"I'm home," Sasuke called out as he stepped inside, flicking on the light to his empty house.
His voice echoed off the walls. It didn't mean anything, he knew that, but saying it was a habit. A ritual. A small act of defiance against the silence that had followed him since that night.
Except this time, the silence answered.
"Meow."
Sasuke sighed.
Tora sat by the doorway, his eyes half-lidded and unimpressed, tail flicking lazily like he owned the place.
"You know," Sasuke muttered, "I agreed to this stupid deal, but you could do me a favor and just run off or something."
Tora lifted a paw and began to lick it with deliberate indifference.
"Hn. Fine. Let's set some ground rules. You break any of my stuff, and I don't care what Naruto or anyone else says... you're out. Got it?"
The cat yawned, then gave a small, almost mocking meow.
A second later, Tora's stomach growled.
Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. "Damn you, Naruto."
He walked to the fridge, opened it, and stared at the barren shelves. "Right. Forgot I haven't been home in a month."
He turned to see Tora staring at him with that same judgmental look cats somehow always had.
"What? You think I've got time to restock the pantry between missions?"
He rummaged through a cabinet and pulled out the only thing that looked remotely edible, which was an old rice crispy treat. He placed it on the table in front of Tora.
The cat sniffed it, wrinkled his nose, and made a small, disgusted chirp.
"I don't care," Sasuke said, already walking toward the door. "Eat it or go hunt something. Your choice."
The Uchiha stepped out into the cool evening air, heading toward the patch of forest behind his house. The air was crisp, filled with the faint scent of pine and smoke. Behind him, soft pawsteps followed.
"Great," Sasuke muttered. "Now I have another stalker."
Tora ignored him, darting between tree roots, occasionally leaping to swipe at falling leaves as they fluttered down.
Sasuke stopped at his personal training ground, which was a small clearing marked by target signs in the trees and training dummies. He picked up two rocks and balanced them in one hand. With a focused breath, a small flame ignited on his fingertip.
"Fire Chakra: Vitrification exercise," he said quietly to himself. "The goal is to melt both stones together without destroying them. Just like Kakashi showed you."
He concentrated, his chakra humming. Slowly, heat shimmered around the rocks.
"Meow!"
"What is it now?"
Tora sat a few feet away, tail swishing, clearly uninterested in chakra training. His gaze was fixed upward.
Sasuke followed it and saw a bird perched on a branch above. "You're kidding me."
The cat crouched, tail tip flicking. Then, with perfect feline focus, Tora pounced, vanishing into the brush and returning a few minutes later with the bird limp in his jaws.
"What… are you expecting me to do with that?"
Tora dropped the bird at his feet and gave a proud meow, as if presenting a royal offering.
Sasuke sighed but sat down anyway. "Fine. I guess I could use the practice."
He focused his chakra, calling forth a precise flame; not too hot, not too wild, and began to cook the bird.
The smell of fire and roasted meat filled the clearing. Tora purred contentedly, curling his tail as he watched his new servant work.
Sasuke shook his head, suppressing a small smirk. "I can't believe this. First Naruto and his lizard, now me and a cat."
Tora meowed softly, stretching out by the fire as if agreeing.
"Don't get used to it," Sasuke muttered, but the edge in his voice softened as he handed the cat a piece of cooked meat.
Tora took it delicately, purring louder now.
Sasuke tried to suppress the smile threatening to creep onto his face as he shook his head, forcing his focus back to the glowing stones in front of him. Training came first.
By the time the stars began to fade and the clock hit eleven, Sasuke finally decided to call it a night. He brushed his teeth, cleaned up the dishes, and changed into his sleep clothes. When he returned to his room, he stopped at the door and sighed.
There, perched right in the center of his bed, was Tora curled up into a smug little loaf of fur, blinking at him with slow, deliberate confidence.
"No. No, you don't get to take over my bed."
Tora blinked once and yawned.
Sasuke grabbed a towel and spread it out neatly on the floor beside the bed. "This is your bed," he said, pointing to the towel.
The cat's ears drooped.
"I don't care if you're disappointed," Sasuke said, lying down. "Either the towel or the pavement outside. Your choice."
Tora stared at him for a long moment, tail flicking once. Then, with a faintly offended meow, he hopped down from the bed and settled onto the towel.
"Thank you," Sasuke muttered before closing his eyes.
Sleep came quickly, the kind of deep, dreamless rest that was common for him. When he woke, sunlight was streaming through the window, warm against his face.
He glanced to his side and froze.
Tora was curled up beside him again, one paw resting gently on his hand.
"…You're persistent," Sasuke murmured, but his tone lacked any bite. He slowly got up, careful not to wake the cat, and went to get ready for the day.
Groceries came first; rice, vegetables, and some fresh meat from the butcher. When he returned, Tora was sitting on the windowsill, basking in the sunlight like he owned the place.
"Lazy thing," Sasuke said, though his voice softened slightly as he plated some food.
Breakfast was quiet. Tora loafed near the window, purring softly, while Sasuke ate in silence.
That was pretty much Sasuke's life for the next few days with Tora. He'd train, read, or just sit in silence, and every so often the damn cat would appear out of nowhere, meowing insistently for food or clawing at his pant leg for attention.
He didn't bother showering it with affection. It wasn't his style. But somehow that only made the cat more determined to hang around him. If anything, Tora seemed to take it as a personal challenge.
Unfortunately, dealing with the cat was the least of his problems. Naruto hadn't shown up once since the argument with the Hokage. Kakashi had shrugged when asked, saying only that Naruto had "probably gone to Lordran to clear his head."
Kakashi didn't make things any better when, one morning, Sasuke cleaned up and headed out to the training ground, expecting to be the first one there as usual, but the jonin was already there.
"Emergency?!"
"Nope."
"You sure? You're actually early. And that's definitely not an Icha Icha book."
"I do read other things, you know."
"Why are you here early?"
Kakashi finally lowered the book, giving his student one of those half-smiles that always meant trouble. "Well, Sakura's training with Iwashi on barrier work and fuinjutsu, and Naruto's still not back from Lordran."
"That doesn't explain anything."
"Hmm." Kakashi tapped the edge of his book thoughtfully. "Maybe not. But I got bored… and a little anxious. So I figured, why not come here and help my cute, brooding little student instead?"
Sasuke's eye twitched. "I'm not cute."
"Denial is the first sign of youth."
Before Sasuke could snap back, Kakashi threw a rubber ball at him. "What is this for?"
"I figured out why you've been struggling with the Rasengan. Naruto's got absurd chakra reserves to fulfill the power, Sakura, on the other hand, has precise control, so she can shape a smaller version that fits her limits. But you?" Kakashi tilted his head. "You're caught between the two. Strong, but not enough control to make it efficient. So instead of focusing on power, we'll shift your approach... focus on speed. The faster you rotate the chakra, the more stable it becomes."
"Speed over Strength, huh?" Sasuke paused, then gave Kakashi a sidelong glance. "You think Naruto's going to figure out the Chidori before I get the Rasengan working?"
Kakashi chuckled softly. "Hard to say. Even though he has that Lightning Spear technique, Naruto's struggling with lightning chakra. And with everything else going on in his life right now… well, you might just have the edge."
Sasuke gave a quiet "hn," looking at his hand again. "Lame," he muttered after a beat.
"Lame?"
"Yeah. I kinda wanted to see what would happen if he did figure out his idea of combining the Rasengan and Chidori."
"You two are going to be the death of me."
Sasuke smirked faintly. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"Wow, putting on a comedy show for your audience," Kakashi added, glancing toward the bushes.
Tora was crouched behind a bush.
"I don't get it. That cat hates having his space invaded, but he still follows me everywhere. I haven't even been nice to him."
"That's because cats don't love you for affection, Sasuke. They love you for consistency. You don't smother them, you don't chase them for attention, and you don't treat them like toys. They respect people who give them space."
Sasuke frowned slightly, thinking about it.
"And that," Kakashi continued, "is why I'm a dog person. Dogs actually appreciate enthusiasm. You feed them once, scratch their ears, and they'll follow you into battle. With cats, you can feed them for years, and they'll still act like they're doing you a favor by sticking around."
"Figures you'd want something that listens to you."
"That, and they don't knock over my things when I ignore them."
"Hn."
Kakashi glanced at Tora. "So, tell me, Sasuke. Are you actually thinking about contracting with the Ninneko clan?"
"I don't know yet. I've been thinking about it."
"Want me to come with you to the Uchiha library later? We could look over your summoning options together."
"Yeah… I'd like that."
Before Kakashi could respond, the ball in Sasuke's hand exploded with a sharp pop of chakra, startling Tora into leaping a full foot into the air before sprinting into the bushes with a terrified yowl.
Kakashi chuckled, shaking his head. "And that," he said, "is yet another reason why dogs are better than cats."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Naruto had expected that going to Lordran and talking things out with Andre or maybe Seigmeyer over some ale would help him clear his head. Unfortunately, fate seemed to have other plans.
He was trapped in the Depths.
"Maybe some kind of magic is blocking me from teleporting out of this place…" Naruto muttered, frowning as he looked at the faintly glowing runes of the Homeward Miracle that had brought him back to Konoha before. It had worked perfectly fine before, so why not now?
Oscar gave a questioning trill while glancing at the door, as if asking whether they were going to explore deeper.
Naruto sighed, rubbing his temple. "Not tonight, buddy. Let's take a nap for now."
He tugged the lizard gently toward the bonfire. The warm light flickered faintly against the stone walls. As soon as Naruto sat down, his body went slack from exhaustion. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, feeling like no time had passed at all.
Except it had. His watch read ten hours later.
He blinked, groggy. Oscar was still sound asleep, curled up in a neat little ball, using Naruto's long hair as a makeshift mattress. The tiny creature made soft, sleepy chirping noises that almost sounded like purring.
Naruto couldn't help but smile, feeling better seeing Oscar be cute and happy.
He weaved a quick hand sign.
Ninja Art: Lion's Mane Jutsu.
His hair separated into gentle strands, spreading into a soft nest around the lizard, letting Oscar rest more comfortably while Naruto stood.
"Alright," he said quietly, stretching his arms and cracking his neck. "Time to kill some things. Maybe bashing some monsters will clear my head better than thinking ever could."
The bonfire crackled behind him as he equipped his sword and shield, the firelight reflecting off his draconic eyes as he opened the door to the Depths.
"So it's a shifting labyrinth…" Naruto muttered, stepping carefully through the slick tunnels. The stone walls looked familiar in that Depths kind of way, but the layout kept changing. Every time he went through the bonfire door, it led him somewhere different.
"I'm guessing whoever cast the barrier on the Depths' entrance also wove the magic that's twisting this labyrinth around and keeping me trapped inside it."
Clicking his visor down, Naruto felt the last traces of light vanish completely. The tunnel was already swallowed in darkness, but now even the faint glimmer of wet stone disappeared.
Total black.
He inhaled slowly, the air thick and damp in his lungs. Just like Oscar-sensei had taught him.
The Way of Focality.
He let the darkness press in, let his hearing, smell, and other senses bleed together until the world reshaped itself around him. The sound of dripping water marked distance, the shift of air revealed narrow turns, and his own heartbeat echoed like a steady drum in the dark.
"Maybe I should actually learn a sensory jutsu and improve the Way of Focality…"
A voice stirred somewhere deep within his mind. So you're finally thinking ahead, huh? Instead of just rushing in like always.
"Great. Now I'm arguing with myself."
The voice came again, quieter this time. Oscar's probably feeling betrayed, left behind. But hey… that's just what you do, right? Better to go alone so when you screw up, no one else pays for it.
Naruto ignored the voice, forming a quick hand sign.
Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.
The small fireball arced down the tunnel, its light bouncing across the walls as orange, then gold, then gone.
Yet it caused something to move in the water.
From the murky floor, a mass of translucent sludge began to rise. A slime, half-fused with the water, its body pulsing faintly as it crept toward him.
Naruto didn't even reach for his weapon. Instead, he jumped over it, landing with a splash behind.
The slime followed, sluggish but determined, dragging its bulk forward.
"Persistent little guy," Naruto said, smirking faintly beneath his visor.
He didn't kill it.
For now, the slow pursuit of the slime was enough for him to focus on. Something to keep his mind from circling back to that voice whispering in the dark.
This went on until Naruto finally reached a dead end, with the only exit being a sheer drop carved into the stone floor. He made a shadow clone without hesitation, jerking his chin toward the distant squelching of the slime.
"Alright, you go deal with our gooey friend."
Naruto hopped down the hole without hesitation.
Above, the shadow clone strolled toward the sluggish slime, cracking his knuckles theatrically.
"Well, look at you. Real determined to murder me today, huh? Honestly, I should convince the original to keep you as a pet."
A tendril lashed out.
The clone brought his zweihander down in a clean arc, but he never finished the swing. Another slime plummeted from the ceiling, landing on him with a wet, suffocating splorch, engulfing him like a collapsing, hungry tarp.
Pop.
The original Naruto got the clone's memories, but he did not get a second to process any of it.
Because from the darkness behind him, a giant undead rat exploded out of the shadows. Its rancid breath hit first, then its jaws snapped toward his throat with murderous intent.
Naruto jerked his shield up just in time. The impact rattled his bones, the force driving him back into the wall. He grit his teeth as chakra spun in his palm, forming a swirling Rasengan.
SHLOP.
The two slimes dropped onto him like predators smelling blood.
They hit his armor with wet thuds, tendrils squirming and pushing against the joints of his plating. One tendril slipped over the visor slit, trying to ooze inside and suffocate him. The weight forced him to one knee, the air disappearing as something thick and cold slid into his orifices.
The undead rat lunged for Naruto's throat, jaws wide and rotting, when several glowing bolts of magic shot past his shoulder and tore into the creature's side.
Oscar is here?
Naruto snapped his right hand outward. His vision blurred for a moment as the palm eye twitched, but the telekinetic pull worked. The two slimes that clung to his helm were ripped away just long enough for him to breathe.
His helmet shimmered as it unequipped. Fresh air hit his face, and sparks flickered over his lips.
Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.
The blast engulfed the slimes, boiling them into a bubbling mass. The smell was horrible, a nauseating blend of cooked rot and sewage. Naruto gagged through it, focusing instead on the heavy thud that followed.
Oscar had turned the undead rat into a pincushion of crystal shards. Its body twitched once, then collapsed fully.
Naruto's heart lurched as the faint purple shimmer clinging to Oscar's scales was unmistakable.
Poison.
He reached immediately for his pack, palms shaking. The Blooming Purple Moss Clump rustled in his hands before he pressed it gently to Oscar. The crystal lizard began chewing on it quickly.
Naruto exhaled, relief mixing with sharp guilt. "Thanks for saving me," he whispered, rubbing the little creature's gem. "And… sorry for getting you hurt."
Oscar stamped one paw as if to say he was tougher than that. He kept chewing, but the gesture did nothing to ease the weight sitting in Naruto's chest.
If only I had planned ahead.
The thought froze him mid motion. He picked Oscar up carefully and held him close.
"Let's go back to the bonfire. I am not in the mood for adventures," Naruto murmured.
Oscar relaxed immediately, going limp like an exhausted cat. Naruto let out a small, tired laugh and leapt through the hole above, landing back in the original tunnel.
As he started walking, he asked, "So when did you wake up?"
Oscar chirped softly.
"Ten minutes ago," Naruto guessed. "And you came looking for me?"
Oscar nodded, the tiny motion brushing against Naruto's collarbone.
"Sorry for worrying you, bud. I just needed to clear my mind."
Oscar tilted his head, giving him an unimpressed stare that somehow cut deeper than words.
"Yeah, yeah," Naruto sighed, turning down another shadowed corridor. "That stupid conversation with the old man is still crawling around in my head."
Oscar chirped again, quieter this time, almost like a sigh.
With Oscar perched on his shoulder and the tunnel stretching ahead in oppressive darkness, Naruto finally felt like talking. "Oscar… do you think I created a situation that never needed to exist, and then called it righteousness?"
Oscar made a soft rattling sound in his throat, the kind he used when he disagreed with something.
"Really? Because I keep thinking… the whole Tora thing was kind of my fault."
Oscar shifted, claws gently tapping against his armor, then chirped in a way that sounded like a noncommittal maybe.
"Yeah, I guess you are right. It is not like I would have just done nothing. If I really believed Tora was suffering, I would have tried to help him anyway, even alone. I just… dragged everyone into it this time."
The admission loosened something in his chest. Naruto had wanted his team to be there, to move with him and to share the weight of his choice.
Oscar chirped again.
Naruto nodded slowly. "Yeah. I could have handled it better. I could have tried to talk to Madam Shijimi first, explained things and tested the waters. Maybe gotten her to hire a handler, or at least convinced her to stop smothering him so much. Instead, I faked a death, traumatized a rich old lady, and dumped the cat on Sasuke. Honestly, I have no idea what I was thinking."
Oscar gave him a whack of his tail.
"Okay, okay, I get it. It was messy."
Hiruzen's words floated back to him, heavy and cold. You are not a hero every time you act. Sometimes, you are just a boy who does not understand the weight of his actions.
Naruto repeated the line under his breath. It tasted different now, away from the old man's glare and the choking guilt. Oscar burst into a flurry of chirps, indignant and defensive. Naruto could almost hear the translation.
You are better than that. You are not just some stupid boy.
"Yeah, I know. I am not just some dumb kid. At least, I try not to be."
He remembered Kakashi's words as well. Responsibility is not just about saying you will carry the blame. It is also about looking inward and facing what you did.
So he did.
He walked in silence for a while, letting his mind sift through everything he had done since stepping onto this path. Gato's entire network, the men he cut down so they could not terrorize anyone again. Standing beside Zabuza against Guren and choosing to save Haku. Lying to his own team so he could reach Uzushiogakure, risking their trust and his place in the village. Quietly maneuvering around Danzo, playing a dangerous game far above a genin's station.
Every one of those choices could have ended in catastrophe. Every one carried consequences he had known and chosen anyway. And despite the danger, despite the weight of them, he still believed he had done what was right.
But what about the consequences that followed.
You rush ahead, convinced you know best… without thinking of what it costs others to clean up after you.
He stopped walking.
Away from Hiruzen's disappointed face, the words sounded less like a verdict and more like a puzzle.
"Do I really not think ahead…?" Naruto murmured.
Oscar blinked at him.
"Am I reckless, or do I plan ahead?"
Oscar tilted his head, then chirped something that sounded suspiciously like both.
Naruto blinked, then laughed softly. "Both, huh?"
He thought about it carefully.
Every time he actually sat down and planned, truly planned, things worked. The Gato operation in the Wave had been organized. The fight with Zabuza and Guren. Even his stupid Tora scheme had so many layers that Kakashi had practically said that if he had not been there to watch it unfold, he might have been fooled too.
"So when I put my mind to it, I plan," Naruto said slowly. "I plan a lot. I plan in ways even jonin think are overkill."
He stared ahead into the darkness.
"The old man and Danzo keep calling me reckless because all they see is the end result. They do not see the hours of thinking, the back up plans, the contingencies. To them, it just looks like a kid who jumped into a storm and somehow survived."
Oscar chirped in agreement.
"And after everything happens," Naruto added, "it is not my problem how the world reacts. If I did what I believe is right, then their tantrums are theirs, not mine."
The thought clicked into place like a puzzle piece.
He felt something in his chest loosen, not into arrogance, but into clarity. Hiruzen was not a god. His words were not truth, just perspective. A perspective shaped by decades of sitting in one chair and watching people break under the weight of choices he signed off on.
"Still…" Naruto exhaled through his nose. "Even if I disagree with him, what he said is not useless. I should think more about how I go about things. It does not hurt to have less collateral drama in my life."
Oscar nodded firmly.
Naruto scratched his cheek. "So, what did I do right?"
He counted it off slowly in his mind.
He saw an unjust situation, as he understood it. He moved to change it. He tried to make sure no one got in trouble. He did not hurt anyone. He made sure Tora ended up with someone who could handle him. He even turned it into political goodwill by comforting Madam Shijimi. His morality there was sound. That part, he did not regret.
"What could I have done better?" he asked himself.
He could have talked to his team more. Asked what they thought. Maybe got Sakura to try a psychological approach. Maybe used Ino, who had an easier time talking to civilians. He could have talked to Hiruzen before acting, gotten a read on the political fallout. He could have built a slow, long term solution instead of a theatrical one time stunt.
It still would have been him, still would have been his choice, but he would not have blindsided everyone.
Oscar shuffled, pressing their nostril to his neck.
Naruto smiled faintly. "So, I am still reckless. Just not stupid reckless. I can work with that."
He ran his fingers through his hair in habit.
His hand met air.
Oscar stiffened.
"What?" Naruto blinked, then remembered. "Oh. Right. I used the Lion's Mane Jutsu to leave my hair as your bed."
He rubbed at the short spikes sticking out in every direction. His hair barely brushed the nape of his neck now.
"This feels weird after so long. How do I look?"
Oscar turned, took one long, exaggerated look at his face, then at the short hair. He let out a very dramatic gasp and a string of chirps that clearly carried one word.
"Like the devil?"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
To keep Oscar from bullying him with judgmental chirps, Naruto ran chakra through his scalp and stimulated his hair follicles until his long, glossy hair flowed back down his shoulders. Oscar chirped in satisfaction, patting the newly restored locks as if approving his work. Only then did Naruto sigh and decide it was finally time to head back to Konoha. He took the long route through the market district, letting the familiar noise of the village settle some of the lingering tension in his chest. Eventually he reached the south bakery, the place where he had stopped once before. The warm scent of fresh bread hit him immediately.
The moment he stepped through the door, several customers stiffened in surprise. But the baker woman behind the counter merely blinked, then smiled gently, treating him exactly as she promised she would.
"Back again?"
"Yeah," Naruto replied, plopping Oscar on the counter. Oscar chirped demandingly at a tray of pastries. "Lunch for me. Bread for him."
She snorted and handed over a warm meal without fuss. Naruto left with his stomach pleasantly full, Oscar carrying his bread like a trophy. He made his way toward the Hokage Tower, feeling the weight of why he had come settle in his bones. But he walked forward anyway.
Inside the tower, he approached the front desk, leaning casually over it while Oscar gnawed on his bread.
"Yo, secretary lady. Is the old man free to talk?"
The woman's eye twitched violently. Naruto knew her name. He simply refused to use it because apparently annoying authority figures was a treasured hobby. Still, she kept her voice even. "I will check." She picked up the phone, spoke quietly, then hung up. "The Hokage will see you now."
"Thank you."
He pushed open the office door and immediately paused.
Hiruzen was not alone.
Two elders sat in front of the desk, their faces lined with age and more annoyingly, judgment.
[Name: Koharu Utatane]
[HP: 400/400]
[Name: Homura Mitokado]
[HP: 400/400]
Koharu eyed him like a puzzle she disliked being forced to solve. "You must be Minato's son," she said, her voice clipped.
Naruto nodded, not bothering to hide his lack of enthusiasm.
Homura adjusted his glasses. "Even so, boy, you knock before entering the Hokage's office. There is protocol."
"I was told to come in by the old man."
"It is Hokage," Koharu corrected sharply. "Show some respect."
Naruto raised a brow.
"Naruto, what do you think of their plan for the Tora problem?"
Koharu and Homura stiffened, eyes widening ever so slightly. Neither had expected the Hokage to drag a genin into adviser level discussion. For a moment both wondered if this was Hiruzen's quiet way of dismissing them.
"So you told them?"
"No," Hiruzen said calmly. "Madam Shijimi is still hysterical over Tora's… death. She is hounding the administration every hour to check again. In the meantime, my advisers have offered possible solutions."
Koharu lifted her chin. "I suggested we employ a ninja cat to serve as a stand in while we… manage the situation."
Naruto stared, unimpressed.
Homura spoke next. "I suggested we simply locate a similar looking tabby from the streets and present it to Lady Shijimi. She is distraught, she will hardly notice the difference."
Koharu scoffed softly. "A trained ninja cat can at least emulate Tora's behavior."
"A trained ninja cat is also a trained operative," Homura retorted. "Imagine the political disaster if the daimyo discovered we replaced his wife's pet with a covert asset."
"And what of your plan?" Koharu snapped back. "Handing her a random stray? That would only insult her and anger the daimyo further."
"Enough," Hiruzen said before they devolved into bickering. "Naruto. Your thoughts?"
Naruto did not look up immediately; he was busy giving Oscar a very dedicated belly rub. "Honestly? Both plans are garbage. No offense."
All offense was clearly taken.
He continued anyway. "Both of you already pointed out half the flaws in each other's plans. But none of you are looking at the core problem here. The problem is not Tora. The problem is Madam Shijimi's hysteria. Her grief, panic and refusal to accept what happened."
He tapped his finger against Oscar's back.
"If you do not fix that, any plan you try will blow up in Konoha's faces."
Koharu and Homura exchanged a look, their expressions hard to read. "So, how would you fix this?"
"Easy. Get Inoichi-san to talk to her. Calm her down. Help her with the grief, real or not. When she feels better, the whole problem dies quietly."
The advisers blinked.
It was annoyingly reasonable and undeniably smarter than theirs.
"We will discuss this matter later," Hiruzen said, tone firm and final.
Koharu and Homura bowed stiffly, neither hiding their irritation. As they turned to leave, both paused just long enough to give Naruto a look that said this is why children should not be in important rooms. Naruto met their stares with a flat expression that said cry about it, and then the door clicked shut behind them.
Silence filled the Hokage's office like settling dust.
"So, old man… who were those two old farts?"
Hiruzen's eye twitched. "Language, Naruto."
"They started it," Naruto muttered, crossing his arms.
"They were my teammates once," Hiruzen said slowly. "War comrades, now council advisers. They have served this village for a long time."
"That does not mean their advice is not terrible. Using a random tabby or a ninja cat? Seriously? That is the kind of thinking that gets everyone in trouble."
"Koharu and Homura have their own views of what is best for the village," Hiruzen replied calmly, though there was a shadow of weariness in his voice. "Even if their approach… differs from yours."
"That is a very nice way of saying they are stubborn old fossils."
For a moment Hiruzen looked like he wanted to give him a reprimand, but instead he only sighed. "Sit, Naruto."
Naruto obeyed, dropping into the chair with Oscar curling up in his lap. The lizard let out a small chirp that echoed oddly in the quiet room. Naruto scratched behind Oscar's gem to calm him.
The silence stretched. Hiruzen folded his hands in front of him, studying Naruto closely. "You were gone from Konoha for two days."
"Yeah," Naruto answered, shifting awkwardly. "I figured… talking things out with some people in Lordran might help me clear my head. You know, breathe a bit. But I did not exactly get the chance. Ended up trapped in some kind of magical labyrinth. Still clearing that up."
"Are you injured?"
"No worse than usual."
The Hokage did not look reassured, but he nodded. "As long as you are safe."
More silence.
They both inhaled at the same time.
"You first," Hiruzen said, lifting a hand.
Naruto hesitated, almost visibly battling whether to keep his shields up or say what he really meant. Then he drew a breath, deep and steadying.
"Old man… I wanted to say… last time we talked, what you said hurt me. A lot."
Surprise flickered first, then regret, then something quieter, a kind of weary acknowledgment. "I know," Hiruzen said, voice softer than before. "I realized after you left that I was unfair with my temper. I let my frustration speak louder than my understanding. That was not right of me."
Naruto looked down at his fingers, fidgeting with Oscar's tail. "I get that you are under a lot of pressure. I know things are bad right now. But hearing you say those things… it felt like you thought everything I have done was meaningless. Or stupid. Or selfish."
The truth in Naruto's tone was sharper than any accusation.
"I suppose…" Hiruzen started, then stopped. He inhaled and began again. "I suppose I see too much of Minato when I look at you. And that is not fair to you. Your father was a prodigy, a leader, a man who carried an impossible weight with grace. Sometimes I hold you to a shadow you never asked for. Sometimes I forget that you are Naruto… not Minato reborn."
Naruto's throat tightened, but he lifted his chin. "Old man, I need you to hear me too. I am not reckless the way you think. I am not running around trying to feel righteous or heroic. And I do not regret the choices I have made." He leaned forward, meeting Hiruzen's eyes head on. "Not in Wave. Not with Zabuza and Haku. Not with saving those people from Gato's men. Not even with Tora. I did what I thought was right. And I do not back down from that."
"Then you must stand by those choices. A shinobi who cannot accept the weight of his own decisions will crumble. And a leader who refuses responsibility will destroy the people who follow him."
Naruto nodded slowly. "Yeah. I get that. And I am not running from it."
There was a stretch of quiet where neither spoke, but the air no longer felt sharp.
Hiruzen folded his hands together. "I owe you an apology," he said at last. "Not only for my anger, but for the pressure I placed on you. I do not wish to burden you more than you already are."
"How so?"
"The Chunin Exams are changing. Other villages are rearranging their rosters. Some are demoting elite jonin on paper just to enter them as genin. Many kage are training their candidates personally. Danzo moves in the dark. Orochimaru has resurfaced. And the daimyo is already making plans against the other nobles."
Naruto felt the weight behind those words.
"In circumstances like these, any conflict between you and the daimyo could worsen an already unstable situation. I cannot afford that. Konoha cannot afford that."
"I get it. Really. And… about the Tora thing. I still think I was right, but I know I could have handled it better. I should have talked things out more. Should have included other people. Should have… slowed down."
Hiruzen's brow rose, surprised. "That is a wiser reflection than I expected."
Naruto continued. "But I want you to know something too." He tapped Oscar's gem lightly. "I do plan. A lot. If you did not know about what I did with Tora, do you really think you could have figured out every piece of it?"
Hiruzen paused, actually considering it. "Perhaps not," he admitted.
"People like Danzo and even you think I act without thinking, but you only ever see the end results. Not the steps I take to get there."
"Fair enough and for my part… I am sorry for comparing you to Danzo. That was cruel. And untrue."
Naruto felt something unclench in his chest. "And I am sorry I said you do not know how to act. That was not fair either."
A slow smile tugged at Hiruzen's lips. "On that one, I do not need the apology. I have made more mistakes in my life than I care to count."
Naruto snorted.
"Let us both strive to do better than our worst moments."
Naruto nodded. "Let us do that."
Oscar chirped approvingly, nudging Naruto's arm.
"Now then, why don't you tell me what happened with Danzo?"
Naruto began recounting everything in great detail, along with his own thoughts about what Danzo might be scheming.
"So you think Danzo might try to assassinate you?"
Hiruzen exhaled a long, thin stream of smoke. "I would not put it past him," he said quietly. "Danzo has never been one to let obstacles remain standing. And right now, Naruto, you are…"
"I'm the perfect puppet head for him to crawl his way back into power. I've got the civilians and half the shinobi behind me because of my heritage. The Hyuga like me because of Hinata. The clan heads respect me because of my parents. All that's missing is power, and then I'd be the best mask Danzo could wear to rule the village."
Hiruzen hummed. "A sharp assessment. You see the game clearly for someone your age."
"Comes with the territory of being a piece on someone else's board."
The old Hokage chuckled quietly. "You know, the boy who once stood in the streets shouting about becoming Hokage still lives on in Konoha's memory. You've grown, but that image remains. And I doubt Danzo is the only one who sees your potential to wear that hat someday." He exhaled another puff of smoke, his gaze turning thoughtful. "Tell me, Naruto… now that you know your parents once chased that same dream, what do you think of it?"
"I don't know. Being Hokage isn't really on my mind. I'd rather focus on rebuilding my clan. The Uzumaki deserve to exist again."
"That will not be an easy task."
Naruto smirked, taking a slow draw from his own pipe before releasing a cloud of faint green smoke. "I like a challenge. Plus I have a plan."
"Oh?"
"Taking back my legacy from Danzo is a first step."
The old Hokage frowned slightly. "Danzo is not one to part with anything he deems valuable. You know that as well as I do."
"I do," Naruto replied. "But all I have to do is let him know I can actually read the Uzumaki clan scrolls."
"You can read them?"
Naruto grinned a little. "Gran gran gran Mito told me that if an Uzumaki completes their rite of passage, they can read the clan's cipher. So yeah, I can." He said it with a confidence that sounded too natural to be questioned. The truth about the Mask of Whispers was something he wasn't about to share with anyone.
"That's not wise, Naruto. If Danzo finds out, he'll see you as an even greater asset and a greater threat. Even with Root long being disbanded, there are still those loyal to him and many more unknowns about what he has been doing for years. I would not put it past Danzo to kidnap you if it served his purpose."
"He won't. Not yet. He still thinks I'm someone he can use."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "Explain."
"The uzumaki scrolls he handed over were nothing more than bait. They only cover the fundamentals of uzumaki clan fuinjutsu. The Adamantine Sealing Chains need far more advanced knowledge, and he made sure to leave that part out. He's watching to see if I can move beyond what he gave me, testing whether I'm worth the real secrets he's holding back."
"Which means?" Hiruzen asked, watching carefully.
"Which means he's betting there's a hidden method to decipher the scrolls. He wants to see if I can do it, then extract that secret from me later. But if I'm the only person who can actually read them, he has to keep me alive and close. He'll use Munna to dig through my mind and steal what I know." Naruto's lips curled into a faint, knowing smirk. "But that's fine. All he needs to do is hand me the scrolls, and when he finally comes for my memories… all he'll get are the ones I planted for him."
Hiruzen was silent for a long moment, tapping the edge of his pipe against the ashtray.
"You're playing a dangerous game."
"I learned from the best, didn't I?"
The Hokage's eyes softened at that, though the worry did not fade. "I do not like this. But it seems you've left me with no argument strong enough to change your mind. Danzo has forced our hand, and you're right… sometimes the only way to survive a trap is to make it your own."
Naruto nodded, the calm in his voice almost unsettling for someone his age. "That's just one part of the bigger plan. I'll use the Chunin Exams as a stage. If I make enough noise, if I stand out enough, maybe some Uzumaki scattered out in the world will hear about me and come looking."
"If that's what you want, you'll need more than fame, Naruto. You'll need a home for them to return to. A clan needs land, a name, and recognition."
Naruto smiled faintly. "Good call, old man."
"So you want to officially register the Uzumaki as a clan of Konoha?"
"Wasn't it already registered?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious.
"No," Hiruzen said, shaking his head. "The seat once belonging to Uzushiogakure was acknowledged in Konoha's records as an allied clan, not a resident one. That connection ended decades ago. Since then, there has never been an official Uzumaki clan seat on the Konoha Council."
"Didn't my mom ever try to get it reinstated?"
"Kushina hated politics with every fiber of her being. She had no patience for council meetings or bureaucracy. She always said, I'd rather punch through walls than talk to them. Honestly, I could not blame her."
"Guess that tracks," Naruto said with a grin. "But I'm not her. I'll make it official. I'm going to register the Uzumaki as a clan of Konoha."
The old Hokage's smile faded slightly, replaced by a more serious expression. "That might be harder than you think. Technically, you're the only Uzumaki living in the village right now. Registering the clan would mean granting you a council seat. It is something the elders and the civilian members won't take kindly to."
"Because they'd see it as too much power for one person?"
"Exactly," Hiruzen said. "The council is wary of imbalance. A single shinobi holding both political and public support, especially someone as visible as you, could disrupt their equilibrium. Even your father's name might not be enough to convince them easily."
Naruto thought about that for a moment, then asked, "What if a majority of the council agreed? Would it still be possible?"
Hiruzen considered his words carefully before responding. "It is not impossible. There are several conditions that must be met for a clan to be formally recognized. If you fulfill them, I can push the motion forward even if the council opposes it."
"Alright," Naruto said, leaning forward with interest. "What are the conditions?"
"The first," Hiruzen began, "is lineage verification. You'll need documented proof of your heritage, records confirming your descent from the Uzumaki line. That can be done easily through your parents' files."
"The second is establishment of residence. Every clan must have a designated compound or estate within the village boundaries. A place recognized by Konoha as clan grounds."
Naruto nodded thoughtfully.
"The third," Hiruzen said, "is membership. A clan, by law, must have at least three registered members, even if they are retainers, adopted kin, or distant blood relations. Without that, it is considered a family name, not a clan."
"So I can't just put down Oscar as a member, huh?"
Hiruzen chuckled. "I'm afraid not. The paperwork does not recognize lizards as clan members."
"If you ask me, he deserves honorary Uzumaki status at this point."
Oscar gave an enthusiastic chirp, clearly agreeing with the declaration.
"The last condition," Hiruzen continued, "is village service. A clan seeking recognition must demonstrate active contribution to Konoha's welfare, either through missions, trade, or specialized arts. For example, the Nara manage the deer and medicine research, the Akimichi provide rations, and the Hyuga offer their insight network."
"So basically, I need to prove the Uzumaki bring something to the table," Naruto summarized.
"Precisely," Hiruzen said. "Meet those conditions, and I'll see to it that your clan is recognized. You might not have political authority on the council yet, but you will have legitimacy, and that is how power truly begins in Konoha."
Naruto grinned, the spark of excitement in his eyes growing brighter by the second. "Well, I have already got a few ideas for how to make it work. The land part is easy. I can use my parents' property as the clan compound, and if it is too small, I will just buy up the surrounding area. As for retainers…" He paused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "That is going to take some planning. And for the service, I can provide both blacksmithing and fuinjutsu work for the village. No one does sealing like an Uzumaki."
"And blacksmithing?"
"I'm a decent blacksmith myself," Naruto said, grinning. "And if that is not enough, I can always bribe Andre into becoming the Uzumaki clan's official blacksmith. All it will take is a bunch of shitty alcohol."
Hiruzen blinked, looking genuinely confused by the statement, while Oscar eagerly nodded, his tail wagging at the thought of Andre visiting Konoha.
Naruto chuckled and shot the lizard a knowing look. "Easy there, buddy. We both agreed in not bringing friends from Lordran to Konoha until the whole Danzo mess is dealt with."
Hiruzen smiled faintly around the stem of his pipe, watching the boy's ambition take shape. "Seems like you have already thought this through."
"I always think ahead. Sometimes."
Oscar shook his head in a no.
"Then," Hiruzen said, reaching into his desk drawer, "it just so happens I have something that will make this a little easier."
He pulled out a small folder of official looking documents, sealed with the Hokage's crest. "These are the land transfer papers. They will legally move your parents' property under your name as their heir."
Naruto blinked in surprise before taking the documents with careful hands. "Wait, seriously? Just like that?"
The old Hokage chuckled. "Nothing in Konoha is just like that. You will still need to file the ownership claim through the Land Records Office, but my signature will speed up the process. Consider this my approval and your first step toward rebuilding your clan."
Naruto bowed his head slightly, gratitude hidden behind a teasing smile. "Thanks, old man."
"Well, these papers only cover the land itself, Naruto. There is no existing structure included."
Naruto flipped through the papers, skimming the legal text before glancing up. "So, where is my parents' land anyway?"
Hiruzen stood, walking over to a nearby shelf, and pulled down a worn map of Konoha. He spread it across the table and pointed toward the outskirts of the village. "Here. Near the northern ridge, close to the forest line."
Naruto leaned over, squinting at the markings. The spot was marked with an odd red symbol. "What is that?"
"That is the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Storage Temple. It was gifted to Kushina by Mito sama and later incorporated into the estate. After the Kyuubi attack, most of the property was destroyed, but the temple survived."
"Why? Why would Danzo destroy the rest but leave that?"
"The temple's outer structure was heavily damaged," Hiruzen explained, "but its interior is protected by a barrier. Many believe it was that barrier which kept the Kyuubi's chakra from tearing it apart."
Naruto's expression darkened for a brief moment. "So that barrier stopped Danzo from stealing more of my family's legacy."
Hiruzen nodded quietly.
"I want to see it. The temple, the land… all of it. Even if there is nothing left, I want to see it with my own eyes."
The old Hokage's eyes softened. "I expected you would say that." He adjusted his robes and set his pipe aside. "Go ahead. I will finish some work here and join you shortly."
"Alright, old man."
"Try not to destroy anything while I am gone," Hiruzen said, chuckling as Naruto flickered away with Oscar.
The room fell silent for a moment after they left, save for the soft rustle of paperwork and the fading scent of smoke.
Then Hiruzen rose, reaching for his Hokage hat and placing it on the desk. "Cat," he said softly.
A purple haired ANBU knelt behind him in an instant. "Yes, Lord Hokage?"
"Is Captain Tenzo back from his mission?"
"Yes, sir. He returned early this morning."
"Good," Hiruzen said, glancing out the window toward the northern forests. "Tell him I want him in my office immediately."
"Understood, sir."
As she vanished in a blur of motion, Hiruzen sighed quietly, remembering Naruto's face.
"Looks like I'll be asking you for some huge favors… Yamato."
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The Uzumaki Clan's Mask Temple stood in eerie silence, weathered by time yet still emanating the faint dignity of what it once was. The massive wooden doors were cracked and uneven, with planks missing and their hinges rusted to the bone. The staircase leading up to the entrance was fractured and uneven, littered with fragments of roof tiles, broken timber, and the creeping reach of moss.
Above the doorway, the spiral crest of the Uzumaki clan was still carved proudly into the wood; faded but unbroken, a stubborn reminder of the clan's enduring spirit.
Naruto gazed up at the ruin, his expression a mix of awe and melancholy. "Even after all this time… it is still standing. Guess that is the Uzumaki way," he murmured. Then his tone hardened. "At least that bastard Danzo did not get to raid it, or we would have lost one of the four treasures of the Uzumaki clan."
Oscar chirped from his shoulder.
"Yeah, I know, buddy. Let us see what is inside."
As he stepped forward, the air around the doorway shimmered faintly. Naruto stopped, feeling a pulse of chakra wash over him. The chakra barrier pressed against his skin before recognizing the rune and quietly dissipating like mist at dawn.
Inside, the temple's main chamber was vast but hollow. At the center stood a raised podium carved from stone, and upon it hung several oni like masks suspended beneath the three connected spiral symbols of the Uzumaki clan. Black ornamental flames were painted beneath them.
"Those must be the Uzumaki clan's masks," he said quietly. His gaze lingered on the largest one at the center.
[ Item: Mask of the Shinigami ]
[ Description: An accursed relic said to bear the visage of death itself.
Forged in the twilight between life and death, this mask grants its wearer communion with the Shinigami. Those who don it invite the spirit to take root within their flesh.
Through this unholy pact, one may perform the Dead Demon Consuming Seal: Release, unbinding what was once sealed and offering life itself as payment.
Few who wear the mask survive the encounter, for the Shinigami claims not only the dead but all who dare to summon it. ]
"Yeah, that one definitely looks like the death god… creepy bastard." Naruto stepped closer, whistling under his breath. "Man, these things are insane. I came here looking for the Nine Divine Beasts jutsu, but it looks like I am getting a lot more than I bargained for."
Oscar shifted uneasily.
"Let us store these in my inventory," Naruto said after a moment. "If things ever go south, at least we will have a way to summon the Shinigami to help us."
Oscar glared daggers at him.
Naruto laughed. "Relax. I am just saying if. It is not like I want to summon a god that wants to eat my soul."
He stored another mask and the system text appeared before his eyes.
[ Item: Mask of Suicide ]
[ Description: An accursed relic said to bear the visage of death itself. Forged in the twilight between life and death, this mask grants its wearer communion with the Shinigami. Those who don it invite the spirit to take root within their flesh.
Through a blasphemous jutsu that calls upon the Death God to devour the soul of a chosen foe, the wielder may seal their enemy into the stomach of the Shinigami.
Yet the Shinigami is never satisfied with a single offering. The price for such power is a soul and the mask does not care whether it belongs to the condemned or the one who dares to summon death. ]
"So… the Mask of Suicide summons the Shinigami to seal the enemy, and the other releases the souls trapped inside that ugly bastard's stomach."
He carefully sealed the masks into his inventory, then moved on to the remaining twenty four masks.
[ Item: Empty Mask ]
[ Description: A mask made to be used in Uzumaki clan forbidden jutsu. Within the Uzumaki clan, such masks awaited a soul, a name, and a purpose.
A mask is a face, and a face is an identity, whether worn by man, beast, or god.
Those who don the Empty Mask may forge a new self or steal another's, yet in doing so risk losing the memory of which was truly theirs. Many sought to hide behind its blankness. Fewer remembered who they were when it came time to take it off. ]
Naruto felt a chill crawl down his spine as he reread the description. "So… these masks could either seal a jutsu, or seal a person. Maybe even change who they are entirely."
Oscar chirped nervously.
"Yeah," Naruto said softly. "We will figure it out when I reach the advanced fuinjutsu scrolls. For now, I am not touching them."
He finally turned to the last mask. Unlike the others, this one was not human. It was shaped like the face of a bird, with a long curved beak and three delicate crests rising from the crown.
[ Item: Mask of the Three Legged Crow ]
[ Description: A ritual mask modeled after the three legged crow of ancient folklore, a divine herald said to guide lost souls and kings alike. Once worn by an Uzumaki, this mask allows its bearer to perform a summoning jutsu ]
Naruto took a deep breath and straightened his posture. "Alright," he muttered, more to himself than anyone. "Time to claim one of the Four Treasures of the Uzumaki clan."
Oscar gave a nervous chirp.
Naruto smirked, crouching slightly to pat the little lizard on the head. "Relax, buddy. What is the worst that could happen?"
Oscar squeaked sharply in protest, clearly having a long list of answers to that question.
Naruto chuckled as the mask equipped on his face and fitted perfectly, as though it had been made for him.
Without even realizing it, his hands moved into the handsigns of the Summoning Jutsu. His palm stung as he bit into it, pressing the bleeding hand to the floor. Chakra flared outward, a seal pattern unfurling like a living flame across the cracked stone.
The ground trembled. A cloud of smoke erupted from the center of the array, so thick that both Naruto and Oscar coughed and waved their hands to clear it.
When the air finally cleared, Naruto blinked in confusion. Sitting in the middle of the summoning circle was not a creature but a plain wooden box.
"…Well, that is anticlimactic."
He stepped forward, crouching beside it. Using his hawkeyes, he zoomed in on the faint pattern carved into the surface. A sealing array glowed faintly along the edges, intricate and dense... and disturbingly familiar.
"Wait a second," Naruto muttered, eyes narrowing. "This looks almost identical to an explosive tag. Who puts a fuinjutsu array inside an explosive seal? What even is that combination?"
Oscar chirped a warning tone, pointing a tiny claw toward the box, then up to the air which was his usual signal for checking the inventory description first.
"Yeah, yeah, good call. Lemme just…"
The moment his fingers brushed the surface, the seal flared.
"Ah, crap…"
But there was no explosion. Instead, the world blinked out.
Naruto found himself standing in a vast void. It was not darkness, exactly. More like standing inside a blank canvas before the first brushstroke.
Then, from the nothingness, a voice spoke. "So you were the one she chose."
Naruto turned sharply and froze, "Gran… Gran… Gran?!"
"No," Mito said, shaking her head softly. "I am not her. I am just a fragment of chakra she left behind as a safeguard."
"So, not a soul fragment like last time."
Mito's chakra echo of a smile did not reach her eyes. "No. This is just a message, designed to appear if the right person ever opened the seal."
"Then why appear now?"
"I assume you have already heard of the Nine Divine Beasts," Mito said. "That jutsu is a forbidden technique. I could not allow it to fall into unworthy hands. I feared that one day someone might discover this three legged crow mask and take the jutsu, or worse, use an Uzumaki descendant as the key to claim it. So I designed the seal to make the choice simple. Either the right heir opens it, or it explodes."
"How?"
"The box was rigged to explode if touched by anyone who was not recognized by my chakra. The chakra fragment the previous Mito sealed with you when you first met her was the key to getting the Nine Divine Beast arts."
"You're seriously the most paranoid, meticulous person I have ever met, Gran-Gran-Gran."
"And yet, that paranoia kept our treasures from falling into the wrong hands. The Nine Divine Beasts technique is all that remains of our clan's four treasures. It had to be protected."
Naruto turned, thumb hooking over his shoulder as he gestured to his back. "Gran-Gran-Gran, I know you are just a piece of chakra running a genjutsu, but you and I already found the rune. That means out of the Four Treasures of the Uzumaki, I have already got two and I will keep searching until I find the other two. Count on it."
"I am… honestly speechless. You have grown into someone I never imagined our clan would see again. I can see why Mito trusted you with the Nine Divine Beast jutsu."
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, smiling in that familiar awkward way. "Also, I wanted to tell you that I am going to register the Uzumaki clan officially in Konoha. I even have a plan to get the scattered Uzumaki to come back and rebuild what we lost." His eyes lit up with that familiar spark, the one that always burned brightest when he talked about his dreams.
"You remind me so much of Kushina," Mito murmured. She stepped closer, her hand resting gently atop his head.
"Yeah… the real you said that too. I have been working hard for… everything."
"Just take it easy, my child. The world will still be there tomorrow."
Naruto's gaze lowered slightly. "I just… I just wanted to make you proud, you know? All of you… my mom, my dad, and you."
"Even if I am not truly the Mito you once met, I know what she would feel. She would already be proud of you. But promise me this. Do not burn yourself out trying to carry the world. The fire inside you is a blessing, but if you let it consume too much, it becomes a burden."
"I just… I just have so much to share with you, you know? So much has happened."
"Has it been that long since we last met?"
"No, not really. But a lot happened in that short time."
"That is exactly what I mean," Mito said gently. "You rush forward so fast that you forget to stop and breathe. Remember to smell the flowers by the side of the road. Even storms need calm skies."
"I promise."
"Good. Now listen carefully. Before this genjutsu fades, there is something important you must know. Do not attempt the Nine Divine Beast jutsu. It is an S rank forbidden technique. It demands mastery of the highest degree, and the price for failure is your soul."
"Then when will I be ready?"
"When you can weave seals with pure chakra control," Mito replied. "When your skill reaches the level of grandmaster in fuinjutsu. Until then, study, learn, and live."
Naruto smiled softly. "I will. And it was really nice seeing you again, Gran-Gran-Gran. Will I ever get to meet you again?"
"I do not know, my child. Perhaps not in this life."
Naruto swallowed hard, his chest tight. "Then watch over me from the Pure Lands. I will bring back the Uzumaki clan. I swear it, Gran Gran Gran."
"I believe it."
The words lingered as light filled the void, and before Naruto could reply, the world around him shattered like glass.
When he opened his eyes, he was standing back in the temple. In his hands was a beautifully ornate scroll of crimson silk bound with gold thread and marked by the spiral crest of the Uzumaki clan.
[ Item: Nine Divine Beast Jutsu ]
[ Description: A forbidden art said to stand at the pinnacle of Uzumaki fuinjutsu.
Created by Oden Uzumaki, this jutsu defies all reason and mercy. Through its ritual, the souls of the dead or vast stores of chakra are sealed into empty masks.
The jutsu is a complicated fuinjutsu sealing array that seals all five elements and yin-yang in perfect balance alongside a sealing formula mimicking the Creation of All Things to alter the forms of souls or chakra bound to empty masks into sacred beasts.
Few dare to attempt this forbidden jutsu, for each summoning is said to be bound to the caster's soul, and those who command the beasts risk being devoured by the very divinity they seek to attain. ]
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Author Note: Let us jump into the Q and A.
1. What is the Nine Divine Beast Jutsu?
Answer: So this one is a semi canon jutsu. By that, I mean it technically appears in official Naruto media, the movies, which are not considered canon to the main timeline, but since they are officially licensed, they count as soft canon or extended universe material.
The jutsu shows up in Road to Ninja, where the alternate universe version of Naruto, also known as Menma, uses it.
Here is the breakdown. The Nine Divine Beast Jutsu lets the user divide the Nine Tails chakra into nine separate entities, each taking the form of a divine beast. Menma summons them by forming the Tiger Seal, declaring Nine Mask Svaha and chanting the Kuji in. This creates a massive mandala with nine rings, each representing a beast.
Here is the list of the nine:
Seiryu (Azure Dragon), Byakko (White Tiger), Suzaku (Vermilion Bird), Genbu (Black Tortoise), Kinja (Golden Snake), Tennyo (Celestial Maiden)
Shinigami (Death God): A skeletal priest wielding a scythe that drains chakra, from the Three ring.
Hokuto Sennin (Northern Sage): A sage wielding a fox staff, able to create barriers.
Nanto Sennin (Southern Sage): The southern counterpart of Hokuto, working in tandem to trap foes.
When defeated, all nine revert to their true forms of nine masked fox cubs, each with a single tail before reuniting back into the Black Nine Tails chakra.
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2. So why did I give DS Naruto this jutsu?
Originally, when I started digging into Uzumaki lore and trying to figure out what kind of clan techniques would fit DS Naruto, I obviously had the classic Adamantine Chakra Chains on the table. After that though, the fuinjutsu options got a lot murkier.
One thing kept popping up again and again.
The Uzumaki Clan Mask Temple.
Canon gives us this creepy and important place full of masks, but never really explains what the majority of them are for. We know about the Mask of the Death God and how it is used to summon the Shinigami for the Reaper Death Seal. That alone tells us the Uzumaki were absolutely insane geniuses who looked at the idea of a death god and thought, Yeah, we can work with that.
But then you have the rest of the masks. More than twenty of them. And the story never explains what they do.
That bugged me a lot.
So I decided to use the Nine Divine Beast Jutsu as one of the forbidden techniques tied to these masks. It already involves masks in the movie, so it slotted in nicely as something the Uzumaki would seal away in their temple as a clan treasure.
On top of that, conceptually, it feels very similar to the Creation of All Things used by the Sage of Six Paths. He took the chakra of the Ten Tails and reshaped it into nine separate bijuu. The Nine Divine Beast Jutsu does the same type of thing on a smaller scale. It takes one massive chakra source and divides it into several beings with their own forms and abilities.
Since this is DS Naruto though, I wanted to push the idea further. In my version, the jutsu does not just split and seal chakra.
It can seal souls and use them as the core to forge Divine Beasts.
Which is where the fun really starts.
That means DS Naruto can take the souls of bosses from Lordran or powerful figures from the Naruto world and seal them into masks, classic Uzumaki, turning them into his own Divine Beasts.
You can probably already imagine the kind of combinations that allows.
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3. Why do the two elders have 400 HP
In Japan, the number 4 can be considered unlucky because it shares its pronunciation, shi, with the word for death. It is avoided in buildings, hospitals, room numbers, and even gifts. So what does that mean for the two elders. I will let you draw your own conclusions.
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4. Can you repeat what the Four Treasures of the Uzumaki Clan are?
Sure. Here is a quick rundown.
The Four Heavenly Treasures of the Uzumaki Clan were legendary artifacts tied to the clan spiritual and sealing power.
The Rune: The senjutsu seal engraved into the soul, meant to unlock potential.
The Sword of Totsuka: The spiritual sealing blade that absorbs anything pierced into a realm of eternal drunken dreams.
The Yata Mirror: A spiritual shield that counters any attack by instantly shifting its nature to oppose it.
The Nine Divine Beast Jutsu: The final treasure, a secret technique allowing powerful souls to be sealed and turned into divine beasts.
Right now Naruto has two, and Itachi has the other two. Things will get very interesting when Naruto eventually discovers that.
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That covers the Q and A for this chapter. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. I always enjoy answering them.
Now here is my question for you. What souls or beings should Naruto seal and turn into Divine Beasts. They can be from Lordran or from the Naruto universe. I am very open to ideas, so let me know what you want to see.
Stay sharp, stay curious, and remember…
Do not go hollow, my friend.
-Adam