Naruto sat on the grass, legs crossed, watching curiously as Toad Gramps rolled open a scroll.
This funny looking old man wasn't really what he thought a super strong ninja would be like. He looked more like one of those guys with face paint that he sometimes saw on the street, but Gramps said that he shouldn't judge a ninja by their looks.
Kurama said that this guy was stronger than even the old man hokage.
A grin stretched on his face as he leaned back and forth.
He was going to learn his first ever jutsu from the strongest guy in the village! It was going to be awesome. He was going to show it to Kiba and Shino, and everyone in the class was going to be super jealous.
Wait until you learn what you can do with it. The fox spoke up in his head, sounding amused for some reason. Kurama found a lot of weird things funny, and–
Naruto blinked, looking down at his lap.
You can hear me even when I'm not thinking like this?
This ninshū thing was really amazing.
Only when you're thinking very loudly.
Oh. That… kinda made sense?
Eh? Am I really thinking that loudly?
You tend to do it when you get excited.
Of course I'm excited! I'm getting to learn my first jutsu ever, y'know? Thanks again for this, Kurama.
You don't have to thank me so many times.
I'll thank you as many times as I want 'cuz you're the best, believe it!
The fox went quiet for a moment, and Naruto wondered if he'd said something weird. When Kurama spoke again, his voice sounded a little softer than before.
You're welcome, kid.
A warm, fuzzy feeling flooded his chest, and Naruto found himself smiling. He looked up, smile widening at the orange colors shining above the horizon. Evenings were his favorite. The sky was turning orange, old man Ichiraku often gave him a free bowl of ramen, and he got to visit Kurama inside the seal.
Naruto took another glance at the scroll, face scrunching up a little as he tried to read the upside down squiggles. Why did Toad Gramps bring it out anyway?
Just as he opened his mouth to ask, the man suddenly looked up with a smirk. "Done chatting with the fox?"
Naruto blinked, jaw going a little slack. "How did you know?"
"You're being way too obvious about it." Toad Gramps chuckled. "You smile like that of nowhere and keep staring into space. People will think you're crazy if they don't know about the fox."
His eyes shot wide, a weird empty feeling twisting in his stomach. He didn't want to give people another reason to avoid him.
I don't want that. What do I do, Kurama?
Pay more attention to your surroundings, for starters. The fox said. If you can do the leaf exercise and doodle at the same time, you can definitely talk to me and pay attention to the stuff around you.
Oh. He could totally do that, yeah.
Okay!
Leaning closer, hands on his knees, he stared at toad gramps. "So, what super strong jutsu are you teaching me, toad gramps?"
His teacher made a funny face. "I told you to stop calling me that. I'm still young and spry. Just ask the ladies."
Eh? Ladies? What did they have to do with this?
Ignore his silly talk. He's just being weird.
Naruto could almost imagine the grumpy look on Kurama's face as he said that.
What's a spry?
He was learning so many new words lately…
It means lively and full of energy.
Thanks, Kurama.
The fox made an amused sound before going quiet.
Naruto looked back at Toad Gramps, cocking his head to the side. "What should I call you then?"
The man grinned, jabbing a thumb at his chest. "The super amazing and gallant Toad Sage Jiraiya!"
Naruto stared quietly for a moment, face scrunching up. "That's way too long. I'll call you Toad Gramps."
Kurama was right. This guy was kinda silly.
"Fine." Shoulders slumping, his teacher deflated with a sigh. "Cheeky little brat…" he grumbled quietly, but still had a smile on his face, giving him a look just like old man hokage.
Naruto smiled back, a warm feeling settling in his chest.
Toad Gramps tapped a finger on the unfurled scroll next to his feet. "What I'm going to teach you is called the Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Shadow Clones? That sounded like a super awesome jutsu. Did it make clones from a shadow? Kiba said something about that lazy guy, Shikamaru, and his clan–
"Awesome!" Naruto leaned closer, a giddy feeling bubbling in his tummy. "What does it do? I heard there's a clone jutsu we learn at the Academy. This one's better, right? I bet it is! How do I do it? I'll learn it faster than anyone else, y'know?"
"Slow down, kid." Toad Gramps chuckled before holding out a hand. "I'll explain how it works, but first, I want to have a quick chat with the fox." He made a fist, looking at him expectantly.
A small pout crossed Naruto's face. Couldn't they talk after this? He wanted to learn that awesome jutsu already…
"Don't be like that, it won't take long at all. Time passes much faster in there."
Naruto looked down at his lap. Didn't Kurama say something about this, too, a while ago? Maybe? The fox told him a bunch of complicated stuff that he kinda forgot… he should ask him again later.
Nodding to himself, he lifted a hand and bumped fists with Toad Gramps.
I cracked an eye open as the water rippled from outside the cage.
The toad molester stood before my prison, arms crossed and glaring through the bars like a petulant man-child.
"I haven't forgotten about yesterday. I'm waiting for an explanation."
He'd lasted longer than I expected.
Mouth twitching with a smirk, I propped my head lazily on a hand, slowly fanning out my tails, letting them swish back and forth menacingly. Jiraiya's frown deepened, and I barely held back a chuckle.
"We can talk after you're done. It'll take a while to tell you everything." Everything he needed to know, anyway.
I enjoyed the silence as he kept up the glaring for a while longer, before finally letting out a disgruntled huff.
"Fine."
Tough luck, bozo.
Next time don't be a dick.
"I'll go teach him the shadow clone," I expected him to turn around and leave, but he didn't seem to be done yet. "But we're having that talk when I'm done."
A pointed look punctuated his words, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. This guy sure knew how to be annoying.
"Show him the Mass Shadow Clones, too."
Both used the same hand seal, but there could be some key difference in the shape transformation stage for all I knew. Even if it all boiled down to 'just put more chakra in the jutsu', I'd rather milk this training opportunity for all it was worth.
To my surprise, the man shook his head, mouth pressing in a severe line. "Absolutely not."
The smirk slipped off my face. What the hell was his problem this time?
"He has enough chakra. You must have noticed."
"Yes, but it's easy to go overboard with that one."
Really? Was this toad molester still doubting me?
"Not with this type of seal. If he runs out of chakra, he will subconsciously draw upon mine to stay alive."
He should know this, too. The old monkey had him study this seal years ago.
Jiraiya frowned. "I'd rather he wouldn't."
Stubborn fool.
"I'll keep an eye on him before it gets to that point."
The toad sage shook his head. "It's too dangerous."
My jaw tensed as a spark of anger ignited in my chest. The water around me bubbled with a red tint, and I clamped down on my simmering chakra before it could spill out of the seal.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed a fraction as I rose to my full height, tails swishing ominously at my back.
"Cease with the foolishness. If he dies, I die, too. And by the time I reform, it'll be too late."
The man studied me quietly for a moment, brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Face stony, I leaned closer to the gate, leveling a piercing glare through the bars. "The enemy has the Rinnegan. We cannot fight that without a host."
That Outer Path was just utter hax. Nagato might not be able to use those chains, but I've seen what Obito could do with just one eye. As much as it irked me to admit, worst case scenario, I couldn't win against that shit on my own.
Mouth drawing a thoughtful line, Jiraiya walked closer to the cage, the water rippling with each step. "Perhaps it's time to tell me what you know about those eyes."
"I will. Later."
We had another brief staring contest before the toad sage let out a heavy sigh.
"Fine."
Jiraiya sat on a tree stump, jotting down idly in his notebook while keeping an eye on the kid as he struggled to balance his chakra and infuse it for the jutsu. His control was barely passable, though after merely one month of training, only a prodigy would fare better than him.
A loud, childish whine suddenly broke the silence as Naruto rubbed in frustration at his unruly hair.
Jiraiya felt his mouth twitch with a brief smile. He knew that feeling all too well from his early genin days, before his teacher managed to somehow whip him into a decent shinobi.
From dead-last to sage…
A quiet snort escaped him. He was the living proof that miracles did happen. A shame they seemed limited to his shinobi career. He would've taken a miracle with Tsunade over anything else.
Lips quirked wryly, he scribbled down another idea in his notebook. Maybe he could make the twist in the next book about a fateful encounter with an old flame. Could be a sequel to his second book…
Glancing back at Naruto, his brow quirked at the sight.
Hands joined in the Tiger seal, the kid was doing his best to mould his chakra, eyes narrowed in focus and a determined look on his face.
Jiraiya found himself staring, gaze turning distant as an old memory flashed through his mind. A wistful smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
The brat really looked a lot like Minato.
With a tailed beast seemingly on his side, if he had even half of his father's talent… the prophecy would ring truer by the day.
Eyes shifting back to his notebook, he tapped his pen idly on the page.
That Nine Tails, though…
He'd never expected to meet a tailed beast in such a way, even less for them to have a chat, but the fox gave him a lot to ponder, likely even more by the end of the day.
His gaze lingered on the disjointed scribbles for another moment before he closed his notebook and stashed it away in a pocket. Leaning forward in his seat, a heavy breath escaped through his nose as he slowly rubbed at his brow.
The Leaf was not as bright as most people often liked to think, but it was still better than anywhere else in this awful, war-torn shinobi world. He'd fought for this village, for this fragile peace, longed to make a lasting change himself, certainly made some mistakes along the way, but…
There was always hope for a brighter tomorrow at the hands of future generations. If Naruto was the key to it, then–
A sudden plume of smoke drew his gaze back to the kid.
Oh? That was quite fa–
The cloud quickly dispersed, revealing a wide eyed Naruto and three grinning blonds.
His eyes widened.
Naruto wiped his forehead with a hand, looking in wonder at his shadow clones. Only looked a little winded, and he wasn't even six yet…
Crazy.
Kid wouldn't even need to be a savant like Minato. He was a quick learner in his own way, and judging by how much chakra he already had… he was going to be a monster by the time he graduated.
"Whoa…" Naruto poked the nearest clone in the arm a few times, a grin stretching on his face. "This is so cool!"
The shadow clones stared at the original for a quiet moment, before a cacophony of noise filled the place as they exploded with loud chatter.
"You're amazing, boss!"
"You're gonna be a super awesome ninja with this jutsu!"
"For sure!"
Naruto scratched at his cheek with an embarrassed smile. "Of course I am. But you're me, so we're all amazing, y'know?"
One clone gave a thumbs up. "That's right, yeah!"
"Believe it!" the other two chorused.
They all shared a brief look, before erupting with silly laughter. Jiraiya felt his mouth curl with a fleeting smile. The kid could still smile like this, despite growing up as a jinchūriki…
Maybe he should've visited at least once, even if just for a day…
A quiet sigh escaped him as the giggling in the distance died down.
"Hey!" Naruto suddenly pointed at his shadow clones with a grin. "Wanna play tag?"
The other blonds instantly perked up at the proposal.
"Ya bet!"
"'Course we do!"
"I wanna try ramen!"
Three pairs of eyes turned to the last clone.
"Can you even eat?"
The shadow clone shrugged. "Dunno? Maybe? One way to find out, ya know?"
Naruto dug a hand in his pocket, smile vanishing. "I don't have money for that much ramen…"
"We could share a bowl?"
Naruto shook his head. "Maybe another time."
"Okay…"
A sudden pang of sympathy tightened Jiraiya's chest. He should give the kid some pocket money before leaving tomorrow.
"Cmon, let's just play for now!" One clone spoke up, and the others nodded, smiles returning to their faces.
"Yeah! Let's go!"
"I can't wait to show this tomorrow at the Academy. It'll be so fun!"
"They're gonna be so jealous, I bet!"
Jiraiya blinked, lips pursing. Ah. He knew he'd forgotten something.
He stood up from his seat, watching in amusement as the gaggle of blond brats came running towards him. They stopped a couple feet away, and Naruto pointed at his shadow clones, grinning all the while.
"Look, Toad Gramps, I did it!"
Brow twitching a little at the nickname, Jiraiya pushed away the flicker of annoyance and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Good job, kid. You learned it faster than I expected."
A spark of joy warmed his chest when the kid's face lit up like the sun.
"Hear that, boss?" The nearest clone gave the original a playful nudge with the elbow. "You're super amazing!"
Naruto looked up with wide, uncertain eyes. "Really?"
Jiraiya nodded. "You're quite the quick learner, but there's something important you need to remember about this jutsu."
The kid stared at him curiously. "What's that?"
Face stern, Jiraiya held up a finger. "You should never teach it to anyone without first talking to your teacher, the hokage, or me."
Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why?"
"Because this jutsu is incredibly dangerous. It divides your chakra evenly among the shadow clones, and losing too much chakra will kill a person. Most chūnin don't have enough chakra to make even one shadow clone." They could try, but they'd have little chakra left to do much else.
Eyes wide, Naruto gave a nod, his clones mimicking the gesture. "I'll be careful, Toad Gramps. I promise."
Jiraiya smiled, ready to ruffle the kid's hair once more–
Arms tensing, his gaze snapped to the right as an unfamiliar chakra suddenly pinged off his senses.
Leaves swirled briefly in the air, revealing a brown haired ANBU, face covered by an eagle-styled mask.
Jiraiya's shoulders relaxed minutely.
"Lord Hokage has summoned the boy to his house," the man spoke curtly. "You can join, too, if you wish, Lord Jiraiya."
The Toad Sage shook his head. "I'll have to decline. I have some important matters to take care of."
The bathhouses were a prime spot for research at this hour.
"Aww, you're not coming?"
Jiraiya met Naruto's disappointed look with an apologetic smile. "Nope, sorry, kid."
He'd meet the old man before leaving, anyway.
"Okay," Naruto said, voice quieter. "Thanks for teaching me, Toad Gramps."
Smile turning softer, Jiraiya ruffled the kid's hair. "Cheer up. I'll visit again in two months."
"Really?"
The hopeful look that crossed Naruto's face might be enough to stir the heart of even a veteran shinobi.
"Yeah. Maybe I'll even teach you another jutsu."
"Awesome!" A wide smile lit the kid's face like the sun, the cheer quickly spreading to his shadow clones.
The ANBU didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about this dallying, though. Posture subtly shifting, Eagle leveled a pointed look at the boy.
"Ready?"
Even with the mask in the way, the message quickly got through.
"Wait," Naruto pointed at the clones. "What do I do with them?"
Jiraiya eyed the gaggle of blonds for a moment, brow rising a fraction.
Ah, right. He didn't get to the dispelling part yet. Well, it was somewhat intuitive, and should also make the memory transfer easy to notice. That, and…
"Leave them here."
He needed to have that chat with the fox.
The walls blurred around as the brat rushed across the room with a grin, stopping in front of a small table and the old monkey sitting on a cushion behind it, with a cup in hand.
"Gramps, look! I just learned this super cool jutsu!"
Naruto brought his hands in a cross shaped seal, already infusing his chakra.
Oh shi–
Only one clone, Naruto! You don't want the ninjas in the walls to panic.
The brat's control wavered for a moment, wasting enough chakra to kill the average Academy student.
There's ninjas in the walls?!
Probably. I couldn't exactly sense any suppressed chakras even when backseating like this.
Shitty seal…
It's just the ANBU guarding the Hokage. Focus on the jutsu and stop wasting chakra.
I was going to curb these bad habits before they even had the chance to form.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
With a surge of chakra and a puff of smoke, one shadow clone popped up next to the brat, a grin on its face. Hands on their hips, they both looked at Hiruzen and spoke in sync.
"Awesome, right?"
I couldn't wait to be able to do that, too.
Eyebrows raised, the old monkey acted as if he hadn't already seen it all through his peeping ball jutsu, before chuckling softly. "Well done, Naruto. You're one step closer to becoming a great ninja."
Fuck the ninjas, the sheer meme potential of this jutsu was absolutely insane.
The brat grinned, soaking the praise in like a sponge.
"But that's not why I called you here today."
Obviously. Either that toad molester had snitched on me, or we were about to have a rather pleasant surprise.
"Eh?" Naruto blinked in confusion. "Then why?"
Hiruzen took a sip from his cup before placing it down on the table. "I wanted you to meet someone. They should be coming any moment now."
Oh? A smile pulled at my lips. About damn time, you shriveled mushroom.
Head cocked to the side, the brat looked even more confused. "They?"
The urge to gloat a little was tempting, but I held my tongue. Brief satisfaction wasn't worth ruining the kid's surprise.
The old monkey nodded, smiling mysteriously. "I would've called you when they arrived, but you were at the Academy, and I wanted to let them rest a little after their journey."
Fair enough.
Mouth opening, Naruto was about to say something when the door suddenly creaked open, revealing a woman and a little girl, both with beautiful red hair.
Spoiler: Karin's mother
I recognized the girl on the spot, my gaze lingering on the mother and the kind smile brightening her face. She stepped inside, quietly making her way across the room, with Karin following behind her like a little duckling.
Eyes wide and jaw a little slack, the brat seemed at a loss for words as he watched his new family stop an arm's length away from him. His gaze flicked to the old monkey, a tentative question spilling past his lips.
"Are they…?"
Smiling softly, Hiruzen nodded. "Your distant relatives, yes."
Naruto's vision blurred for a moment, a quiet sniffle escaping him before he blinked away the tears.
Cheer up, kid. You have a family now.
Sniffling one more time, he quickly wiped at his eyes. Thanks, Kurama…
The woman bowed her head, her short hair fluttering past her ears. "Greetings again, Lord Hokage," she spoke, voice like the soft tinkle of a bell, with a breathy undertone that would have me listen to her for hours–
"I hope there were no issues with your new accommodations." I hoped this shriveled mushroom gave them a nice, cozy place to live in, for his own go–
"None at all." The mother shook her head, soft smile stretching the age lines marring her face. "It's much beyond what we were used to."
The temptation to pay a visit to Grass kept rising the more she spoke. I may be trying to stay on a low murder diet, but I could use a cheat day every now and then.
"I see."
The woman turned towards the brat, her gaze softening. "You must be Naruto."
The kid instantly perked up, a bright smile pulling at his cheeks. "Yeah, that's me! The super awesome, ninja in training, Uzumaki Naruto!"
Way too much ham, brat.
A soft chuckle left the woman's lips before she reached with a hand, ruffling Naruto's hair, the kid nearly melting in happiness at the touch.
My gaze lingered on her hair, less vibrant and a shade duller than her daughter's.
For someone who'd been sapped of their vitality for years, she still looked pretty good. With those alien genes coming in clutch, if there was a way to replenish her lost life force, she'd become the hottest milf in the vil–
A sudden thought struck me like a thunderbolt.
Oh.
Nagato managed to fully restore his youth by absorbing Gyūki's chakra. As an Edo Tensei, but the logic should be the same. Mine should work even better.
A wry smile tugged at my lips. Hashirama's cells and my chakra could probably solve like ninety percent of the problems in this worl–
"His chakra is so warm…" Karin's quiet voice suddenly came from behind her mother as she watched the brat curiously.
Oh? She could already use her mind's eye?
"Eh?" Naruto cocked his head in confusion. "My chakra?"
I should probably tell him about that later.
Smiling warmly, the woman placed a gentle hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Don't be shy. Go on, say hi to your cousin."
For a moment, Karin stared intently, face scrunching up cutely. "He doesn't have red hair?"
Karin's mother shook her head, a flash of mirth dancing in her eyes as she patted the girl's hair. "Not all half blood Uzumaki inherit the red hair."
"Half blood?" Karin asked, brows knitting in confusion.
"It means that only one of their parents is an Uzumaki."
"Yeah!" The brat chimed in, smiling proudly. "My mom had super beautiful red hair, y'know?"
"Where's your mom?"
Brief, awkward silence followed Karin's sudden question, the atmosphere inside the room becoming somber. Ah, the innocent bluntness of a child.
Naruto's smile vanished, gaze lowering to the floor. "She died when she lost the fox."
Karin's eyes widened, a guilty look briefly flashing across her face before she quickly bowed her head in apology. "Sorry, I didn't know…"
"It's okay." Naruto shook his head, pushing a smile on his face. "I'm not mad at you."
Karin gave a tiny smile of her own, though a curious gleam soon returned in her eyes. "What did you mean about a fox?"
Ah, the million dollar question. I could barely see it from the corner of my vision, but the old monkey didn't seem particularly concerned. I wouldn't have kept quiet even if he wanted.
Hey, Kurama… I should tell them, right?
I don't see why you shouldn't.
Yeah, but…
He didn't say it, but I could tell what he meant.
They are the last people who would judge you because of me.
Okay.
The cat was out of the bag at this point anyway. The woman was smarter than she let on, and, from the way her gaze lingered on Naruto's face, she'd nearly connected the dots already.
Those whisker marks weren't that obvious of a clue, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Uzumaki had known more about me than anyone else.
Naruto looked across the table, the old monkey meeting the silent question with a smile. "It's your secret to tell," he said, hands folded beside his cup. "Normally, I would advise you to be careful whom you share it with, but they are your family, and I think they should also know who played a part in their rescue."
A pin-drop silence filled the room.
Oh? This cheeky leaf muncher.
Eyes widening a fraction, the woman's gaze flicked over to Hiruzen, her soft voice full of disbelief. "But… how?"
The Hokage kept smiling, trying to appear mysterious even though he had no answer to that question either.
Poor guy. Old age must've finally caught up to him.
A smile quirked my lips.
Oi, Naruto. Bring the woman in here. I want to have a chat.
About what?
Oh, quite a few things came to mind.
Boring adult stuff, like history and genealogy.
Gee-nee-uh-lu-gee?
Stuff about people's ancestors.
That seemed to satisfy him, thankfully.
"Uhm," Naruto looked over at Karin's mother. "The fox says he wants to talk to you."
She blinked owlishly. "Talk?" But then, her mouth opened ever so slightly, realization flashing across her face, and she shared a brief glance with the old monkey, who nodded in return.
It's time. Do the thing, Naruto.
The thing?
The ninshū fist bump.
Ahhh, got it.
"I have someone who can help with th–
"Here." Naruto interrupted the old monkey, holding up a hand and making a fist that barely reached the woman's chest. "Bump my fist and strike your chakra at mine."
She had enough chakra to do that much, even if she lacked ninja training. This usage of ninshū only needed one side to do the heavy lifting.
Taken aback by the sudden gesture, the woman stared at the brat's fist for a moment, eyes steeling with resolve.
Everyone was being so dramatic today.
Karin watched curiously while her mother awkwardly made a fist, before bumping it against Naruto's.
Two chakras surged, one latching to another, and I gave the connection a tug.
Before my senses centered back within the seal, I made sure to enjoy the brief, wide-eyed look on the old monkey's face.
Convincing the brat to keep this mind ferrying a secret until now was totally worth it.
The shallow water rippled beneath her feet as she walked closer to the towering gate, her heart beating quicker in her chest with every step.
She'd heard stories about them, back when she was young, and her homeland had yet to be destroyed. Old tales, some of them as ancient as her clan. They spoke of mighty beings made of chakra, forces of nature given form.
And she was about to meet one.
A tailed beast who wished to speak with her for reasons she could only try to guess.
She took a deep, fortifying breath as she slowly made her way across the cavern, gaze never leaving the towering gate farther ahead.
Two crimson eyes suddenly opened, casting an eerie light in the darkness behind the bars. The giant creature stirred, and she hesitated before taking another step, her stomach twisting in a knot.
"Don't be so tense." A deep rumble came from within the cage, sending a shiver down her spine. "I can't do much from here."
The Nine Tails moved closer to the gate, revealing orange fur and a mouth quirked in amusement.
"And even if I could, you have nothing to fear. I wouldn't have bothered to bring you here, safe and unscathed, if I wished to hurt you."
Another year or two in Grass would've likely brought her to the grave, especially if a fight broke out again at the border. Her lips curled at the bitter thought. He probably didn't mean it that way, but it made her chest tighten nonetheless.
Karin…
Her daughter would've been next…
Stomach churning, she pushed away that thought, gaze shifting back to the giant fox within the seal. Those crimson eyes had never left her the entire time, and, even now, they kept watching her intently.
She took a brief glance at her arms, just to make sure, but no, none of her scars were showing. She could only guess what brought on such an intense gaze.
Perhaps he just hadn't seen that many humans lately? It had been decades since Mito had first sealed him.
Her feet brought her a step closer to the gate, one hand tugging idly at the hem of her coat. Her heart had quieted down a little in her chest. The Nine Tails didn't seem as scary as she thought.
The silence was getting a little awkward, though…
Breathing deeply, she locked eyes with the tailed beast, tongue darting out to wet her drying lips. She had a question plaguing her mind ever since she came here.
"Why did you do this for us?" Her voice came out weaker than she liked at first, but it picked up as she spoke. "For two strangers? How did you even know?"
He should've been here since before she arrived with Karin in Grass.
The fox kept watching her quietly for another moment before a smirk curled his lips. "Does it really matter how? Let an old fox have his secrets."
Her breath came out in a quiet sigh. Well, she didn't really expect an answer to that one…
"Then why?"
She wanted to know this much, at least.
He seemed thoughtful for a moment, nine tails fanning out and swishing eerily at the back.
"I may have taken a liking to my newest host," he said, mouth suddenly twisting with a hint of distaste. "And I'm not so cruel to let his only living family suffer at the hands of greedy mongrels."
She blinked, eyes widening ever so slightly.
A tailed beast caring about humans? Were those old legends more than just bedtime stories?
Perhaps…
"My clan had old legends about the past. Some of them about you and the others. My grandmother used to tell me when I was little…"
A pang of sadness tightened in her chest at the reminder. It's been many years, but–
"They told stories about me to scare little children?"
Her mouth twitched with the ghost of a frown at his tone. Was he making fun of her?
"Some of them. The others spoke of how some of you lived close to the humans at the time and even talked with them."
Some legends changed over the years, and some ended as nothing but stories without any proof. But there seemed to be more truth to them than she had thought.
The fox leaned closer to the gate, slitted eyes boring into her for a moment as a smile slowly stretched across his snout.
"What is your name, mortal?"
The sudden question took her by surprise, her jaw working silently for a moment. She didn't expect a tailed beast to care about names.
"Uzumaki Yuzu."
The fox eyed her curiously before inclining his head in a facsimile of a nod. "All legends hold a truth at their root. You're welcome here if you wish to talk more about it."
Talk with a tailed beast about ancient tales? That sounded far-fetched in and of itself, but… this hadn't been unpleasant so far, has it?
Silence filled the chamber as the fox perched himself back on the floor, his ruby gaze studying her intently once more. The awkward feeling from before returned, though an idle thought managed to distract her, leaving another question weighing on her mind.
"Do you perhaps have a name, too?"
A flash of heat crept up her neck as soon as she spoke it. She felt rather silly just for asking, but… with how human he seemed to act, wouldn't it honestly make sense to have one?
"Oh?" His face inched closer to the gate, a curious note in his voice. "What makes you think I have one?"
"We haven't talked for long, but…" Her tongue poked out to wet her drying lips. "You don't seem much different from us?"
Brief silence followed her words, and then–
A low, gravelly sound rumbled through the chamber as the fox let out a chuckle. "You may call me Kurama."
Kurama?
"Don't spread it around." A note of warning suddenly entered his tone. "I don't reveal my name to just about anyone."
She wasn't planning to. People likely wouldn't believe her anyway.
Face impassive, Hiruzen peered inside the dim-lit cage from under his wide brimmed hat. The Nine Tails sat there as usual, head propped lazily on a hand.
"You've been teaching young Naruto something interesting, I see."
A pair of sharp fangs poked out as the fox's mouth curled in amusement. "It's a useful skill to have."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed a fraction, a spark of annoyance flaring in his chest. Pulling pranks on old men should be a pastime left to the children.
"I trust that he won't be bringing people in here on a whim."
"He knows to be careful with it."
"Good." Hiruzen nodded, a quiet sigh escaping through his nose. He never imagined he'd have to deal with this when he took the hat a second time.
"Any more troubling revelations you'd like to bestow on me?"
He'd meant that as a rhetorical question, but the fox was already opening his mouth, smirking all the while.
"Since we brought the kid some family, perhaps we should expand on that and bring back his mother, too."
A pin-drop silence followed as he stared blankly at the Nine Tails.
What.
How would they even do something like tha–
His eyes grew wide as a thought struck him like a lightning bolt.
Surely, he couldn't mea–
"I do believe your Second Senju invented something that could help us with that. The Impure World Resurrection, if I remember right."
Hiruzen stood there, face as if carved from stone.
How?
How on earth did the Nine Tails even know about this forbidden technique? Only three people alive knew about it, and one of them had no idea of his dealings with the fox.
Could Jiraiya, for whatever reason, have spoken of i–
"Well?"
The Nine Tails' gravelly voice cut through Hiruzen's thoughts like the edge of a kunai.
"You're not going to tell me how you even knew about this, are you?"
The fox answered with one of those infuriating smirks. "And ruin the mystery?"
Ruin the mystery? A muscle jumped in his jaw. This mystery was going to keep him up at night.
He'd never expected a tailed beast to be so oddly helpful and yet so petty.
"It wasn't Jiraiya, if you were wondering."
Hiruzen took a slow, centering breath, watching the smiling fox through narrowed eyes before letting out a tired sigh.
"Lord Tobirama's technique is incomplete. The soul isn't properly anchored and may return to the Pure Land at times. Those summoned lack their full power, and the user cannot control more than a handful of them." And the sheer danger if the recipient somehow learned the inner workings of the jutsu.
The Nine Tails didn't as much as blink at the reveal. Only gave a brief, thoughtful hum while idly tapping a claw on the floor, sending ripples through the water.
Of course he knew about that, too.
"I may have an answer for the soul anchor part, but the rest matters not." He waved a hand dismissively through the air. "We're not bringing her back to fight. She only has to be a mother for the brat."
Mouth tightening, Hiruzen shook his head. "Using the Impure World Resurrection even once would set a grim precedent. I'd rather not cause a stir among my shinobi."
"That's a fair concern."
Hiruzen frowned. He could tell that the fox wasn't about to concede that easily.
"But would they truly be that eager to defy the natural order just to reunite with cold lumps of ash?"
Of course they would. Desperation could push people to unexpected lengths.
"Some would." Hiruzen said, tone clipped and frosty. "And once word gets out, it'll be a matter of time before other villages attempt to steal this technique. A disastrous scenario, to say the least."
It had been deemed forbidden for a reason. The control loophole and human sacrifice were one thing, but if anyone ever improved the Impure World Resurrection…
An icy claw lodged in his chest at the mere thought. With the likes of Orochimaru out there…
The Nine Tails gave another hum. "You could always lie. Say it was my power that brought her back. A mere shade of her former self, forced into a body of ash, alive yet unable to enjoy her living." Black lips peeled back, exposing sharp, ivory fangs. "A fitting punishment for someone who had been my jailer, no?"
A cold feeling gripped Hiruzen's back as he listened, mind racing in circles.
"People would just pity her, poor woman. And it wouldn't even be a lie, for the most part."
He couldn't tell if the fox was being serious or not. With the way he spoke, it almost sounded like the Nine Tails truly meant it as a punishment. But then…
Why would he frame it this way?
What did he even stand to gain from all of this? Punish Kushina and give Naruto his mother back?
Or had he truly meant that as an excuse?
"You'd be willing to go that far?"
The fox merely chuckled. "What's a little more hatred piled onto the mountain? It only tickles me at this point."
Hiruzen's eyes widened a fraction.
So that's what he meant.
Lips drawing a thin line, Hiruzen studied the smiling Nine Tails for a moment longer, before turning away from the cage and heading towards the exit.
"If you want another reason." The fox's amused voice stopped him mid-step. "You know what made her special as a host. An immortal being with her chains?" A harsh chuckle rumbled through the chamber. "You wouldn't get better insurance anywhere else."
A tense, quiet moment passed before Hiruzen resumed his walk, deep lines creasing his brow.
Just when he thought he'd figured out the fox…
Iruka walked down the hallway, a smile on his face. A new day, a new opportunity to help shape the future of the village.
It's only been a little over a month, but this class showed a lot of promise. Seven clan heirs all gathered together. A one in a generation opportunity, which must have been planned since well before.
Though he still wasn't certain what Lord Hokage had intended when he brought that boy with the rest.
Iruka felt a tiny frown pull at his lips.
Memories of that awful night still came to mind whenever he looked at the boy, but…
All this time, Naruto has been trying his best to be a good student and become a great shinobi. Lord Hokage must have seen it before anyone else.
Even if loud and cheeky and irreverent, he was just a hard-working, talented child. If that monster had any power over the boy, surely it would have tried something by no—
As he rounded the corner and the classroom came in sight, the loud noise of arguing children reached his ears.
The hell was this commotion so early on?
A high-pitched, familiar voice briefly rose above the racket, echoing through the hall.
"You think I'm lying? Watch this!"
Iruka couldn't help a sigh. Just what was Naruto up to this time?
Lips pulling into a frown, he stepped inside, gaze sweeping across the classroo—
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
His eyes widened at the surge of chakra—more than he could ever muster in a fight—a puff of smoke filling the back of the room, and—
"What the heck?!"
"What's with the smoke?"
"I can't see anything!"
"Naruto, what did you do?!"
"Don't worry, guys, it's harmless. It's just the jutsu."
"Jutsu?"
"No way…"
The smoke cleared out, and Iruka couldn't believe his eyes.
What the fu—
Was that a real shadow clone?!
He froze mid-step, looking at the identical blond right next to Naruto, matching grins on their faces. A pin-drop silence filled the classroom, everyone staring at Naruto and his clone.
One of the civilian kids, Kenji, repeatedly poked the clone in the arm, jaw slack and a wide eyed look on his face.
"Woah…"
"Believe me now?" Naruto and the clone said in unison, hands on their hips, looking smugly at the other kids.
A moment later, the whole class burst with chatter, half of the kids gathering around Naruto, their mouths running wildly with questions.
"You can do jutsu?!"
"It looks the same as you!"
"Is it real?"
"How did you do that?!"
"This is awesome! Where'd you learn how to do that?"
The clan heirs weren't exempt from the excitement either. Chōji and Kiba had also left their seats to join the crowd at the back, and Ino was looking curiously from her desk.
Even the usually lazy Shikamaru was eyeing the blond intently.
Both Naruto and the clone preened at the attention, wide grins pulling at their cheeks as they shared a look.
"We're pretty amazing, aren't we?"
"'Course we are, ya know!"
They clapped each other's hand, the sound echoing throughout the room, and Iruka's jaw went slack. It was a real shadow clone.
This kid…
Shadow clones when not even six yet… He'd better not get a big head out of this.
Iruka slowly made his way across the classroom, some of the his students noticing his approach, their attention shifting uncertainly between him and the two identical blonds.
The chatter suddenly lulled as the crowd parted at the middle. "Oi, Naruto! Look!" Kiba walked through, head held high and a grin on his face, showing off his forehead and the leaf stuck onto it. "I can do the leaf exercise, too. You're not the only one ahead of the class anymore."
"That's awesome, Kiba! You're gonna be an amazing ninja in no time!"
Kiba puffed his chest a little, preening at the praise. "Wanna see who's the first to do it with two leaves?"
"You bet! We'll do it during lunch break."
"Don't think you can win so easily, though. I asked my mom for more training."
Iruka blinked. Was Naruto starting to motivate the other students?
"Oh, crap. Mr. Iruka's here!" A voice called out from the crowd, and everyone turned around to stare at him.
"Ah, Mr. Iruka!" The blond perked up with a grin, pointing at his also smiling shadow clone. "Look what I can do."
"That's pretty amazing, Naruto." He nodded, smiling back. "But who taught you that jutsu?"
"Oh, I learned it from Toad Gramps."
Toad Gramp—
Iruka's jaw went slack. Lord Jiraiya taught him? But wh—
His eyes widened. The memory transfer. With his abnormally high amount of chakra, Naruto might even rival the likes of Itachi by the time he graduated.
"Mr. Iruka, can you teach us how to do that clone jutsu?" One of the students spoke up, and the chatter reignited anew.
"Oh, that'd be so cool!"
"I wonder how many clones the teacher can do?"
"Yeah, can you—
"Absolutely not." Iruka raised his voice a little, leveling a stern look at the gathered students.
Their faces instantly fell.
"Aww, really?"
"Why?"
"I'll explain after you get back to your seats."
Iruka turned around and made his way to the front of the classroom, though when he looked again, only a few of his students had moved.
Most of the class still kept staring at Naruto and his clone, who suddenly vanished in a plume of smoke.
Another round of chatter spread through the classroom like a fire as the blond made his way back to his seat, though as he passed by Sasuke's desk, the raven haired boy abruptly called out to him.
"How do you have so much chakra?"
Iruka's eyebrows rose a fraction. This was the first time when Sasuke struck up a conversation with Naruto.
Naruto stopped mid-step, meeting the Uchiha's intense stare with a slightly awkward smile. "Uhh…" he said, scratching awkwardly at his head. "I train real hard?"
Iruka felt his mouth twitch in amusement. If only it was that easy.
"I do that too," the Uchiha boy said flatly.
"Train harder?"
Iruka couldn't hold back the smile. That was such a Naruto answer.
But that wouldn't do much, as far as advice went. All shinobi had a limit they couldn't surpass, no matter how hard they tried, and jinchūriki stood above the average ninja like a mountain to a tree.
Sasuke frowned. "If you don't want to tell me, just say so."
"What?" Eyes wide, Naruto shook his head quickly. "No, it's not that, it's just, uhh—I mean, gramps said I was born with a lotta chakra, ya know? I'm really not doing anything special, just normal training."
Going by the look on his face, Sasuke didn't seem to fully believe it.
Not that he could fault him. For those who didn't know about jinchūriki, something like this wouldn't make much sense.
"Gramps?"
"Old man hokage, duh."
"You call Lord Hokage gramps?" Eyebrows knitted, Sasuke mouthed the word as if tasting it and finding it particularly sour.
"Well, yeah?" Naruto shrugged. "He doesn't seem to mind it."
Iruka shook his head. Lord Third would definitely mind it if someone else called him that.
"If you say so."
Iruka's eyes briefly went to the clock on the wall, only to grimace as he saw the time. He should've started the class ten minutes ago.
Brows furrowed, he swept his gaze across the unruly children. "Class, I won't say it again." He raised his voice, enough to pierce the chatter permeating the room. "Settle down."
This time, thankfully, they all complied, quickly going back to their desks and sitting down quietly. Half the students were still stealing glances at Naruto, though.
Iruka sighed tiredly to himself. And this day had started so nicely…
Hiruzen leveled a stern look through the tall bars of the prison, feeling like he aged a full year every time he entered this place.
"Why did you not tell me about Nagato when you spoke of the Rinnegan back then? You made it sound as if it couldn't exist anymore, yet there is clearly a wielder, and you knew about it. Didn't you?"
Head propped lazily on a hand, the Nine Tails met his glare with an amused look.
"Not quite. I only found out recently."
"And you're still not going to tell me how, are you?"
"It doesn't change anything if I do," the fox drawled, his gravely voice carrying a note of amusement. "But I have a theory as to why those eyes have emerged."
"Do tell."
"The chakra of a tailed beast gathers itself upon the death of the host, and thus, we always reform. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume that powerful enough chakra may linger beyond death and perhaps latch onto someone closely related."
Hiruzen's eyes widened a fraction. "Ashura and Indra. Their chakra passed on to their descendants?"
An Uchiha and a Senju. Or Uzumaki. The history of those clans dated so far, it could have happened at any time.
"Quite. Though I believe only one at a time, or else we would have seen many of those eyes by now. And, whoever it was, they must have obtained the chakra of the other."
A frown pulled at Hiruzen's mouth. "Yet an Uzumaki has the Rinnegan."
"Very few can bear its chakra. One needs the body of the Sage to wield the Rinnegan." The fox smiled. "An Uchiha with Indra's chakra could steal the flesh of a Senju who possesses Ashura's—
"Or an Uzumaki could take the Sharingan," Hiruzen said, mouth set in a grim line.
"But either of them could still manage to bear a Rinnegan, even without the chakra of either brother," the Nine Tails said, and Hiruzen felt a chill travel down his back. "Though I assume it would place a heavy burden on their body."
Could Nagato have stolen the Rinnegan from someone else? He doubted that anyone would part willingly with those legendary eyes.
Unless he possessed Ashura's chakra, and managed to awaken them himself…
"This is troubling."
"Nagato is not The Sage. He may possess the eyes, though he is merely a pale shadow of my father. The likes of Minato or the Sannin could manage to deal with him."
Hiruzen fixed the Nine Tails with a frown. "We have a shortage of such shinobi at the present, in case you haven't noticed."
"But you have some forbidden techniques to throw at him." The fox said dismissively. "All you need is one man and the Reaper Seal. Or an army of ash puppets. Those are quite hard to deal with, even for the Human Path."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed into a glare. That jutsu again…
"Or you could deal with him yourself."
He carefully observed the Nine Tails for a reaction, but the fox merely chuckled, that low, gravely voice rattling his bones.
"Perhaps. But for now, I think you should be far more concerned about threats a little closer to your home."
Hiruzen's jaw tensed, those foreboding words echoing in his mind as he readied himself for yet another piece of unsettling news.
"Is there a threat hiding among the leaves that I should know about?"
An amused smile curled the Nine Tails' mouth, and Hiruzen felt a spark of anger heat up his chest. The fox seemed to hold a nearly sadistic joy for burdening him with sleep-depriving knowledge.
"Have you checked the graves of the Senju brothers for any signs of tampering?"
His eyes opened wide, a sinking feeling pulling at his stomach.
Surely, he couldn't mean—
"You thought I spoke of the Impure World Resurrection on a whim? Bringing back the brat's mother would be nice, but you should know by now that I never miss the forest for the trees." Black lips peeled back, exposing a grinning maw, and Hiruzen could only curse in the privacy of his own mind. "A secret shared between two people is no longer a secret. So, tell me, Sarutobi, how tightly secured are you keeping that forbidden scroll of yours?"
A moment of silence passed as that question rang in his ears like a gong. His face felt as if carved from stone as he stared at the amused fox, a piece of leaden ice lodging in the pit of his stomach.
"Are you implying that someone had stolen it?"
"How many people currently alive do you think know how to perform it?"
"One." At least, that's what he foolishly hoped.
The Nine Tails destroyed that hope with another fanged grin. "Try perhaps two." The fox chuckled, and Hiruzen's blood turned to ice.
"Who?"
"Your wayward student, Orochimaru."
That name nearly scalded his ears.
How. When?
"I keep that scroll in my own ho—" he hissed, only for his eyes to widen and words to die in his throat.
"The good snake must have visited on more than one occasion, back when the two of you were still closely acquainted. He's always been quite slippery, hasn't he?"
Hiruzen clenched his jaw, mind awhirl.
He didn't want to believe his former student would betray his trust in such a way, but then again… he'd done much worse, hadn't he?
And if all this turned out true, then… One more thing that foolish boy had spat upon.
How many times had Orochimaru trampled upon his trust before he openly betrayed the village?
"If Orochimaru knows that jutsu…" Hiruzen sighed tiredly, mouth drawing a tense line. That could have consequences beyond the pale.
"I'd advise to keep around an expert in the sealing arts, just in case the snake decides to visit with an army of immortal ash puppets."
Hiruzen felt a chill crawl down his spine at the mere thought. He still wanted to believe that Orochimaru would not stoop so low, but he knew better than to take that risk.
"Like Kushina."
The fox smiled knowingly. "If her chains can hold me down, I don't doubt they would suppress a mere puppet."
Hiruzen glared at the Nine Tails for a quiet moment, feeling a pressure start building behind his eyes. A headache. Wonderful…
"Why didn't you tell me this from the beginning?"
"I've been alive for ages." The fox gestured lazily with a hand in something that might have resembled a shrug. "Sometimes, even I happen to forget a thing or two."
Hiruzen met the tailed beast's amused eyes with a flat look. That was an excuse, and they both knew it.
He would have an easier time believing that the Nine Tails simply enjoyed giving him sleepless nights.
"Anything else that you might have happened to forget?"
The rhetoric bite in his words did nothing but draw a smirk from the fox.
"Did you know that your old friend, Danzō, is still rather closely acquainted with your dear wayward student?"
He's what.
"Oh? You didn't know, did you?"
The fox's amused voice made Hiruzen bristle. "What do you know," he spoke through gritted teeth. "Tell me."
That fanged smile stretched a little wider. "Well, if you asked so nicely, one thing that comes to mind is how Danzō was the one who ordered and funded Orochimaru's research into Wood Release."
Hiruzen inhaled sharply. He did what.
His mouth drew a tense line.
Danzō…
He knew his old friend better than anyone else, and Danzō could have gone that far if it meant regaining Lord First's lost bloodline.
Orochimaru had managed to keep his twisted experiments hidden under their noses for so long. If he'd had Danzō covering for him the entire time…
Hiruzen's face turned grim. He couldn't act rashly here. The Nine Tails had yet to lie, but… he'd known Danzō for so long, and the man acted in the interest of the village, even though he sometimes went too far.
Hiruzen let out a tired sigh. He needed to hear Danzō's side of the story, too.
He looked the Nine Tails in the eye, face as if carved from stone. "Anything else you want to tell me?" he asked, tone clipped, but the fox merely answered with that infuriating smile of his.
"Since we're already on the topic of the snake, why don't you make use of his infamy for a change?" The fox had barely spoken a sentence, and Hiruzen could already feel his headache getting worse.
Use Orochimaru's infamy? He had a feeling that he might regret asking, but, after all these revelations, he just wished to get to the bottom of it, even if only out of morbid curiosity.
"In what way?"
"Why, you could easily use Orochimaru as the scapegoat for Kushina's resurrection." What. "You wouldn't even have to name the jutsu itself. The snake has quite the reputation for deranged experiments, and he kept more than a few secrets from the village, didn't he? This could easily be another one of his unknown, failed attempts at researching immortality."
Hiruzen rubbed with two fingers at his brow, though it did little to lessen the growing headache.
His wayward student's obsession with eternal life should not be a secret to those who knew him. Some might even expect him to have extensively studied the Uzumaki's potent life-force and longevity.
It sounded far-fetched to his ears, but it was still better than that absurd idea to place the blame on the Nine Tails. The last thing he needed was to panic the civilians with the idea that the fox could somehow resurrect people into a facsimile of life to torture them.
Hiruzen's gaze went back to the cage, a spike of annoyance flaring in his chest at the slight curl on the fox's snout. Did he have to be so smug about it?
"You could have Jiraiya be the one who discovered her while investigating one of Orochimaru's hideouts. Perhaps along with notes that claim her as yet another failed research in the snake's pursuit of immortality," the Nine Tails said, voice darkly amused. "And who knows? Perhaps he even robbed Kushina's grave at some point in the past?"
Lips pursed, Hiruzen exhaled a weary breath. The idea had some merit, but…
"When Orochimaru finds out, he might take great delight in unearthing the truth," he pointed out, but the fox seemed to have an answer ready even for this.
"Or he might find your sheer audacity quite amusing and simply reap the benefits. And even if he tried to expose it, the word of a traitor against the word of a Kage? You would have plenty of time to spin the narrative however you wish."
Hiruzen considered it for a moment, his frown deepening. Such a rumor would easily draw the desperate into the man's clutches.
"So now we are indirectly strengthening Orochimaru?" He arched a brow, to which the Nine Tails merely scoffed.
"He is just one man. You could lay a trap and easily dispose of him."
Hiruzen couldn't refute that, falling quiet as a dull pang ached in his chest. He would have to do something about his wayward student at some point, wouldn't he?
Yuzu stopped before the imposing gate, peering curiously into the darkness, a familiar silhouette lying within.
The Nine Tail—Kurama—opened his eyes, watching her through the giant bars of the cage.
"Your chakra feels brighter."
That gave her pause.
Busy with Karin and their new home, she hadn't paid much attention, though she felt a little better when she woke up this morning. It's only been three days, yet that bone deep exhaustion seemed to have lessened somewhat.
Now that nobody drained her chakra from sunrise to sunset anymore, maybe she'd slowly recover…
A tiny smile came to her face as she took a step closer to the gate. "It's thanks to you."
"Mostly." His mouth curled wryly. "The old monkey made the call to bring you here."
Old monke—ah, that had to be the Lord Hokage.
Her lips twitched a little wider. If anyone could get away with calling a village leader names, it had to be a tailed beast.
"If you wanted, I could help speed your recovery."
His words reached her ears, yet, for a moment, she found herself staring, wondering if she heard him wrong. She searched his face, brows knitting ever so slightly.
He wanted to help her? And with such a thing? How would he even do it?
Part of her couldn't ignore the doubt worming in her mind, though another part just wanted to believe. Kurama said it himself last time, didn't he? If he went that far to bring them here safely, why would he try to harm her at all?
She was just worrying for no reaso—
Her eyes widened. "Is that why you wished to see me?"
"Not really." He propped his chin on a hand, letting out an amused puff of air. "There aren't many people I can talk to, you see."
The blunt honesty in his tone gave her pause. That… sounded a little sad…
But…
"How would you even do something like that?"
"With my chakra, of course."
She blinked, holding his amused gaze, lips pursed.
Could his chakra even do such a thing? She'd never heard about tailed beasts healing someone. Even less about Kurama.
"Isn't your chakra damaging to anyone else?"
The fox smiled knowingly. "Not when freely given."
"And you could heal me? Truly?"
She wanted to believe, but… even those of her clan could not achieve such a great feat without paying a steep price.
A life for a life. Life-force could not be restored otherwise.
Or so she thought…
Kurama shifted within the cage, drawing a little closer to the gate, ruby eyes watching her intently. Her body tensed a little, heart picking up in her chest, but she forced herself to stay calm. These giant bars were the only thing between them, and he could easily reach a claw through the gap if he wished—
She took a deep, fortifying breath, pushing those thoughts out of her mind.
The cold feeling lodged in her stomach urged her to step back or run, yet she couldn't feel any hostility coming from the fox.
She wasn't in any danger.
"Every tailed beast has a unique aspect to their chakra." His deep, gravely voice broke the quiet, echoing throughout the chamber. "Mine is rejuvenation. It will restore your life-force, given enough time."
She'd never heard about this until now, even in the old legends of her clan. She knew the others held a unique power each, but nobody had ever spoken about Kurama's.
Had the knowledge been lost to the ages? Or… was this the first time he ever offered to do something like this? For her?
Kurama remained quiet, waiting patiently for her answer, lips curled ever so slightly in what almost resembled a friendly smile.
She had never imagined that he would be so nice to her. She wasn't sure why, perhaps just because he wanted her to take care of the boy, but he acted nothing like people claimed a tailed beast would be.
Slowly, a tiny smile bloomed across her face. Those old legends rang true after all.
"Alright. Let's try it." She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, watching him curiously. "How does it work?"
Smile growing wider, Kurama reached an arm through the gap between the bars, but she made no move, even though her heart once more thundered in her chest. Clawed fingers pulled into a fist, held steadily in front of her.
"Do you know how to mould chakra?"
She nodded. She knew that much from what little training she'd managed to get from her parents before the Whirlpool fell.
"Then touch my hand and strike your chakra against mine."
She wasn't sure how that would help, but she clenched her hand and rested it against Kurama's fist, guiding her chakra until it touched his own, and—
She took a sharp breath, eyes flying wide as a rush of energy, warm as the spring sun, coursed through her arm, and then she felt—
A spark of warmth, just like a gentle hand resting in comfort atop her shoulder.
She met Kurama's gaze, and, in that moment, finally understood that pleased look in his eyes.
He wasn't making fun of her.
He just enjoyed having someone in here. Enjoyed her company.
And that pleasant feeling from before, lingering in her mind like a fond memory…
He truly wanted to help her. Genuinely so.
His warm chakra flooded through her veins, pooling in the spiral within her stomach, where it mixed with her own. She followed its course, moments passing quietly as she just let herself enjoy the feeling, and then it stopped, as abruptly as it began, leaving a part of her wanting for more.
Kurama pulled away his arm, her gaze moving from her hand, back to the cage, as the fox sat cross-legged, palms resting on his knees.
It took her a moment to find her voice, the words spilling past her lips, barely above a whisper. "What was that?"
Kurama smiled down at her, a knowing look in his eyes. "Ninshū and the gift of chakra."
Ninshū?
An old memory surfaced to mind, her jaw slackening ever so slightly. "From the old legends with the Sage of Six Paths?"
His lips stretched a little further. "Indeed."
The Sage, his ninshū, and the tailed beasts… Her clan had the truth all along yet they dismissed most of it as old, far-fetched legends.
She took a glance at her hands, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, before meeting Kurama's amused gaze. "I feel like I just woke up from a good night's rest."
"And you will feel even better, soon enough." He propped his chin on a hand, though his smile dimmed a little. "I can't give you much at a time with the seal in the way." It could've been her imagination, but he almost sounded disappointed for a moment. "But you may visit whenever you wish. It shouldn't take me longer than a few months to restore your life-force to what it had once been."
The words left her staring, eyes wide. That sounded almost too good to be true.
How long has it been since she could look in the mirror and not see someone twice her age?
If only she could somehow get rid of those ugly reminders littering her body…
"Thank you." She wasn't sure what else to say. "You've done all this even though you had no reason to…"
What she felt from him when their chakras touched… it spoke more than a thousand words ever could.
"You are the children of the Sage," he told her simply. "That's enough of a reason."
She blinked, mouth opening a little, only to fall back shut. Ashura and Indra…
Another old tale that turned out more than just a legend.
She nibbled at the inside of her lip, searching Kurama's face for a moment.
"That's it?"
An amused puff of air escaped the fox. "Sometimes, things are that simple in life. Humans usually overcomplicate matters."
She felt a smile tug at her lips. Sometimes, it was easy to forget his age, but Kurama was older than her clan.
As they lapsed into an oddly comfortable silence, Kurama shifted around, resting his head on his haunches, a strange gleam shining in his eyes. A moment later, he spoke, a curious note in his usually gruff voice. "Karin is around Naruto's age, isn't she?"
She nodded, not quite sure where he was heading with this. "Why are you asking?"
"I think it would be wise for her to receive ninja training."
Her smile vanished, an icy feeling lodging in her chest. "I'd rather she didn't have to."
She didn't want her daughter to live this kind of life, but… she doubted she had much of a choice. The Leaf had brought them here, offered them shelter and food, and the Hokage even suggested to officially instate the Uzumaki clan.
Nobody made any demands of her just yet, but, for all of that… surely they had to give something in return.
"Truly, I'd rather have her just live a quiet life away from danger, but…" she trailed off, meeting Kurama's understanding gaze.
"But you know that she doesn't have too many choices."
"If any, at all." She nodded, a bitter smile crossing her face, as Kurama gave a weary sigh.
"Some will try to exploit the two of you, regardless. Becoming a ninja would, at least, make her strong enough to protect herself from those who would otherwise easily exploit her."
Her jaw clenched at the mere thought.
That too…
Little Karin should never have to go through what she did while they lived under the generosity of Grass.
"Sometimes, I truly wish we never inherited any of these bloodlines…"
The words spilled past her lips in barely above a whisper, and part of her wondered why she even said these things to a tailed beast of all people, but… Kurama had been nothing but nice to her so far, and it was nice having someone who would just listen to her woes.
"You might despise it for what it brought you, but your bloodline is a gift."
"A gift…" Those words tasted like ash on her tongue.
"It is the legacy of my father. The legacy of the Sage."
Her eyes flew wide. "You mean…?"
Kurama's lips stretched with a knowing smile. "Your stories never spoke of that, did they?"
No, they didn't.
A beat of silence passed as she just stared at him, mouth opening, only to close again. His words from earlier were starting to make even more sense.
"But… how?"
How did the Sage create these nine forces of nature given shape? Had he truly been that mighty?
"That's quite the lengthy tale. I wouldn't mind sharing it in full, but perhaps another time." His smile turned a little cheeky, and she felt a pang of disappointment, though nodded along nonetheless.
A quiet but gravely chuckle reached her ears. "Don't look so disappointed. Tomorrow is a day, too, isn't it?"
A flash of heat burned at her ears as she briefly averted her gaze. That showed on her face, didn't it?
Thankfully, Kurama didn't seem interested in poking any fun at her.
"Are you fond of us because we are the children of the Sage?" She felt a little silly for asking it out loud, but Kurama merely regarded her, crimson eyes not even the tiniest bit judging.
"That certainly is part of the reason." His mouth curled with a tinge of amusement. "The rest should be obvious by now."
Because they were family to the boy…
A tiny smile chanced at her lips. She was getting to understand him a little better.
"And speaking of which, it seems that your daughter has inherited more than meets the eye."
She blinked, her brow creasing ever so slightly.
Karin had never spoken about her mind's eye to anyone. How did he even learn of it?
"You can tell?"
"I am a being of chakra, of course I can tell." Kurama smirked, looking rather smug with his head perched like that on his arms.
Ah, so that was why. It made sense—
"The feel of her chakra speaks for itself. She bears the full bloodline of the Uzumaki."
She inhaled sharply, eyes going wide open. Part of her hoped he was jesting, but the grave look on his face brought a sinking feeling to her stomach.
"She has the chains, too."
Karin…
"She does. Her chakra is not strong enough to manifest them yet, but I'd never mistake that feeling for anything else. I've spent many years around a similar chakra in the past."
She wanted to be happy for her daughter, and yet…
That icy feeling from before returned twofold, twisting in a tight and heavy knot that lodged deeply in her stomach. "Does anyone else know of this?"
"No."
The weight somewhat lessened at that. "Keep it that way. Please." They did not need another reason to go after her daughter. If they wanted the healing chakra, she'd give it to them, but if they found out about the chains…
Kurama raised his head, leaning closer to the gate, lips curled in a smirk. "You would keep a potent means to suppress me a secret from the village?"
If it meant that Karin would be safer… of course she would.
"I've been here for less than a week." She couldn't keep the bitterness from seeping in her voice. It might be the Leaf, but one mistake had nearly cost her everything once… "I am among strangers, and life so far had taught me to not be too trusting with them."
A day ago, she might have treated him the same, but now… after he shared his chakra with her like that, she couldn't truly call him a stranger anymore, could she?
And they were his efforts that ultimately brought the two of them here, weren't they?
"Very well." His amused voice carried throughout the chamber, and her shoulders sagged a little in relief. "They'll find out eventually, no secret lasts forever, though she should be strong enough by then."
"Thank you," she said, pushing as much gratitude as she could in her voice, watching as his smile grew, dark lips peeling back to reveal sharp, ivory fangs.
"I may be playing nice with the Leaf, but you and I are not so different after all. We're not too trusting with strangers, even if we share a village with them."
She'd never thought about it like that, but now that he said it out loud… she could see it.
A small smile slowly came to her lips.
It made sense. They were both the children of the Sage, weren't they?
Danzō took a sip from his warm tea, enjoying the fragrant aroma before setting the cup back on the table with a soft clack. His thoughts once more went to that talk with Hiruzen from two days before, mouth curling slightly into a frown.
He never thought that his old friend still had it in him. It was good for the village, yet still left the taste of ash lingering in his mouth.
To miss such an opportunity…
His frown deepened.
The girl could have been a great asset for his Root, a pure blood Uzumaki, likely with their powerful bloodline running through her veins. He'd seen what they could do, back when he was much younger, the memories all too vivid in his mind.
A shame her mother seemed to lack even the most basic of shinobi training. She had her value as a village asset, but none as a kunoichi.
Lips pursing in thought, Danzō took another sip from his cup.
A waste, but perhaps not everything was lost. They could still be crucial assets for the village.
Ideally, he would have the girl join the Academy and train to become a medic-nin. If she possessed the same bloodline as her mother, she would have the potential to rival Tsunade.
Though even if she didn't, she would still be a keystone to revive a dying Clan. The jinchūriki had great potential, and their union should restore the bloodline to what it had once been. Her mother could still contribute, but only fools placed all their kunai in a single holster.
Danzō sucked at his teeth, gaze shifting to the lone scroll resting on his table, a spark of curiosity teasing at the back of his mind.
A rather sudden request, but it had been a while since Hiruzen last summoned him to have a talk. And in the light of these recent developments… mayhaps his old friend was finally ready to act as a Hokage should?
He took another sip of tea, a flicker of amusement tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Placing the empty cup back on the table, his gaze briefly traveled to the door and the courtyard beyond as he kneaded some of his chakra before flaring it in a quick pattern.
Terai appeared by the entrance, quickly dropping to a knee.
"Your orders, Lord Danzō?"
He regarded the man for a quiet moment, his good hand laid flat atop his thigh.
Head bowed, Terai stood still like a statue, his cloak looking as if aflame in the setting sun. A weighty task like this would take nothing less than the best of his Foundation.
He would have preferred Fū, but that man had more important matters to attend to.
"Gather a team and search the coast and islands from Mist to Cloud." Danzō spoke, voice measured. "See if you find anyone, be it civilian or shinobi, who might show signs of Uzumaki lineage. Bright, red hair. Strong chakra. Prowess in the sealing arts. And either of their three bloodline limits. The chakra chains, a potent sensory ability, or rejuvenating chakra." His lone eye narrowed. "If you do, attempt to convince them to come willingly, or, if that fails, bring them to me by force."
The words hung in the air for a moment before Terai inclined his head even further.
"As you will, Lord Danzō."
With a spike of chakra, the man vanished in a puff of smoke.
Giving the scroll on his table another glance, Danzō rose to his feet, gaze drifting out the window, to the imposing monument at the back of the village and the face of his mentor immortalized into the rock.
He might have missed one opportunity, but there had to be more Uzumaki hidden around the world. It was time to bring them where they belonged.