Chương 15: Dōjutsu Awakening (1/2)

After the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke started turning into the exact gloomy person he was in the former timeline. Seeing this, Naruto was pretty distressed, as he genuinely considered Sasuke, his best friend. He was his rival as well as his brother-in-arms.

He tried consoling him but to no avail. He knew that without giving Susuke something to relate to, he couldn't pull Susuke from the never-ending pit of revenge.

After contemplating for a while, Naruto took a leap of faith by revealing his dojutsu to him. Initially, he had many questions and confusion; however, they were able to work them out. In any case, Naruto's gamble also paid off, as Sasuke did nothing to compromise him to the village and always kept the secret to himself.

Although Sasuke had not said it outright, after knowing Naruto was also similar to him, he had found something to anchor himself to other than his thirst for revenge. Of course, this doesn't mean that he wouldn't take revenge. Naruto also knew that all too well; it couldn't be avoided.

But he knew that if Susuke had just had someone share his pain in the past and someone he could relate to, he wouldn't have abandoned everything, leaving the village.

There were many times Naruto thought of a particular quote said by someone he would come across in the future.

'"All the pain forced me to grow up."

Sadly, he couldn't help but agree, seeing his best friend going through changes in a flash.

[[[ Flashback - Dōjutsu Awakening ]]]

[[[ Several months after meeting Kitsune – River Shore ]]] – {Age – 8)

Kitsune took a defensive stance and gestured for Naruto to come at her as her fluffy tails swayed from side to side. Her kimono fluttered in the morning breeze. Her delicate right leg was displayed until just a bit below her hips, enhancing her appeal.

"You win if you get at least one hit." Kitsune said as she winked at him.

Hearing this, Naruto quickly came out of his reverie and took an attacking stance with a wry smile.

'Damn, is she trying to train me or tease me to death?'

"Well, will I get a reward if I do?" Naruto gave a suggestive smile to Kitsune.

"Let's see about it when it gets to that." ------ "Ah, and remember, no jutsu."

"I know, I know."

Naruto then slowly started approaching Kitsune. He held a kunai in one hand with a back grip while placing three other Kunai between the fingers of his other hand. He was aiming to throw her off balance, throwing the Kunai.

'Sh*t, why aren't there any openings?'

He thought to himself while increasing his pace little by little, finally running at full speed towards Kitsune.

Seeing him coming, she only smiled, maintaining the same position without a slight change. Naruto felt apprehensive seeing her, so he quickly threw the three Kunai in between his fingers, slightly altering them to hit her in different places.

Kitsune deflected one Kunai while dodging the other by bending sideways as she grabbed the last one and threw it in the same direction it came. Which is obviously towards Naurto.

'What the was that?'

He was flabbergasted by her flexibility and reflexes. It didn't even occur to him that the Kunai could be avoided like that. However, the redirected Kunai throttling at him didn't help calm him down.

He quickly stepped sideways and avoided it. Yet, only barely.

"Are you sure that you aren't trying to kill me?"

Naruto looked at Kitsune with a blaming look in his eyes, to which she just shrugged it off and mockingly replied.

"Where did all your big talks about defeating me go? Huh?" Her lips were curled up. "You scared little boy?"

Anyone could tell that she was having fun.

On the other hand, Naruto could only suck it up and keep attacking her. 'Annoying vixen,' he thought.

Following his dodging of the Kunai, he quickly closed up the gap between them, hoping to use his physical strength to overpower her.

It should be noted that Naruto has been training extra hard since the day of the Uchiha massacre. Despite him being just 8 years old, his raw strength was something exceptional, with all the bloodlines nourishing it with constant training.

But how could Kitsune not see through his intentions? She clearly knew that his attacks packed quite a punch. So, no matter how many attacks came her way, she dodged most of them while redirecting the rest.

Naruto was frustrated by this. Just as he recognized and attacked a weak point, Kitsune would avoid it in mind-boggling ways. Sometimes he even doubted that she was a reincarnation of a war goddess.

It was very frustrating for Naruto as he couldn't get a single hit even after repeatedly trying.

"I'm done."

Naruto fell down without any strength in his legs from all the air kicking. 'Yes,' that's what it was the whole time.

"Haha, it seems like there are no rewards for you, brat."

He felt like coughing up blood after hearing Kitsune make fun of him, even after the training.

However, Kitsune was secretly astonished to see how much he improved within a single training session.

Just like that, several weeks passed with them sparring and learning hand-to-hand techniques. In which Naruto was trash-talked every single time. Poor boy. But it couldn't be denied that he improved by leaps and bounds.

Then one day, Naruto summoned Kitsune and requested from her a jutsu or seal capable of making oneself relive his memories. He was basically asking for an interrogation jutsu or seal used for torture. Without thinking much, she taught him about the things she knew about them, as she had seen many of them being used by Mito Uzumaki.

But she regretted not asking its purpose, as she learned that he intended to use them to forcefully resurface his most tragic memories.

"Why are you trying to torture yourself?"

Kitsune asked Naruto with an angry voice. Naruto knew that she was concerned for him, but he had to do it.

"I want to awaken my visual dojutsu."

"What are you saying?" … "Uzumaki's don't have any dojutsu." She blocked my way, hoping for an answer.

"Could you just trust me and help me this once?" Naruto glanced toward her. "I'll promise that I'll explain everything when the time comes."

Helpless, Kitsune could only accept his demand and support his decision.

[[[ The Day of Awakening ]]]

Naruto was sitting on top of a boulder in a secluded place in the forest. Just beside the boulder was a pond, and the whole area around him was covered with dense trees. The sun's light was making his blond hair glow brighter.

There were also many seals around him. Most of them were barrier seals, and there were also some miscellaneous ones mixed in between.

The most notable one was the "karma"-like seals tattooed around his arms, which ended with several lines extending just below his eyes. He did this as a contingency plan if any unforeseen changes occurred when activating his dojutsu. He had no idea what would happen since he had a perfect bloodline.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Kitsune, who had a worried look on her face, walked towards Naruto.

Naruto had a painful expression on his face for what he was about to experience. "If this is what it takes to protect what I love and live without regrets, then I'll do it without question."

"Haaah, just let me know when you can't take anymore. Okay?" Kitsune said while thoroughly examining his seals again.

Naruto had a determined look on his face. "Will do!"