Naruto: Amongst the Whirling Tide Chapter 26

Hi all, 

Here’s the next chapter. A second chapter will be out tomorrow, as I promised a double release of Naruto. This is the first of three chapters I owe, and the next one will be an extra Pokemon chapter.

Chapter 26

The next day, after returning from his mission, Naruto stood alongside a group of Shinobi who had earned their chunin promotions. All of his peers had taken part in missions to be evaluated, but less than half had succeeded. Shikamaru was one of those, but he wasn’t here because his promotion had been postponed until he could fully recover. 

“Congratulations on becoming Chunin,” Mei said, who was standing in front with Jariaya and Minato beside her. “Know that the promotion comes with a heavy responsibility. You will carry out many missions on your own, so you won’t have the luxury of relying on your teammates. When I call your name, step forward and take your new chunin vest.”

“Hinata Hyuga.”

Hinata stepped forward to take her vest. 

It came as no surprise that she was promoted. She had made significant progress since arriving on the island, and her primary strengths were taijutsu, tracking, and medical ninjutsu. She also had a good head on her shoulders and handled situations calmly. Because of her Byakugan, she would be used primarily for intelligence gathering and tracking missions. Naruto had promised to help her broaden her jutsu repertoire, giving her more options in battle, as she didn’t like how reliant she was on taijutsu to finish off her opponents. 

“Neji Hyuga.”
Neji was extremely capable, so he had no trouble becoming a chunin. Naruto thought he was a little too formal, but he would be a valuable addition to the village. He believed Hinata's potential was greater, however, because she was more willing to step outside of her traditional role as a Hyuga and discover newer ways to improve herself.

“TenTen.”

“What’s your last name, Tenten?” Naruto asked as she stepped forward.

“I don’t have one,” she replied. "I am an orphan who was abandoned at the orphanage as a baby."

“That sucks. You can become a Uzumaki if you like,” Naruto offered. 

"Naruto, are you proposing to me?" Tenten smirked.

“Na, you feel more like an annoying older sister than anything else. Besides, Neji is staring intensely at me. I think if I answer in the affirmative, he may gentle fist me.”

“Naruto!’ Hinata gasped, and Neji took a step away from him. 

"That is so gross, Naruto," Hikari exclaimed. She was the only one left, aside from him, who had yet to receive her Chunin vest.

Naruto realised what he had said and waved his arms wildly. “That wasn’t what I meant. What I really meant was that he would use his technique on me. I think he would rather fist some—”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Naruto,” Neji threatened. “I will hurt you.”

"Can we be serious here?" Mei asked, her expression icy. “This is supposed to be a formal event. Why are you acting like clowns?”

“Maybe Mei wanted you to ask for her hand in marriage, Naruto?” Jiraiya suggested.

Mei buried her fist in Jiriaya’s stomach, which had him keeling over in pain. “Shall we finish this farce so I can do something more productive with my time?”

Hikari stepped forward to receive her vest from her mother, and then it was Naruto's turn. He clutched the vest to his chest, thrilled to finally have it in his hands. Although he was not a big fan of the Shinobi system in general, he could not deny that moments like this were amazing and made you forget that, in the end, it didn’t really matter. 

The major conflicts in a Shinobi's life were typically centred on wars with other hidden villages, perpetuating an endless cycle. The aspect he enjoyed the most was assisting civilians with issues such as bandits and rogue-nin, defending those who were unable to defend themselves. However, even that was manufactured to some extent, with feudal lords deliberately making people rely on Shinobis in certain aspects.

It was different for his village, at least he hoped so. He wouldn't mind if all he had to worry about were pirates patrolling the seas and the occasional wild beast intruding on their village. What would happen if their idyllic world was intruded upon by outside forces who refused to leave them alone? 

"Naruto, please stay behind; I need to speak with you about something," Mei said before addressing the others. “The rest of you are dismissed. Although there are fewer mandatory missions than in other villages, I hope you don't slack off." 

Hinata stepped forward. "Leader, I would like to focus on researching the plant I brought back from the island with Ino Yamanaka. Although the serum mutated the flowers, they appear to be resisting some of the more negative effects. I might be able to create a treatment to help Shikamaru."

Naruto had no idea that the flower she brought back could be used for such a purpose. But if she could help Shikamaru, she would be making a significant contribution. He was also impressed by her ability to stand in front of the village leaders and not stutter once. Then again, he hadn't heard her stutter in a while.

Mei exchanged glances with Jiraiya, who nodded. “Very well. I will make it a B-rank mission. You have no other priorities until it is completed. Don’t disappoint me.”

Hinata bowed before departing with the others. 

"Naruto, you are off duty for a week," Jiraiya announced. "While your injury is healing quickly thanks to the Kyuubi, you mentioned that your tailed beast chakra was out of sync. I want you to concentrate on resolving that issue before you do anything else.”

"That means no missions, training, or using your chakra in general," Mei clarified. "The last thing we need is a rampaging Kyuubi on our hands because you lost control." 

“Dammit,” Naruto sighed. “Thanks for killing my buzz.”

“You deserve it,” Minato snapped. "I never imagined I had such an idiotic son who almost killed himself by pulling a stupid stunt. Perhaps I shouldn’t have shown you the Hiraishin so soon, as you clearly aren’t ready.”

Naruto grimaced. He had gotten a lecture from his father last night, but it appeared that he was still angry. “I only used it as a last resort, and I don’t regret saving Hinata. So, get off my back about it, old man.”

Minato took a step forward, but Jiraiya held him back.

"Naruto, there are plenty of things you can do in the meantime," Jiraiya said. "I spoke with the construction team. They will put your house at the top of the priority list, and they will start building your house tomorrow. In exchange, you are going to owe them a favour. Maybe you can assist them in building the house and ensure that it meets your specifications."

They most likely wanted to use his shadow clones for manpower because they were free and had an unlimited supply of energy.

"I also want you to spend some time here, learning some administrative skills." Mei said. "Ao will teach you how to write reports."

Minato raised his eyebrows in surprise. It was evident that he got the implications immediately and hadn’t been involved with the discussion on the matter previously. This must be Jiraiya’s doing. He was trying to push Naruto into the role of the leader of the village in the future, and Naruto wasn’t sure how he felt about it. 

“Does it have to be Ao?” Naruto grumbled. “He is so strait-laced that he reminds me of a Hyuga. He even has a Byakugan. Maybe Hiashi should adopt him into the clan?”

“That would go over well,” Jiraiya said dryly. 

“Give me the sissy instead,” Naruto suggested. “He’s a lot more likeable.”

Mei scowled. "What you really mean is that you can bully Chojuro around and avoid doing work." 

Naruto shrugged. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

“Before you go, there is something I want to show you,” Jiraiya said, pulling a scroll from his vest and laying it out on the table. 

Naruto examined it and saw that it was a map of the island. He realised what it was for immediately when he saw the icons placed on it. 

“These are the inactive fuinjutsu arrays that I discovered in the control centre." 

"More specifically, they represent two defensive arrays," Jiaraiya explained. "The first one is an alarm system, a network of fuinjutsu arrays that will notify us if there is an intruder on the island. Anyone stepping inside the range of one of them, will send an alert back to the village. Once I have repaired them, we will need to collect a drop of blood from the villagers to add them to the system, so they don’t activate it by mistake. If someone enters the island without our knowledge, we will be alerted."

Naruto nodded. “But the alerts are tied to the computer in the control centre. You will need access to it if you want to monitor activity on the island.”

"We are considering stationing two Shinobi down there on two twelve-hour shifts so that someone is always monitoring the network," Mei told him. "We may need to add some amenities, but I believe the plan is sound."

“What about Karin?” Naruto suggested. “She doesn’t have any interest in fighting, and she needs something to occupy her time.”

"Is that wise, given how long she has been in the village?" Jiraiya asked. 

“I already vouched for her,” Naruto argued. “Besides, she’s an Uzumaki. If anyone deserves to have access to the control centre, it’s her.”

Minato nodded. “Then we need to find someone else we can trust to cover the other shift.”

“We need to discuss it further,” Mei said. “Let's wait until the network is actually functioning before we make the final decision.”

“What’s the other array for?” Naruto asked, pointing to the other icon. 

“That’s going to take more time,” Jiraiya admitted. “It’s a fuinjutsu array that turns the fog surrounding the island solid, forming a protective barrier around the island. But the fuinjutsu formula is complex, so repairing even one of them will take me several hours. Since there are thirty of them placed around the outskirts of the island, it will be a few days before it’s fully operational.”

“I could help,” Naruto offered. 

Mei shook her head. “No, you will stay in the village until you have fully recovered.”

Naruto left the office, feeling annoyed that he was forced to remain off duty for an entire week. He supposed this would give him an opportunity to work with Kurama, as soon as he had finished designing the items needed for the fox to see and communicate outside of his mindscape. No one forbade him from using the brush to invent some new tools.

“Yosh!” 

When Naruto stepped outside the administrative building, he was greeted with a fist that stopped an inch away from his face. He was so preoccupied that he didn’t notice the figure in green running at him.

“What the hell, Lee?” Naruto shoved his fist away. “Are you trying to start a fight?”

“Naruto!” Lee leapt into the air and delivered a spinning kick to the air. "I am feeling especially youthful today. Why don’t we have a spar?”

Naruto didn’t feel like sparring today, and thankfully, he had the perfect excuse. “Sorry, Lee. I have been told to rest for a week due to injuries I sustained on a mission." 

Lee spotted the chunin vest in his hands and gave him a thumbs up. “Congratulations, Naruto. My teammates also became Chunin. I need to work hard to catch up to them.”

“Thanks, Lee. It’s good to see you better now. I doubt it will take you long to get your own vest.”

“Yosh!”

“Why don’t you go ask Sakura if she can train with you? I heard she was looking for a sparring partner.” 

“Sakura-chan.” Lee ran off in search of the girl.

“You can thank me when you're walking down the aisle,’ Naruto said, smirking. 

He headed over to the blacksmith shop. Now that he had found some chakra metal, he could get the blacksmith to make his kunai, which should be ready once his break was over. Although using Hiraishin had been reckless, he managed to gain some insights into it, so it should come easier when he attempts it again.

"Hey Shiro!" Naruto greeted the man behind the counter as he walked into the store. "Did you hear about Tenten's promotion?"

"I heard," Shiro replied, smiling. "Even though I would rather she quit being a Shinobi, I am proud of her achievements. What can I do for you?”

Naruto pulled out his storage scroll and placed it across the counter. "I managed to obtain some chakra metal ingots. I can finally get my kunai made.”

He performed a hand seal, and the metal ingots appeared on the counter. There were so many ingots that the counter groaned, threatening to collapse under the weight.

“Woah!” Shiro gaped at the sight in front of him. “Where did you get these from?”

“I found them,” Naruto replied. “Think it’s enough to make my kunai?”

“I won’t even need a fraction of the ingots to make them,” Shiro said, running his hands together eagerly. “Why don’t you sell the rest to me? I can make some great weapons with these.”

“Alright. So long as you keep some in reserve in case I need some more kunai. How long will it take for you to make them?”

“Give me two days,” Shiro answered. “I have an order I have to complete first, then I will get to it.”

Naruto thanked him and exited the store, his wallet now full of Ryo. Now that his house was being built, he could start shopping for furnishings.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

“Yo, this is not cool. There are too many eyes in the skies, making me look like a fool.”

Killer B peered out from the cave entrance, looking up into the sky, where he could see a Shinobi flying on a strange bird that looked to be made out of ink.

“Whoever made those birds, I like their style. Maybe they can teach me how to make those if they aren’t so hostile.”

After he had arrived on the island, he had taken great care to remain unseen, but that was easier said than done when there were Hyuga patrolling the skies, using their eyes to scan the ground for any intruders. Since they could see through objects, he had to employ some tricks to remain undetected, or otherwise his mission would be a bust.

He was supposed to be finding information on the number of Shinobi in their village, and any defences they may have prepared to stop invaders. At first, they thought they had a clear indication of the village numbers, thanks to information that Darui sent them before his demise. But then they spotted a ship that looked to be from the Water Nation, and they were faced with the possibility that there were more than the deserters from Konoha residing on the island.

This was why he was given the mission to infiltrate the island. He had two weeks to gather intelligence for Kumo before A could make the final preparations to invade the island. 

Now, he only needed a way to get closer to the village without being seen. 

"We have seen some wildlife on this island, even though it’s mostly barren," Gyuki said. "Create a small creature that can be your eyes and ears and can make it across the island without attracting attention.”

“Those freaky eyes can see through any disguise.”
“Not with my help, it’s not. I can hide the transformation, so long as you use my ink to inscribe a seal on the creature to hide any chakra traces.” 

He was skilled in fuinjutsu, and the ink Gyuki provided him had some unique properties that made it more effective than regular ink. Unbeknownst to them, Hagaromo had gotten the idea to create the Seventh Treasure Tool after seeing how Gyuki's ink had these unique properties. 

“Then let’s go with that plan. I don’t know what I would do without you, Gyuki.”

"You would probably be in some rundown pub, playing your crappy songs to people who could not care less about your music."

"That sounds like a dream in my ears, Yo. Delivering my lines to the ordinary guys."

Killer B had passed a small patch of trees earlier and noticed a squirrel among the branches, so he planned to use that form to infiltrate the village. He performed a series of hand seals and used a Yang Release jutsu to bring a squirrel to life. 

The squirrel chittered and looked around, perplexed by its existence. It was cute and appeared harmless, so it would be easily overlooked once he entered the village. 

Killer B grabbed the creature and inscribed a fuinjutsu formula on its forehead. When it was finished, the formula flashed once before disappearing beneath the squirrel's fur. It froze, and all signs of life disappeared. It was now just an empty vessel, waiting for Killer B to take over.

Killer B performed another hand seal and was immediately disoriented when his perspective changed to look through the squirrel's eyes. His perspective was low to the ground, and he was staring directly at his own legs, which confused his brain so much that he felt a headache coming on.

“This is awful. It feels like my mind has been realigned.”

“It will take some time to get used to. Explore the surroundings until you have adjusted.”

The squirrel took off, stumbling like a drunk as Killer B tried to get used to controlling the small creature.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Naruto sat in his mindscape, a pool of tailed beast chakra bubbling behind him. He was meditating in order to bring his mind back to a calm state. Although he appeared to be fine on the outside, there was a lot of hidden inner turmoil.

The first task he needed to complete during his week of rest was to restore balance to his chakra. He was out of sync after using the tailed beast transformation to kill the scientist, which interfered with his chakra control and emotions. Kurama suspected that losing control was a result of seeing his mate in mortal danger and the internal injuries he suffered.

Naruto ignored the first part of that comment. 

Kurama's chakra was corrosive to both the mind and the body. If you gave it a chance, it could easily overwhelm you if you weren’t careful. Because of the Uzumaki's powerful vitality, they were able to withstand corrosion to their physical bodies, which is why they were chosen as vessels to contain the fox. But the mind was a different matter entirely, and Naruto was just as vulnerable as anyone else.

“You're not doing it right,” Kurama told him. “Your mind is filled with too many distractions.”

Naruto opened his eyes and glared at him. “I don’t need advice on how to meditate from a permanently grumpy fox like yourself.”

"Why do you think I am so good at it?" Kurama snorted. "If I didn’t meditate so much, I would be even angrier than I already am."

“Is that what you were doing all the time?” Naruto asked. "I thought you were sleeping like a lazy mutt."

"Do you want to die?" 

Kurma demonstrated for Naruto, but the method he employed was of no help to Naruto. Frustrated, he decided to give up for the time being.

“Why don’t you ask that silly blonde chit on how to meditate,” Kurama grumbled, turning his back to Naruto and lying down.

It took him a moment for Naruto to understand who he was talking about. “Do you mean Ino? That’s actually not a bad idea. I didn’t know how you had it in you.”

“Get out of here!” Kurama roared.

Naruto exited his mindscape to find that Kushina was sitting on the floor, playing with a familiar figure he hadn’t seen in a while.  

“Gamakichi!” Naruto smiled. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought I would come to see how you are doing.” Gamakichi said. “Since it seems like you are never going to summon me.”

“Sorry,” Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. “I’ve been busy with other stuff. But you are welcome to come visit anytime.”

“I figured,” Gamakichi said. “What’s with the little kid? Don’t tell me you are a father already. You sure work fast.”

“Naruto is my big brother!” Kushina declared, poking Gamakichi with a finger. 

“It’s a long story,” Naruto sighed, getting out of bed and stretching. “Why don’t we get some breakfast and catch up? Kushina, since you're already dressed, can you go and wake up Auntie Karin?”

“Okay!” Kushina ran out of the tent, and he could hear her yelling for “Auntie Karin” to wake up. Naruto snickered.

“There is another reason I wanted to visit,” Gamakichi said as he waited for Naruto to get dressed. “Gamamaru wants to know when you will be returning to Mt Myoboku to start your senjutsu training.”

Naruto paused. “I had completely forgotten about that. Maybe I should head there for a few days while I’m off duty.”

He had also forgotten to ask Jiraiya about the prophecy, but other matters had occupied his attention at the time. Normally, he wouldn’t let his godfather keep secrets from him.

“That would be great!” Gamakichi said. “How about we go today?”

Naruto shook his head. “I have to help out with my house today. Plus, I need permission from Jiraiya and Mei.”

"Are we finally leaving the tents?" Karin asked as she walked in with Kushina. “It’s about damn time. I don’t like relying on the bathhouses. Apparently, there is a pervert lurking around, peeking into the female bathrooms. Thank Kami, I haven’t experienced it yet."

Naruto grimaced. Given her history, he could understand how terrifying that would be. He needed to make a more concerted effort to locate his rogue clone for her sake, and before he was attacked by an angry mob of women.

“What’s a pervert?” Kushina asked.

Naruto crouched down in front of her. “That’s what we call Jiraiya. Remember to call him Pervy Sage the next time you see him."

“Okay!”

"Stop corrupting her," Karin said, grasping Kushina's hand. “Let’s get some breakfast. I'm starving, and that toad is looking mighty appetising at the moment.”

“Oi!” Gamakichi protested.

They went to the restaurant and sat in the outdoor dining area for breakfast. Naruto was in the middle of his meal when he noticed Ino and Sakura walking by.

"Hey, Ino," Naruto said, waving to her. “I want to get your advice on something.”

“Am I hearing this right?” Ino placed a hand over her heart. “Naruto wants my advice. What is the world coming to?”

Naruto harrumphed. “Are you going to listen or not?”

"Fine, but you have to buy me breakfast," Ino said, as the two girls joined them at the table. "By the way, Naruto, I am angry at you."

“What did I do?”

“Do you know what Boruto did?” 

All the girls were openly glaring at him, and Naruto looked at them nervously. “Um, I have a fair idea.”

Ino and Sakura reached out and grabbed his collar, before pulling him across the table.

“Then you better do something about him soon,” Ino growled. “Before I take out my anger on you, understand?”

“Crystal.” 

They let him go and sat back in their seats, smiling as if nothing had happened. 

“So, what do you need my help with?” Ino asked.

"My tailed-beast chakra has been off balance since I returned from the mission yesterday," Naruto explained. "I need a good meditation exercise that will help me regain my balance."

“I see,” Ino said. “Well, there is a meditation exercise that my clan uses to train our mind transfer jutsu. I will have to ask my father, but I don’t see any problem with me sharing it with you. It’s really effective.”

“Thanks, Ino,” Naruto said. “I owe you one.”

Ino’s eyes gleamed. “Yes, you do. I know exactly how you are going to pay me back.”

Naruto didn’t like the look she was giving him. What exactly did she want from him?

“A squirrel!” Kushina exclaimed. She jumped up from her seat and ran over to a squirrel that was sniffing at another table. Before it could react, Kushina had gathered the creature up in her arms and hugged him tightly.

The thing tried to struggle out of her arms, but she held on tightly. Eventually, the thing subsided, and submitted to her petting.

“Where did that come from?” Naruto asked, staring at the creature. “I didn’t realise there was anything on the island.”

“I have seen some small creatures,” Sakura said. “It must be hungry, so that’s why it ventured into the village.”

Karin looked concerned. “Kushina, that thing could have diseases. Put it down.”

“No!”

“I think you are exaggerating,” Naruto said. “Squirrels are harmless.”

Kushina sat back at the table and started feeding the squirrel some food from her plate.

“So, Naruto,” Ino said, her expression mirthful. “Here’s what we are going to do.”

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"I have lost all dignity," Naruto lamented. He leaned back against the side of the bath, wondering how he had gotten into this situation.

Ino asked him to set a trap for Boruto, his rogue clone. That entailed him resting in the female bathhouse until his clone appeared to sneak a peek. There were females lying in wait, ready to pounce on him and exact their revenge once he appeared.

He sighed again as he looked down at his huge breasts, which were encased in a swimsuit. He had transformed into an older woman with a voluptuous body that would pique Boruto's interest. None of the females felt like acting like bait, so he had to suffer through the indignity. He was never going to live this down. However, he wasn’t going to go completely naked, because that would be going too far. 

He noticed something out of the corner of his eye: a face peering through a hole in the slats. The troublemaker finally appeared. Naruto grinned and blew him a kiss to distract him.

Boruto’s eyes widened in excitement.

“There he is!” Ino screamed. “Get him, ladies.”

The females had been waiting on the boy's side of the bathhouse, ready to ambush him, so he was caught off guard.

“Woah!’ Boruto yelled. He immediately exploded into action, launching a massive fireball at the side of the bathhouse, causing an explosion that ripped a hole through the outer wall.

“Don’t let him escape!” Sakura roared.

Naruto groaned and got to his feet. If he didn’t help them, and Boruto escaped, then he would be the one in trouble.

He dashed after the fleeing Boruto, who had a group of females chasing him. He passed them and followed Boruto as leapt onto the roof of a building and began racing after him.

“Hey, beautiful!” Kiba called down from below after spotting her. “You’re looking damn fine. How about we—”

Naruto threw a kunai at the boy, who dodged to avoid it. He couldn’t believe that he had forgotten to transform back and had been hit on by that mutt. He transformed back into his normal body and increased his speed to catch up to Boruto. 

The problem was that he couldn’t use any jutsu to help him apprehend him, so he would have to rely on his physical body. 

Naruto pursued Boruto over the rooftops for the next few minutes, but the clone remained frustratingly out of reach.

“Yosh!” Lee appeared beside him, easily keeping up with his speed. “What are you doing, Naruto?”

Naruto smirked. He had an idea to end this right now. “Lee, see that clone in front of me? He has gone rogue, and he peeked at Sakura while she was taking a bath.”

“What? That bastard!” Lee exploded into motion and burst forth with incredible speed. 

Naruto laughed as Lee caught up with Boruto and beat him down. Although he was more robust than the average clone, he had no chance of withstanding Lee’s onslaught. With a despairing cry, Boruto disappeared with a pop. 

A second later, Naruto was no longer laughing. He was hit with an influx of memories, which were several days old by this point, which wasn’t a small amount of information to receive all at once. He almost fell unconscious from the strain. Furthermore, he received memories of all the females that Boruto had peeked at, which distracted him.

He face-planted onto the ground, and swore he must have broken his nose, it was so painful. He got to his feet, trying to scrub the memories from his mind. Naruto was never going to tell another soul about this, as long as he lived. This day had turned out to be awful.  

So, what do you think? In the next chapter, Naruto gets a new house, and travels back to Mt Myoboku.

Thanks for reading.

.