Work Text
Chapter 1: Chapter 1
TITLE: COMPOUND
CHAPTER ONE
Gonda was a random village of the Leaf and was three miles from the nearest big town. The village hoped that it would turn into a big town, but once the rumours of a Shinobi base being constructed beneath it started, everyone assumed that it would forever remain a small village, unnoticeable on the map.Although the villagers debated whether there was a base under the village or not, a compound was constructed several feet below. It wasn't anything big and only had 4-5 rooms, a pantry, a kitchen and a training ground. The training ground was quite big, a 40m by 60m semi-levelled field with boulders and rocks here and there."Have you ever read one of those manga for 14-year-olds boss?"Naruto, in the middle of push-ups with a boulder attached to his back, decided to spring that question onto his teacher for idle talk. The training ground was lit with bulbs on the roof, which provided quite a training mood in Naruto's opinion."And this is why you are lagging nowadays? Reading comics at 18?"Flipping a page, Kakashi decided he was going to be a dick, not just an average one, but a ginormous one to his protégé. There were multiple joys in the life of a ninja, but annoying people was just a pleasure."Comics are made in Sand, Leaf creates manga. But that's not the point! The point is why is anything older than 17 considered 'old'? Do they think that life ends at 20?" Naturally, anyone who just reached 18, would take offence to being called 'old'."Yes, yes, your general dislike for most of society's traditions is known by everyone around you. But imagine," using lightning and flame techniques to create theatrics was necessary, no matter what anybody told him, "An 18-year-old Uzumaki Naruto, who reads comics in his spare time, lags on his training, has absolutely dumpster fire control over four paths, is now whining about a literary medium aimed at 14-year-olds calling 18-year-olds older!""I was just trying to make conversation here! And they called anyone aged 18 old, not older. Third-degree boss!""18 is always bigger than 14. I mean, I expected you to know this, but see there are these things called numbers, and they go 1,2,3,4,5- ""Oh, you're in one of those moods. What happened, got rejected like last time?""A ninja doesn't get rejected- ""Sounds like no regard to consent from me.""Stop twisting words, I meant that- ""I mweant that I did not gwet rejwectwed, because I am so awesome and cool, and have so many jutsu that I definitely have and do not lie about, and have a giant penis, that I again do not lie about because I am so awesome and never lie despite being a serial liar and hair that looks like a granny's and- ack!" A random fish hitting him square in the face cut off the ongoing tirade. The boulder flew off and landed a few metres away as Naruto sat cross-legged while rubbing his face.Kakashi, who was clearly in a mood, decided to antagonize his student, "Now then, since you have exceeded your little smart-ass tirade time, you can get to training! And by training, I mean rote memorising random stuff! How joyful!""Wow, is it your time of the month? I swear you are being extra petty on purpose. Where did you get the fish from though?" Snatching a scroll from midair that was thrown in his general direction, he continued, "Economic Systems of the hidden villages? C'mon boss! You kept this around just to torture me! This is unfair!"Kakashi, however, was fully intent on ignoring any pleas being thrown at him. Naruto was pretty sure that this sadist was taking a lot of pleasure in his suffering. "My young protégé, you must realise that no knowledge is excess knowledge." Leaning conspiratorially over his student, Kakashi started, "What if, one day, you get stuck somewhere where you must save a princess's kingdom from financial doom? What will you do then, Naruto?"Shouting, Naruto replied, "I don't wanna save random princesses! Who cares where her kingdom goes? Isn't the financial instability her fault?'"Is it her fault? Yes. But, as everyone knows, saving princesses means getting lucky with them! Do you really want to give that up Naruto?""This is all made up! When will I ever save a princess? There's a bigger chance that I accidentally find a kingdom of ramen bowls!"Kakashi sighed, acting as a Buddha who couldn't for the life of him depart wisdom onto his unruly student. "Fine then, since you don't get the importance of saving princesses, you can study that until you do! Maybe one day, you will see the light, till then you can keep reading that book," Kakashi pulled down his mask to reveal his evil smile, accentuated by an illusion to make it seem scarier, "Over and over and repeatedly until you get it. Hehe," the ominous chuckle sent a shiver down Naruto's spine.Gulping down his nervousness, he decided to make one final plea before Kakashi decided to put his plans in motion, "I swear, that I won't be a smartass for a whole week boss. Please rescind your generosity.""No no, how could you train in other fields when you have such a fascinating subject here! I heard the joy from the depths of your heart and acted on it immediately! Look at what we have here," randomly opening the book, Kakashi gestured to the first title that caught his eye, "You can now study about GDP of countries! Look at all these words, such a good time you have in front of you!""I can do both. They act like two legends cannot co-exist.""You still get to indulge in this book for an hour extra. What do you think about being a smartass now, hmm?""I am sorry boss. It will happen again.""You can be an insufferable brat sometimes. We start progress on the fourth realm after you are done reading." Kakashi decided to drop down on the floor with no signs of being uncomfortable, opening a book of his own. Since he was delegated to reading, and being sure that his teacher would quiz him randomly, Naruto decided it was in his best interests to gobble as much as he could.Kakashi was a figure that filled him with many emotions. Rage, curiosity and annoyance were the ones at the top, but Kakashi also inspired a feeling of awe in him. Naruto knew that he was what they called gifted, as he was born with an innate affinity to all realms of the sixfold path, but so was his teacher. In fact, in all his 6 years of learning under Kakashi, he had never surpassed him in anything. Ever since he was 12, his schedule was packed. He rarely went outside the compound and spent most of his time either training or lazing inside. His contact with other people was minuscule, to say the least, and in all his six years of learning, Kakashi had never run out of things to teach.Even now, Naruto was sure that his teacher knew this entire book and could answer any question he could put up from it. Kakashi for him was what the model Shinobi was supposed to be.Kakashi, who had been observing Naruto in between his reading, knew what was going on in his mind. When he was young, he had the same thoughts about his teacher, and he remembered when he thought that he could never surpass Minato.'Every student thinks that', a little Kakashi dressed as an angel cried out from his right shoulder, 'We did too! And look where we ended up!''We surpassed Minato-sensei in the end!' Another voice called out from his left. Another Kakashi, looking like a devil continued, 'Even though I don't wanna agree with him,' a brief headbutting match occurred between the two Kakashi's.The two Kakashi's vanished when he pocketed his book and stood up, causing Naruto to look up in anticipation, 'Looking forward to the sixfold training, no doubt.''Chuckling to himself, at which Naruto raised his eyebrows, Kakashi lifted his leg and shot out a devastating kick to the sitting Naruto, blasting him 30 or so metres away into a boulder, and then through the boulder. "The Sixfold-Path training now begins!" he shouted in an all too cheery voice.The six-fold path of Shinobi referred to the six realms a Shinobi could master. In history, those who mastered all of them were titled 'The Sage of Six Paths', and only a handful had ever held onto that title.Every man had chakra running through the body, but the realms required specific frequencies of chakra. Each man was born with a fixed quantity of Chakra, called 'Vitality', and only those with high enough vitality could train in the Sixfold Path. The rate of generating extra Chakra which is used in techniques was dependent on the inherent vitality of a person, and by exerting the body and the mind, new chakra could be created in the stomach and used accordingly. To use something pertaining to a realm, specific frequency chakra must be created in the stomach. Depending on the body, a certain amount of all types of frequencies could be stored for immediate use.The first of the six realms referred to Hand-to-hand combat. Swords, staffs, maces, hands, and everything related to martial arts were a part of this realm. Because the realm was the most widely used one, the frequency used was given its own name, Qi. Healing arts were a part of this.The second realm was nature transformation and manipulation. Manipulating any of the five elements, combining them and so on was part of this one. The frequency used was not given any general name, as it combined the frequencies of the first and third realms.The third realm dealt with illusions, their creation and their destruction. This realm was the smallest of all six but had the highest skill ceiling of the first three. The frequency used was Yin.Everyone had a different affinity decided by birth regarding the six realms. Some could create the first two but failed to create the frequency necessary for the third realm. Samurai could get by knowing only Qi, but Shinobi had mandatory rules that the basic three frequencies must be produced by an aspirant. The last three realms ran on pure chakra but still needed affinity. The Elite of each nation had mastered all basic three realms, and the masters of all six realms were the leaders of the military alongside a handful of more people. The ones who had mastered the realms beyond measure were called the Sage of Six Paths.As such, the fourth realm was nature itself. To take in chakra from nature and use it without succumbing to the lands was the fourth realm. Some deemed these as 'Sage Arts'.The fifth realm was much more abstract and dealt with concepts. To embody a concept and to etch it onto one's body was the fifth realm. Concepts could be repeated, but only one concept could be embodied by a man. The concept to be embodied was based not on the desires of a man, but on his nature.The Sixth realm was the final realm, was the one with the highest skill ceiling. The mixing of the realms was a realm in and of itself, and this was the sixth realm.There is no definite order to mastering the realms, the sixth one can be used earlier to combine the smaller first three before learning any of the latter advanced three realms. While the fifth realm may be stronger than the third one, a master of the basic three could beat a master of the fifth realm. There was no hierarchy between the realms, and knowing a realm higher than one's opponent was not a sure indicator of victory.Wheezing from the pain of the kick, Naruto shakily stood up. "Out of," cough, "Out of fucking nowhere!"Kakashi smiled while pulling up his mask, "You should've been looking out for the intent ever since I stood up."Naruto ran forward in a blur leaving craters in the ground and shot out his leg in a mid-air kick, which Kakashi easily ducked under. Grabbing him by the elbow, Kakashi threw him up in the air. Regaining his balance, Naruto sped through hand signs in mid-air, before shooting out a great gust of wind, which propelled him away.'A modified Great Breakthrough,' Kakashi guessed, before shooting out a giant fireball without hand signs. The flame, strengthened by the wind, sped towards Naruto, who slammed his hands on the floor, "Mud Wall!"Vapour covered the field, and Kakashi sped through the wall, breaking it into chunks and stabbed a short sword through Naruto. Naruto instead let the blade pass through him and grabbed the real Kakashi who burst from underneath him."Getting the hang of illusions?" Kakashi smiled, before bursting into lightning which paralysed Naruto, and another three Kakashi's burst from underneath and swung for his head. Naruto turned and caught a punch from another Kakashi who dropped from above and let the three Kakashi illusions punch through him."Gotcha!" Naruto shouted, before slamming Kakashi hard onto the ground, and continued with by mounting him and raining down punches. Kakashi thrust his waist up, throwing Naruto away and firing off another jutsu before he could recover.Naruto heard a "Lightning Hound!" from Kakashi before he could recover and barely dodged a stream of homing lightning closing in on him. The lightning turned back and sped to him again. Naruto moved right at the last moment and the lightning crashed onto the ground with a crackle. It turned out to be a bad move as Kakashi had predicted it and Naruto's face met Kakashi's fist with a resounding thud and Kakashi quickly manoeuvred the blonde in an arm bar.Naruto rolled towards Kakashi before he could complete the arm bar and bent his arm under him. Kakashi stood up and stomped hard on Naruto's back, driving him to the ground. Naruto rolled over and grabbed Kakashi's leg before he could pull it back and kicked his other leg making him lose balance. Kakashi fell and Naruto seized the moment to fire off another jutsu, "Lightning Palace!", which created torrents of lightning that coursed through a 5m circumference.Kakashi showed his resilience and moved through the lightning, casting the signs for, "Mud Wave!" and created a giant moving wave from the Earth, which threw Naruto several metres away. Naruto stood up and seemingly split into three and charged Kakashi, who charged back. The two clones kicked him through the sides while the middle Naruto held out his hand and created a ball of rotating chakra, "Rasengan!"Kakashi was hit in the middle and was quickly replaced by a log. He appeared a few metres back and fired off, "Flame Dragons!", which created 6 dragons eight times the size of Naruto, all of which homed in on him.Naruto quickly created Qi and let it course through his body. "Niko: Raging Fire!" was a technique that allowed movements far beyond the normal limits of the user. Running through the flaming dragons while dodging Kakashi bursting from the ground, Naruto sped through the room, causing the dragons to crash into one other.Naruto turned back just as Kakashi appeared behind him and shot out a "Niko: Iron breaker!". Guarding himself with "Niko: Indestructible", Naruto still felt air wheeze out of his lungs as he was thrown back twenty or so metres. Managing to stay on his feet despite being sent metres away, fifteen puffs of smoke signalled the creation of fifteen clones as all of them charged Kakashi."Niko: Weeping Willow!" allowed Kakashi to grab onto one of the clones and send it to another, before shouting "Flame Palace!", which created white flames all around him in a 5m radius. The flames and the smoke from the clones bursting allowed Naruto to sneak from behind. Kakashi didn't manage to turn in time and could barely use "Indestructible" to defend, as Naruto fired off "Senjutsu x Niko: Blazing Steel!" which hit Kakashi square in the back. The white-haired man was thrown off to the other side and hit the wall creating a crater.Normally, giving up on such an opening was a bad idea, but something in Naruto told him that this was not the time. Against all his rationality, Naruto quickly started taking in as much Nature Chakra as he could, while tensing up his muscles to create 'Indestructible". He held a guard in front of him with his arms, while shielding his face."Fifth Realm," was all Naruto heard as he went spinning in the air. All his defences turned out for nought as a wave of something hit him square in the middle, his arms spasmed as they turned numb and fell to the side. "Avatar of Lightning," Kakashi whispered, as his bones, muscles and his entire being turned into electricity. Electricity crackled around him as he floated in the air, shining bright enough to illuminate the entire compound.Looking down at Naruto, Kakashi landed near him as he powered down. The blonde was caught off guard and tried jumping back to create more distance between them."All right, that's enough," Kakashi called out."What? I can keep fighting, you-" Naruto shouted, before fainting in the middle of his boast. The spasms from before travelled all the way to his chest and head, and he lost consciousness before he knew it. He would've hit the ground face first had Kakashi not grabbed him, before hauling him on his shoulder and moving inside the compound."Sleep well?" Kakashi asked a just now awakened Naruto in his bed who rubbed his eyes and stretched like a cat. "You lost, again if I might add," Kakashi quipped playfully from his seat beside the blonde."The fifth realm is cheating!" Naruto exclaimed, before rolling up like a burrito in his blanket and sulking over his loss."We are Shinobi," Kakashi absent-mindedly reminded him while sipping on a cup of tea. "You have got the basics of the Fourth Realm down at least, so you weren't slacking after all."Ignoring Naruto's shouts about how he wasn't and how he never believed him, Kakashi continued, "The first step of the fourth realm is to take in chakra from nature and to combine it with an action without breaking open your body.""Yeah, I can do that. Besides that, I can also take in chakra from nature and integrate it with my own and store it, but the combining breaks down when I move and all the stored chakra releases back.""Control problem is something to be expected. This is advanced stuff, after all. People spend better parts of their lives learning Sage Arts and fail. You are doing exceedingly well in that regard.""Not good enough to beat you apparently though?" came a voice from the Naruto Burrito."I am running out of things to hit you with that won't hurt you too much," Kakashi admitted. "Training will get difficult here from now on, I will start integrating Sage Arts into my own strikes, and to at least survive you will need to complete the Second step of the Fourth Realm. The Third Step is easier compared to the Second.""What happens in the Third step?" Naruto unrolled himself out of the burrito and looked at Kakashi questioningly."The Third step involves taking in chakra from nature as in the First step, but as the integration of chakras in the First step is iffy- ""Output drops by a lot," Naruto finished. "By mastering the second step, integration is near 100 per cent, and thus output is vastly increased as long as one meditates to store nature chakra," he continued."That's about right, and thus in the third step, the first and second steps combine. Take in nature chakra and integrate it one hundred per cent, but do not store it and continuously take more, thereby removing the time limit imposed by the second step and output limitation by the first step.""I'll need to master the second step first, though," Naruto whined while twisting and turning on his bed. "Man, when am I gonna beat you?""Soon, I hope. It's in your hands," Kakashi chirped. Naruto sulked even more at that, turning himself into a burrito once more.Just as Naruto was in the process of turning himself into a burrito, Kakashi said, "Just to boost your mood up, I'll let you know that we have a mission- ""A mission! After so long! Fuck yeah!" "Not that fast- "It's been so long I thought they forgot about us- " "NARUTO!" boomed Kakashi."Sorry," Naruto apologised sheepishly. Patience was not a virtue the blonde had learned yet, Kakashi thought, but then again, he still had much more to learn.Kakashi stood up and shot the blonde an unimpressed glance, "We move out tomorrow morning, be ready by then. Rest for the day," seeing him about to defy his suggestion, he warned "I mean it. Rest. You will have plenty of stimulus tomorrow.""Is it big? This mission? You are unnaturally serious." Kakashi being serious before missions was rare. Those were solo missions undertaken by Kakashi, so this was intriguing."Big? Not really," Kakashi interjected, "But my gut feeling is all sorts of messed up. When you become an experienced Shinobi, you will understand what it means to have a feel. When something is off, you will feel it in your body.""Wow, this a first in a long time that you actually sound mature and smart.""And this, I feel in my balls.""Ruined it. You ruined it."END CHAPTER ONEIt's not the best, but it gets better as i write on; trust me.REVIEW!
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CHAPTER TWOA dimly lit morgue, a mission concerning a plague that has spread through a remote community in the middle of nowhere.Standing in place of Naruto was a rather unremarkable man, who appeared to be in his early twenties. Kakashi was playing the role of the 'uncle' and looked like an older version of Naruto's appearance. The doctor who oversaw the morgue was a tall man with a head full of white hair. His face was quite remarkable, and he could easily be dubbed as 'handsome.' At the moment, he was going through a file, before stopping and taking out a pen, which he began to twirl around.He continued twirling his pen and stared directly into Kakashi's eyes. "The authorities explicitly instructed us to keep everything about this plague a secret. We have made sure that even the villagers are unaware of it," he said nervously. Naruto realized that the authorities referred to the government of the Fire Nation, and the doctor must have been warned about the consequences of divulging the information.""We appreciate your cooperativeness doctor and are very thankful for it, but time is of the essence here. Can you debrief us on the disease again?" Kakashi stated, reassuring the nervous doctor. The doctor placed the file in his lab coat before switching to professional mode. He started pacing around the room before making a beeline to one of the corpses, gesturing his guests to follow him. A bulb flickered on top of the stretcher that held the corpse, drawing Naruto's attention to it."This disease has a distinct smell," the doctor started, "but has no observable damage anywhere. We have no idea what disease it is because the symptoms vary from person to person."Naruto stared at the dull lightbulb that illuminated the room, trying to make sense of what he was hearing. The morgue that they were in was dimly lit and filled with corpses as far as he could see, lying on stretchers with white sheets covering them."A disease with varying symptoms? But you said that there was no observable damage?" questioned Kakashi.The doctor uncovered a body that looked perfectly fine for a normal corpse. "Now if we look at the subject, you will find that he looks completely fine. But" he paused as he ruffled through his coat's pockets for a while and finally retrieved a pair of tweezers. The doctor held open the upper eyelid of the patient, revealing the lack of an eye, "but if we open his eye here, we will find that it's been consumed.""It was consumed by his body?" Naruto asked as he tried peering down the hole where the eye was supposed to be. It was fascinating in a creepy way, to witness what existed behind an eye. Pink and squishy flesh which had nerves jutting out of it sent shivers down his spine."Yes, the body just reabsorbed it for some reason." The doctor closed the eyelid, before moving to another body. "This woman here gave off the same smell that the diseased gave, so it is the same disease, but the symptoms are completely different in her." The doctor ruffled his pockets and produced a worn-down file. "This is the woman's medical history, and as you can see- ""It's not the same woman, she has only one arm in the pictures." The pictures revealed the woman standing with only one arm and a nub where her second arm was supposed to be. "Yes, she lost her hand in a workplace accident, but I assure you that this is the correct file," affirmed the doctor."She regrew her arm? As in her entire limb?" Kakashi asked as he snatched the file from the doctor's hands and started flipping through it. "The subject did regrow her entire limb shortly after contracting the disease. But she later developed multiple tumors in a span of a few hours and died.""How long did it take for her to regrow her arm?" Asked Kakashi, while handing the file over to Naruto to read."Between two and three days. I must admit, I was shocked when this woman entered the clinic with a new arm. She had visited me when three days before that for the disease.""She knew that she had the disease?""She knew she had it due to the smell emanating from her. Every diseased person here has the same smell emanating from them." The doctor crinkled his nose before commenting, "It smells like hydrogen disulfide for some reason, although it is not that gas. We checked for it as soon as we smelt it."The doctor walked over to another stretcher and uncovered another corpse, "This one was a fisherman. And fascinatingly, he grew gills as you can see on his neck here.""Gills? The same as one in fish?" probed Naruto. "Exactly the same," the doctor confirmed."And not many know of this I presume?" asked Kakashi."None. When we contacted the nearest administration office, they dispatched Shinobi of all people which told us about the seriousness of the situation. The disease is not communicable as far as we know, but the town was still cordoned off. The first batch of Shinobi returned when the casualty tally was in single digits, and in the five days you took to reach here after they went back, the tally is in three digits. All these corpses," he gestured to the multitude of stretchers behind him, "died in the past two days.""A distinct smell and random changes in the body," Naruto handed the file back to the doctor before continuing, "Are these the only symptoms?""For the time being, yes." The doctor nodded."You said no observable damage, but one man lost an eye, and another grew tumors. I say there is plenty of observable damage," Naruto inquired. The doctor stumbled over his words before explaining, "I am sorry, but I used the wrong words before. What I meant was that there was no visible cause for this. Take fever, for example, the body heats up to fight infections. But here, there is no catalyst. The changes just happen in otherwise healthy people.""Aren't you afraid that you will catch the disease too? Why not run away?""As I said before, I am sure that the disease is non-communicable. So, if I were to get the disease, it would happen regardless of where I stand." The doctor fell silent before slowly opening his mouth, "Besides that, there is one theory that I have not told anyone. That is, all these people had another thing in common, weakness in mind or body."Kakashi gestured for the doctor to continue, "I was in a martial arts sect when I was young. I did not make the cut to be a Shinobi and I was not very talented in Qi either. So, I changed my goals and left the sect. But strengthening the body and the mind was one of the core tenets taught to me. I may be unable to pick out strengths, but I can pick out weaknesses. All these people here had an imbalance between their mental and physical states to a large degree. The larger the imbalance, the quicker they died."Naruto looked at Kakashi only to find him deep in thought. Kakashi took one last gaze at the morgue before straightening up."We will do a basic perimeter search, check for poison in the water supply and the food. Where does it town get its water?" Kakashi informed before asking."The town is not very advanced, but there is a water filtration plant nearby. The water is drawn from a small river up North." Keeping the information in mind, Kakashi started walking towards the exit, mumbling out a farewell to the doctor before doing so."Boy, let's go."Naruto walked behind his teacher, exiting from the morgue into the street in front of the clinic. The villagers had holed themselves in their homes, afraid of contracting the plague. Naruto looked at the houses that he passed by as he was exiting the town and found not even a single window open in any of them. Shops had shopkeepers who barricaded themselves inside a makeshift chamber made of wood near the counter.The town was small, with a population of roughly around fifteen hundred or so people. Triple-digit deaths were significant, and it was doubtful that there were people unaffected by the plague, directly or indirectly."A town surrounded by woods plagued with an unknown disease that mutates the body in ways thought impossible. This is a horror movie plot. What's next, lycanthropy?" commented Naruto while dispelling his transformation technique.Kakashi who had transformed back jumped onto a tree before gesturing Naruto to follow him. The blonde hopped on the tree behind his teacher as they made a beeline towards the stream. Or they would be, if Kakashi did not suddenly change routes and start moving perpendicular to where the river supposedly was."This isn't poison," Kakashi called out to Naruto, "This is something I know. If it is what I think it is, I get why Shinobi would be called out for this mission. Especially us."This put the blonde into confusion. "I don't get it. What are you hinting at?"Kakashi stopped before speaking in a completely serious voice, "You know how the nations are structured, right?"Kakashi jumped down the tree without waiting for a response, drawing a kunai, and using it to start drawing on the ground. "There are the great five, which have been there for five or six centuries now. Other smaller nations pop up and fizzle out regularly. Only a few like the Hidden Rain and Hidden Waterfall are worth mentioning.""In these nations," he continued, "there exist three governments so to speak. First is the royalty, the supposed rulers of the land. The military head, who commands the samurai and the ninja. The third is a small democratic council that advises the monarch. According to the books, the military and the council exist to advise the royalty, but the most power is in the hands of the military. The council has some weight to throw around, but they are not at the top of the totem pole. In the military, there are mainly two forces, the samurai and the Shinobi. Most of the army is Samurai.""The samurai outnumber the shinobi 1000 to 1, and one major nation employs close to four thousand or so Shinobi. We have gone over this before." Naruto may have just become an adult, but his patience was still lacking."Then listen to the next parts even more carefully," Kakashi glared at Naruto, before continuing, "Military higher-ups are incredibly involved with the royalty. The family lineage of Hashirama Senju has become royal blood entirely, with the Daimyo and Senju clan leaders combining their families over generations. The council of clans heads the military, and to be eligible as a clan, one must showcase a distinct lineage dating four centuries and a minimum populace of twelve thousand. Most of these clan shinobi become samurai, but a few of the talented ones make it as Shinobi. The Leaf has four thousand and a hundred shinobi, give or take, and the clans supply close to 3900 of them.""But even among those, the strong Shinobi are exceedingly rare. In the Uchiha, only three or four make the cut, and the Senju barely have five. And out of all of them, the ones who have mastered the Fifth Realm like me are in single digits.""So, you're up there on the political ladder?" Naruto scrunched his face in confusion. If his teacher was such a big shot, then why live in that dusty old compound? A palace would have been nice, filled with all sorts of luxuries and young maids."Correct. In fact, how many missions did I go to alone as opposed to with you in the past?" Kakashi questioned his protégé."Alone, I'll say close to once per year, so five or six. Together we only started last year and went to like three or four. And only as security for big shots. We just scouted out the road beforehand and didn't even meet up the convoy.""Normally, a shinobi would take forty or so missions a year. But since sending me near the borders is an act of war, I was rarely summoned. So why would someone like me be sent here? To find out about a plague? Why ensure your participation?" questioned Kakashi, forcing Naruto to think for a moment. Naruto wracked his brain for a couple of minutes or so before suddenly coming to a realization."Because there's something bigger going on in the background," Naruto breathed out, realizing the scope of the problem, "This isn't a disease! It's what happens when you tap into the Fifth Realm!" Naruto exclaimed, connecting the dots."There is an unidentified Shinobi here, who has mastered the Fifth Realm at least. And since there are so few people like those around, this has warranted the Leaf sending a Fifth Realm user of their own. But that is not all," Kakashi stood up from the ground and covered the diagrams he used to explain, "They want to see you.""Me? Who wants to see me?" Naruto asked, puzzled at his teacher's words.Kakashi sighed before looking Naruto straight in the eyes, "They want to see what my protégé is capable of. They want to see if you will be my successor.""Ah." Succession was not something that Naruto thought about. His teacher was still in his prime, and Naruto was still way behind him. A fully unleashed Kakashi, combining his Fifth Realm with sage arts and with the mastery of the first three realms would crush him like an ant, even after six years of training under him. Could there be someone who could stand up to that? The very thought of such people existing sent shivers down Naruto's spine."There is no need to worry, you will be fine! Besides, you are not going to succeed me for the next ten or fifteen years at the very least! You still have not even mastered the Fourth Realm of the Sage arts! Your Niko style is imperfect and Qi channelling is pretty poor. The Third Realm of Illusions is what you suck at, but you can do the Second Realm of Nature manipulation well, at least. You have not even started on the Fifth realm, so expect to blow ten or so years on that!" Kakashi chirped unhelpfully, loading arrows of mass emotional carnage, and firing them at his student mercilessly, who was twitching on the ground reminiscent of the character Yamcha in the hit series 'Dinosaur Ball.'Kakashi turned serious once again, "But you are doing good. Most Shinobi rarely master the base three realms and even rarer get started on Sage Arts. Even an imperfect first step is considered a big achievement. Just continue as you are, and you will surpass me.""You are oddly sure about that," Naruto asked, getting up from the ground and looking at his teacher."I am sure in my teaching more than in you. But as I said, there are certain things that you can feel, and this one I feel in my- ""Let's not ruin the moment Boss." Naruto cut off Kakashi before he could complete his sentence. Kakashi turned teary-eyed with a quivering lip somehow noticeable despite his mask, "I was going to say heart, but students these days! Always so pessimistic!""Sure, you were!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at Kakashi with his index finger accusingly. "Hey! No pointing!" Kakashi scolded him while swatting down his finger with his hand. "It's impolite!"Rubbing his finger, Naruto pouted but asked, "So, this Fifth Realm user, where do we find him? And what concept do you think he embodies?"Kakashi rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment before answering, "That is the hard part, undoubtedly. When I turn into my concept of Lightning, I embody it completely. My movements and my voice create thunder, and my presence brings storms, my control over electricity and lightning is increased to an absurd degree. I am functionally immortal in that state too. But I cannot do any of those while not channelling the Fifth Realm. This means that this unknown's grasp over Fifth Realm is either better than I, or his concept allows him more freedom than I."Fighting against a man who had flesh change as a part of his concept was not a man Naruto wanted to mess with. "There is no rhyme or reason here. Why would a random Fifth Realm user unleash his powers over unsuspecting villagers? He must be foreign, or else why would he hurt his own? But to come to a random town to fuck over the villagers? Is he merely a sadist, taking joy in others' pain?""Well, that's what we have to figure out." Kakashi said, "For now, let us do a perimeter check, look at the wildlife to see whether they were similarly affected or not, check up on the plants, look out for any abnormalities. I will go clockwise, you circle anti-clockwise, and we'll meet up on the other end of the town," instructed Kakashi, before leaping off anti-clockwise in defiance of his own orders.Naruto huffed at his teacher's antics and began strolling clockwise around the town. He sauntered lazily in the forest, picking animals at random to see whether they were okay. The trees and animals were generally fine, and if they were affected, they ought to have smelled the same as the patients. Still, it did not hurt to be sure, so he inspected several rodents, birds, and trees for any discrepancies. He continued doing this until he reached the meeting point, only to find Kakashi hanging upside down from a tree branch."Boss, what are you doing?""Hanging upside down from a tree branch.""I can see that," Naruto paused, looking for words to convey his annoyance, "Why are you hanging upside down from a tree branch?""Because I can," came the voice of Hatake Kakashi, full of conviction and grit. Had these words been spoken in any other context, Naruto was sure that they could fill an entire battalion with motivation. But alas, they were spoken to support the raving lunacy of a lunatic."You are speaking it out loud," Kakashi's voice cut through the air, "And your sentence structuring sucks. 'Lunacy of a lunatic,' really? A five-year-old is better than that," he huffed.Shoving down his rising temper to the depths of his mind, Naruto shouted "What do we do now? There are no abnormal rats, nor any weird Fifth Realm flesh-changing monster.""We will now do what the ancient Yogi's called nothing. Cleanse your mind, young Naruto. Take in a deep breath," and to demonstrate Kakashi inhaled a large amount of air, all while hanging upwards down from a tree branch, "And let it out gently. Focus only on yourself and your body."Naruto pulled in an even larger amount of air and held it for a while. He then started exhaling it gently, only for Kakashi to cut in, "Wait, you are not supposed to do that. You must play the straight man for the jokes here!""No," replied Naruto."Why!?" shouted Kakashi, and this only activated Naruto's trap card."Because I can," Naruto smugly said, feeling more satisfaction than he thought possible."Fine then, be a killjoy. Follow me," Kakashi grumbled and started to make his way to the town. Naruto ran after him, feeling victorious. The duo transformed back into their disguises as they entered the town through the main gate."I met up with the mayor while you were checking the perimeter," started Kakashi, only to be cut off by Naruto, "You didn't check your side of the perimeter!""Oh, I forgot to do that, didn't I?" Kakashi replied, bending his head to the sides repeatedly as he did that. "Nevertheless, the mayor was not informed that the Leaf would be sending even more people here, and I did not correct her misinformation. Her name is 'Kaya' by the way."The duo entered an inn of sorts. It was empty, likely due to the ongoing disease. The owner was a gruff old man who was twice as big as Naruto. It was quite the size, as Kakashi was one of the tallest people he knew, and Naruto himself was only an inch or so shorter than him. The inn had several benches haphazardly placed around, and the owner sat on a chair directly in front of the door."Not afraid of the plague?" Kakashi curiously asked, while seating himself on one of the empty benches. Naruto followed him and took a seat right in front of him. The owner cleared his throat twice before replying, "It is a part of life. I cannot afford to close shop, so I'll just have to take the risks. What can I do for you?" He stood up while slamming his hand on the armrests of his chair and made his way to what Naruto guessed was the kitchen.For normal Shinobi it would have been impossible to notice, but Naruto was born with senses that far surpassed even those of the Inuzuka. As such, when the man's hand clipped slightly through the armrests, Naruto realized that they were not alone. He looked at Kakashi who seemed to catch on too, and Naruto mouthed the words, "Foreign Shinobi," at him when the man's back was turned.The owner turned around as soon as he reached the door, twirling to face his guests. "So, what will it be? The menu covers about everything you expect really, so don't ask for anything lavish!" laughed the owner."Rice balls would be nice." Naruto wondered if they were actually going to eat said rice balls. "Can you pack them up?" Guess not."Sure, how many do you want?" The owner walked into the kitchen, leaving the door slightly ajar. "Twelve would be more than enough!" shouted Kakashi, loud enough for his voice to reach the kitchen."Twenty minutes!" came the reply."Kaya and now him. Is this some sort of major operation?" wondered Kakashi. The air around him shifted until it formed a bubble of sorts, separating the air around Kakashi and Naruto with a vacuum. "All that fancy technique just to contain our voice?""Discreet enough that he would not notice the chakra used either," Kakashi bragged. It was the safest option, Naruto thought, but his teacher was definitely flexing on him whilst doing that. "Wait, Kaya was a ninja too?""Duh! Fairly good too, much better than the old man here. Clipping is such an amateur mistake," Kakashi turned up his nose, "But still not good enough to fool me.""So, foreign intervention huh? Is it some other big Nation testing out a new Fifth Realm user's ability? Or is it a disease born of some bioweapon?" Naruto asked."Both are highly likely hypotheses for the events, but a Fifth realm is not invincible. No nation is going to send out such an asset to terrorize a random town. Plus, this infiltration by these two, one of whom is a mayor implies that this was a plan long in action. The people genuinely appreciates kaya here, and she has been in this town for two decades.""This getting very complicated," Naruto banged his head on the table. "You know, one shouldn't be too reliant on senses," commented Kakashi. "Wha-!?" Naruto turned to see the owner standing near him, just outside the bubble holding a pack of rice balls. "Fuck!" he exclaimed, as the old man brought down a cleaver from his pants and slashed straight down. Naruto jumped back as Kakashi jumped onto the roof, dodging the slice. The old man slashed horizontally at Naruto again, who dodged him once again.Electricity crackled as Kakashi used pure Nature manipulation to break the roof supports. Naruto kicked the old man deeper into the inn before leaping out of a window. The roof collapsed just as he landed outside, killing the owner trapped inside the building."Help! The roof collapsed! Someone save the owner!" Kakashi shouted as the surrounding shop owners exited their shops, with some calling the local police. In between the hustle and bustle, Naruto quietly approached Kakashi, who was the very image of a shocked man."Nephew! Thank the gods! You are safe! I was worried that you were crushed underneath!" Kakashi's playful nature must have helped his acting, or so Naruto thought. Then again, Naruto was hiccupping and displaying a shocked nephew who barely survived a building collapse.The police let the two go, obviously moved by their movie-worthy performances. "It is according to plan, you know? Now we just tail Kaya and see if she reports to someone. If she does, that means these two were connected and we catch the kingpin!" Kakashi happily elaborated. It was a fine plan, but it would be better if his teacher let him in on it."Where to now?" questioned Naruto, looking up at his teacher who had his arm around him in a hug, acting like a concerned uncle."Now, we exit the town, sneak in undetected, tail Kaya, and find the kingpin. Before you ask, I tagged her with one of the tracking seals, so I do know where she is."The plan was good, but it would be better if Kakashi did not have them tail the woman at times. It was close to two in the night, and admittedly, this was the perfect time for Kaya to make her move, but the mosquitoes and the random insects were going to make him go mad.Fighting for life and enduring the mosquitoes, Kakashi finally signalled to him that Kaya was on the move. He saw Kaya jump on top of a roof and start moving towards the town gates. She was a Shinobi, no doubt.This mission would require quite a comprehensive report. The disease, ability, or whatever it was, was going to be a top priority. If the positives of the technique or disease were harnessed, life-changing injuries would not plague any Leaf soldier ever again. If they could sell it, it would earn the Leaf more than a fortune.Plus, the infiltration of a town was going to be a major concern too. Even though the town was a remote community, it was still a part of the Leaf. Blood was going to be spilled over this.Kaya exited the town and headed straight for the woods. Kakashi and Naruto paced themselves as to moved together, keeping up with the woman.'Is that him?' Naruto thought to himself. Close to the village gates stood a tall figure, cloaked in a piece of cloth colored red. He was dressed strangely, unlike any group of people Naruto had ever heard about. A strange loincloth was wrapped around his waist multiple times, and the red cloth covered his naked upper body."Something's off, look at her body language," whispered Kakashi. They both stopped on top of a branch as Naruto squinted his eyes. It was true, Kaya was caught off guard by the stranger too, given that she had her guard up. "One of ours?" Naruto asked."Definitely not. Not one of hers, either. A third party? For what reason?"The figure stayed silent even as Kaya kept asking him questions."Is he not there for her? A random who got caught up in this?" asked Naruto.The cloaked man slowly raised his arms to reveal his face, showing a man with a scar running horizontally across his forehead. He looked young and was decked in jewellery. A big gold necklace was displayed on his bare chest, alongside earrings that screamed nobility. He was a noble, no doubt, but there was one big characteristic about him that incited fear within Naruto. It was those big red eyes, who were staring directly at him."Boss, he is looking at us. He knows we are here!" exclaimed a startled Naruto."That one is not the problem!" Kakashi shouted. This drew Kaya's attention, as she looked behind her to find her pursuers. She cursed loudly, but before she could move, a giant snake spawned from nowhere and crushed her in his jaws before twisting itself to hit both the man and the duo. The snake was a python and was no doubt a summon.Kakashi grabbed Naruto, jumped on the snake, and threw Naruto away shouting, "Run! Do not look back! I cannot fight him and save you at the same time! That snake was a summon!"Snake summons were held by a single man. Naruto felt his blood run cold as he channeled as much of his Qi into his legs as he could, legging it faster beyond his limits. Snake summons. Snake Summons meant only one man. The Leaf's biggest fugitive in recent history. The man who was thought immortal. The perverted sage of the Snakes who sacrificed the Senju prince, and his own battalion in a vow to gain immortality.Legends were sung of the betrayer, praising his strength regardless of his actions. The name sent a shiver throughout his body. Orochimaru the snake age, one of the Three Legendary Shinobi, the Leaf's biggest mistake. It was sure death to face him before mastering the Fifth Realm, and he was not sure that Kakashi was going to make it.Could he fight him if Kakashi weakened him enough? He doubted that sentiment. Even if Orochimaru was reduced to the strength of a child, the sheer mastery over his techniques was a bridge that Naruto could never cross as he was now.Explosions burst behind him, and to his relief, away and away from him. Lightning crackled and thunder blasted its way through the woods, only to be countered by multiple techniques at a scale Naruto had never seen before. This was a fight between two masters of the Fifth Realm, a place he was not allowed to be yet.Naruto breathed in, only to yell in pain as a kick came crashing through his side, hitting him square in the rubs. He fell off the tree he was in, barely regaining his balance before he landed on the ground. He looked up only to find the man from before, staring down at him with those red eyes.The man jumped at him from above, his leg held down in an axe kick. Naruto dodged to the left before attempting to punch his side. The man caught the punch in a vice grip and threw Naruto towards the village.The man was strong! Was he Orochimaru's lackey? Such thoughts raced through Naruto's head, as he dodged a flying kick aimed at his head. Chakra sparked in hand in the shape of a ball as Naruto tried hitting the man mid-air before he could land from the kick. "Rasengan!" shouted Naruto, and he hit the man just as he landed. The Rasengan shredded through muscle and bone, creating a big hole in the man's chest."This is it," Naruto said more to himself than the man, with his hand sticking out of the chest of his foe. Or it would be, if flesh did not start healing at a rapid pace around his hand, trapping it before he could pull it back. The man turned around and looked at him with those red eyes. The man brought his arm up and all Naruto knew was pain. He felt another kick connect to him in the abdomen, sending him flying away. Smashing straight into a giant tree, Naruto fell on his face.Get up. Get up. Chant as he may, the blood loss from his lack of hand was dulling his mind. The pain was not doing him any favors either. Naruto used his remaining arm to push himself up, only to feel his ribs crack. The man towered before him, staring him down with those damn red eyes that seemed to peer into his soul."Uzumaki Naruto," the man said. His voice cracked as he spoke as if he had not spoken in centuries. "You will do."'Tails?' Naruto thought to himself as multiple appendages burst from the man's back. One of them pierced him straight in the chest, and that was the last thing he saw before he lost consciousness. Those red eyes were the last thing he saw, and that image was assuredly etched into his brain.The man retrieved his tails, leaving Naruto lying on the ground covered in blood, but with his limb restored. He looked over to the general location of the boy's teacher, seeing multiple giant electric dragons shredding everything in their path. The dragons soon died out, and so did the sound of thunder and electricity. A figure beelined towards him from that battlefield, which was a five-kilometre or so radius of woods turned completely into a wasteland.The man looked at the moon and vanished just before Kakashi reached Naruto. Seeing his protégé in such a state had Kakashi anxious, but given that he was still breathing, some of his worries were elevated. Kakashi did note that while the blonde was covered in blood, there were no injuries present anywhere on the boy.Shelving his questions for when Naruto woke up, Kakashi raced towards the clinic the doctor was in."We lost a valuable asset Kabuto. We also lost our mission objectives," said a man covered in blood but strangely unharmed just like Naruto was. The wasteland around him was once a beautiful patch of woods, and now that Hatake brat had turned it into such an ugly sight."Lord Orochimaru, I believe that we can still track him down. We will have our next lead in no time." A man with white hair and spectacles spoke out from a kneeling position from across Orochimaru."Such is life I guess," sighed the snake master. He looked up, only to find the full moon looking down at him mockingly. Hatake and his protégé had created hiccups in his plans, but fighting Hatake was too much of a risk. Had the white-haired man been any younger, he could confidently end both him and his student, but alas, the brat had grown strong enough to rival him.Another Fifth Realm master like him could end his 'immortality,' and Orochimaru did not want to take any chances. The Leaf would soon know about that man, but he doubted that they would search that hard for him. All the focus would be on him, which was perfect. He could go underground for a while, waiting while the man showed himself once more. Then, his plans would certainly succeed.ENDReviewGets better I swear
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
CHAPTER THREE
Kakashi jumped again, dodging the snake that was intent on crushing him. Qi surged behind him, indicating the urgency with which his protégé escaped. Everything will be alright if I hold ground here.Several thoughts flooded within him at the moment. Where was Orochimaru? Why send just a snake? Of course, he would not send a snake. He must be around here then. The snake attempted to crush him with its tail, growing annoyed at the small target who dodged everything.The snake lifted his tail with a cry, only to hear a roar of thunder. Sudden weight appeared on its nose, and the snake wasted no time stretching its maw to swallow his foe."You would harm your master, little snake?"Kakashi stiffened from his standing place near the serpent's tail. There he is! A tall figure stood on the nose of the beast. The stretched maw did not bother him. He gently bent down and caressed the nose of the snake, causing it to freeze and slowly close his maw."Your injuries can still heal. Return to your cave." Orochimaru had a silky-smooth voice, the snake decided. The shame of failing his master on his first mission welled within him."Be quick about it," urged Orochimaru. The snake closed its eyes, intent on returning to Ryuichi Cave. Chakra whirred within its coils, and then suddenly broke into the air. The snake opened his eyes to find his head flying. Pain erupted everywhere and died down just as quickly as the snake closed its eyes for the last time. Orochimaru was sent flying alongside it, before crashing on the ground when the summon turned to smoke."My my, how cruel. Isn't it a crime to attack retreating soldiers?" asked Orochimaru. He stood up from where he crash landed, courtesy of Kakashi's jutsu. Kakashi stood diametrically opposite from him, palm outstretched with electricity crackling around it."I would not know about that. Didn't you do the same with your battalion? Did it hurt just like now?" questioned Kakashi, his palm now a raging vortex of electricity.Orochimaru snickered, completely unbothered by the raging storm whirling in Kakashi's palm. "This one did not hurt, there are plenty of snakes in Ryuichi. That one did not hurt either, because it granted me THIS!" With a sudden shout, Orochimaru slammed his palms together, creating a spear of pure wind. Air surged into the spear, uprooting multiple trees, and creating a giant storm.Kakashi shot out a blast of pure electricity that collided with the spear. The two projectiles clashed against each other in mid-air, neither gaining superiority. Kakashi closed his open palm just as Orochimaru clapped his hands, causing the projectiles to burst. The wind and electricity surged around wildly, destroying everything that came into their path.Amid this storm, Kakashi charged at Orochimaru, holding a sparking kunai. Just as he came within range, Kakashi slashed downwards. Orochimaru jumped back, before spitting out a sword. Kakashi twisted to the side, allowing the sword to pass through where he was. Orochimaru grabbed the hilt of the sword and swung it sideways towards Kakashi, who ducked underneath and slammed his palms on the ground. "Mud Wave!" shouted Kakashi, causing a giant wave of mud to roll through the ground, uprooting any and everything in its path.Orochimaru found himself in the air, and Kakashi sped through more hand signs, "Electric Hounds!" Multiple small pups made of electricity blazed their way through the air straight at the Snake summoner. Orochimaru charged his blade with pure wind chakra and sent out a slash of wind that cut through the pups and slammed straight into Kakashi.Kakashi went skidding away but did not lose his balance. "Are you here for him?" asked Orochimaru. "Does the leaf chase after the myths of old now?" He put his sword in his haphazardly fashioned scabbard on his waist."Just a mission in the nearby village," replied Kakashi, hopping on his feet and stretching his neck. "So, who are you here for? That man with red eyes? Another one of your test subjects?""Not quite. There is no need for you to know about him." Both shinobi drew in a large breath and let Nature's chakra enter their bodies. Blood vessels bulged randomly on their bodies as the foreign chakra enhanced everything. No signs appeared anywhere on their bodies, displaying perfect Sage Mode.Both sped towards each other as their fists clashed together, causing shockwaves to echo throughout the woods. With firepower now surging beyond their previous capabilities, a fierce exchange of techniques commenced. Illusions were cast aside by both, being unable to penetrate the protection of Nature. Kakashi enveloped his fists with electricity and punched Orochimaru straight in the stomach.Orochimaru wheezed but spit a fireball directly at Kakashi. Kakashi disappeared underground, only to be thrown out by a mud wave created by Orochimaru. Kakashi regained his balance and slammed his fists on the ground again, creating giant waves that flooded the area with water. "Water's insurgence!", he shouted. Orochimaru slammed his fists on the ground, "Land Creation!" bellowed the snake. Dry clay was created and thrown at the incoming water at a similar speed, causing mud to be thrown everywhere. A clone took over the jutsu for both as they clashed once again in a flurry of blows. Kakashi dodged several stab attempts by Orochimaru and kicked his outstretched elbow with his full might.The blade went flying away, as Kakashi attempted to drive his Kunai into Orochimaru's skull. Suddenly, the wind surged and Kakashi was thrown away. In place of Orochimaru existed only winds and gusts, and two eyes peered down at Kakashi. The wind was coloured green, and he could see an outline where Orochimaru's body ended. His clothes lay on the ground below him, unable to stay on his new body.With a shrill scream, Orochimaru shouted, causing gusts to slam into Kakashi and carry him away. Kakashi slammed hard into the ground, looking around to find himself in a gash in the ground. Trees were uprooted around him, and he was pushed into the Earth.Kakashi let the electricity take him as a storm surged in the sky, throwing bolts of lightning where Kakashi was. From the gash appeared a being of pure electricity, staring straight at the windy form of Orochimaru."Fifth Realm," both began, causing the elements around them to surge even more, "Avatar of Lightning/ Guardian of the Winds!"Lightning and wind clashed as both took to the skies. Kakashi sent out multiple waves of sound by snapping his fingers, reminiscent of thunder. The waves hit Orochimaru as he hissed in pain. Only Fifth Realm attacks could hurt another Fifth Realm user.Kakashi flew towards Orochimaru, dodging wind projectiles that he generated, before slamming into him with his shoulder, "Niko: Flashing steel!" The snake master coughed before driving his palm into Kakashi's stomach. "Iron: Buddha's Palm!" The palm overflowed with Qi, causing two subsequent hits on Kakashi. The white-haired man buckled over but called down lightning on his foe. Orochimaru raced backward to dodge the bolts, giving his enemy the time to recover.Time was of the essence here. Both had people to check up on and so the match had to be settled quickly. Kakashi breathed out gently and started gathering chakra. Lightning struck him in a permanent current as Kakashi started growing. Soon, he was as big as two men, then as big as a tree, then finally multiple times the size of a tree, to the point he dwarfed the forest. He spouted wings from his back and sped to the skies.Opposite him, Orochimaru started condensing chakra outside him, creating increased gusts of wind that seemed to surge onto him. He too grew till he was akin to Kakashi. Then, winds coalesced into a shield around his hand. He held the shield up in a defensive posture, gathering as much air as he could.Kakashi by then had reached so far above that he could not see the trees on the ground. His lightning and nature-enhanced senses helped him find Naruto lying on the ground. Calming his panic, Kakashi focused as his humanoid avatar turned animalistic. He spouted a tail and slowly shifted forms until he resembled a tiger made up of electricity, much bigger than the village he was recently in.The wings tore from his back, split into multiple smaller pieces, and attached themselves to his mouth, forming his teeth. He roared, causing a downpour, and his voice made of pure thunder split apart the clouds.It was a strange sight. A giant warrior-like avatar stood with a shield, looking up at an even bigger tiger with teeth as big as multiple trees. There was rain, but no clouds, and the moonlight illuminated the giant wasteland over which they were fighting in an unearthly glow. It was as if two gods had descended to the Earth, destroying everything in their path.The tiger crouched and then leaped off a platform of air down to the warrior, forcing multiple lightning bolts to accompany him. Both avatars clashed with each other, clawing and teeth against the shield. The tiger then split into two tigers, each half his size. One of them raced behind the avatar who shrunk down and created two hands with a shield behind him. The tigers roared, creating thunder, and calling down lightning on the warrior, causing the shields to crack. One of the tigers roared even harder before exploding. The warrior avatar cracked all over, and the other tiger exploded with an even harder intensity.Both avatars exploded in the air, creating a dome of pure chakra, which shrunk into a small ball the size of a house. The ball then exploded, clearing the skies completely. Two figures were thrown to the ground with a blast of sound. They crashed at speeds beyond sound in the middle of the wasteland.Kakashi groaned as he got up, feeling his sore muscles scream in protest. He ran Qi through his body as a diagnostic procedure. Just some internal bleeding and concussion. And soreness.Orochimaru had high-tailed it out of there beforehand. The man had legged it before the fight could turn lethal and endanger his 'immortality.' Kakashi once again took in Nature energy, before racing to where he had seen Naruto before from the sky. Orochimaru was the second priority, finding his protégé who was completely vulnerable was imperative.A bullock cart moved too slow for his tastes; Naruto decided. The wheels went round and round and round and round only to move slower than a squirrel. But steady progress was progress, nonetheless.Kakashi sat in front of him looking perfectly fine. Even after battling Leaf's scourge, Kakashi didn't even have any scratches on him, and the damage he took was small enough to have healed in less than an hour. Then again, the blonde thought, the Fifth realm was an extremely overwhelming technique. Simply by tapping into it, one was etched into history and held in high esteem during his entire life. Courts of all regions would welcome such a warrior, and in time even allow him huge political influence.Kakashi had his legs stretched and was reading another book he bought nearby. There were going to be questions as soon as the forest started. The cart driver was already under an illusion, hearing nothing but the snores of his passengers. Even if he were to turn around, all he would see would be the sleeping pose of two people.The forest was far away still, and he was lying there doing nothing. Bored out of his mind, Naruto slowly reached out to the chakra of Nature. He filled himself up with it and let it course through his body. It was a potent technique to heal injuries, but the blonde was in perfect health.The energy coursed through his body, poking and prodding at his core, where his innate chakra was held. Innate chakra or vitality was the biggest indicator of affinity towards the sixfold path. The larger the vitality, the larger one's potential given that bigger amounts of vitality correspond to a higher rate of chakra generation. One could increase it but rarely did it more than double.His eyebrows furrowed as he felt his vitality. It was bigger, much bigger than before. It wasn't this large until last night when he fought that red-eyed man. But could someone raise a man's vitality? He estimated that his vitality had tripled in size! It was ridiculous! Naruto knew that he was born with extremely high vitality, to the point even Kakashi was just slightly bigger than him. Now, that ginormous thing had tripled!His mind raced to find any potential answer aside from the red-eyed man, but he found none. It was all linked to him but now that he had vanished, he was all out of clues. It was wisely decided that all these questions would be fired at Kakashi as soon as the forest started.Larger vitality had implications on the advanced three realms. While the Fifth realm operated on rules of its own, the fourth and sixth benefitted directly from increased vitality. The fourth realm of the Sage arts was more stable with larger vitality, and the Sixth realm allowed the mixing of more than one realm only with copious amounts of it.Kakashi sensed his pupil taking in drastically more Nature chakra than he normally did. He would on average take in half as much of Kakashi, but right now he was gobbling it twice as fast as him. Kakashi took in Nature chakra and stretched out his senses to see his protégé's progress. Naruto sat up and looked around, unbothered by Kakashi directly witnessing his chakra circulation. It was a perfect integration, displaying mastery of the second step.The blonde took in another breath and let the Nature chakra leak from his body. Another breath and energy was taken in with perfect integration again. Kakashi observed him repeating it for a while until the trees along the road started getting thicker.Naruto opened his eyes and let the Nature chakra leave one last time. The blonde emulated a wet dog by shaking his entire body, feeling relaxed by the constant influx and departure of Nature's chakra. It was akin to a massage for his chakra coils.Kakashi closed his book and put it into what Naruto called 'Doraemon's pocket'."I believe that both of us have many questions regarding last night. Since I am bigger, I will ask the first question. Who did you fight?" asked Kakashi."The man we met before the snake tried crashing into us. He had red eyes, although you saw that alongside his appearance," replied Naruto before continuing, "He attacked me when I was running away. It was a straight kick to the ribs, and we ducked it out before….""Before what?" coaxed Kakashi."Before I hit him with my Rasengan in the back. It tore through it as expected, by the man simply healed it in a second. Plus, I am sure he cut my arm off but," Naruto lifted his perfectly fine arm and waved it around, "here it is. It's as if it was never cut off.""He must have done something to you, that we know. We also know it isn't harmful since not only did your arm return, but your vitality has also tripled. Did he tell you anything? Any requests or any peculiar thing you remember about him?"The blonde fell deep in thought, wracking his memories for some clue. The man kicked him, they tussled a bit, and he hit him with a Rasengan, the man healed and then cut off his arm and then stabbed him-."He had tails! Multiple of them!"Kakashi hummed and recalled all he knew about magic people surviving an A-class technique with tails. Nope, he knew nobody like that."Are you sure that he had tails?" Kakashi asked again, doubting the information. Could it have been a hallucination experienced by the blonde? That could make sense."Yeah! Multiple of them! They spouted from his back and hit me square in the chest!""Well, you were covered in blood when I found you, but I found no injuries. Whatever he used to heal your injuries likely increased your vitality too." Kakashi stared at the road behind him, trying to make sense of the situation. Healing he could get, for he had seen stranger things than that. But increasing vitality? That was impossible.Unless Kakashi thought to himself, the man hadn't increased Naruto's vitality but healed that too. The scar from that night, the night when he had first met the blonde was when he had injured his chakra system, permanently losing parts of his vitality. Perhaps the man had simply taken care of that problem while healing the blonde."Naruto," Kakashi began, "What do you recall from before meeting me? Those 12 years you spent in those mountains, what do you remember of them?""Not any mountains! It was home!" the blonde protested. "It still is! Those mountains have a name you know! Dhauladhar! I swear, you have no respect sometimes." Naruto folded his hands and fake pouted."So, in the Dhauladhar range, do you remember the night you met me?""Nope," answered Naruto, regaining his seriousness, "whatever happened that day hasn't returned to me. I remember you, a random man with a monkey tail and there was a fight, I guess. He beat you even with you going all out in the Fifth realm, and then he whispered something and knocked me out. It's still bits and pieces." With a nod, Naruto ended his story, telling Kakashi everything he remembered."That's not the full story. I don't remember much about that night too, but there was one thing I kept secret from you. You saw me pump myself full of Nature chakra and in a last dish effort, attempted to do the same. But that backfired and you destroyed your coils." Naruto's eyes were glued to Kakashi as he slowly digested his words."Leaf's finest doctors managed to make them work, but your vitality decreased by a huge amount. It was still more than enough to be a Shinobi, but they were no longer as big as before.""I-You-Why didn't you tell me this before?" Naruto stumbled over his words as he asked his teacher the reason. Kakashi sighed, "Because I didn't want you to lament over what was gone and instead focus on what you had. We thought that vitality was gone forever with no chance of recovery. I planned to tell you this when you grew up a bit more, but circumstances have forced my hand.""So, the man healed my vitality alongside my arm and chest. That was exceedingly kind of him, but for what reason?" It was rather puzzling."We don't know yet. We'll have to track the man down afterward and ask him ourselves." The only solution was the unsaid thing. Only the man could tell what he was planning and why."You could tell me where we are going at least. How long am I gonna be stuck in this carriage?""We are going to," Kakashi finger gunned at Naruto with small flames coming out of his index fingers, "the Leaf headquarters! The place where all the clan heads and their representatives live!""Because we encountered Orochimaru?" asked the blonde. Kakashi readjusted himself from where he was sitting before answering."Well, he is the main reason. The red-eyed man is another. The infiltration of a leaf village by foreign agents is the second most important one, right after the snake." There was a large list of reasons why the brass would call for them."So, we are stuck here for?""Two days.""Fuck! Two days of lying down and doing nothing? This is torture! Why can't we just run to the leaf?""Because we are expected in two days, and I don't want you roaming around in the capital city. With your temper, you'll probably get into fights with the entire nobility. And God forbid you to run your mouth regarding your political inclination. We'll go in and come back before you manage to get beheaded for treason!""All kings are worth the dirt on my shoe, and you know it! Don't act so condescending too! I am still pissed off about you hiding a whole ass injury from me!""Look me in the eyes-" "Eye" "-eye and tell me that you wouldn't have sulked over it. See? Even you know it. I would've told you that later anyway.""When?""Eventually.""Urgh." Kakashi eye smiled from his position as Naruto pouted from his seat. The oxen continued on their merry way, ignorant of the conversation taking place behind them.The trees had thinned a long time ago and small buildings had started popping up. Naruto could see giant gates from where he was sitting in the cart, coloured Orange and green in the Leaf's national colours."Those gates are the entrance of the Leaf's headquarters. Although it is inhabited by the Clan Heads and their representatives, the majority population is civilian. It is smaller than most of our cities and towns, but it is the most important. It is also the home to the royal family of the Leaf nation!" boasted the cart driver."Wow!" whistled Naruto. Those gates were big enough to make the cart look like an ant. The city was a defensive fortress, surrounded by a moat with plain land around it. Naruto observed that the walls surrounding the capital city were about half the height of the gate. The walls were adorned with various defensive tools, such as spears, ballistae, and fortified positions. He even spotted several individuals, including Shinobi, patrolling along the wall. 'It is the capital city alright,' he thought to himself."This is your first time here, right? There isn't much to see, but the market is really good! The items are cheaper than anywhere else in this country. Multiple people come just to buy goods from far away," commented the cart driver."Yeah, it's our first time! Brother, can you speed your oxen up a little? This place is getting me excited!""Well, we are in the final stretch of our journey so might as well! Rogu! Shaka! Let's run!" The oxen snorted and increased their pace before outright sprinting. Naruto wondered if they had grown tired of the monotonous journey too. Maybe stretching their legs was their way of alleviating boredom."We will drop off a few meters from the gates." Kakashi had his nose buried in the same book as before and drawled his words lazily. The cart driver gave a whooping "OK!", too excited over getting to sprint all out.The oxen pulled to a stop a few meters from the gates, right at the beginning of the moat. There were a few tents pitched around them, selling random trinkets and goods. People were huddled around the tents, haggling and negotiating over goods. Kakashi nudged Naruto towards the bridge over the moat.The bridge was giant and was made of a mix of iron and wood. Carts full of goods came and went as the duo walked at a normal pace. Carts going in and out were checked by a group of Samurai while another stood guard. The entire entrance was covered by guards with no room for escape."It's a platoon. Shinobi and Samurai are divided differently. Platoons are the smallest in size, in Samurai they are at around twenty-five people, while three Shinobi constitute a platoon. After platoons, you have units. Twelve platoons create a unit for Samurai, while six platoons create a unit for Shinobi. Similarly, 24 units constitute a battalion for Samurai, while 12 units constitute a battalion for Shinobi," Kakashi informed.Naruto nodded his head at that information. Kakashi pocketed his book and continued, "Shinobi are grouped arbitrarily after that, simply based on realpolitik. Samurai get 48 battalions in a core and 3 cores create a wing. There are four wings in the Leaf. The leaders are remarkably high in the political hierarchy but are still below clan heads. Although there are close to four million samurai, in war, times discount one million as they will run away at the sight of war." Kakashi patted Naruto on the back, "Remember all this, it is very basic and important information regarding the military.""Yes, boss!" Naruto chirped, filling away all the information in his brain. A samurai noticed them approaching the gate before tugging at his companion and pointing towards them. "Watch this," whispered Kakashi, before standing straighter.Naruto curiously stared as the samurai at the gates ran over to their boss, who was a nicely dressed man in his thirties. He was wearing a white yukata with animals embroidered on him and carried two swords. He looked over to where his subordinates were pointing, and his calm demeanour disappeared in flames. He sprinted towards the back and a phone-like apparatus. He started screaming into it and quickly put it down before screaming at his men to clean half the bridge.Two shinobi came running from inside the village and stopped right in front of Kakashi. "Lord Kakashi! I didn't know you would be arriving today! If we knew, we would've-!""It's fine, soldier. I was recalled for some important matters in the capital," cut in Kakashi, "Now, if you would hurry?""Sir, yes sir!" The man produced a strange device. It had two green surfaces at the top and a screen with buttons below. Kakashi put his thumb and index finger in a pinching position over the surfaces and the machine started beeping. With a final beep, the screen showed a picture of Kakashi with a tick mark next to it."Right this way sir!" shouted the man, hoping to escort the legendary figure in front of him."No need for that soldier. I know my way around these parts.""Oh," said the Shinobi, disappointed. The woman next to him shook her head and grabbed the man by the elbow, "We will take our leave then, my lord." They both bowed before the girl dragged the sulking man away."You are a hot shot! And what was that machine? Do I have to register too? I should be 'Lord Naruto' to ""Yes, I am a Fifth realm user after all. That was a chakra recognition machine. Yes, you will register soon too. No, you are not 'Lord Naruto'," explained Kakashi. The blonde hummed satisfactorily, "Well, 'Lord Naruto' is more of an eventuality. I guess I can let it slide.""Yes, Your Majesty. I hope you don't execute those poor souls once you ascend for disrespecting you now." Kakashi had his hands on his forehead like a drama actor and was whispering these words in an overdramatic fashion."Can't promise that."There were a few apartments just inside the gates. Three routes diverged into many at a distance, and Naruto could hear a stream or two flowing inside the village. Kakashi marched onto the middle street and the amount of people in the streets increased as they went deeper inside the village."We are going to meet the Shinobi Commander first, then tomorrow we meet the High Shinobi Council. That man is Shikaku Nara, another Fifth Realm master. He is the 'Archon of Shadows', a title passed down the Nara."Naruto was busy with filling his eyes full of the capital, "Is the Nara a merit-based or by birth hierarchy?" Naruto asked Kakashi, but still stared at random things in the village."A merit-based one. It is the only one which follows a merit-based hierarchy alongside the Fuma. Although the clan head family has been the same for generations, anyone is free to challenge the head for a match for the position. There are conditions of course, but those are known only by the Nara.""I like this one," commented Naruto. Leaf was true to its name, as giant trees littered around the village. He noticed that the people preferred orange, blue, and green over other colours. Most people were black-haired, but there were plenty of blondes. Few had red hair and even blue, and most sported tanned skins."I am sure that you do. Don't be rude or act crass, you need to learn the politics of Shinobi and the nation if you want to live comfortably," advised Kakashi. "I know," replied the blonde, noticing the lowering population density around him. "He has a son, around your age. Try to make friends, especially in high places," continued Kakashi."I know," the blonde repeated, "but I feel like an asshole when I do that. It looks like I am just after the man's power and pedigree more than out of a genuine hand of friendship towards him.""That is a dilemma. The way I justify making so many friends with that approach is by considering my worth. I am a particularly important man in the village, so I am not trying to be a leech to those individuals. I am trying to cultivate a relationship where I can ask for help if I need it, and they can ask for mine should they require it." Naruto pondered over his teacher's answer while Kakashi cut off his train of thought, "Every relationship is transactional at the beginning. Whether it must stay that way is up to you. The meaning you afford to friendships is solely dependent on you."Naruto nodded absently and looked around to find an increase in Samurai around him. He and Kakashi were given a wide berth, and civilians and Samurai both edged far from them. The bulk of people around him wore black hair in ponytails."The Nara compound has started. Although the clan is somewhere to the east, the head is given a few thousand Samurai alongside three platoons worth of Shinobi.""So, nine Shinobi? Shouldn't there be more?""Nine highly trained Shinobi are much better than nine thousand Samurai. Besides, the nine Shinobi are simply the bodyguards. A clan head can keep up to twenty around depending on the situation. Any more can cause the surrounding clans to object, citing the gathering of excessive military force inside a safe place," answered Kakashi.As they ventured further, the roads began to narrow. At a certain point, Naruto had to walk closely beside Kakashi to avoid grazing the wall. Suddenly, Kakashi spotted two individuals waiting for them on the rooftops. "Shinobi," informed Kakashi.The two Shinobi dropped down from the roofs and bowed towards Kakashi. Kakashi gave back a lazy bow, while Naruto just stared at the events happening before him. "Lord Kakashi, I understand that you are here to meet Lord Shikaku?""Of course, lead the way," Kakashi replied with a gesture, encouraging the man to begin leading. The man nodded and motioned for them to follow him, while the other shinobi went to report back by scaling the buildings. The road did not narrow any further, and Naruto decided to walk behind Kakashi rather than beside him.The roads began to widen, but there were no people in sight. Other than the occasional Samurai, nobody seemed to travel along the road. Naruto looked up and saw several eagles carrying messages tied to their feet as they flew around.The road split into two, revealing a forested area at the center of the compound. The Shinobi confidently entered the woods, walking along an unpaved road. Naruto observed the surroundings and noticed that the bamboo was the largest shrub present. The forest contained banyan trees, and the deer roamed around, unperturbed by their new visitors."The Nara hold the deer holy but don't worship them in the traditional sense. But they do enjoy more respect than we afford to most people." The man was still walking in front and didn't bother to look back towards his company.The man stopped as a small mansion became visible a few meters away. "This is as far as I go," he informed, "You will find Lord Shikaku inside that mansion." The man bowed one last time and took his leave. Kakashi waited for a second, before continuing towards the mansion. Naruto followed behind him, looking around at the mansion.The mansion had only four rooms and a central courtyard. Adjacent to the building was a small storage room. 'It is peaceful,' Naruto thought to himself, 'The land is overflowing with nature chakra though.' The mansion had no gates but had a door in the front. Kakashi knocked twice and the door opened on its own."Follow me," instructed Kakashi, walking inside. "We just can't enter the military head's house like this! Boss!" Naruto called out after him as Kakashi made his way to the courtyard.Two individuals were seated at the center of the courtyard, directly facing the pair. The older man had a scarred face while the younger one was around Naruto's age. The older man was sitting on a mat while the younger man was lounging on a chair. Suddenly, the older man stood up and kicked the younger man in the shin.'He's huge!' Naruto thought to himself. The man towered over them both, 'He's gotta be what? 7'2, at minimum!' Naruto thought to himself. He was also ridiculously muscular and wore a loose dark green yukata.The man locked eyes with his teacher before looking over at him. He cracked a wry smile before untying his ponytail and running his right hand through his hair. "You must be the protégé. Uzumaki Naruto, yes?"The man didn't wait for the blonde to respond before continuing, "Kakashi should've told you about me, but still, I am Shikaku Nara." The shadows around the courtyard receded, before coalescing over to the man. The younger man got up and stood at a distance as shadows climbed all over Shikaku.Naruto watched as shadows covered the man's body, creating a black layer over his green yukata. The shadows were rescinded as to create the symbol of the leaf over the man's front and back, while the green yukata acted as background.The shadows filled in his scars and the man let out a big breath."The commander of every Shinobi in this nation." The shadows compressed into the man, forming a skintight layer of armour around him. "Shall we begin?"Kakashi cracked a wry smile.CHAPTER THREETHE END
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
CHAPTER 4
Kakashi cracked a wry smile.Shikaku gestured towards the other man in the room, "This is my son, Shikamaru. Boy, show him to the training ground five. Don't wander anywhere other than that." Shikamaru nodded at the end of the man's instructions and walked towards Naruto.He patted the blonde on the shoulder and Naruto turned around to follow him outside. Naruto looked back to Kakashi before exiting from the gate, only to receive a thumbs-up from him. Kakashi watched as Shikamaru asked Naruto something and the two started a conversation as they went from the mansion.Shikaku turned and walked towards one of the rooms in the mansion. The room was colored white with the Nara clan insignia and the Nara clan kanji hung on two opposite sides of the room. There was a small almirah, which the man opened to retrieve two mats.Kakashi caught a mat tossed over to him and sat down with his back to the wall. Shikaku further retrieved two cups and a glass bottle before seating himself next to Kakashi. Kakashi grabbed a cup while Shikaku opened the bottle and served its contents to both."Been a while since I saw your face," Shikaku commented, looking over at Kakashi who had pulled down his mask to sip at the beverage comfortably. The liquid went down the throat with an earthy and bitter aftertaste. There was a minuscule burn in the back of his throat, but that was to be expected."Been a while since I saw yours too.""True that," said Shikaku, gulping the drink."Foreign stuff? It's stronger than Sake." He had something like this before. Rum, they called it. It was during one of his missions in Mist if he remembered correctly. The captain on the ship had tons of it. Pity the lass with the compass had burned it all after the ship broke down after an attack. This was different from it and stronger too."Whiskey, they call it. Akimichi just opened a brewery down south, but it originated near the Lightning and Sand border. You know that fertile fields of land, the one with giant wheat farming.""World's biggest wheat farm if I recall correctly. The only place where Sand and Lightning would call a truce. The only border which is perfectly secure.""Ja," said Shikaku, "Both countries don't exactly have much farming land. That stretch of land is their lifeline. They fought over it in the past but decided that fifty-fifty was the best outcome for both of them. If only Lightning was that agreeable elsewhere…," he drawled."Wars would've been stopped. How many times have we fought against Lightning now? Eight, maybe nine, Multiple skirmishes too. Then again, we did start half of those.""Some we were justified in; some we were not. Like that time, we interfered when that bug clan was about to be culled. We were justified there, and we were justified when they tried to take a Hyuuga heir too. But when we invaded their water resources during a drought, or when that particularly bloodthirsty great-grandfather of mine urged everyone to war, those times we can say were our faults. Then again, this is simply how nations work." Shikaku adjusted himself in his seat, before taking a sip and letting out a sigh."There are many things to discuss here. Orochimaru can come later, this is more important," warned Shikaku, "This is about the Hokage."Hokage. A position that a Shinobi could take with support from all the clans, or by a majority during wartime. It was an absolute position on paper, with no one able to stand against the absolute monarch of the Leaf. On ground, the Hokage only had as much support as the clans lent him. There had been three Hokage in the Six centuries-long history of the leaf. The first was Hashirama Senju, the creator of the leaf. The second was Tobirama Senju, the man who created the Leaf Empire from the Leaf village. The third was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the great general who had led the leaf through its lowest period into prosperity."The First and Second Hokage existed in the first century of the leaf," began Kakashi, "While the Third's reign was in the third century, close to a hundred years after the death of the Second. There has been no Hokage after that. It's a post long dead," he finished.Shikaku spun the liquid in his glass and took another gulp, "It's the Uchiha. They say that the clan heir is a genius who could rival the Hokage. A ninety-five percent mission complete rate, with fifteen S ranks. Fugaku wants the kid to become Hokage, but as you can see," Shikaku made a sweeping gesture with his hand, "the political landscape is not there. The Senju aren't very keen on the idea either. There can be no Hokage in this era as it is.""You imply that he would start a war?" questioned Kakashi."No, there are limits to what a clan head can do. Starting a war is high treason. Should he even attempt it, the rest of the clans will hunt down the Uchiha. As it stands, the Uchiha are the strongest clan and benefit from being so too.""Should he attempt this and fail, the Uchiha lose their pedigree and position in the village. A careful man like Fugaku wouldn't attempt such a thing," finished Kakashi. The man would doom his clan for generations if he failed, which he most likely would."Correct, the man wouldn't attempt a war. But that doesn't mean war can't come to us. The last war was with rock, lightning, and Sand against us and the mist. It resulted in a victory made feasible by your deceased teacher, however, three decades is plenty of time to lick wounds.""Why would they attack us now? There is no reason to, as things stand," Kakashi enquired."Rock had Ohnoki's descendants, who were cast aside after his loss to the Third Hokage. They weren't treated well but climbed up the political ladder in recent years. They want more influence, so a war to boost their prestige would be perfect." Shikaku's reasoning seemed solid. Kakashi sipped whisky before stretching his back. He shuffled his feet and leaned back further with the wall."Rock has the same system as the Leaf, alongside the mist. Sand and Lightning run an always present Kage system. The descendants of Ohnoki will most likely be unable to become Kage but may improve their situation generously. Lightning want the strategic mountains, I presume?"Shikaku nodded at that. The strategic mountains were of two types. Ones with resources, which weren't worth waging full-blown war over. No, it was the defensive chokeholds that the Leaf took from them during the Second's reign. Those mountains provided tremendous strategic value, and the offense always favored the nation that held them."They want those to boost their economy and hold better strategic positions in case of war. But that is not something worth waging war over alone. The river treaty over the Indus is in our favor as the river originates from our land and goes into theirs. They probably want that too, seeing that the expansion near the river in their lands is impossible, mostly due to us releasing limited water from the dams."Shikaku opened the bottle and poured some more whiskey into his cup, before gesturing to Kakashi to bring his cup closer. Kakashi watched as his cup was filled again, before taking a giant gulp. This meeting was getting more serious as time passed."With Rock wanting war with Leaf, Lightning would jump in too. Sand is up in the air, and Mist is likely on our side. But I can't expect the Mist to go all out unless they're attacked directly. I doubt anyone wants the last war again, so expect conditional help from the Mist." Mist and Leaf have been stalwart allies since the Second's reign.The Second was extremely water-natured and a sage. The man simply loved the oceans and seas the Mist had to offer. Aside from that, Leaf and Mist followed almost the same political system, both had a large diversity of clans, and both were connected by the free sea yet distant enough to stay away from each other's interests.But the friendship had broken down during the Third's reign as the Leaf allied with Lightning of all nations against Mist and Rock. Sand acted as the world's bank during this time, pulling in cash that lasted to this day. Soon after, Lightning tried kidnapping multiple heirs from Mist and Leaf, getting them to join forces against Lightning. The war was short yet brutal and crippled Lightning for decades and reignited the Leaf's allyship with the Mist."The Mist has a Daimyo court, while we combined our greatest clan with our Daimyo court, taking over the entire country and founding an Empire. It also boosted the Uchiha as the 'strongest' even though the Senju were still stronger. As a result, tensions between the clans simmered down. Most of the Senju did not benefit directly as royalty but are more privileged than any other clan due to their connections," said Shikaku.The rest of the clans weren't as strong as the Senju or Uchiha back then, so they didn't mind the events. In fact, with the Senju bound to the citizens of the Leaf as royalty, they couldn't ever leave the village, nor could they hurt the clans in the empire without throwing every regulation to the winds.The small Leaf village transformed into the Great Leaf Empire and benefitted from its combined approach to military and civilian affairs. A democratic council was also introduced later when waves of revolution swept through the Nations, with the people demanding a representative for themselves. This allowed the clans to hold onto majority power while the civilians allied themselves more closely with the Samurai to strengthen their position. It was sixty-five-thirty-five split in favor of the clans in terms of political capital."War aside, Orochimaru is running around too. It doesn't look good when we are the only ones with an absconding Fifth Realm master." Shikaku put his glass to the side as he clasped his hands together in his lap. "So, how did it go with the man?"Kakashi opted to take another sip and swirl it around his mouth before gulping. He answered, "He was on par with me in Fifth Realm mastery. His nature manipulation and transformation, the Second Realm, is better than mine. I am better than him in the First realm, so physical confrontations favor me." Kakashi took another sip, showing greater alcohol tolerance than his commander, "But if I had to kill him, it would still be fifty-fifty. And it would take another Fifth Realm master to capture him alive. We clashed normally, testing each other instead of going all out. Who knows what might happen if I face him alone while going all out."Shikaku evaluated Kakashi's report. There would be a more formal one tomorrow, and this one was enough to work with for him. There were pros to capturing the snake, chief among them being access to his years of research. They could cut some deal with the man in exchange for him sharing details of his work.The Senju were angry at Orochimaru, but they still saw reason in letting him live. If they could take him back and put him underground, the man could help the nation with his genius. Then again, it was Orochimaru they were talking about. He would try to quintuple-cross them at the very least, and they could find his laboratories later anyway. Some of them may fall into other nation's hands, but that was a risk he was willing to take.Killing him was the best choice then, Shikaku thought to himself. But that would require two Fifth realm users at least, and the Leaf only had nine of them in total. To track down the man, then send two Fifth Realm users after him, was going to be hard.But Kakashi was one resource that hadn't yet taken his full value. The Uchiha were peculiar because of two reasons. First, their extreme affinity to fire, to the point infants could set themselves on fire accidentally. Second, their Fifth Realm was shared among them. Nobody knew what the Sharingan embodied, but it was present in every Uchiha who underwent the Fifth realm awakening.Only two in the clan had the Sharingan, them being the clan heir Itachi, and his cousin Shisui. The Uchiha, in their Fifth Realm state, had the Sharingan alongside another personal minor aspect that they embodied. Itachi embodied crows while Shisui embodied leopards. The Sharingan granted different powers to its users.There were two cases in history where a Sharingan was tried to be transplanted into another being. The first was more than a thousand years ago when the Uchiha had curiously regrown his eyes while the recipient had died immediately. The other case was when one Obito Uchiha, fresh into the Fifth Realm, had bequeathed both his Sharingan eyes to his teammate and platoon leader, Kakashi of the Hatake.It was the only successful transplant of the Sharingan in history."I know that you never liked discussing it but-" Shikaku was cut off before he could complete his sentence. Kakashi placed his cup on the floor before cutting him, "I will do it.""Pardon?" Shikaku was a man who was hard to catch off guard, and a part of Kakashi relished his stunned face. "I will do it," Kakashi repeated. "I will master the Sharingan.""What brought about such a change?" asked Shikaku."It's been a long time since then, and Obito would want his eyes to be used. I have been a coward long enough, and if the future is as tumultuous as you say, then I must become stronger. Naruto needs his teacher for a while longer, and I want to pass on my legacy." Kakashi was a simple man with simple plans. He would pass his legacy onto Naruto, before settling down with a family and having a few kids. He would instruct the kids too, and they would also be his legacy, alongside Naruto who he would then adopt as his son. If those goals required him to become stronger and overcome his past, then he would have to do it."Heh. That brings a shiver of relief. With you mastering the Sharingan and your protégé and my son achieving the Fifth Realm in the upcoming years, the Leaf will be secure enough." Shikaku relaxed in his seat, picking up his glass and taking a giant gulp of alcohol."I tried to use Obito's eyes as little as possible, even going as far as to cover one of my eyes. But they were a gift from him," Kakashi began. "And gifts ought to be used," finished Shikaku."And gifts ought to be used," repeated Kakashi.Both gents sat together in silence, enjoying the buzz that was creeping in on them. It was going to be evening soon, and the insects were humming in the trees outside. It was pretty peaceful, Kakashi thought, as he took in Nature's chakra and let it out, massaging his chakra coils."That takes care of two out of three things I wanted to talk to you about." Shikaku filled their glasses as the small bottle was emptied. "There's another?" Kakashi took a sip and let out Nature's chakra completely."Indeed. It's about the Hyuuga this time. A generational change will occur in the clan, and we must facilitate it," Shikaku stated, drawing Kakashi's curiosity.The Hyuuga were one of those clans. That is, extremely conservative. They were the 'do-jutsu' clan, blessed with the Byakugan. Unlike the Uchiha, who awakened the Sharingan only during the Fifth Realm, the Hyuuga could use theirs anytime. Most were born with it, but in return, their Fifth Realm was weaker than average. All Hyuuga awakened the same Fifth realm, akin to the Uchiha.It was a state where they were enveloped by pure white Chakra that acted as an extension of their techniques. Some speculated that it was a binding vow made to some God a long time ago. The vow weakened their fifth realm significantly but granted them the Byakugan.The Hyuuga could create an extraordinarily formidable force, by never the strongest. It was their blessing and curse, as it was their destiny to always fall behind the Senju or the Uchiha. No Hyuuga could measure up to the heavy hitters of either clan.Aside from that, the systematic segregation between the main family and the branch family was not seen kindly by most of Leaf's clans. But due to their political capital and connections due to once being royalty, the Hyuuga were able to keep their traditions, despite it going against the Leaf's constitution."The main family has two heirs, both girls. The Hyuuga are patriarchal, but Hiashi could appoint his daughter as clan head, defying tradition by citing modernity and woman empowerment. This has troubled the elders, who want to follow long-standing tradition entirely.""They want an heir from another main branch family?""Not quite," replied Shikaku, "They want Neji Hyuuga to take over as clan head. The child is an anomaly, you see. He was born in the side branch without a Byakugan, the first in Hyuuga history. But despite that, he is the best in the side branch and only second to Hiashi and a few elders. In time, they expect him to be stronger than Hiashi himself, and are betting on that."Kakashi knew what Shikaku was implying. If he was born without the Byakugan, then his Fifth Realm would not be limited by it. And even if it ended up limited, the boy would still be far stronger than Hiashi. But there was one catch."If Neji becomes clan head, he will remove the segregation between the main and side branches. That would be an affront to tradition too, wouldn't it?" Kakashi enquired, puzzled at the elders' decision. They would not allow a female clan head but remove segregation entirely to combat it? It was immorally moral in a sense."He would. And that is in the plans if we look underneath. If Neji becomes clan head, he will push to end segregation. That will snatch power from the main branch, but only for the main families. The elders will still be the elders, who enjoy a position of power. Even if that position of power is taken, they would still be treated well due to their age." Shikaku stretched his legs in front of him before folding them again."And as you know, the side branch consists of twenty-four families, while the main branch has twelve. Overall, the Hyuuga stands at an enormous hundred thousand, slightly bigger than the ninety-nine thousand Uchiha, but still smaller than the biggest a hundred and fifteen thousand strong Senju. They also have one of the best Samurai in Leaf, but the side branch suffers as the main branch does not share their best techniques with them."Shikaku fell silent for a minute before continuing his exposition, "The elders believe that under Neji the branch family will flourish as they are brought into the fold. Competition will increase between the former main and branch families and the Hyuuga will be at their strongest. But the main family will not give up their privileges. They will halt Neji no matter what. The elders will push Neji to the best of their ability. Here lies our chance, in the middle of this drama."Kakashi hummed before enquiring, "You want to use the Hyuuga against the Uchiha in some manner?""Yes," Shikaku grinned, revealing his plans, "I want Neji to take over after earning prestige in the war. He will then have the achievement of ending segregation alongside being a war hero. If he achieves the Fifth Realm, then it will be far better. You, alongside your protégé and my son, will be war heroes, and I expect this group to draw many eyes."Shikaku paused to draw breath, before continuing, "Yamanaka and Akimichi have gotten weaker, and even though we are very closely allied, I do not expect much from them. The Senju will have war heroes as always, and with Tsunade present, their prestige will only grow. This will overshadow Itachi Uchiha and block his path to Hokage post-war.""And since there will be so many strong soldiers, he won't be able to take position during the war either. Instead of being the only hero, his legend will water down. And since people do not want a Hokage, combined with diluted legend, Uchiha will not have their Hokage," finished Kakashi. He took his glass and finished it in one final swoop. Shikaku took his glass and set it next to himself, a small smug smile on his face."It's brilliant," Kakashi commented. Amazing in its procedure too. It would solve multitudes of Leaf's problems, win them the war, and thwart Uchiha's ambitions. Shikaku always surprised him with his planning. If there was no war, Hyuuga would still undergo reformation. A perfect plan, with little scope for unplanned elements."Hyuuga clan head must be twenty-one, so we have roughly three years to execute it all. We weaken the main branch before using their elders to prop up Neji." Shikaku finished his glass before standing up and stretching. Kakashi stood up too, picking up his mat and walking towards the almirah."No need for that," said Shikaku, "you'll probably put it somewhere wrong." Kakashi chuckled at Shikaku's grumbling. He left the mat on top of the almirah for him to pick up later. Shikaku beckoned him closer, "Kakashi, one last thing."Kakashi raised an eyebrow and moved towards Shikaku, standing next to him. Back when he was a teenager, he was roughly half the size of Shikaku. Now, he could reach up to his shoulders. The man's height was an anomaly, partly because his mother was an Akimichi. The rest of the Nara were shorter than him, although Shikamaru could get bigger than him."Hide the fact that Naruto is from Dhauladhar. The Senju and the Uchiha are rather uppity about that range for some reason," Shikaku made a constipated face, not liking what he was saying, "even I could not get any word about why they are like that. After you left, I changed the boy's file. Officially, he is from Gonda, the village you resided in.""Those mountains contain many mysteries," replied Kakashi, "the monkey-tailed man, the giant wastelands that we try to hide. Some areas are considered 'cursed', even by the locals. I planned to keep his origins secret anyway. I'll tell the brat to shut up too.""That is a wise choice," commented Shikaku. He ran a hand through his hair before speaking, "I wanted to talk about more passive topics, but that will have to be rescheduled for later. Where do you intend to go now?""There was one important thing I intended to tell you last," Kakashi began, "there was somebody when we met Orochimaru. A highly skilled Shinobi at least, one who could heal entire limbs and even Naruto's damaged coils. Naruto was also very assertive that he had multiple tails."Shikaku stayed silent, urging Kakashi to continue with his eyes, "Orochimaru called him a 'myth of the past' and was definitely after him. The people who infiltrated the village, as I wrote in my report, were likely Orochimaru's subordinates."Shikaku groaned and rubbed his palms over his face, "You could've told me that while we were sitting." Kakashi chuckled mischievously, drawing Shikaku's eyes. "You did it on purpose, you damn scarecrow." Kakashi looked away and whistled innocently, causing Shikaku to break into chuckles."But still," he stopped chuckling, "all this implies is that the man was after Naruto for some reason. And he was a 'myth of the past', and if we think about it," Shikaku paused for a second here."The only myth Naruto can be connected to is by that mountain range. And you met that mysterious monkey-tailed man there too. Reckon that they are connected?"Kakashi replied, "Absolutely. That is the only connection we have."Shikaku scratched his chin, recalling some information. "There were legends that my mother told me, of how there used to be a kingdom of old, and how that kingdom fell because of 'the great sin'. It is a myth, but tails? You know what, go to the Fire City. I will send a request to the fire temple, so go ahead and investigate this 'myth' there."Kakashi folded his arms in front of him, "How do we know that they will have what we need? The Fire temple maintains its secrets well." It was not going to be an easy task to get them to relay information about anything. It would take months to persuade the monks."It will be fine. You will officially go to train in that temple. It is filled with Nature Chakra, and even I achieved my Fifth Realm there. Naruto will benefit from this." Kakashi could see the wisdom in Shikaku's words."Then, we will shift temporarily to the Fire temple. Seven or eight months will be enough to find out if they have what we need. Then, we come back for the Hyuuga plan.""I'll figure some way to push Neji without war by then," asserted Shikaku, "And if war truly does come, then so be it.""Then I must take my leave," Kakashi said, holding out his hand. Shikaku grabbed his hand in a tight shake, "Not so fast, scarecrow. Let's check up on the kids before you go. Might as well get this buzz off my system.""A pleasant proposal. Did you know that the new Make Tactics book is set for an advance release?" questioned Kakashi, making his way to the door."No way! Really!?" Shikaku hurried next to him, and the men made small talk until their destination. 'It's nice,' Kakashi thought to himself, 'to sometimes talk to a mature adult.'"You know, Kakashi doesn't consider me a mature adult! I am eighteen now, and yet still get treated like a kid!" exclaimed Naruto, kicking a pebble in front of him. He and Shikamaru walked side to side on their way to the training ground.Shikamaru had his hands clasped behind his head as he walked. "My old man is troublesome like that as well. He's always telling me how I am not an adult, or not mature yet." He let out a big sigh before continuing, "Old people are troublesome like that. I have simply learned to not pay them any mind.""Wise words!" cheered Naruto. His blinding smile hurt Shikamaru's eyes, who wondered if the Sun decided to reside in this boy. "So," Naruto began, "How far along is the training ground? The natural energy around here has got me pumped!" Naruto opened up his jacket and hit the Arnold pose, flexing his muscles to the limit."Oh gods, oh heavens, I did not need to see that." Shikamaru faked retching, covering his mouth with his elbow. "Hey!" shouted Naruto. Ignoring the shouts from his companion, Shikamaru continued making vomiting voices in his elbow, taking joy in the little game.It was nice to have someone play along with me like that. Shinobi didn't have many friends in their teens or even twenties. The bodies were at prime time to be molded as soon as puberty ended, which took most of the time of their day. Even now he only had Choji and Ino as friends, and a few other clan kids as acquaintances.Choji was his best friend, but the man was too sensitive. If he tried engaging in a game of wits against him, the man would take all of it as seriously. Once he jokingly told Choji that he stunk, and the man bought more soaps and shampoos than Ino!Speaking of Ino, she had the temper of an active volcano. Joke around with her and she would turn scathing soon, always wanting to get in the last word. He loved both his friends, but sometimes he just wished he had someone else to exchange wits with.Naruto was the perfect candidate for that. He could give and take in a normal manner and be mindful enough to stay within boundaries. He sometimes would just not shut up, but that was alright. He could work with that."Is that a waterfall!?" exclaimed Naruto, running towards it like a lion after prey.The training ground was a small field in the middle of the woods. It was in the shape of a semi-circle, where the waterfall was in diameter. The waterfall wasn't massive, but it was wide. It was only one and a half times the size of Naruto, but beneath the waterfall was a deep pond, ten or so feet deep by Naruto's estimations. The deer were present in the woods around, unbothered by the invaders of their sanctuary. The training ground was at the end of the compound, bordered by a cliff."Why do you have a waterfall in the middle of your compound? And what's up with the random cliffs?" asked Naruto, filling water in his palms before launching it at Shikamaru."Stop that!" Shikamaru barked, "You are like an autistic squirrel.""Autistic squirrel! Me?! Look who's talking, Mr. Lobotomised Lobster!""Where did that come from? Lobster? Lobotomised at that," laughed Shikamaru. Naruto pointed his index finger toward him, shouting, "Lobsters are all lazy and shit! You notice how they meander idly and do nothing. You are just like that, but worse!" Naruto folded his hands in front of him, raising his nose at Shikamaru."I guess I can see it," admitted Shikamaru. Naruto curiously watched as Shikamaru approached the pond but whelped as the man kicked water at him. "Dodged it! Lobster aim, just as expected!" Naruto was fast, Shikamaru noticed, fast enough to dodge the water point blank."The capital was built on plain land, and fixed land was allotted to the clans. The higher your prestige, the better location you could get away with. The Senju and Uchiha took over the land with the two streams while we simply took the flattest land around. "Everything here," Shikamaru fanned his arms around, "was made by us. This patch of woods, these cliffs, and even this waterfall.""How do you make a waterfall?" Naruto enquired, feeling curious about the development. A Shinobi could produce water, but making a permanent waterfall was not part of their capabilities."That's not exactly a secret, but still don't go around shouting it on the roofs. All this natural energy here channels into a seal at the top of that cliff, which produces a water jutsu indefinitely."Seals. They were not a part of the traditional sixfold path, and some people lumped them alongside jujutsu, space-time jutsu in a special category called the 'Seventh Realm'. They were fairly new, created sometime around the beginning of the Leaf. The knowledge about these wasn't very widespread, and even Kakashi didn't know much about them."Huh? That's pretty neat," Naruto commented, looking at the cliff. The distraction yielded enough time for Shikamaru to splash the blond, who was caught off guard. "Ok. I deserved that," Naruto said. Shikamaru saw through him though and was aware that the man simply awaited an opportunity."Yeah, how about no. Stop that," he ordered before asking, "Dad sent us here for your sage arts training, right?""Eh?" Naruto was a man of intelligent replies.Shikamaru kicked some more water at the blonde before explaining, "Training ground five is special because this is where Nature energy is the densest. This is where everybody trains their sage arts in the Nara.""Everybody? Does that mean you have mastered it too? "'Legendary Shinobi and their pupils,' Shikamaru groaned to himself. All those guys have unrealistic expectations of progression in their field. Nobody masters Sage Arts at eighteen! Even fifty- or sixty-year-olds get stuck on the first step.The latter three realms were hard, and the hardness increased exponentially. Most people started learning Sage Arts by thirty, spending years mastering the first step. Most never made it to the second step, let alone the third. Even those who mastered all three steps of the Sage Arts were not guaranteed to awaken the Fifth Realm."I am on the first step," replied Shikamaru. Semi first step, he thought to himself. He would have it down by a year or so at worst."That's neat! Now that we're here, let's train! Woohoo!" cheered the blonde, pumping his fist into the air."Put that thought on hold fish-boy," Shikamaru admonished, holding out his palm in front of him."Fish-boy!? Lemme tell you that this Naruto here means whirlpools! Cyclones! Not fishcake!" Outrageous! Blasphemy! None insulted Uzumaki Naruto and got away with it!"Alright fishy, let's-" Shikamaru was having fun, generous amounts of fun, at the blonde's expense. "Oh, look at you, smartass. You think you are so smart making fun of people's names like old men. Hey, that ponytail on your head is an antenna, right? Maybe you get all your jokes from your dad! He transmits them over, and you make dad jokes!""My jokes are not dad jokes," rebuked Shikamaru. He was a cunning and witty individual damn it!"I so do not make dad jokes," Naruto imitated Shikamaru. The blonde ruffled around in his pockets before withdrawing his wallet. He peered inside it and brought out a thousand Ryo note, throwing it at Shikamaru. The man clumsily caught the piece of paper, looking confused at the sudden change of events."There you go, grandpa! Go buy some painkillers for your old bones! Buy an icy-hot for your back too!""Do you have enough money to throw around like that?' enquired Shikamaru, looking at Naruto."Actually, no. Give it back, please?" he requested, calming down from his excited tone. Shikamaru walked over to him and handed him the note, which he put inside his wallet."Why did you even do that?" Shikamaru asked, watching Naruto put the note back inside. The blonde made a face as he replied, "I saw it on a TV show once. I thought it would be funny.""It could've been," admitted Shikamaru, "but the setup was not there. You must work on your timing.""Yeah, alright legend," sneered Naruto. He still filed away the tip for later.Shikamaru kicked some more water at him, which was again dodged. Both glared at each other for a minute, before bursting out chuckling."Alright, you train here while I bring Choji. Then, we go waste time somewhere in the capital market." Naruto perked up at the mention of the capital market. Capital Market sounded nice in his head. Naruto nodded at that as Shikamaru turned around and started walking away, throwing a little wave as he went.Now alone in the field, Naruto dropped to the ground and started stretching. Nature's chakra was pulled in as he stretched, flowing through his body like a river.'Stage Two has been mastered', Naruto thought to himself, 'let's see how far along we can get in stage three.' He took off his clothes, leaving him stark naked. 'Bah! Nobody's gonna come here anyway! If Shikamaru gets flashed, then it's his fault anyway!'With a deep breath, he jumped inside the pond and stood upright on the pond surface. Nature chakra flowed out, dispersing Sage mode. He then attempted a kick, drawing in a small amount of Nature chakra continuously while channeling it.'Perfect ratio. Draw in only as much as you expend and not more.' The blonde executed a light and slow flurry of jabs and kicks inside the pond. Sometimes, he would draw in a large amount of Chakra. Due to that, he could not accurately know when Sage mode would end, creating a small opening when he was without Nature chakra.Sometimes, he would draw in too small an amount, burning through it before the movement was complete. This left him defenseless again. A master could sense when Nature Chakra was used up completely and use that moment as an opening. This was why third-stage masters were on a whole different level than second-level practitioners.Naruto jumped up towards dry land, landing near the waterfall in one leap. He drew in giant amounts of nature chakra before letting it out, taking a deep breath, and jumping into the pond again. This style of underwater training was a staple of the Niko style of martial arts, passed down to Kakashi by his teacher. Because the water allowed for uniform resistance and padding at the same time, not only did it reduce injuries, but also increased stamina and improved form. Leaking chakra into the water around him also turned it heavier, allowing progressive overload.Naruto executed the flurry of jabs and kicks and leaped out, drew in Nature chakra in giant amounts, and released it, before jumping straight into the pond again. It was easy to lose track of time. Naruto could hold his breath for upwards of twenty minutes in the water, five more than Kakashi. 'If I combine this giant vitality of mine with a perfected Sage mode, I could go more than thirty minutes underwater', he thought to himself.Naruto jumped out of the pond and lay down on the ground. It was easy to lose track of time doing this, and the sun started hiding itself. It would be the evening in an hour or so, he thought to himself. 'I'll change it up for the last set.'Naruto walked towards the cliff and rubbed his hand on the wall. It was quite hard, hinting at the use of a jutsu. Naruto drew back his fist and punched the cliff wall with all his might. His hand bounced back, and the wall was untouched. Next, he channeled Nature Chakra in his body as in the Second stage and punched the wall with all his might. It created a small hole in the wall in the shape of his fist.It was time then. He sat down on the ground, concentrating, and let himself feel his surroundings. The sound of the deer munching grass, the feel of the wind on his skin. Nature's chakra integrated itself into his system, increasing his senses. He could feel the vibrations in the ground, the sounds of the Nara walking around. He extended his range even farther, getting close to complete integration.There was someone else gathering Nature Chakra too. He reached out to him, poking at him innocently. It was a man. He should've been older than him, but he hadn't trained his senses that much in Sage mode. He poked at the man again and felt his attention divert towards him.The man sent Nature's chakra towards him in a wave, nearly knocking him off balance and off Sage mode. 'Could anyone even do that!' he thought to himself. You could feel the Nature chakra inside another being, but you couldn't throw it at someone. 'It's a master, one even bigger than the boss!''Poking' was not exactly poking. It meant that you felt the Nature chakra inside another being. Since the Nature chakra was inside another being, that entity would feel it too, in a manner akin to poking at his chakra system.Naruto wasn't a very wise decision-maker. Often, he was guided by his curiosity. In that fashion, he once again poked the man who didn't deign to respond. Chakra integrated perfectly into his system, a one-to-one ratio. The man again threw a wave of Nature chakra at him, this time at an even greater volume. He maintained his form and didn't budge against the man.The excess nature chakra thrown at him pushed his coils into overdrive. Another wave and the blond could feel his coils tire. The man sensed his exhaustion from his place and stopped responding to him. He pulled a wave of Nature Chakra towards himself this time, drawing Naruto's attention.Naruto poked at the man and saw him circulating his vitality around. It was dangerous! And enormous too! The man had more vitality than him, close to one and a half times his size! One could circulate vitality around the body, for it was energy at the end of the day. But vitality was the source of life. Even a minor fuck-up could cause issues for the rest of one's life.Despite that, the man circulated his vitality alongside the chakra he generated. Nature chakra integrated itself into the mix, a perfect three-way mix of energies. Naruto pulled his vitality and circulated it akin to the man, letting in tiny amounts of Nature chakra and integrating it.Naruto felt Nature integrate itself into his being. He didn't just sense the beings around him, but also their emotions. He felt the happiness of the deer and the hunger of the hatchlings. He integrated it even better, increasing his range. He felt the emotions of the Nara around him. He felt the laziness of a sleeping man, the lust of a housewife, the anger of a gardener. He felt Shikamaru approaching him alongside someone else. That would be Choji, he thought to himself.He felt the excitement of them both. Shikamaru also felt happy, while Choji had traces of something errant. Anxiety, nervousness. That's what It felt like. He felt Kakashi and Shikaku behind them, following them closely. He felt Kakashi's curiosity and Shikaku's annoyance.He tried reaching out further to the man from before. Just as tried reaching him, the man sent another wave of Nature chakra. It was a giant! Much bigger than the earlier ones, Naruto braced himself and let it pass through his system. His vitality receded to his stomach and the man sent small waves towards him, reminiscent of laughter.'That was dangerous!' Naruto thought to himself. What if he injured his vitality in the process? Did the man not know about safety? Naruto poked the man one last time before letting go of all nature chakra. Now that he thought about it, his coils didn't ache as he expected them to. Did circulating his vitality relax them?"Heavens above Naruto! Why are you naked?!" screamed Shikamaru. He was naked and dripping wet while at it. Choji looked away and coughed awkwardly. Oh great, now he felt like a nudist."Naruto! I am so sorry, this pupil of mine just won't stop his nudist streak!" Kakashi cried out from behind them. Shikamaru and Choji looked behind them, towards Kakashi and Shikaku. Shikaku ignored the fake apologizing teacher and walked towards Shikamaru, grabbing him by the ear.Kakashi dashed and grabbed Choji's hand, shaking it profusely. He fake cried from his one eye, which he enlarged using an illusion. "I am sorry for what you had to see! You see, when he was a child, he lost his mother! Now he goes around being naked everywhere!" Kakashi fake sobbed."What kind of an idiot leaves his guest alone while he goes roaming around!?' Shikaku yelled at Shikamaru."I just went to get Choji! And his mother stopped us at the gates for a chat! You know how she is! Once she starts talking, she never shuts up!" retorted Shikamaru."You could've taken him with you!" snapped Shikaku. Kakashi was weaving a sob story regarding Naruto as he sat down. Choji comforted him as the man cried a small river from his eye, only one eye mind you."And then came the velociraptors! They-those bastards killed his sister! She was just six months old!" cried Kakashi.It was quite lively. Naruto stared at this spectacle, unimpressed. He saw the father-son duo arguing while Kakashi talked about when he sacrificed his penis for a mutt. Choji was taking it seriously too. Damn, that man was gullible.Shikaku smacked Shikamaru on the top of his head while kicking the sitting Kakashi in the ribs. "Let's stop this circle now," he suggested.Kakashi stopped crying and stood up, his eyes small once again. He waved towards Naruto cheerfully.Why was his teacher like this?
CHAPTER FOUR
END
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
CHAPTER FIVE
Fugaku was a coward. That's what he was. But he wasn't always a coward. When his wife died in the war against sand, he didn't break. When they delivered her body in a coffin, he didn't shed any tears. When his clansmen died around him, he rallied everyone. He was their leader, so he didn't fall.When the main family of the Uchiha died out, he stood unwavering. But when he realized the only family he had left was his son, he wavered. When he saw his heir grow up with the same legacy that got everyone killed, he crumbled. And when Minato Namikaze gave him an out, he took it. He abandoned the mission, leaving his friend alone.And so, he ran. He ran as far as his legs could take him. He ran through the Leaf with an infant on his back. He ran until he saw the beaches, and even then, he didn't stop. When the sea blocked his way, he stopped. But falter, he did not. And so, with the help of a local town, he dared the waves themselves. He left behind all that was, the Uchiha fan on his back drifting alone in the ocean.The journey was arduous. The waves stretched as high as the mountains in the north and as wide as the Leaf's forests. The ship was a small one, made of old oak and teak. It creaked against the waves and finally croaked when came the biggest of them all.Fugaku then prayed to the gods, as a broken man on a broken ship, to save the only thing he had left. So, when the waves came for him, he didn't grieve. When he saw his son fling to the waves, he did not worry. And when the dark took over him, he didn't feel sad.The man then woke up on a beach, not too far from the shipwreck. He hoisted himself onto his back and spit out the ocean within him. Then, the man dreamt. He dreamt of a monkey who seemed like a man, with a tail as long as his body. He dreamt as the man dragged him from the beach. He dreamt as the man nursed him back to health.He was a peculiar figure. Fugaku was one of the tallest in his clan, but this monkey dwarfed him. Not even the monkey king Enma seemed a rival to his might. He lifted Fugaku with his tail and drilled a cliff with his fists.He was a god, Fugaku decided. A god that had taken human form. When a whale drifted onto the beach, he saw the God sit next to the dying creature. The animal had giant chunks taken out of it, a predator's doing. The whale lay dying next to the God. Maybe it felt pain, and maybe it did not. But its eyes looked the same, the same look they gave next to a mirror.The God then pushed the dying animal into the ocean, lifting the behemoth with but one arm. He sat mum as the animal cried in pain from the throw. The waters bloodied, turning a dark crimson red. Did his son bleed the same?He wouldn't have bled like that, Fugaku decided. He drowned to death. He drowned, leaving him all alone, the last Uchiha of the Mainline. He saw as the God hugged the dying mammal, bringing it close to his chest. The whale thrashed around. It wasn't an erratic movement, but a slow one. The whale calmly brought his tail up and down, crying with its voice to kingdom come."Everything dies, Fugaku. It comes, and it must go. But even as we burn out, even as we falter, we must never forget our nature. The whale, in its last moments, dies as it lived. It lived with the legacy it inherited, and it will die with the same legacy too."The God held the whale in its arms as it passed away. It looked peaceful. It relished his dying moments, it relished having met a God, and it dies happy. "You are not a whale though," the god joked, "don't die swimming in the ocean!"One day, the God disappeared. Fugaku missed him, the only source of company he had. He missed his help. He missed having someone around as he picked up as many of his son's memoirs. He often wondered if he would have another child. Maybe he could use his unnamed son's cot and play with his toys.And one day, the sea lost its temper once more. The skies bristled and the waves surged. Would someone else lose their lives now? He watched from his home on the cliffs as the sea raged on. But then he saw a ship. It was the same as the one he used to cross the seas, and it broke. It broke in front of him once more, mocking him for his failures.The sea didn't let up that night, not like it did with him. When his ship broke, the seas went calm soon after. It was as if the storm was created to punish him, and subsided once it completed its mission. He didn't sleep that night. His body felt cold, just like when it dropped in the currents. His heart raced and his hands sweated all night.When the morning came, the sea still raged a bit. It could start its destruction once again on a whim. He did his daily chores, hunted a rabbit, and sat on top of his favorite rock. It was a rock with a small base, flat on top. It reminded him of better times when he had a stage like that. He and his brothers would spar on top of the stage, improving their skills and they laughed and played.His eyes drifted lazily across the ocean. The waves seemed to be picking up. In the corner of his eye, he spotted something brown. The brown object got closer to the shore but got caught in the tide. The object, a boat, drifted to and fro in the sea. It would flip over soon, sinking to the sands beneath. Maybe it came from the ship last night, an escaped rescue boat.It seemed humorous that a rescue boat would survive, leaving all the tenants of the ship it was supposed to protect to pass away. Maybe he should get the boat to the shore and befriend it. After all, both of them had failed in their jobs.A shrill scream sounded in the air, bringing Fugaku's attention to it. It came from the boat, the boat that supposedly failed. Fugaku moved on instinct, diving into the ocean from his spot. The waves pulled at him, trying to bring him under. But he wouldn't join his family that easily, not until his muscles lost their strength and his bones turned to dust.And so, he swam through the waves. He didn't realize he was supposed to fear the water. He swam and swam; he swam as he kicked his legs as hard as he could. He pushed his body and fought the sea, unrelenting in his endeavor.And finally, he reached the boat. He tried to climb in but only managed to flip it over. He didn't mind his failure, diving under it to find the source of the cries. There, in a bundle of silk, lay an infant. He didn't hesitate to grab onto him and swam back to the shore. He didn't loosen his grip, not even mistakenly, not like what he did to his own flesh and blood.The infant didn't mind the trip, crying as soon as he landed on land. Fugaku walked to his dwelling and put the child into the cot. And then, he fainted.The kid woke him up in the morning. He remembered his own son waking him up like that. He knew what came next too. He picked up the hungry kid, who curiously touched his face. It was a boy, older than his son. He estimated the age to be seven or eight months, hopefully, old enough to eat solid food. There was nothing else on this land.He foraged for bananas and looked out for the berries. He put them in a pot fashioned out a rock and fed it to the child. He wasn't a picky kid and ate all he could get. The boat he flipped over had reached the shore alongside a few sets of clothes. The kid was pretty lucky, thought Fugaku.And so went by three years. Fugaku fashioned a few bigger knives from stone to hunt bigger prey. But the length was always smaller than a Kunai, something that was now a long-distant memory. The kid was easily entertained. He would sit in front of the ocean and watch as the waves went on their business. Fugaku named the kid 'Itachi', after the shipman who brought him to this island.Itachi watched as the sun rose and the waves surged. He watched as the sun set and waves came even nearer. One day, the ocean gifted him a stick. It was a sturdy stick, but also heavy. Itachi grabbed it with his tiny hands and swung it around.When the tide would recede, he would swing the stick back. And when the tide came forth, he swung the stick forward. It was like a game to him, to dance along to the song of the ocean. Fugaku watched him from his seat on the rock, the constant back and forth reminding him of something from his past.Months passed and Itachi perfected his swinging. He adjusted his feet to stabilize him better and kept his arms close to strike harder. Eventually, he heard more of the song. The waves would crash on each other, crash on the rocks, crash on the cliffs and even crash into him! And so, he swung his stick. He crashed it on rocks, cliffs, and trees.But that was not enough for the young child. His father decided to teach him swimming as soon as he turned four. He remembered being told to swim only in select areas. He didn't mind that, preferring to drift along the current in his small lagoon.He learned to move from that. He moved as the small currents moved, and when he had to strike, he moved as the big waves do. Itachi decided that he liked moving with his trusty stick and that he liked moving in new ways. He liked hitting harder, and he liked being able to hit harder.One day, his father sat him next to a bonfire and told him of his home. He didn't tell him much about what 'Uchiha' was, or what 'Leaf' was. But he did tell him of gods and men. He sang tales of old, bursting with laughter when Itachi asked for a new story.His father sang of Gods, of how they help all those who ask. He sang of the trees, of how they sustain the world. He sang about the beaver in the woods and the fish in the ocean, but never once did he sing of the moon.Itachi was curious about the moon. On some nights, the stars would hide themselves out of shame, for they could never match up to the moon. The moon would shine bright, illuminating the ocean and the fish within. Itachi liked the moon and liked how much it taught him. He moved like the moon did, joyful and bold. The moon may hide, it may wane, but never did it falter. Once every two weeks, the stars would hide themselves in shame as the moon fully revealed itself. And so would Itachi dress up his little strikes, only to unleash a big one at the end.And then Itachi finally asked his father about the moon. He didn't burst into laughter this time. The man brought his thumb to the chin before giving a large smile. "Hear ye, hear ye," he shouted, crying to the heavens, "Hear of the Mahabali! Hear of the Somnath! Hear of the four-handed creator and hear of the absolute!"His father then sang of Mahabali, the God who was a monkey. Itachi wondered what a monkey looked like but didn't voice his question. It was the first time his father told him about the moon, and he didn't miss a word. He sang of how the god saved him on this beach, and Itachi asked if he ever met him. "Met him? I lived with him!" the man cheered. Itachi cheered too, feeling joy simply because he never knew any alternative.His father then sang of the moon, the granter of wisdom. He sang of its brilliance, of its illuminance. But Itachi knew those things. Then his father told him how the moon granted wisdom to all those who asked. "The moon cares not for the pedigree, but for the talent! Impress him with all you have, impress his lord, and there is none the God will not award you with."The moon had a lord? How could such an existence bow to another? Itachi voiced his objection to his father, "What existence is there in the heavens that even the moon can't compare to?""Oh, you foolish child, there is but one lord of the moon. Wait," his father raced to the shoreline, looking for something. Itachi looked at him from where he was sitting next to the bonfire as the man fumbled around in the sand, before dragging a shell to him."Itachi! Remember this sound for your life!" his father shouted as he brought the shell to his lips. The man breathed out with force into it, creating a loud sound that echoed through the clearing. "This is the sound of the Somnath! The absolute that resides in this world! 'Som' here," his father pointed to the moon, "is the moon. And 'Nath' means lord. The lord of the moon, Shiva!"His father then sang of the only absolute in the universe. He sang of how this God worked his magic by being other gods, like the Mahabali. He sang of his eternal wisdom and his endless knowledge. He sang of flying cities, of world-ending weapons, of third eyes on forehead.He then fell silent and spoke slowly, but with lower volume, "This God, Itachi, cares not for anything. It doesn't matter if the world falls tomorrow, or if the skies split apart. You can find him everywhere, in the cremation grounds and in the palaces."Itachi slept that night, thinking of ways to win the moon's favor. He reasoned that maybe if he swung his stick harder, and moved a bit better, maybe the moon would show him something exciting. And so he practiced in front of the moon every night, swinging just a little harder, moving just a little faster.The moon never responded to anything, but Itachi knew of the tough trials to get a God's attention. So, he continued as he always did, improving bit by bit. One day, he fell asleep after finishing his nightly routine. His father didn't like him playing with his stick, so he played after he fell asleep. That night, Itachi dreamt of a larger version of his father's blades. Warriors wielding swords and spears showcased their skills in his dreams.And so, he practiced them. He practiced whatever his dreams showed him. He asked his father, "How do you know the gods favor you?" Fugaku tapped his chin, "The Gods will show what you want in your dreams. Who knows, they may even come to you."Itachi swung his sword, realizing that he had the moon's favor. He then asked his father, "How do you win over the Somnath?" His father sat down near their nightly bonfire, "The Somnath is mysterious. How he is satisfied, varies from person to person. Think of him when you worship the moon, maybe he will guide you to the Somnath."And so, Itachi swung his stick harder than ever before. He swam like never before, even swimming in dangerous places alongside his father. There, he learned more from the ocean. He learned the skittishness of fish and the absolute defense of turtles.One day though, his stick broke. "It was getting old," Fugaku commented, "I'll find you a new one."That night, Itachi simply walked along the beach. He had no stick, and he feared that he would lose the favor of the moon. He prayed to the heavens, clasping his little hands together. "Give me a stick," he pleaded. But the Gods apparently paid no heed. Young Itachi simply fell to his father's side and slept late into the night.That night, he dreamt of the monkey God. The God ruffled his head and created a stick from nowhere! Itachi grabbed the stick, amazed by its toughness. It didn't bend and was smooth! The God mischievously whispered, "There are many such in Dhauladhar, you know? Here, I'll send you this tomorrow."Itachi didn't tell his father of the dream, fearing that he might notice his nightly detours. And so, he swam throughout the coastline, looking for the promised stick. When the sun shone at its brightest, he found the stick sitting near his father's rock. It was heavier than in the dream, Itachi thought. Much heavier.And so, Itachi swung his stick every night once again, trying to adjust to the new weight. Eventually, that stick also gave way. God sent another one though, even without him praying. This one was heavier still, and yet Itachi swung it until he regained his previous form.One day his father came back injured from the forest. He was bleeding from a wound on his side. "There's a big tiger there Itachi. Stay near the bonfire, I'll kill it when I recover." But the tiger didn't care about the man's recovery. The big beast smelled the blood and reached the beach, standing at their bonfire spot.The beast was five to six times Itachi's size. That was the first time Itachi felt primal fear. He was but a six-year-old, facing a beast way beyond his expectations. His father, who felt hot to the touch, cried out, "Itachi! Run!" The man stood up, grabbed his blades which had long dulled, and shouted at the beast to attract him.It was for naught though, as the tiger went after the smaller prey. He ran after Itachi, who was only so fast despite everything. Itachi grabbed his stick from near the camp and barely managed to block a paw that sent him rolling. "Itachi!" his father called out but ended up falling into the sand. "AH!" he screamed, giving it his all to reach his son. Itachi bled from his forearm, a large gashing wound that hurt his entire arm.Itachi looked at the beast, and the beast readied itself for attack. The beast jumped, and for a second, all Itachi could see was the moon. He thought of the moon and his swings. He placed himself exactly beneath the tiger, taking advantage of his small size, and hit the front legs with a swing.The tiger attempted to kill him with his back claws, swinging them straight to his face. He hit them before they could hit him, striking with as much force as he could muster. The nails broke and the tiger shrieked, running away from him. Itachi looked up to see his father standing above him with bloodied knives. He looked to the side and saw the tiger with a bloodied back, running to the woods.Fugaku's father wasn't around very often. Whenever he did something praiseworthy, the man would absent-mindedly ruffle his hair. When he became clan head, the man had simply offered him a handshake. Fugaku wasn't sad when he died, and his father died alone in his room.Looking back, his father never hugged him. He tried to think of himself in his father's place, and Itachi's in his. He saw Itachi looking at him expectantly. He could crush it here, end his hopes of being a Shinobi. Damage his heart for his life. But Fugaku couldn't do that. He didn't want Itachi to grow up the same as him. And so, he did what he had never done before. He hugged the boy because he didn't want to be his father.His father grabbed him in a hug, "That! Where did you learn that?" Itachi stayed mum, acting shocked. His father hugged him again, "Itachi, don't go there. There is nothing but death and destruction. Itachi, heed my words, don't go there…."Itachi was already gone though; he was gone the moment he was born. Fugaku knew that too, having seen the boy improving, doing what was essentially 'martial arts.' He cried himself to sleep that night.The next day, Fugaku prayed to the Mahabali. He prayed for wisdom, and for strength. That night he fell asleep and dreamt of the God. It was a pure white space, and the monkey god sat on a random tree in it. It was the only tree in that white space, and it had multiple mangoes growing from it."Fugaku, you idiot," the God chided, "Some people simply have their nature.""And it's not in mine to train him," Fugaku insisted."Don't train him, fight him," the god advised, eating a mango. Fugaku woke up and looked over to his son. That morning, he brought the boy on top of the rock. "Just for your safety," it was a lie, he was training the boy, he didn't want to train the boy, "you must learn to fight."Itachi beamed at him as instructed him to come at him. He took his stick and swung for his shins. Fugaku jumped over the attempt, but Itachi made space. Fugaku blocked his son's attacks, each blow deepening the ache in his heart.He knew what this road would lead him to. That unnamed infant that lay dead on the ocean floor, the caskets caked with blood, those empty households. He knew what lay in store, and he didn't know how to stop it.Itachi found a new source of play in his life. He attacked Fugaku whenever he could, and the rest of his time he spent swimming or swinging his stick. Fugaku tried breaking his stick, only for a new one to come up to him the next day. This one, not even Fugaku could break, not without hurting his son. And so, Itachi aged, playing around all day, for nine years."You have taught him much," the god commented in his dream. It was the same tree as all those years ago."I taught him my everything. The sixfold path, I taught completely to him."Both fell silent before Fugaku asked a question, "Why make him a Shinobi? He has a large vitality, but he has no family- ""He is an Uchiha though," The God commented."He is my son," Fugaku strained, "but he is not my blood. He wasn't born an Uchiha.""Fugaku," the God said, "why do you think you were given Chakra?""To help us ascend?" Fugaku guessed, after contemplating for a bit."No, you child," the God chided, "you were given Chakra to be more. That boy may not be your blood, but he is your legacy. Look around on this island," the white void changed to a copy of the island, "Who here sings of your gods? Who cheers for your heroes?"The god came down from his tree, "Who here is the culmination of everything you are. Chakra can do things, and connect people to such a degree that blood becomes water. He is your son, and you are his father in everything."The dream ended there. It was a funny thing, that he always remembered the advice, but never the face or clothing of the God. He remembered the tail and the outline, but never the face. That's how gods are, he supposed.The day went by, and Fugaku wondered the Gods' words. Itachi had stopped attacking him two or so years ago, having outgrown him in everything. Nowadays he spends his time waving his stick near the ocean all day. Soon, the boy would leave. He would not go though, for there was still too much hurt in his heart. But having his only son go would crush him. Fugaku thought it was a fine end to the Uchiha main family line, dying alone on a beach, having raised a fine heir.That night, Fugaku spotted ships approaching the island. They turned around though, and so he didn't tell Itachi. Just as Itachi came back from his nightly routine, a large explosion sounded through the forest.Itachi stood adjacent to his father, looking at the general area of the explosion while bringing up his guard. From the smoke came forth a blur. It stopped right at the top of a branch, looking down at the duo. It was a short man with a black staff."Yagura of the mist," breathed Fugaku. The short man who held a stick looked at him before realization dawned in his eyes, "Fugaku Uchiha. The lost clan leader of the Leaf long thought dead."Itachi made a puzzled expression but kept his questions for later. Yagura twirled his staff as he gathered chakra, "It doesn't matter. This island was supposed to be a secret base. Now, it is compromised." A large water dragon burst out from the ocean behind him, "And so, I must clean up," he finished.The dragon slammed into Fugaku and knocked him against his rock, knocking him unconscious. Itachi lunged at Yagura with his stick, who blocked his attack with a stick of his own. "A fine staff, puzzlingly crafted from wood," he commented. Five more water dragons, even bigger than the last one, rose from the sea and went for Itachi.The boy ran into the jungle with Yagura and the dragons on his tail. The dragons converged on his position. Itachi curled into a ball to absorb the impact and was pushed deep into the ground. The trees around him were uprooted, leaving a large wasteland."Sage mode perfected too. How annoying, since even I haven't mastered stage three," Yagura said, closing in on Itachi with his staff. Yagura incorporated water into his attacks to increase their range and lethality.Itachi blocked his forearm with his own and shot out a hook to the right. Yagura blocked with his right hand and moved so to clinch Itachi. Itachi dodged back and shot out a kick which Yagura blocked with his arms. Itachi executed a sweep, Yagura jumped over it. Once he was in the air, Itachi drew in giant amounts of air and shot a giant stream of fire. Yagura brought up a shield of water, and the collision of the attacks created steam all around. The sticks were thrown to the side as hand-to-hand commenced.In the steam, Itachi sped behind Yagura and attempted to kick him in the side. Yagura turned around at the last minute but couldn't block as the kick connected to his chest. He spat out blood as went skidding.Yagura didn't waste time and raced towards Itachi again. He punched from the front as a homing water projectile was unleashed from behind him. Itachi didn't mind the projectile and let it crash against him. He grabbed both of Yagura's arms and slammed him into the ground.A cyclone burst from beneath Itachi, carrying him away. Itachi spun around in circles, barely keeping afloat. The water condensed in a giant ball, cutting off any chance of escape. Yagura blazed through hand signs and rode a water dragon as it slammed into the ball.Itachi was thrown away by the impact, and Yagura didn't give up the opportunity. He grabbed Itachi by the neck and slammed into the ground and followed with a kick to the ribs. Itachi went flying away straight into the jaws of another water dragon.Itachi felt his ribs crack like walnuts under a hammer. The dragon twisted and threw him far into the ocean. Yagura held out his hands and a wave stood up, hard as rock. Itachi slammed his back against it, crying out in pain from more ribs breaking. Yagura was fully intent on ending it then, channeling the last of his chakra to create a last dragon, which looked more like a wyvern than a serpent. The dragon took flight into the air, before speeding towards Itachi.Itachi drew as much Nature chakra as he could, but the wall behind him acted as an absorbent. All the nature chakra in the vicinity was already taken up and Itachi felt the last vestiges of Sage mode leaving him. He braced himself with all that he could muster as the dragon smashed into him. He felt his inner organs turn liquid, his limbs turn and twist in ways he didn't think possible. The dragon opened his maw and grabbed the boy and took flight once more.Yagura sat down on the ground, spent after using so many techniques in close succession. He could've spaced them out, but that brat was too dangerous. He hadn't seen anyone fight like him, combining the spear and the sword with a staff. Were he not a Uchiha, he would've recruited him into his unit. A perfect sage like that was worth his weight in gold.The dragon slammed down into the ground behind him, leaving Itachi impaled on a rock. The boy twitched for a few seconds, before going still. He's dead, Yagura thought. He would kill the father in a few, just after he recovered."Hmmm, that's quite the damage," said a voice. Itachi sat up from the ground, looking around the white void that was suddenly around him. He looked at his limbs and his chest, finding them intact. He looked to his right and saw a mango tree, with a giant shape sitting on top of it.He had never managed to remember the face of the God, but now he saw it clearly. A face that looked like a human and something else. His dad called it a monkey, but he had never seen one. That God had a long tail and a muscular body. So muscular, that Itachi wondered if the man would simply burst all of a sudden. But he was no man, Itachi reminded himself, he was a God. Maybe Gods didn't burst suddenly.The God also had weird gold-colored things that he wore on his ears and neck. He had never seen something like that, "You haven't seen much in life," the God replied. He was also covered in orange powder of some sort and wore a cloth around his waist. The bare-chested entity threw a mango from his tree towards Itachi, who caught it and looked at it puzzlingly."Do the Gods interact so much with normal humans?" Itachi asked him."Not really," he replied, "but it is rare that a child asks how to impress the moon. And so, I come when you ask.""You come for anyone when they ask?" questioned Itachi. The boy still had the same childlike innocence from his childhood. He looked up at the God expectantly, still holding onto the mango.The God raised his palm in an upward position and a chair made of wood spouted from behind him. Itachi sat on the chair without asking, not used to the customs of the world.The God took a mango and didn't bother peeling it before shoving it into his mouth. "Not really," he said, "some things in life just occur. I can't suspend all suffering simply because you ask me to." The God gestured towards Itachi to eat the fruit, and Itachi started peeling his mango. "Eat it with the peel," he instructed, "It's just as tasty."It was just as tasty, Itachi thought. "I came because your father asked me to," the God said. Not the same father that Itachi knew, but the other one, the one he never got to know.Itachi finished his mango, which was surprisingly seedless. "It's seedless for a reason," the God told him. How interesting, a seedless mango, one with a reason."Itachi, you asked me to help you to impress the moon, so I did. You asked me for new sticks, and so I provided them. And now, the moon stands impressed."He had impressed the moon after twelve years of constant practice. The Gods were fairly easy to please, Itachi thought to himself, if they got happy simply when a child swung its stick."The gods get happy when a man gives it his all," the God said, "and a child who possesses only a stick can only give so much.""Itachi," the God continued, "come here." The boy got up from his seat and walked to the tree. The God jumped down and kneeled before the boy. At this height, they could look into each other's heights directly."Close your eyes, boy," he instructed. Itachi closed his eyes, and the God placed his palms on top of them. His eyes burnt and then felt cold. The God then released his palms and ruffled the boy's hair. "I can grant strength, but wisdom you must earn. Seek for it when you leave this land."The God stood up and looked down at him, "You were blessed with chakra, but you do not know just how much you can do with it. More than blood, this is your best legacy. Everything that you are, runs in your chakra. It is your very being. So, never lose sight of it. Never lose sight of the moon, and never lose sight of what you were. And above all, never lose sight of yourself."Itachi woke up to the moon staring down at him. He twisted his neck and saw a rock jutting out from his chest. He looked to the right and saw Fugaku and Yagura approaching each other. He didn't mind the fact that his father raced towards death.Right now, Itachi didn't create chakra, nor did he take it from Nature. He felt his own soul, his own existence, and brought it back into the world. His limbs untwisted themselves as they healed but gave him no pain. With a huff, he pushed himself from the rock, the hole in his chest healing itself as he walked.He felt his heart be created anew and felt his heartbeat start once again. His eyes cried blood as he raced towards the fight. Yagura attempted to crush Fugaku in one downward slice. A staff hit his own from the side, knocking it away.Both looked sideways to the boy they thought was dead. Yagura widened his eyes and created more distance between them. Fugaku fell back in shock, not believing what occurred right in front of him.Itachi ran towards them, crying blood. His black eyes turned red as a pinwheel emerged in them, rotating lazily as he looked forward. Yagura sped through hand signs and sent a torrent of water against him, and Itachi simply widened his eyes as black flames burst through the water. The fire consumed the torrent and raced towards Yagura.Yagura tried dodging but was too slow. The flames burned his entire arm and would not go out no matter what he did. Itachi grabbed his stick from the ground near him and jumped up in the sky. He came down with a smashing blow. Yagura tried to block it with his arm which was still burning, and the impact squashed the arm and split the sea behind him. One tomoe became two as Itachi sent a wave of chakra in a horizontal slash towards Yagura.Yagura conjured one last dragon, the same as the one that had killed Itachi. The wyvern raced to the sky and came crashing towards Itachi.Two tomoe became three as chakra burst from Itachi. A large entity, fully encased in black flames burst from where Itachi was. The entity grew and grew until it caught the dragon with its bare hands and ripped it in two, tearing it apart from its mouth.Eight giant torrents of black flames emerged from the oceans around him, making their way to the skies. Fugaku watched in awe as the entity grew even bigger until he could crush the entire island with his feet. Itachi's eyes stopped crying, and the boy lifted his foot and attempted to crush Yagura.The mist soldier created a tiny dragon and rode it to disappear underwater. The foot still sped to him, and the man increased his speed. Then, all of the eight torrents rushed towards Itachi, his construct grew smaller as they integrated within it. The construct burst in a giant explosion and Itachi fell unconscious to the ground.Fugaku raced towards his son, grabbing him from mid-air. Itachi didn't wake up, but he still had a pulse. He was simply in a deep sleep. Fugaku made his way towards his small home and laid his boy on the bed.Those eyes, that entity. It was the Sharingan, Fugaku was sure of it. Fugaku felt tears escape his eyes as he finally understood what the God wanted to convey in his dreams. His son was an Uchiha, and even though he may not have been born as such, the Gods had made him so. Fugaku cried, knowing what was in store.Soon, the Leaf would send teams to find the new Sharingan wielder. He would have to go with Itachi, back to the place that took everything. Maybe one day a new war would break out, and Itachi would come back the same as everyone else.But you could not keep a tiger in a den forever. And so, Itachi must go, because it was his nature. It was in Itachi's nature to learn and to grow, and Fugaku had no means of further feeding his hunger. That night, Fugaku only slept for an hour and dreamt of nothing.The next day, ships from Leaf embarked on the island. They looked at him in wonder, and Fugaku felt embarrassed at his run-down appearance. They looked at his son and made their guesses. Fugaku didn't confirm or deny anything, and the men planned to take them back the next morning.Itachi didn't feel bad about leaving the abode. Fugaku did though, and he hauled everything that they had into the ship. Itachi wondered what his father needed the cot and these baby clothes for, but his father was adamant.That night, everyone slept on the ship. Fugaku though, slept alone on the rock. He would miss it; he would miss it very much. He remembered the God and the whale that night. Maybe, even with all the suffering that life threw at him, he could still be like the whale. The whale had a duty to swim, and he had a duty as a father. Not just as a father, but as a clan leader and as a Shinobi. So, he would do all of them and put his faith into Itachi, faith that he would come back every time. That was all he could do.The next morning, the ship set sail. Itachi sat on the top of the ship, waving goodbye to the God who waved back from Fugaku's rock. It was an end to just one part of the story, the God spoke in his head, not the final end of it.In the modern day, Naruto and Kakashi made their way through the capital market. Shikaku had taken his son and Choji back. Shikamaru had promised to help him meet more people his age, someone named Ino, Kiba, and some name he forgot.The market was bursting with people as customers crowded the shopkeepers, haggling as if their lives depended on it. Kakashi was more intent on haggling with the hotel advertisers, trying to get the cheapest deal he could. His teacher was weird like that, he would haggle but would go into a top hotel. It's funny, Kakashi told him once.And so, after roaming around in the market, Kakashi checked into a giant hotel called, 'The Big Moon'. Two beds, one room, the usual. Kakashi cut a check at the reception and sauntered his way into the penthouse. The whole one-room shebang was Kakashi messing around.The attendant left after guiding them in, and Kakashi dived into his bed. The man brought a book from his back pocket and began reading, ignoring everything.Since his teacher played opposites' day every time, this meant that important news was coming. So, Naruto jumped into his bed next to Kakashi's and enjoyed the fluffiness."Our stay has been extended beyond the council meeting," Kakashi said, "We will be assigned a mission after that. It's pretty important."Naruto absent-mindedly nodded his head. This meant that he could fuck around with Shikamaru more. Maybe make a few more friends.Kakashi dropped down his book and stared at Naruto. He then nodded his head, "Shikaku and I discussed this plan."Naruto turned his neck to look at his teacher who continued, "What do you know about Itachi Uchiha?""Who?""Itachi Uchiha," Kakashi repeated. You don't need to do much, just be as strong as him.""I don't even know that guy!""You will meet him soon," Kakashi said. You should tell me this after I meet the guy, Naruto screamed inside his head.Kakashi picked up his book and turned the page. He didn't say anything after that, so Naruto simply closed his eyes and slept like a log. He didn't even bother for dinner, feeling too relaxed due to his Sage Mode workout.The moon set and the Sun came out, the sunshine directly hitting Naruto on the face. Kakashi stood over him, smiling that one-eyed smile of his."Morning sunshine, ready to tango?"
END
Chapter Five
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CHAPTER SIX
Naruto whistled as he looked around the maintained gardens surrounding the Capital Tower. The clan heads gathered at the Capital Tower to hold the council meeting in terms of emergency. Encountering Orochimaru guaranteed such a meet.The Capital Tower stood at the heart of the capital city. A two-floored building, round in shape, had a dome that acted as the roof. It was surrounded by gardens and was guarded by Shinobi and Samurai alike. The security was ramped up because the council was in session. The building was enclosed by a big wall with spikes on top and had only two entrances.Naruto was thankful for the early sleep last night as the detour to get his chakra recorded and other documentation took away the better part of the morning. He entered the building through one of the many doors present, unlike the wall."Woah," Naruto breathed out, looking at the giant rock art painted along the circular wall. Kakashi smiled, "Tons of people have the same reaction to this." Kakashi had his eye uncovered, his headband firmly tied on his head. Naruto felt weird looking at both eyes of his teacher, the man normally kept one closed.The art was crafted on a circular slab of stone that started from the beginning of the floor to the stairs present at the end of the corridor. All doors lead to the same beginning which culminates at the end of the corridor."This art over here," Kakashi began, "was created years before the creation of the Leaf. How far back it was made, we don't know. But we do know that it tells a story."Naruto looked at the sculpture, where a man talked to another, pointing a finger at him. There was a broken chariot in the background. Naruto walked forward and the story revealed more of itself. The man then talked back and pointed to the chariot. The chariot was stuck in a small rift in the ground. There were more and more arguments between the figures, and soon Naruto reached the end of the corridor."Are there any theories," asked Naruto."Some. If you look at the man at the start," Kakashi stopped walking and pointed to the beginning of the hallway, "You will see a circle drawn around his head. Some theorise that this man here was a God, cursing the other over some crime." Naruto nodded his head at that.Kakashi continued, "Some diverge from the theory and say that God is not cursing someone but condemning the man who tried committing some crime. The consensus is that this depicts an angry God."Naruto gave a hum of confirmation as Kakashi walked up the stairs to reach the second floor. Naruto walked behind him, finding himself lost in the unknown place. The stairs had a door right at the top of them. The door was coloured black and Kakashi stopped right in front of it."This door will open directly into the council chambers. Do not speak of Dhauladhar, as we talked about, and be truthful about everything else." Kakashi was in a serious mood and Naruto gave a small yes in response. Kakashi placed both of his hands on the black door and pushed.Inside the council chamber sat the heads of twelve clans. Each clan was seated in a circle around a space. The clan heads sat on a throne made of stone and wood, made by the First himself. All this was on level ground, and the heads were partitioned by the centre stage by a table that encircled the stage, bar the opening. Behind the clan heads were the kanji for their clans, written on a banner that hung behind them.Kakashi walked straight into the circle and let a pulse of chakra run through his body and into the ground. Two small chairs made of stone popped out of the ground. The peculiar thing about the chairs was that they had no backrests and were adjacent to each other. They were positioned to allow the seated to look at all of the clan heads around them."Kakashi and Naruto, as the council summoned. Take your seats," said Shikaku, who sat slightly to the right from the centre.Naruto followed Kakashi and sat on the chair, which had handrests but not backrests. His back was ramrod straight, being in such a place for the first time. Some nervousness was allowed at this stage, after all."Your written reports were read by all those present here," said a black-haired man who sat in front of the Senju banner. "Clans Onikuma and Shimura are not present, I hope Lord Hatake does not mind the absence," the man finished with a mischievous smile on his face."I could never, Lord Senju," replied Kakashi, "I hope that the lords are well.""They are doing wonderful," said the man."Not wonderful enough to meet poor old me though," said Kakashi."Not wonderful enough for that, yes!" laughed the man. The man beside him with the kanji Uchiha facepalmed at his peer's antics. A small laugh spread across the heads, before the Senju spoke, "Now then, coming back to the topic, there are a few questions the heads would like to ask you.""Do you think hunting down Orochimaru is a priority?" questioned a red-haired woman with the Kanji of Fuma. She was bulky and seemed quite tall from Naruto's seat. She wore a red and black top from what he could observe, and Naruto was transfixed by her biceps before he quickly gathered himself.Kakashi had given him the rundown of the clans before. The twelve clans were the Senju, Uchiha, Fuma, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Shimura, Aburame, Inuzuka, Hyuuga, Onikuma and Sarutobi. He didn't remember the names of the heads of each clan, but he knew a few.The Senju had Ingyo Senju, the Uchiha was Fugaku Uchiha, the Nara head was Shikaku, the Fuma had Fuma Kotaro and the Hyuuga had Hiashi Hyuuga."He is after something, something that could potentially make him stronger," answered Kakashi, "if he accomplishes that objective, who knows what could happen.""The red-eyed man with the tails," said a blond with the Kanji of Yamanaka, "do you think that he is after him for sure?""That I am, Naruto here fought him, so he knows more than me."Naruto found himself the centre of attention. Kakashi pinched him on his arm, and he replied, "The man was strong, and Orochimaru was definitely after him. The snake didn't want us to talk to him either," replied Naruto."Oh? Kakashi said the same in his report, but I wonder why you think so?" questioned Shikaku."Because he attacked us just as when the man was going to talk. He probably noticed us when we figured his agent but didn't care until the man was about to open his mouth.""I see," said Shikaku. "Do you think that this man was an ally of his?" questioned Fugaku."No, I don't think so," replied Kakashi. Naruto admired how his teacher was cool as a cucumber despite being scrutinized by the clan heads. He relaxed a bit, copying his teacher's behaviour."Not an ally, I could see that," mused the Hyuuga clan head, "given that he caused that little miracle." He turned his gaze to Naruto, pointedly looking at his arm."Full regeneration of the arm, chest and most of all," Ingyo Senju said, "curing the pathways of vitality that not even Aunt Tsunade could heal."Ingyo was born of the union between Tsunade's sister, Senju Anko, and Koro Sujin, Kakashi's grandfather. The man had another child, Hatake Sakumo, from a civilian woman. The child would then sire Hatake Kakashi. Naruto was stricken by awe when he realised that Kakashi was distantly related to the royal Senju family. The Senju were fairly open and would've taken in Kakashi as a Senju, but the man had declined to honour his father's name.Hatake Sakumo was a Fifth Realm user and was one of the Leaf's strongest until he met an untimely demise in a skirmish between Leaf and the Rock. Kakashi had no Senju blood in his veins, which allowed him to operate separately from them."So, Orochimaru is after the healing properties of this man?" asked the Sarutobi clan head."Most likely hypothesis," said the Akimichi clan head, "but the man can take care of himself for the time being.""Orochimaru could've been an asset, but the man will not comply," stated Shikaku, "the best course of action is to eliminate him.""Itachi could do it alone," Fugaku commented, "he's that strong currently. But still, another fifth realm user is a must as a backup.""Two fifth realm users can finish him," said the Inuzuka clan head, "but we have just ten of them. We already have displaced Kakashi as a roaming fifth realm user, getting any more to move all over the continent is dicey.""And that is taking into consideration that Orochimaru is within Leaf borders. He could be elsewhere too and moving fifth realm users across international borders…" trailed the Aburame clan head."Can cause international conflict," finished the Sarutobi clan head."So, we do nothing?" asked the Inuzuka clan head, after a moment's silence."For the moment, yes. We have the talent, we need the opportunity, which we get in due time. The council will vote on this during the voting session, or is the resolution unanimously approved?" asked Ingyo Senju. He must be the council secretary, thought Naruto—the one who kept drafts and accounts of the council's proceedings."Unanimously approved," said Shikaku. The rest of the council nodded to that."Unanimous it is," said Ingyo, marking something on a parchment. Shikaku piped from aside him, "Kakashi, Naruto, you both have an A-rank mission assigned to you."Naruto's eyes widened at that. Rank missions weren't usually the hardest, but one of the most important. They were only assigned to the top Shinobi of the Leaf."This isn't a difficult mission, but an important one. A delegation from the cloud has arrived for trade talks. The talks are confidential, what you need to know is that the talks require the Hyuuga and the Cloud to meet," said Shikaku."As you know, the Cloud has tried stealing clan children to raise as their own in the past. Hence, we require you to guard the Hyuuga during this affair," continued Ingyo. Shikaku nodded from beside him, "Protect the Hyuuga and keep a watch over the cloud delegation. Even if they try something, do not kill. I repeat, fatalities can cause large diplomatic blunders. Chase them out in case anything out of your control happens.""I understand," said Kakashi. Mission hierarchy was a given, and so was the importance. Should these talks be successful, Leaf and Lightning could ally themselves together, reducing the friction between them. "When will the mission take place?" asked Kakashi."Today, you meet with the Hyuuga to discuss strategy and get a lay of the land. Tomorrow, the delegation will be allowed to talk to the Hyuuga regarding trade," instructed Shikaku."The delegation was already here for three days," supplied Hiashi, "but we waited for your arrival. I implore you to come to the compound anytime.""We will be there by afternoon," said Kakashi. Hiashi nodded at that as Ingyo announced, "Then Lord Hatake, you may take your leave.""As the council wishes," said Kakashi. The man got up and gave a little bow, and the clan heads gave one in return without standing. Naruto copied his teacher and followed him out of the door and away from the council."The meeting ended, finally!" said Naruto as he stretched. They were outside the Capital building as Kakashi made his way to a local restaurant. Naruto knew that his teacher was likely hungry, and discreetly hid his wallet into his underwear. The man would not take his money this time."Let's discuss all this over lunch," said Kakashi. Naruto quietly followed his teacher as they made their way through the hustling and bustling streets of the capital. Kakashi must have stayed here for a while, Naruto thought, especially with the way he effortlessly navigated the streets. Kakashi led them to a restaurant in a back alley.The restaurant had a man standing in front of a single wooden door with no signboards. Upon entering the restaurant, one man came up and led them to the back before leaving them alone. The table was made of old walnut wood and was partitioned by a curtain."Official Shinobi office, this is," said Kakashi while mimicking the new space fad among the youth."What about the order? Do they just give out anything?" Naruto asked."Yes," came the short reply. That sucks, Naruto thought, it was an infringement on his rights as a customer. "You can only come here thrice a month, food's free." Well, he could live with that. Free food is the best food after all."The last few days," Kakashi began, "they have been full of exposition, yes?""Oh definitely," Naruto replied, "It's all random knowledge all over the place. Army division, clan heads, Itachi Uchiha, I am seeing and hearing a lot of things all of a sudden.""That is to be expected," Kakashi said, "you have reached the age where you are expected to dabble in politics. If not dabble, you must at least know what is happening around you. Expect more and more exposition for a few months.""Aye boss," said Naruto, all the cheer leaving his body."You heard the mission parameters, now hear about the Hyuuga.""Storytime," cheered Naruto, but without any actual cheer in his voice."Storytime," Kakashi confirmed. The man readjusted himself before clearing his throat and placing his hands on the table. The man then let out a breath and hummed for a second."Well, for starters, the Hyuuga are divided into two branches, the main and side branches. It would be clearer to refer to them as the main and servant branch. Although do not call the side branch the servant branch to their face, it is a touchy subject."Naruto nodded in response to that. Kakashi continued, "The Main branch has twelve families. The Side branch has twenty-four. The Hyuuga have a population of a hundred thousand, with the side branch having eighty thousand and the main branch consisting of twenty thousand people.""An eighty-twenty split," Naruto commented. Kakashi gave a short nod in response to that, "Yes, an eighty-twenty split. In the side branch, you have the twenty-four family heads, and each family has thirty-three hundred people or so."Kakashi leaned over the table and grew serious, "This is the important part. The families have sects present in them. Sects are only present in the side branch and each sect is no more than twenty or so people. Sects were created to increase the number of Shinobi the side branch produces. Every side branch Hyuuga shinobi is part of a sect, although the entire sect may not be made up of Shinobi."Kakashi then relaxed back into his seat and his tone grew more jovial, "The Hyuuga have 409 shinobi, out of which two hundred fifty or so belong to the main branch. This is how the main branch maintains its dominance. In all-out war between the branches, the main branch will win comfortably.""So, the side branch is a slave retinue?" asked Naruto. Could a noble clan of the Leaf enslave their people like cattle?"Not exactly a slave retinue, but very close. Some side branch members can try to defect, but in that case, they become the Leaf's responsibility to dispose of. Normally, you would find that some members of different clans may try to defect to another country, but the special properties of these clans, like the Uchiha's extreme fire affinity and the Hyuuga's Byakugan only exist as long as they are with the majority of the clan.""The special property of chakra that you told me about?" asked Naruto."The same," asserted Kakashi, "the members of the clan possess their abilities only as long as they are part of the clan. Should they leave, the chakra changes and their abilities go away. When Lightning tried this in the past, they succeeded in stealing clan heirs or members. But the children lost their abilities or in some cases, never awakened them.""Chakra's properties go beyond just fighting, huh?" asked Naruto." There's a lot we don't know," confirmed Kakashi. The man then continued, "The Main branch consists of twelve families. Of these twelve, there is but one head family of fifteen or so members. The head family is guarded by the four chief families, who are the military backbone of the Hyuuga. These four are at an estimated thirteen thousand, while another three families act as top-tier Samurai, roughly at thirty-five hundred. There are three trade families, two thousand people in total, and one blacksmith family at a thousand or so.""So, the families are actual bloodlines or just a group name?" questioned Naruto."A group name. Only the head family has a direct bloodline, rest intermingle within the branches." Kakashi smelled the air and perked up. Naruto understood what this indicated. Soon, a man came with two bowls of ramen and set them on the table. He disappeared just as quickly as he came, leaving no trace of his entrance."Man, this must suck for you!" exclaimed Naruto, "you hate ramen! Lucky for me, I love it!""Hardy Har Har," said Kakashi, "I work with anything.""A last few points," Kakashi said in between bites, "The chief families rule over the rest of the Hyuuga, while the Head family rules over the chief families. The Head family has seven elders, each roughly equal to the head of a chief family head from the main branch. All in all, that's the gist of the Hyuuga."Naruto gave a muffled yes while eating, earning a chuckle from Kakashi. The duo completed their food as the sun reached its peak."Hiashi," said a man in his seventies. He was sitting on a mat directly opposite to another man, who was sipping on a cup of tea. The man, Hiashi, sat on a large pink mat with a small gold roof on top of it. The mat was raised on the floor with small pillars and a base decorated with fine jewels. It was called the Chrysanthemum throne because it resembled the flower.The throne was not fully decorated as it tended to be during functions. But even with just the bare minimum decorations, it would strike someone as a royal belonging. A long time ago, the Hyuuga ruled over a stretch of land where the throne was created. The land was no more, and neither was the kingdom. Still, the throne was passed on from father to son of the Head Family."Do we have to debate on this topic again, father?" said Hiashi.His father was a seventy-year-old man who looked just like an aged copy of Hiashi. The man had long luscious hair that came up to his waist with streaks of white within it. The man had his cup set to the right while he sat with folded legs. The man was named Reigen Hyuuga upon his ascendance as clan head and has retained that name ever since."It's not a debate," Reigen said, "A retired clan head cannot debate with the active clan head. It's a piece of advice.""Advice that I make a branch family member the clan head?" asked Hiashi. The topic was controversial between the elders and the clan leader. It may be the first time a clan leader was alone against all the elders."Advice that you make a prosperity-filled future for the Hyuuga."Hiashi wrinkled his nose at that, setting his cup to the ground. He kept it on the left, a small symbol that he was the clan head. Everybody else kept it on the right."I understand that we are at a crossroads the Hyuuga have never been before," Hiashi asserted, "but that doesn't mean that we throw away tradition.""We are throwing away tradition as it is, we might as well do it all the way," Reigen shot back, "You know that it was a long time coming.""I have no idea what you imply," Hiashi said. His brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed as he glared slightly at his father. Reigen was unperturbed at the gesture thrown towards him."Neji was an anomaly from the time he was conceived. The boy survived everything life could throw at a fetus. A twisted umbilical cord, the 'accidental' palm technique his mother suffered to her belly courtesy of Aoi." Reigen paused for a second."We dealt with Aoi soon though," Hiashi commented. A poisoned leaf mixed with his tea leaves left his body and the Hyuuga pride intact. There was only so much the main family could get away with directly."That we did. It was a good decision you made. But even the clan astrologers divined Neji's fate as that of an emperor.""Astrologers' divination is not always right. Besides, if he were to be an emperor, why not birth him in the main branch?" questioned Hiashi."Maybe to help us bridge this divide in our clan," Reigen asserted."The divide will be here for years even after this act.""That it may," said Reigen, "but we must change with the times, Hiashi. The Shimura were just like us, but they changed when they joined the Leaf. And it has gifted them a generous fortune.""Neji cannot become the clan head," Hiashi declared. The confidence and promise in his words shocked Reigen a bit, but the man simply let those thoughts fester for another time."I understand that Neji becoming clan head will not be beneficial for your daughters, but you cannot keep the boy down as you have. You know that even you can't act openly against him, he is the hope of the entire branch family.""I have never kept the boy down!" Hiashi exclaimed. It was a whisper of a shout, not loud enough to leave the confines of the throne room."Neji's mother died when he was an infant. But his father didn't die on that mission. I know the work of Hyuuga assassins when I see one. I was clan head once too; I know what one can do and what one cannot."Hiashi calmed down after hearing that. It confirmed Reigen's suspicions about the ordeal, but still left many still active. He had a clue where he could find the answers to that, but the conversation had to cool down before he proceeded any further."Fugaku Uchiha lost his son when he ran to the seas, but Itachi Uchiha still possesses the Sharingan. Chakra works in ways you do not yet understand father, that is the reason you do not understand my decisions," said Hiashi. Reigen nodded at that, surprised that the topic came up so soon without cooling down."I never awoke the Fifth Realm as you did, so I know that there is something you know that warrants your decision. Something related to the chakra that only the Fifth Realm Shinobi can understand. And I know that it is something you cannot or will not share.""If you know it, then why do you pressure me?" Hiashi spat out with gritted teeth."Because this is something that is going to happen, whether you like it or not. The winds change Hiashi, and we must change with them.""Neji will not be clan head," Hiashi repeated. Reigen let out a sigh at his son's insistence. He could not help as long as Hiashi behaved the way he did now."I have read the clan's history too, Hiashi. And I know better than most. I know that the entity we made a vow to for the Byakugan was no God. I know that the entity has placed restrictions on the passing of the head family for some reason and that only you know the details when you awakened the Fifth Realm."Hiashi sat mum through the dialogue, not giving away any expression. Reigen felt his heart squeeze in his chest, the fatherly love he had for his son torturing him for not being able to help his heir. But more than his duty as a father, he had a duty to the clan as its elder."Hiashi, sacrifice. If one day, you come to a point where you must give for the prosperity of the clan, then sacrifice yourself, sacrifice me and sacrifice everything that you have," Reigen said, before getting up from his position."Sacrifice, for it's the duty of the clan head," Reigen said, before leaving the throne room. Minutes passed as Hiashi sat unmoving before he let out a pulse of chakra. A figure dropped from the shadows and knelt before him, clad in black and green.Hiashi handed a pouch from his yukata that the figure grabbed before nodding and exiting through the ceiling. Hiashi slumped a bit in his seat, sighing at the decisions before him. Neji, Hiashi thought, showed me what I must see. Please show me the way forward.REVIEW BUD
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K so I'll revamp this story cuz the prose sucks major ass. I'll make a new story with the same plot (wee bit changed) and same title.Catch the same story on my profile