"Are you ready, Karin?" Naruto's voice summons her from elsewhere in the apartment.
"Yup." Karin chirps back at him, straightening the ponytail she'd put her hair in and tucking her bangs back neatly.
Naruto had asked her a few weeks prior to get an eye-test with a doctor that he seemingly trusts. The reason he gave her was straightforward; If your eyes are damaged, then I can fix them. An Uzumaki's body is meant to be free from the flaws that many normal people possess. He finds it hard to believe that someone with chakra as powerful as hers, civilian or otherwise, would have eyesight so bad that she is essentially crippled without her spectacles. His grandfather apparently taught him the delicate nature of healing damaged eyes, and for good reason. Naruto wouldn't be helpless without his sight, but he'd certainly be less capable.
Ever since the conclusion of the Chuunin Exam Invasion, Naruto had been getting sent out constantly on missions as a team leader. Their iteration of Team 7 hadn't officially been dissolved but they all had little time to spend with each other when their skills were required elsewhere. Not that they didn't spend time together, but Naruto and Sasuke have especially busy schedules.
Two Jounin and two Chuunin on one squad is a bit unnecessary. If Naruto's prediction of a retaliation war occurred, skilled and confident ranked officers would be needed in the upcoming conflicts in order to replace the older and weary Shinobi left over from the last war, Kyuubi Attack, and most recent invasion.
Plus, Naruto had been spending an excessive amount of time studying Medical Ninjutsu with the little free time he had. There is always a Kage Bunshin of him at home toiling over borrowed scrolls, and he would only tell her that it's going to be a 'surprise'. He insisted on teaching her that Jutsu as well, to accelerate his training of her in order to defend herself from undesirables.
She has an unshaking admiration of Uzumaki Kushina from Jiraiya's stories of her, and who better to help live up to her role-model than her son who'd inherited that burning ambition? Of course, her clanmate coaches her in the correct use of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu by providing a succinct and accurate answer as to why she shouldn't make hundreds of them when she clearly can.
"Kage Bunshin get dumber with the more you make," Naruto says, not looking up from his book on 'Flesh Rejuvenation with Iryo-Ninjutsu'. "They are composed entirely of chakra, and that chakra is required for their 'brain' to function and return memories to the original user of the Jutsu. If you make too many clones, you'll just spawn a bunch of idiot versions of yourself that can't actually comprehend what you're trying to learn. Ten at most if you're not in a fight, Karin."
Dogpiling Naruto with a bunch of her own self is still fun.
"Are you ready or not, woman?!"
Karin rolls her eyes with a huff and smile.
"I'm coming, hold your horses!" She hollers at him.
She gives herself a cursory glance in the mirror to make sure she's living up to her own vanity. One quick tug on her pale yellow blouse to straighten out the Uzumaki swirl on its back, and she goes to put her sandals on.
Naruto has already put his on, but he isn't afforded the opportunity to dress how he wants to with how often he gets called out to lead teams on missions. Even now, he's kitted out in a green officer flak-jacket, with the tail of his black Uchiha coat sticking out underneath. His hair is really the wildest part of him, being relatively unchanged aside from length, but the dark bangs seem to make his perpetually active Sharingan stand out even more. It seems to make other people nervous, but Karin has yet to find a reason to be scared of the beautiful crimson eyes that had done nothing but protect her in the six months she'd known Naruto.
Tsunade-sama wants her Jounin to set good examples for each other. Naruto is just waiting to grow strong enough to not be considered 'just a Jounin' and be given more leeway with how he operates as a Shinobi in Konoha's military system, including wearing whatever the hell he wants.
Karin bounds down the short hallway to put her sandals on at the door, and finds Naruto sitting there waiting (im)patiently for her.
"I'm still surprised that you managed to book a doctor, aren't they like, super busy right now?" Karin asks idly, sitting down next to him. It's a miracle she herself had managed to get a day off, given her new status as the Hokage's office assistant. One of them, at least.
"I used to be a pretty regular patient to the doctor I booked with," Naruto reveals, blowing a spiky bang back into place. "Plus, I gave him a tip to bet on me in the Chuunin Exam Finals. He was willing to... slip you in to return the favor."
She grins at the blatant example of Naruto's strength giving them privileges. It had been six months since the exams, but the damages caused by the summons rampaging through the village had caused significant changes to infrastructure, including doctors surgeries. It isn't easy to get an appointment when the backlog has intensified due to needing to share space with other important services.
One more tug and her sandals are on. She bounces to her feet and gives Naruto a hurried order.
"Let's go! New glasses await!"
"You don't know where we're going yet."
"Hurry up!"
"Bossy woman."
Kakashi and Sasuke stand before their Hokage and her advisors, in addition to Jiraiya.
The topic of their discussion being one Uchiha Naruto, de-facto leader of the Uchiha Clan. It is an unspoken acknowledgment from all of Konoha's populace that the grandson of Uchiha Madara is essentially the crown prince of the village. But the Hokage must look at him objectively and see that Naruto has been singularly selfish, and save for a few interactions with people close to him, he appears to be disconnected from Konoha itself and therefore presents a flight-risk if he's not reeled in.
If Naruto wants more than Konoha can provide, Tsunade's advisors believe that he may end up following his grandfather's footsteps too closely and abandon the village, robbing Konoha of the most potent bloodline seen in a century.
Jiraiya vehemently disagrees.
"Naruto has already willfully surrendered the key to Sasuke's seal, without it being requested of him, I might add!"
"He did so to absolve himself of responsibility of Sasuke if he loses control of the Nibi." Koharu argues, mild in tone.
Homura pushes up his glasses and continues on for Koharu.
"And as I recall, he refused to sign the Toad Contract despite the significant advantages it would provide. The only reason he gave, of which he refused to elaborate on, was 'They don't suit me'. We find it hard to believe that a boy who is single-mindedly obsessed with power, would refuse the opportunity to gain more. To that end, we conclude that Naruto didn't want to sign the contract because he believes that Konoha could use it against him, as in the case of Reverse Summoning."
Jiraiya is having none of it, and Sasuke finds himself surprised that the normally goofy old man is so stern and methodical when he provides his own counterpoint.
"And something you don't know as a Seal Master, is that a Summoning Contract doesn't just allow the ability to call forth summons. It's a contract seal that links the person who signed it to the realm that the animals come from. That kind of bond creates changes in the chakra of the person who signed it to acclimate their bodies to the kinds of chakra that these summons use. With how powerful Naruto's chakra is and his aptitude for the Sharingan, it may very well weaken him instead of helping. It's a Kekkei-Genkai for a reason. You both clearly need to think long-term. If Naruto is going to sign a contract, then it's going to be a summon that he can synchronise to with little long-lasting effects on him as a whole."
Sasuke is surprised that a Summoning Contract actually has that kind of effect on the summoner.
A distinctly feminine voice echoes in his mind.
"This contract that Jiraiya-dono speaks of would make it far-easier to learn Senjutsu... for those with the capacity for it."
The faded look in his eyes when Nibi speaks to him makes the others in the room look at him.
"Sasuke? Are you well?" Tsunade asks him, but her eyes are all business.
"The Nibi spoke to me. It does that sometimes."
Everyone in the room straightens up.
"Is it communicating with you?" Homura questions sharply.
"Yeah," Sasuke doesn't see the problem. It's mostly idle comments from time to time. "It said something about the contract making it easier to learn Senjutsu."
All eyes turn to Jiraiya, who maintains his stern look.
"I can't tell you anything about the methods of learning Senjutsu. If word got around on how to do it, you'd have a whole bunch of dead Shinobi who weren't capable of handling that kind of power. Just learning it poses a significant risk." Jiraiya refuses to elaborate on the learning method. "But the Nibi is correct. The contract transforms the users body and chakra into something more capable of handling natural energy, but only if they already have the natural capability to do so. It took me ten years to even start learning and I still can't do it perfectly. Minato was probably the only actual Sage in the past one-hundred years. That alone should tell you just how dangerous it is, and just how much a contract with Senjutsu-users changes your chakra."
"Regardless..." Koharu starts, knowing that this particular argument is a lost point.
"...Naruto hasn't actually done anything wrong, has he?" Sasuke speaks up this time. Yes, he is at odds with Naruto more often than not regarding certain things but maybe Jiraiya-sama is right, and the old coots just need to look at the whole thing more objectively.
With the half-truths stripped away, Naruto has proven himself to be a pretty reliable person. Not just as a man and friend, but as a Shinobi to Konoha. With the incident regarding Karin during the Chuunin Exams notwithstanding (but still reasonably within the bounds of Konoha's agreement with Uzushio), Naruto continues to strive as a Jounin of Konoha. Every mission he is sent on is successful. Every subordinate sings praises about him to the friends and families they return safely to.
Why even promote Naruto to Jounin if he is considered to be a flight-risk? Giving control over lower-ranked subordinates would be dangerous if they didn't trust him. If they could give the rank of Genin to the trio of Oto Genin that Jiraiya had recruited, then they could spare some trust for Naruto who'd been a Konoha citizen for all his life.
Unless... the truth of the matter ran deeper than trust.
Sasuke thinks that some investigation of his own is warranted.
"Naruto is indeed a capable Shinobi and leader," Tsunade acquiesces. "But there is one problem. He has openly admitted to being raised by Uchiha Madara, who is most famously known for trying to destroy Konoha."
"He has also yet to display any tendencies that can be construed as wanting the destruction of Konoha." Jiraiya responds evenly. "He gets along well with the majority of the Shinobi and civilian populace. He may be selfish, but just look at every other person in this village. Everyone is out to gain something for themselves, that is the nature of people who are ambitious. What is the problem with Naruto gaining power and the acknowledgment of his fellow citizens? I recall that all three of us were the same once Sarutobi-sensei was able to motivate us."
"The problem is Jiraiya, that if he continues to do so under the circumstances of another ruse in order to rise through Konoha's ranks with no opposition, that he could destroy Konoha's established hierarchy from the inside-out." Tsunade communicates Homura and Koharu's argument to him.
"And I know you don't believe that for a second."
Sasuke thinks that Jiraiya is catching on to something that he and Kakashi aren't aware of.
"I can't believe this." Jiraiya shakes his head in disbelief. "You old biddies are still dogmatically following Sarutobi and Danzo's ridiculous fears."
He turns and allows himself out of the meeting room.
"Jiraiya!" Tsunade tries to get him to come back.
"No. Sarutobi was wrong in his unjust fear and hatred of an unfortunate people. You two better hope that you're dead before I find out that you did something to make Naruto betray this village. A self-fulfilling prophecy is a one-way ticket to undo everything that you ever thought you did right in the name of Konoha."
Homura and Koharu look forward stonily, not daring to glance at Jiraiya.
The Hokage gives a deep and weary sigh.
"This is what I get for listening to the two of you." She gripes pettily.
Definitely something to look into, Sasuke thinks. He supposes it must be hard to mediate rather than take an obvious side. If he were someone less level-headed, he might be angry that Tsunade isn't standing up for one of her Jounin. But as she said, she's required to look at things objectively and see if there's some truth in what they're saying, no matter how absurd. For the sake of all of Konoha.
"I had hoped that Jiraiya would listen to reason." Homura pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"That brings us to the reason that you two are here," Koharu follows up. "We want the pair of you to observe Naruto when possible in order to determine if he will be a risk to the future of Konohagakure. Assess his compliance with orders, his relationships with the general population as well as members of esteemed clans."
Kakashi speaks up for the first time after listening attentively to one spiel after the other.
"Naruto is a Jounin, as promoted and approved of by Hokage-sama and a number of other experienced Jounin. The only orders he needs to listen to are direct orders from Tsunade-sama unless specified otherwise. And you should know well already that the only people Naruto regularly interacts with are Uzumaki Karin, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, my own family and Jiraiya. He is loosely associated with them for missions, but he doesn't get along with them like he does normal people and clanless Shinobi."
'Good point.' Sasuke thinks. How would Naruto be placed in a position of power in the village hierarchy if he doesn't gain the support of the Clans as a neutral party? He has made it clear since the start that he hasn't been interested in village politics, instead opting for the pursuit of more personal power.
"And that in itself is also a problem." Koharu retorts. "It is said that Uchiha Madara was capable of controlling a Bijuu with his potent Sharingan. Naruto is the sole inheritor of that man's genes and more importantly, one of only two people in the world with the Mangekyou Sharingan. He could easily overpower Sasuke's own ability and take control of the Nibi within. One of the only people he interacts with happens to be the container of Konoha's only Bijuu as of present."
"Because we're friends?" Sasuke answers with a rhetorical but obvious question. "We were on the same team. Yeah, we fight and argue but we're friends and you seem to have let that slip by your notice."
"Sasuke." Kakashi warns him quietly.
Homura continues.
"As a Jinchuuriki, you have been placed in a position of responsibility that no other Uchiha has ever been in before. For the sake of all of Konoha, especially that little family that you've been getting close with, you will be required to reign in your clanmate and ensure that he is as loyal to the village as you are."
Sasuke narrows his eyes at the mention of Yuito and Himari.
"Do you understand, Sasuke-kun?" Koharu evidently goes for the 'kindly old lady' facade.
What would Naruto do in this situation?
"I understand," Sasuke answers calmly. "Honourable Elders, I respectfully say go fuck yourselves."
Three pairs of jaws drop in the room.
Tsunade hides her grin behind clasped hands.
"Sakura! Your friends are here to see you!"
Sakura straightens her red forehead-protector in the mirror, making sure her bangs won't flop into her face, and checks the pockets of her Chuunin Flak-Jacket for mini-stimulants that might help while performing Medical-Ninjutsu in the field.
Her pink hair reaches her thighs now, like Naruto's although significantly tame by comparison to her wild teammate. She honestly doesn't know how he can see right through it. Even a single strand in front of her eyes is distracting enough.
"That'll do." Sakura says to herself, and makes her way downstairs and to the front door.
She's caught off-guard by who's waiting for her. Sakura thought that it would be Naruto and Sasuke, her actual friends. Not... her classmates.
Ino, Shikamaru and Choji. What in the hell? She hadn't spoken to any of them in months. Not since she demolished Ino in the exams.
"Sakura!" Ino bounds up to her immediately. "Let's hang out!"
Sakura blinks confusedly at the out-of-the-blue offer before giving a quick refusal.
"No."
"Eh?"
"Look, I don't know what you're up to but I'm busy today. We barely know each other anyway, I'd say no even if I had nothing to do."
"Sakura! That's no way to talk to your friends." Mebuki scolds. Sakura pays it no mind. She's not the one being suspicious, after all.
"C'mon Sakura," Choji disgustingly speaks with his mouthful of chips, and Sakura cringes at the thought of the messy spittle that might come out. "We haven't all been together since the Academy. Wouldn't it be cool to get everyone together again?"
"It's been a year since we were all in one place. We can go and get lunch or something." Shikamaru chips in too, but there is a sharpness to his lazy eyes that make Sakura's suspicions grow. It makes her carefully consider how to draw out more information from them.
"And you came to me first? Why don't you go ask Sasuke or Naruto?"
She knows that Naruto would immediately refuse as well. Probably even laugh in their faces. Maybe try and make them cry. Both he and Sasuke would rather beat the crap out of each other than hang around a bunch of weaklings.
"Sasuke-kun has an important meeting with Hokage-sama." Ino reveals glibly, blushing at the mere mention of his name. "And Naruto...-sama is always busy."
Sakura notes the hesitation in which Ino added the suffix that the general populace gave to Naruto when speaking to or about him. She also knows that normal people, especially lower ranked-Genin, wouldn't know that Tsunade has a meeting with Sasuke today. She only knew that Tsunade was busy, which is why her current order is to report to the hospital and receive normal tutelage from some of the medics. So how could Ino know that Sasuke would be present with the Hokage? Sasuke sure as hell wouldn't tell anyone.
"What about the others? Kiba, Shino and Hinata?"
"Kurenai-sensei is taking them out on missions a whole lot." Shikamaru deflects. Not an admission that they hadn't asked, but not confirmation that Team 8 has been asked and said no either.
"I'm out on missions all the time too," Sakura starts to get impatient. "And I'm apprenticed under the Hokage. I don't have the time to 'hang out' when Konoha needs me now more than ever, as a Chuunin and a Medical Shinobi."
"Come now Sakura," Mebuki tries to soothe the impending rage outburst. "It wouldn't hurt for one day, would it?"
Ino bobs her head eagerly. "Yeah!"
"I'm not going to disrespect the time that Tsunade-sama has put aside to teach me." Sakura says flatly. "And frankly, I already have friends that I don't get to talk to often enough."
"You've changed, Sakura." Ino's expression transforms into a scowl. "Ever since you got put on a team with that damn Naruto, you've become a complete bitch!"
"Ino!" Mebuki sounds appalled and looks equally furious.
Sakura loves and appreciates her mother. She probably let them in so that they could rope her in to loosening up a bit. It made sense seeing as Mebuki had expressed concern that Sakura would eventually run herself dry if she kept up the relentless regimen of missions and training, but one thing that Kaa-san would not stand is disrespecting her daughter.
"I think you three have outstayed your welcome." Mebuki's voice conveys her displeasure.
"C'mon Ino, this is a bust." Shikamaru's droning voice asks her to leave with him.
The three turn on their heels and slowly leave through the front door without so much as an apology.
"Bye Kaa-san." Sakura turns to her mother.
"I'm sorry honey, I really thought..." Mebuki frowns at her misplaced effort to help her daughter.
"Don't worry about it. I wouldn't be doing all this stuff if I didn't really want it. And besides, Naruto and Sasuke are the best friends I could ask for. They can even make time for me."
Mebuki shakes her head fondly. "Those two boys have been a good influence on you. You should invite them over for dinner some time. Kakashi-sensei too."
"I'll try." Is all Sakura can promise.
She leaves through the front door and closes it behind her.
Her eyes narrow at the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, who are still loitering around a few meters from her house.
"Next time, I hope you three don't bother me at all with whatever scheme you tried today." She says to them spitefully.
Ino becomes visibly aggressive, and naturally Shikamaru and Choji stand at her back steadfast.
It's a laughably pathetic display. Sakura has no doubt that she could mince all three of them on her own.
"You're missing out on a pretty important opportunity, Sakura." Shikamaru explains and Sakura withholds a roll of her eyes. "Look, we're the heirs of some of the most important clans in Konoha, why wouldn't you want to be friends with us? Our clans have connections that could help you get higher up in Konoha's support chain."
"I'm apprencticed under the fucking Hokage!" Sakura shouts in frustration, making them reel back. "I literally cannot get any better tutelage! What the hell is wrong with you, you morons?!"
As if summoned by the spirit of coincidence, two of her favorite people pass through the street. Naruto and Karin.
"Yo, Sakura." Karin greets her joyfully.
"Healing wench." Naruto's greeting is significantly ruder.
"Karin, Perverted Hedgehog." Sakura barely withholds a smirk at the nicknames they'd given each other.
Naruto's Sharingan immediately hones-in on the trio of weaklings.
As expected, they cower instantly and take off without a word. Naruto has quite the scary visage.
"What's the story there?"
Sakura gives him the rundown objectively, without adding her own suspicions.
"Hmm." Naruto hums in thought. "Ino-Shika-Cho? I'll keep an eye out going forward. By what you said, they were unusually overt about getting your attention. They're definitely out to get something. Maybe not of their own accord."
She's glad that Naruto came to the same conclusion that she did.
"Anyway..." Sakura drags the conversation away from the trio, ensuring that Naruto didn't chase them down and demand answers. "How are you going with your Medical Ninjutsu?"
"Not well. I can heal myself without using a Jutsu, but my chakra is too corrosive to heal other people." Naruto's brow furrows over his red eyes. "I need to find a way to make my chakra have more healing properties without weakening it."
"That's probably possible." Sakura concedes, walking with Naruto and Karin toward the hospital.
Sakura has heard that it's possible to develop more than one chakra nature. With enough rigorous effort, one could transform their chakra over a long period of time to take on the qualities of another nature. Some people like Naruto and Sasuke are already gifted with more than one, but she predicts that it won't be exactly easy for Naruto to adapt his chakra to the delicate nature of healing another person. Whenever his chakra comes out of his body, it's usually to set fire to, blast away, cut, or force someone under a paralyzing Genjutsu.
"I think that it is too. I've discovered at least that healing properties are not bound to elemental chakra natures. I thought that maybe mastering Suiton would give me some inclination, but it seems that it's some kind of physical and mental threshold that I can't get a grasp on yet." Naruto's frown deepens slightly. "I'll keep trying anyway. Last two times that I tried to heal fishes, one exploded and the other kind of... disintegrated."
"Wow." Sakura is amazed at his ineptitude. "I will never let you try and heal me."
"That would be for the best."
"And he didn't even clean it up before he left to find another one!" Karin points a finger accusingly at Naruto, who smirks in response. "I thought someone freaking died in our living room!"
"The pursuit of power is often messy." Naruto nods sagely.
Sakura rolls her eyes this time. "Anyway, I'm off to the hospital for my lesson."
"We're heading there too for Karin's eye-test." Naruto decides that they should just walk together.
Karin does not look so eager.
"Um... hospital?"
"She saw through it right away." Shikamaru explains to his father.
"I expected as much, but the seed is planted. Sakura will relay it to Naruto and Sasuke, who are more likely to look into it."
"You planned for us to fail?" Shikamaru is mystified. His father had seemed so serious about sassing Sakura into being their 'friend'.
"I didn't tell you my plan so that you would seem more genuine." Shikaku admits readily.
"...So what is your plan?"
Shikaku carefully considers how to answer. Shikamaru is still just a child, and normal children don't have the aptitude for keeping secrets. Uchiha Naruto is hardly a normal child.
"I was merely giving a subtle push toward Naruto and Sasuke to take some consideration in how the clans and political factions of Konoha look upon the Uchiha."
"You're giving out favors now?" Shikamaru asks with lazy dubiousness.
"No, it's definitely for the purpose of making sure that Konoha isn't shaken from the inside out." Shikaku denies having the motivation to help people who are essentially strangers. "The Uchiha weren't well-liked by certain clans, and the higher-ups seem to have some kind of grudge against them."
Generally, some vagrant behaviour is overlooked in Konoha if the Shinobi or clan member doing a crime is valuable enough to the network, but the Uchiha were very good at their jobs while in total control of the law-enforcement. It didn't matter to them how high-up a criminal was, only that they were a criminal. Civilians looked on them kinder than most, but even Shikaku had been fed up with constantly having to bail out some of his clanmates after the Uchiha Police Force had caught them doing something disruptive or generally idiotic.
But the Sarutobi Clan under Sandaime-sama's rule had always been prime pickings for the Uchiha. The Third was always willing to look the other way, but the tension growing toward the Uchiha on the side of the Sarutobi had been palpable. Police sent in to clean up their messes would often find themselves victims of assault, and harming just one of the Uchiha brought the wrath of all of them upon whoever dared to attack their family. Sarutobi would often find themselves in a jail cell for a night before having their charges waived by the Sandaime.
That, and being forced to move to an outskirts estate after the Kyuubi Attack, was highly suspicious on behalf of the elders. In the outer areas of the village, they could be more easily monitored without other Shinobi catching on and spreading rumours that the Uchiha might be being spied on.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's greatest supporters had always been the elders that he'd fought with. Their input had been valuable in wartime, but they are human and still suffer from prejudices that could segregate a whole clan of the most skilled Shinobi in the village.
Shikaku doesn't consider himself to be a particularly cynical person, but there were some lines to be drawn between incidents involving the Uchiha and the political structure of Konoha that were difficult to ignore. And it feels as though there are some missing pieces of the puzzle that is the Uchiha incident.
These unusual happenings were part of the reason that he'd initially been hesitant to continue the tradition of having a Sarutobi clan member train the next generation of Ino-Shika-Cho. Sarutobi Asuma was quite the menace when he'd been younger, but Shikaku had given him the benefit of the doubt and entrusted his child to a Sensei who he'd come to find out wasn't, and still isn't much of a Sensei. Yuhi Kurenai learned her lesson from the underperformance of her team. Asuma did not.
And despite Tsunade being quite a hardliner when it comes to the correct management of training young Shinobi, Asuma is still somehow in charge of an important generation of clan children. It's raising questions, and Shikaku wants answers. Answers that he wouldn't be able to obtain unless a few clans band together in an effort to find out what the hell is going on with the higher ups.
"Just don't get in the way of the Uchiha's." Shikaku sighs. "If I'm right, they'll be hounding our clans for information in the next few months if they get a lead on something that might affect their agency in Konoha.
Shikamaru's brow twitches. "You're the one who told us to chase down Sakura."
"They'll be more motivated if someone they care about is a point of interest." Shikaku shrugs shamelessly. "But regardless, it seems like I've been neglecting my own training of you in our clan's specialties. It's time to fix that mistake."
His son droops and feigns sleep on the floor.
"I'm too tired."
"It isn't a request."
Karin hates hospitals.
The bad memories are at the forefront of her mind as she sat down next to Naruto in front of the eye-specialists room. The smell, the miserable patients and families, the occasional crying and-
"Mama?"
Young Karin watched a white sheet be placed over her mother. Mama looked so cold.
She tried to see Mama, she really did, but the creepy old man grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her down the hallway.
"MAMA!" She screams and cries.
"Silence, child. You have a duty to Kusagakure. You will serve it just as she did. Be proud that she died saving the lives of our Shinobi."
The grip on her arm is so tight that it hurts. Tears are in her eyes.
"MAMA! HELP ME!"
She is pulled into a room full of Shinobi. Her sleeve is pulled up and her arm is offered to a man with bandages around his head.
The first bite on her skin is something unreal, the excruciating pain shoots through her whole body as her chakra is forcibly wrenched out of her control.
"AEUUGH! MAMAAA!"
Karin jolts and shoots up to her feet, hyperventilating. She's sweating and picking at her arms.
Naruto looks up in alarm from his seat.
She starts pacing back and forth, torn between wanting to bolt and staying with Naruto like he asked...
"Nurse." Naruto addresses a woman delivering results to the box at the front of Doctor Iyashi's door.
"Naruto-sama?"
"Please tell the Iyashi-san that we'll be on the roof getting some fresh air."
"O-oh," the nurse takes in Karin's state and nods without staring. "Of course. We'll send someone to fetch you when it's time to get the results."
"Thank you." Naruto puts his hand lightly on Karin's back and gently nudges her.
Karin immediately dissolves into a babbling mess and lunges into Naruto's arms.
"I need to go- I need to go- I need to go- I need to go-"
"We're going." Naruto soothes, but looks exceedingly uncomfortable.
He gives her light nudges toward the fire escape.
'Is she having a panic attack?' Naruto hops up the stairs several at a time when Karin starts bounding for the last door.
Karin bursts out the door, breathing the fresh air as if every breath is going to be her last.
She drops to her hands and knees and starts dry-retching.
Naruto has no idea what to do.
Iyashi comes to the roof personally, about an hour after Karin's escape. He's witness to an unusually nervous Naruto hovering over a seated Karin, examining her and trying to get her to talk to him.
"I-I'm fine, Naruto. Really."
"That did not look fine to me."
Iyashi thinks that Naruto is too blunt for his own good, and Karin's expression twists in something like frustration and annoyance before she deflates. It's unusual that Naruto is this overt about his concern, but he probably has a different outlook on people that he cares about.
But of course, Naruto has never met a problem that couldn't be solved by violence, so he's probably new to helping or at least trying to help people who don't have the same mental fortitude that he does.
He gives a polite cough to grab their attention.
"Uchiha-sama, Uzumaki-san."
Naruto and Karin look up and they're somewhat surprised to see him up here, he supposes. But he felt that Karin may be more receptive to the news if she's not stuck inside the hospital. He sits down on one of the chairs that the long-term patients use for relaxation and begins the recount of his findings.
"It is as you expected Uchiha-sama-"
"It's just Naruto."
"-Karin's eyesight has indeed been impaired without a degenerative condition." He holds up a picture of the scans. "You can see here that her pupil is hidden under some balloon-like growths coming from her irides. To be quite frank, it's a miracle that she can see at all. She's going to need a new prescription, but my main concern lies in what could have caused this in the first place. Uzumaki-san, do you have any recollection of eye-injuries in the past?"
Karin shifts uncomfortably but provides a small story to go with it. Unnecessary for him to know, but if it helps her remember what happened then it could lead it to potential solutions.
"My family lived in a little settlement in the Land of Grass, but when Kusagakure was recruiting Shinobi, they found out that me and my Kaa-chan were Uzumaki and tried to take us to their village. My Otou-san... he didn't like that very much. He kept shouting at them that they have no right to take people against their will, and they got fed up with him and-" Karin's lips curl in and she looks about ready to burst into tears. She manages to hold on for a bit longer. "He was just a civilian. I was really young, but I remember they had a rogue Shinobi who could spit poison smoke and trap people in giant bubbles. My Otou-san tried to shield me, but that guy just breathed on him and killed him with pink smoke. I was really hurt too, but Mama made me bite her. That's how Kusa found out that people can heal by biting us."
Iyashi keeps his composure during her story. He's heard many tragic tales before, but the depravity of other nations truly disgusts him. He finds himself privileged to be born in Konoha. Naruto's eyes change to a strange pattern, and the veins on the back of his hand bulge as he clenches them furiously.
"I see. You may be able to receive help from a skilled enough Medical Shinobi to repair that damage, but conventional eye-surgery won't be enough to heal damage caused by a Shinobi's poison. But that's enough for today. I'll prepare the fees for today's consultation and prescription and send them to your home." Iyashi concludes, knowing that Naruto will handle it from here.
"Thank you, Iyashi-sensei." Naruto puts a hand on Karin's shoulder, and they both vanish in a poof of smoke.
"Poor girl." Iyashi looks up at the sky before getting back to work.
"I'm sorry." Naruto says sincerely to Karin, putting the emotionally exhausted girl down in her bed.
"I got that after the first three times, Naru." Karin smiles weakly.
Naruto breaths a frustrated sigh, most definitely aimed at himself.
"I really thought that I was helping."
"You are helping. I didn't think I'd have a freakin panic attack in the middle of a packed hospital."
Naruto now understands that maybe he's being a bit too pushy in getting what he wants. Sure, he wants Karin to be in good health, but sometimes things just take time to move on from, and he doesn't want her to feel like she doesn't have any choice in the matter.
Patience is something he'd never really contended with. He'd hid his power for so long and for a distinct and explosive purpose, so he'd been able to put up with it and keep himself busy in the meantime. It wasn't something that Madara taught him, and the old man had been all too willing to put him through an extremely accelerated training regime due to the predicted time he had left on this earth. Naruto is used to getting his way by being purposely obtuse with people or through raw power.
This is a conflict of the mind and the soul. Something he has never had to encounter before in a healing, living person.
He is caught off guard when Karin grabs his nose.
"Anyone home?" Karin asks cheekily with tired eyes.
"Just thinking about how little I understand people." Naruto honks helplessly with his nose closed.
Karin pulls him by his nose into her bed and suddenly they're facing each other on their sides.
"Right now Naru," Karin whispers. "I don't need new glasses, or fancy Jutsu, or these scars to go away."
"Then what do you need?" Naruto asks, wanting to know how to help her.
"All I need in my life right now is you." She smiles, and in his not-so-humble opinion it is beautiful. "You saved me from that torture. You're my hero, and that's already more than I could have imagined. Just Naruto, not Uchiha or Uzumaki. You're already what I need."
There is a moment of silence while Naruto digests the only time that someone has actually said they wanted him for more than his power.
"You kind of do need new glasses." Naruto says awkwardly, which makes her smile.
"Maybe." She takes hers off to keep her head on the pillow more comfortably.
Naruto thinks that maybe remembering the good parts of her life will be therapeutic.
"What was your Kaa-chan like?"
Karin spends the next few hours telling him about her mother and what a wonderful person she was. She talks about how she remembers how much she loved her father, what she could remember of him.
Naruto is pleased when she falls asleep after he patiently listens through everything she has to say, and with a relaxed and unguarded posture.
He tucks her properly and returns to his studies hesitantly.
"My father was a Sage?" Naruto asks confusedly.
"You didn't know? Jiraiya said that the Yondaime was the only Sage since the Shodai Hokage."
Sasuke comes knocking just before the sun sets and gives him the rundown of his talk with the higher-ups of Konoha. Strangely, Naruto doesn't seem surprised to know that he's being targeted and that the elders are attempting to use any resource they can in order to keep him under their control. He's more interested in the not-so-little detail about Namikaze Minato being a Senjutsu adept.
"I wonder why...?" Naruto's thought trails, internally questioning how Minato could have been given hassle by Obito if he's a master of Senjutsu. "Well, I suppose if he wasn't actually that good at it, then it wouldn't exactly be publicized to the common folk."
Maybe there's some kind of condition that needs to be fulfilled in order to use Sage Chakra, and that Minato couldn't fulfill it while busy with the Kyuubi and Space-Time wielding baby-Madara. Obito had ultimately been defeated at his fathers hands, and the Kyuubi nearly sealed away. Taking out Obito could be considered an impossible task without an army, and Minato had done so alone.
"The Nibi said that taking on a Summoning Contract could make learning Senjutsu easier, but Jiraiya said that you refused on the grounds that a contract can warp your chakra."
"I did. I'm not comfortable doing anything that might change my chakra when I myself don't know its full potential. I suppose I'll just need to do some more research into myself and see if it's possible for me to use Senjutsu without being taught by summon creatures." Naruto replies, unconcerned about Nibi talking to him.
"But this asking me to spy on you? Aren't you worried that you're at risk right now? Who knows who else they're asking." Sasuke seems genuinely concerned about the current situation.
"...Sakura was approached earlier today. The current Ino-Shika-Cho trio, but I suspect that if their parents actually wanted Sakura to spy on me then they would have been more subtle about it. I think that they're probably not happy about being approached and having their kids do dirty work. That is to say, if they were approached by the same people you spoke with today."
Naruto turns to the small hall in his apartment and gives Karin a shout.
"Karin! I'm going out for a bit, I'll bring dinner back."
"Get... Me... The... Usual!"
Sasuke sees Karin doing pull-ups on a rack attached to the door. He sees sweat roll down her face and her exposed stomach with the training outfit she's wearing. Sasuke swallows at the sight.
He feels a cold shiver down his spine as Naruto's always-on Sharingan turn to him.
"I'll forgive you this once for your stray eyes," Naruto's voice is deceptively cordial. "But she is mine."
Sasuke nods without hesitation. Best not to anger the most possessive person in Konoha.
"Good. Let's go to a little hidey-hole for us Uchiha to speak safely."
Sasuke is surprised when Naruto leads them to Naka Shrine in the abandoned Uchiha District and opens the seal under the correct tatami mat with practiced ease. Naruto seals the entrance behind them and ignites the braziers in front of the stone tablet.
"I debated with myself whether or not I should apologize to you, but I'm not sorry that I hid the fact that I was an Uchiha. Keeping that secret until the right moment served its purpose of putting me on a podium in front of the world, and now Konoha will be safer if everyone knows that the spawn of Madara is in the light."
Naruto is very pragmatic about that particular issue. Yes, Sasuke had been conflicted, but his friend and clan mate has an indomitable will and wouldn't cave to the thought of it 'being nice' to be with his fellow Uchiha.
"But I will say that going forward, I want to help you become more than what the Uchiha were in the past. I did show you the circumstances of how I came to be, but there are aspects of your biology that you won't be able to run away from. Something that will hang over your head until you either find true light in yourself, or remove the darkness that is the Sharingan."
"What do you mean? My biology?" Sasuke asks, puzzled.
"The Curse of Hatred," Naruto states, Sharingan whirling into a different pattern. "It is equal parts spiritual and biological. The Curse is a manifestation that makes the Sharingan stronger at a steep cost. The Sharingan releases unique enzymes through the body when its user is willingly or otherwise exposed to circumstances that cause negative emotions. The Mangekyou Sharingan, as your brother likely told you already, is the ultimate form of the Curse that can only be brought about by the most searing of emotions. Betrayal. Loss. Death. The more your hatred grows, the more potent this Dojutsu becomes, and the more you lose yourself to the Curse."
"Then we're cursed to that fate if we chase more power through the Sharingan?" Sasuke does not like the thought of unwillingly turning out like Itachi.
"That is the case for you. My Mangekyou Sharingan awoke because my body and chakra became strong enough to wield it. The potency of my Sharingan is directly related to the strength of my chakra, I don't need to fear losing myself to anything other than my own stupidity."
"How can I learn to do this?"
"You can't." Naruto states bluntly. "The Mangekyou Sharingan steadily makes its wielder blind, but by taking the Mangekyou eyes of a close relative, you can permanently mitigate that damage. Madara had several younger brothers before the founding of Konoha. Only one of them lived long enough to feel grief at having his people slaughtered by the Senju. The Nidaime Hokage was the one that killed him, and Madara ended up transplanting those eyes into himself, becoming the first person to wield the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan."
"And because of that you don't have to deal with the consequences of that power?" Sasuke believes he's correct in assuming that the path to power is bloody for an Uchiha.
"That's possibly the reason, but there could be more to it than that. Which is why we're here." Naruto motions to the stone tablet at the end of the room.
Naruto looks at it with the Sharingan and quotes one of the lines.
"'Seeking stability, one god was divided into yin and yang, these opposing two acting together obtain all things in creation.' The 'god' in question is the god of the Ninshu religion, the Rikudou Sennin. He divided his power between his two sons, the elder son inherited his eyes and chakra, while the younger son inherited his body. The Sage wanted his religion to be continued in the name of peace, and chose his younger son to be the leader that guided the world to it. The older son, fraught with rage at his birthright being taken from him, plunged the sons into eternal war. The older brother became the first wielder of the Sharingan and the Uchiha Clan are his descendents."
"And the younger brother became the first Senju? The Curse of Hatred dates that far back?"
"Indeed. To the very first of us. But that raises the question, is the Sharingan incomplete without the 'body' of the Sage? The answer… is yes. Madara divined this truth from the tablet, stealing a piece of Hashirama's power and implanting it within his own flesh. It took decades, but in the end Madara obtained the eyes, chakra and body, and he awoke the Doujutsu of the Rikudo Sennin. The Rinnegan."
Sasuke has never so much as heard the legend of the Rinnegan. He only knows pieces of myth, that the Rikudo Sennin defeated a rampaging and powerful beast, and divided that power to the world in order to defeat it. But now, knowing that he'd done so using a unique Dojutsu that the Sharingan had been derived from...
"It doesn't make sense." Sasuke shakes his head. "Why would the Rikudo Sennin divide his power between his sons?"
"Because of Ninshu. He evidently believed that cooperation is the key to peace, and probably thought something stupid like forcing his two broken halves of a whole two children to work together would end up facilitating that goal. Or at least, that's my belief."
"That makes an unfortunate amount of sense, and I am inclined to believe that Naruto-dono is correct."
Sasuke files that away for later.
"Then why don't you have the Rinnegan?"
"The Sage had one thing that no other person in history has ever acquired. The Juubi. From which the nine Bijuu are split from. You hold a piece of that inside of you. It's likely that the Bijuu together have overwhelmingly powerful chakra, unmatched by anything in this world. Judging by the progression of my Sharingan, my chakra will need to grow far, far more powerful in order to awaken it. Either that, or grow to be more... universal. The Rinnegan grants its wielder the ability to use any Jutsu, regardless of chakra nature of difficulty, as well as many other powers exclusive to that Dojutsu."
"Please let me speak with him." Nibi asks politely.
"How?" Sasuke asks back to his mind, never having tried to speak back the the Nibi before.
"Trust in me, your body. Do not be afraid, Sasuke-kun. Even if I wanted to harm you, Naruto-dono would soon put me back in the confines of this seal."
"Will I still be able to listen?"
"As I do." Nibi confirms.
Sasuke's sclerae bleed into the heterochromia of the Nibi, and Naruto is alarmed.
"Please do not fret." Nibi pleads, holding Sasuke's arms up non-threateningly. "Sasuke-kun is still here, listening. I wanted to speak with you about the stone tablet."
"Speak." Naruto demands, none-too pleased about the eavesdropper Bijuu.
"I was never aware of this stone tablet." Nibi-Sasuke admits. "But I believe it was left behind by Hagoromo to Indra's descendents, in the hopes that they would self-correct and return to peace with Asura's descendents."
At Naruto's blank look, she explains further.
"Otsutsuki Hagoromo, the Rikudou Sennin's true name. Indra being his eldest son, and Asura being the youngest. Hagoromo raised me and taught me his religion. He was obsessive about cooperation, and it would not surprise me if he deliberately split his power in order to force his sons to see the best in each other in order to gain more power and influence over their own reality. But that is hindsight, and he was very devout about his desire for peace. He did not understand the nature of a human, for he in all his power could not truly be called human. You are correct, Naruto-dono. His belief clouded his judgement, and therein lies the origin of your peoples curse. The Rinnegan should never have been separated, only diluted."
Naruto's Mangekyou eyes stay locked on the Nibi, still waiting for the reveal of deception but not willing to let an opportunity pass him by.
"Am I correct about my own development too?"
"Quite so, you will need to reach deeper within yourself to awaken the Rinnegan. Powerful chakra alone will not be the catalyst for a Dojutsu that can create and destroy in equal amounts. You are an Uchiha, defined by your destructive power. You must first learn to create. Your grandfather already had the answer."
"The Mokuton that he stole from Hashirama." Naruto realizes. "There may be a sliver of that within me."
"Perhaps that would be your best starting point." Nibi-Sasuke sways on the spot. "I do not wish to see more people helplessly consumed by the curse of your people. I want to see this problem that my father created to be corrected."
Nibi-Sasuke looks down at his(hers?) body.
"Sasuke-kun cannot handle the influence of my mind in his body for long, so I will be returning to the seal. I am pleased to meet you, and to see that you are ambitious enough to look into yours and your clan's future. Good luck."
Sasuke jolts, and it's made obvious by his body-language that he's back in control.
"What now?" The dizzy Uchiha asks.
"Madara ensured that I would have the tools to chase my dreams." Naruto waved a hand out extravagantly. "He built this village so that all Uchiha would have that. He instilled fear into all living at that time, making it known that the Uchiha Clan is made from resilient and protective people. His guile allowed him to cheat death and return even stronger from it, permanently fixing in himself a disease that has plagued the Uchiha Clan since the very first of us. It would be remiss of me not to take advantage of everything he lived and died for. I have my own goal Sasuke, and now you must find your own way to bring yourself into the light."
Naruto looks back at the stone tablet.
"Amaterasu."
The tablet ignites in black flames and slowly disintegrates.
"I won't let this stone poison our descendants with whispered promises of power. The Uchiha make our own fate."
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There will definitely be some critisism about Sasuke's strength in the previous chapter that I understand but I'm not gonna retcon it just because it was a bit much. I think Sasuke being a Jinchuuriki opens opportunites of growth and development in him in a different shade to Naruto.
I have decided that Naruto will be obtaining the Mokuton.