's amazement, the puppets were hurled back to the wall behind them and beyond, phasing right through the woman just like her chains had done so before.
Turning around, Aika grinned as she saw Haru standing with his bow in hand and a look of pure determination. Aika also noticed how the bow had changed. No longer did it look like a simple wooden one. Instead, it was an icy blue metal like bow. Needless to say, it looked more majestic than before.
'Just how did he do that?' thought Aika, completely surprised at what Haru was doing.
"So, you can already insert your chakra nature into your arrows," the woman said with some praise in her voice. Looking at the bow, though, she knew it wasn't ordinary. Not to mention the impact that the arrows had if what they did to her puppets were any indication.
Haru himself was surprised at what he had done. After all, he hadn't even begun to practice with his chakra nature yet. But there was no way he was going to tell his opponent that. Looking at his newly transformed bow, though, the boy already had an idea as to how he had been able to do that. Unfortunately, it was taxing him since he felt his chakra levels go down drastically just from simply using three chakra coated arrows.
'It'd be best if I only try this one more time,' he thought before he looked at Aika, silently telling her to get behind him with his eyes. Catching the message, the girl mustered whatever strength she had to stand up and make her way back with Haru.
Taking four more arrows out of his quiver, Haru readied himself for his final attack.
"Can you make those chains appear again?" Haru asked.
Aika looked at him with slight confusion. "What for?"
"We're going to need something to protect us from this place."
Realization hit the girl. Understanding what he was going to do, Aika nodded. "Yeah. I don't know how long I'll be able to hold it for, though."
Haru turned his attention back to the woman who was shaking her head. "Whatever you're planning on, it's useless. You can't escape this place."
"We'll just see about that!"
Haru fired his next barrage of lightning infused arrows, making the woman ready to bring out more of her puppets. Rather than aiming at her, though, Haru instead shot his arrows to the two pillars that stood behind the female puppeteer. Realizing this, the woman had to fight back a laugh as that side of the room began to collapse after the impact.
The last thing the two young Uzumaki saw was a young silver haired woman.
"Bijudama!"
The hooded woman's eyes widened as the attack was shot straight at her. Seeing no other alternative, she brought her hands together and gathered her chakra. Right before Naruto's attack hit her, a white colored energy began to appear around her.
Naruto brought one of his hands up to shield his eyes as the bijudama impacted with the old hag and her puppets, hopefully obliterating them out of existence for good.
Kurama snorted at the thought. "You haven't learned anything yet, have you, brat?"
'What are you talking about now, furball?'
"That no matter what, all of your fights always have to have some dramatic twist to them. Meaning that this is far from over yet. Not that I'm complaining too much about it. It's been a while since I've last stretched out my tails."
'It's only been about a week, Kurama.'
"Hmph. Fine. You trying being cooped up in your mind for that long and see if you can last."
'Eeeeeehhh, you got a point there. I'll give you that.'
Both Naruto and Kurama ceased their conversation, sensing the same thing. The woman was still kicking. But Naruto frowned as he sensed the woman's chakra through what little sage chakra he had left. Something felt…..different about it. It was almost as if it were more…..potent now. Stronger than before. And Naruto already knew that that spelled trouble for him.
"Really now, you really need to learn how to test your opponent before you go overboard, Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto blinked in confusion as the words reached his ears. And the reason he was confused was because the voice didn't sound right. Before it was old and raspy. Now, it was clear and beautiful. The blond really hated admitting the last part.
Standing unharmed as if nothing had happened, the woman removed her hood, revealing a beautiful young woman with pure silver braided hair and crystal blue eyes. Another defining feature were the two red dots on her forehead. It completely went against the "old hag" picture that Naruto had had before up to this point.
Chuckling at seeing the blond's dumbfounded look, the woman commented. "You seem to be surprised at my appearance. Were you expecting something else?"
Shaking his head, Naruto pointed down at her. "Hell yeah I was expecting something else! Just who are you!?"
Her look of slight amusement disappeared at hearing the question again. It was replaced with a look of utmost seriousness. "Do not worry. That is something that you shall know one day. But for now, I have to congratulate you for passing my first test, Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto's confusion skyrocketed yet again. Releasing Kurama's complete form, Naruto dropped down to the ground, if it could even be called that, and looked at the young female puppeteer, his slitted his eyes boring straight into her.
"You're not making any sense again."
"I did tell you that I didn't wish to inflict any pain upon you or your friends. You are the one that decided to attack me as well. I went over my head. And because of that, I was forced to reveal my true face to you this time."
Sighing, Naruto scratched the back of his head. 'Kurama, are you understanding any of this? Or is it just me?'
"It's not just you, brat. I have no idea what her motives behind her actions are."
Continuing, she said, "I have already sent your friends back to the real world. So do not worry about them anymore. They are safe."
Not sensing any lies from her, Naruto sighed in relief. That was one problem taken care of. Now, he just needed to get out of here.
As if sensing this, the woman brought one of her hands up. "Do not be so hasty. I will return you as well. But not before I give you a few…..gifts."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. "Gifts? What sort of gifts?"
"Think of them as your prizes for showing your conviction to me. I believe that they will come most useful to you."
Bringing her hands together, the woman closed her eyes as she concentrated. Naruto took a step back as a spinning vortex appeared beside her. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto couldn't help but think that the woman possessed powers too similar to Obito.
"Or it could be that the Uchiha has similar powers to hers."
'What do you mean?'
Narrowing his eyes as he observed the woman through Naruto's eyes, Kurama didn't reply. He had already noticed the two red dots on the woman's forehead. It looked…..familiar. But he couldn't quite place his paw on why it was so familiar.
A few moments later, both Naruto and Kurama had the biggest surprise as of yet in this whole affair as eight other beings came out of the vortex before shooting straight for Naruto. Recognizing the chakra, Naruto didn't fight back as his body completely absorbed their chakra.
'What are they doing here!?'
Kurama didn't respond since he too didn't have an answer. Turning to the woman, Naruto was about to ask her how she was doing all of this before one another object appeared. Naruto's shock returned full force at seeing what it was. It was none other than his father's kunai!
Bringing his arm forward, Naruto caught it in his hand when it shot straight toward him, much like before with the other eight entities.
Opening her eyes as the vortex disappeared, the woman was pleased when she saw Naruto's look filled with shock. "I'm sure you know exactly what I've given you."
"B-but how?"
The woman didn't answer. Not that she needed to as a white puff of smoke appeared out of nowhere in front of the blond. A few seconds later, the smoke cleared which revealed another individual. This individual was none other than Namikaze Minato, the last person that Naruto expected to see in these circumstances.
"Dad!"
Minato blinked for a moment as he studied his surroundings, obviously not expecting to be where he was. A few moments later, his gaze focused on Naruto. Seeing his son, Minato instantly smiled.
"It seems like my plan worked, after all."
Even though he was relived to see his father, Naruto was completely lost as to what the man was talking about. "What are you talking about, dad? What plan?"
"When the explosion took place, I thought that it was nothing more than that," he began to explain. "But the other Kurama explained to me how your chakra and your Kurama's was actually being transported somewhere. When I heard that, I tried to follow with my Hiraishin. But something blocked my jutsu. So instead, I decided to send a clone in through one of my kunais and see if I could transport you back from the inside. But it seems as if things are more complicated than I imagined." The Yondaime said the last part while looking back at the mysterious female puppeteer. "I can't even sense the chakra of my original, nor do I have any idea where we are right now."
"It doesn't concern you, Namikaze Minato," the woman answered bluntly. "You were simply lucky enough that I managed to extract your kunai with your chakra intact before it got lost in the void."
Naruto's eyes narrowed at hearing that. 'This lady…she definitely knows everything.'
"And what do you plan to do with my son?"
Shrugging, she answered. "Once again, that is none of your concern. But believe me when I say that I am not his opponent. If anything else, I want to help him. You should know I'm telling the truth since now he will be able to learn your jutsu. That will make him more powerful, no? If I were against him, I wouldn't be doing that."
The future Yondaime Hokage knew that what the woman was telling him did make sense. But still. He wasn't about to trust the woman right off the bat just like that. It didn't seem like he was going to have much choice in the matter, though. His original hadn't been able to put much chakra into him due to the hastiness of the situation that he had been in. He would dispel soon.
Also knowing this, the woman sent him a reassuring look.
Turning to look at his son, Minato smiled down at him. "I never thought I would be able to see you at this age."
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Naruto couldn't help but blush at hearing that. It wasn't his fault that he looked like an eight year old kid again. The blond just knew that it had to be the Sennin' sense of humor when he turned him into a little brat again.
"Dad, I have so much to tell you," Naruto said with some excitement in his voice. "I've met mom. I'm in her village! Everything there is just so wonderful!"
Chuckling, Minato patted Naruto's head. "It seems as if you really are special, just like I knew you were from the beginning. And you're about to embark on another new journey, aren't you?"
Tears began to gather in Naruto's eyes. "I couldn't have gotten here without you or mom."
Minato couldn't fight back his own tears as he felt on the brink of dispelling. "Just know that I'm really proud of you. I'm sure Kushina would feel the same way if she saw you now. I leave you with my last gift. I know that you'll be able to master it in no time."
Naruto nodded as he clenched the kunai in his hand harder. "I will."
Smiling, Minato uttered his last words.
"Naruto, you are and always will be my greatest creation."
Aika and Haru watched as the old temple started to collapse. They weren't exactly sure what had taken place. The last thing that they remembered was Haru destroying the pillars before something, or someone, transported them out of there and back out here into the real world. Even without that, they still had so many questions raging around in their heads. But right now, they needed to make sure that Naruto was still alive.
As the temple started to collapse, though, they were beginning to doubt that their blond friend had been lucky enough to make it out of there alive like they had. But to their utter relief they saw the whiskered blond dashing towards them and out of the temple at top speed.
Naruto lunged out of the temple just as the entrance collapsed, bringing the temple completely down to the ground. Sitting up, the blond rubbed the back of his head. That landing had been rougher than he had intended.
Any further thoughts ceased as Naruto stiffened as he felt someone embrace him full force. The blond jinchuriki relaxed when he finally realized that it was none other than a crying Aika hugging him to her heart's content. Looking up, he saw a teary eyed Haru standing before him as well. It seemed as if that female puppeteer had kept her promise, after all.
But still. The blond still had too many unanswered questions, top of which was as to who that woman was. And worse still, both Aika and Haru would now demand answers. But as he sat there in Aika's embrace while she cried her eyes out, Naruto felt as if all of his problems didn't matter. His friends were still alive. And, as he felt his father's kunai in the pockets of his orange hoodie, the blond remembered he really couldn't afford to fail. Too many people had placed their hopes on him. And he wouldn't let them down.
That was a promise.
The silver haired woman smiled as she observed all of this within the empty space that she had brought Naruto to before. It hadn't gone entirely as she had planned, but everything that she had wanted to accomplish had been done.
Her good mood turned sour when she heard a whistle behind her.
"Wow. It seems as if you really are going to help him. Hagoromo was right, after all. But considering who and what he is, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised."
The woman let out a slow irritated sigh. He was certainly the last person she wanted to talk to. Or ever really. "What are you doing here exactly? Don't you have things to do as well?"
The male chuckled. "I still have time. Not that you care. As far as you're concerned, you're just waiting for the chance to kill Sasuke."
The woman didn't react to the accusation. "You know as well as I do that the Uchiha is a lost cause. Why Hagoromo-sama wishes to place his hopes on that boy is beyond my understanding."
"It's not just Hagoromo. Naruto also feels the same way. And I'm pretty sure you know how he would feel if you were to jump the gun and kill him…right?"
The woman clenched her teeth at that. "I really don't like you."
The being shrugged. "What else is new? I've known that since I first met you. Then again, I'm already dead. So you can't actually do anything to me. Now you're planning on taking it out on Sasuke."
"If that's what you think, then you know nothing," the woman retorted. "My dislike for the Uchiha extends to his whole family. Indra was one of the worst men to ever live. And his descendants keep proving that to me. The fact that Sasuke is his reincarnation and everything that the boy has already done up to this point….tell me, what else am I supposed to feel about the Uchiha?"
The male shrugged again. "That's up to you. I have no control of you. I'm only giving you some friendly advice since, out of us three, you're the only one that's truly still alive. I don't really much care how you feel about me, but Hagoromo and I have a plan. We won't tolerate it if you try to interfere."
The woman didn't respond to the threat. Not that she had to. As much as she hated to admit it, the man behind her was stronger than her. He had always been. Not that she should expect any less considering who he was. Not only that, but just like he had pointed out, Naruto wouldn't be too happy if she did anything to the Uchiha. And having him genuinely angry at her was something that she couldn't bare.
"So?" the man asked. "What are you going to do now?"
"Observe," was her instant answer. "Whatever he chooses to do, be it save or destroy this world, I will follow him. So until he fully embraces his choice, I will continue to observe him."
With that, the woman disappeared from the empty space, leaving no trace behind.
The man chuckled at the response. 'Ah, always so loyal. Hagoromo really was lucky to have had her. Now then, I guess it's time I appear before Sasuke and give him his true gift.'
With that, the man disappeared as well. He too had a mission he need to complete. It was finally time for his appearance. This was, after all, just the beginning.
週次パワーステータス
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