Naruto: Amongst the Whirling Tides Chapter 25

Hi all,

Here's the next chapter. Naruto learns the folly of his rash actions, and Shikamaru may be in trouble.

Chapter 25

Naruto slowly woke up to the sound of water bubbling somewhere nearby. He opened his eyes and looked around, wondering where he was right now.

“Why am I in my mindscape?” 

Naruto lay near the pools of water, which represented his chakra reserves. He realised the noise he heard when he awoke was coming from the red pool, his tailed-beast chakra. The pool was bubbling at the surface, threatening to spill onto the ground, which he had never witnessed before. 

His memory returned, and he remembered the fight with the scientist, as well as the blood on his hands after beating him to a bloody pulp. He grimaced and tried to erase the memory from his mind. He had killed someone before, so he wasn’t upset about the death itself, but about how he went about it. He vaguely remembered feeling out of control, something he despised.

Then he remembered Hinata had been injured and quickly stood up. He attempted to leave his mindscape, but something prevented him from doing so. 

“What the hell is going on?”

Maybe Kurama had an idea. Naruto approached his cage and banged on the bars to get his attention before recoiling in surprise as Kurama exploded forward, smashing his body against it.

“Woah!” Naruto exclaimed. "What is your problem?"

"You little bastard!" Kurama roared. "How dare you show your face after pulling such a stupid stunt?"
Naruto blinked. “I don’t know what you're talking about.”

"Do not play dumb with me," Kurama growled, revealing his massive canines. "I am talking about the Hiraishin you tried to pull off. I have never seen anything so reckless and stupid in my entire life." 

"I was able to use it, though."

“Heh. You nearly killed yourself while teleporting across the room. It was bad enough that you sustained severe internal injuries as a result of your stupidity, but you worsened your situation by continuing to fight your opponent. What were you thinking?”

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I figured that transforming into my tailed beast form first would provide some protection against any potential injuries. I still haven’t mastered shielding myself in chakra to protect me while travelling through the void."

Kurama smashed his tails against the cage. “Well, you were wrong!”

Naruto had never seen Kurama so upset, even in the beginning when they were getting to know each other. He couldn’t figure out why he was so angry. If he died, wouldn’t Kurama be released from his prison? He waited a few minutes for Kurama to calm down, who eventually laid back down against the cage, though his eyes were still hostile as he watched Naruto.

"I had to use my chakra to quickly heal your internal injuries," Kurama complained. "It was a close call. If I had reacted more slowly, you would have been sent to the Pure Land. If it wasn’t for your Uzumaki vitality, I wouldn't have had the chance to heal you.”

Naruto lowered his head in shame. He didn’t regret saving Hinata, but there might have been a better way to go about it. There was no going back, so he had to learn from his mistake.

"Thank you for saving me," Naruto said. “I didn’t expect to be hurt so badly from using the Hiraishin. My father is going to be furious at me. He warned me that using it before I was fully prepared was extremely dangerous.”

"The man has common sense; unfortunately, you didn’t inherit it from him." 

"Hilarious," Naruto grumbled, before returning his attention to the red pool that was still bubbling away. "What is happening with my tailed beast chakra?"

Kurama gave a snort. "I needed to move quickly to heal your injuries, so I flooded your body with an abundance of my chakra. As a result, your chakra control will suffer for some time. Do not even try to transform into your tailed beast form for at least a week. Otherwise, you risk losing control and further injuring yourself."

“What a pain. Did I wake up in my mindscape because I was seriously injured?”

"I’m not sure what is happening outside, but you are probably still unconscious."

Naruto attempted to exit his mindscape again, but he was still unable to. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t fully healed yet or because his chakra was out of sync, so he would have to wait in his mindscape for the time being.

He took a seat on the ground and closed his eyes to concentrate on remembering the fight with the scientist. Until the last moment, when the man grabbed Hinata, he thought the fight was going fairly well, and his team worked well together. They responded quickly and calmly to the unexpected fight. It wasn’t like they were expecting to encounter such a monstrosity on their mission to the island. 

There was still room for improvement. He should have realised that confronting the man head on was a mistake. The man had no chakra techniques and relied solely on his overwhelming strength. Even in his tailed beast form, the tentacle had caused him some damage. There was also the fact that he used an untested technique to reach Hinata before she was killed, which was a huge risk. Given what he did with the red aura, he should have expected the man to exhibit an unexpected increase in strength.

“What are you doing?” Kurama asked.

"I am reflecting on the fight," Naruto said, opening his eyes. "I find it useful to review them to see where I can improve. I made so many errors.”

Kurama had an unreadable expression on his face. "If you had used my chakra more effectively, you could have easily taken him out."

"But that requires your cooperation," Naruto pointed out. "The tailed beast mode is overly dangerous. I don’t want to push to use three tails, in case I lose control.”

Kurama remained silent. 

Kurama was surprisingly calm after his initial outburst of anger. Naruto entertained an absurd thought. Perhaps Kurama was finally coming to like him. He could not think of another reason why Kurama would bother saving him when the alternative was far more beneficial to him.

"Since you saved me, does this mean you are finally willing to cooperate and allow us to reach new heights of strength?" Naruto asked. 

“It’s too troublesome.”

He sounded so much like Shikamaru that Naruto laughed. He fell silent when he came up with an idea that might persuade Kurama to cooperate with him. "Well, how about this? I will give you an incentive to work together."

“What kind of incentive?”

"I will use the Sakurai Burashi to see if I can make something to let you see the world outside of this mindscape," Naruto said. “I will also see if I can add the ability for you to communicate with me while I’m outside." 

Kurama lowered his head to his paws as he considered Naruto's offer. He held his breath in anticipation, hardly believing that he had reached the point where the two of them could negotiate a deal. It took Kurama a minute to agree to work together, as long as he was satisfied with what Naruto had promised him. 

"It might take some time to come up with something," Naruto warned him. "But I will get on it as soon as possible."      

Kurama shrugged his massive shoulders. “I’m in no hurry.”

Naruto tried to leave his mindspace several times over the next few hours, eventually succeeding on his eighth attempt. He vanished from his mindscape, only to hear a voice ring in his ear almost immediately.

“Naruto, wake up!”

"What is the matter?" Naruto groaned, opening his eyes to see Jiraiya looming over him. 

"Ah, pervert!" Naruto yelled, causing the man's brow to twitch.

“You're not my type,” Jiraiya said. “I prefer ladies with two massive—”

“I don’t want to know!” 

Jiraiya harrumphed. “I’m glad to see you among the living.”

"Same to you," Naruto said, sitting up in bed. 

He winced, feeling a twinge in his stomach, and tried to avoid making any sudden movements. Even though Kurama had healed his injuries, he still felt sore.

"Kurama did a half-assed job healing me," Naruto complained.

“I had a feeling it was the fox that was healing you,” Jiraiya said. "You should be grateful that your stupidity didn’t kill you."

Naruto disregarded him and looked around. He was in a bedroom that appeared to have not been cleaned in a long time. The surfaces were covered in a layer of dust, and a musty odour filled the room. It took him a moment to recognise that he was in one of the bedrooms on the first floor of the laboratory.

Jiraiya reached out and flicked Naruto on the forehead, causing him to curse.

"What the hell was that for?" Naruto groused.

"Hinata told me you used Hiraishin to save her. I arrived just as I saw you collapse on the ground. Do you know how it made me feel to see you in that state?"

Naruto opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted when the door swung open and Hinata and Shikamaru entered the room.

“Naruto!” Hinata ran over to the bed and hugged him when she noticed he was sitting up. 

Naruto winced because she was squeezing him too hard, but he did not say anything. He could feel her breasts pressing against his chest, and the sensation was so pleasant that he felt the small amount of pain was worthwhile. He found himself agreeing with Jiraiya on what he had been attempting to crudely say a minute ago.

Jiraiya smirked at him from behind Hinata's back, waggling his eyebrows. Naruto glared at his godfather, his eyes threatening retribution.  

Hinata pulled back, a blush staining her cheeks. "I am glad to see you are okay. I feared the worst when I saw you fall unconscious.” 

"It takes much more than that to kill me," Naruto told her. He then noticed that she had a bandage around her head. “Are you okay?”

Hinata reached up and touched the bandage. "Just a minor injury. "It would have been worse if you hadn’t saved me."

“We’re a team,” Naruto reminded her.

Hinata lowered her head, looking disappointed with that answer. 

"Have the two of you had your moment?" Shikamaru asked, stepping up onto the bed. "Naruto, that was a nice save, but did you have to be so sloppy? After you were finished with the scientist, he was nothing more than a blood stain on the floor.”

"The guy was tough," Naruto argued. “I didn’t have the means to kill him without going a little crazy. Besides, is there such a thing as a clean death?”

He wasn’t being completely honest. The truth was that he had become enraged because Hinata had almost died. Kurama's chakra had fueled his rage, and he lost control of himself for a brief moment, which is why he left his opponent's body in such a bloody state. 

Shikamaru nodded. "When the least amount of effort is required, and no blood is spilled."

“That’s easy for you to say. You have a convenient ability that allows you to strangle your opponent,” Naruto said. “So, how long have I been out?”

“A day,” Jiraiya replied. “Shikamaru and I have been exploring more of this facility while Hinata took care of you.”

“Did you take a peek?” Naruto teased her.

“Naruto!” Hinata gasped. 

“I’m only kidding. Thanks for looking after me.”

Hinata looked away. “It’s the least I could do. I wasn’t much help out there. I need to get stronger.”

“Nonsense,” Naruto replied. “We were confronted with an unexpected situation, and we handled it as well as we could.”

"I have to agree with Hinata on this," Shikamaru said. "You did the majority of the work. If you hadn’t been there, we would have died. You are far stronger than the two of us.”

Hinata nodded.

Naruto disagreed with the sentiment. Who cares about how they beat the scientist or who was stronger? They were on a mission and needed to complete it by any means necessary. 

“I wouldn’t compare yourself to Naruto,” Jiraiya said. "He is a freak of nature with plenty of natural advantages. Even with them, he cannot seem to stop making stupid decisions.”

“Oi!”  

“I need to focus harder on my training when we get back to Uzushio,” Hinata asserted, wearing a determined expression. 

“Too troublesome,” Shikamaru said, yawning. 

Naruto's stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten in a while. 

Hinata shot to her feet. “I will get you something to eat, Naruto.”

“Thanks, Hinata.”

Hinata exited the room, and Naruto looked at Jiraiya. "So, what happened to you after you fell in the hole? By the way, falling into such a trap is extremely embarrassing. Maybe you should be the one that is being assessed as a potential chunin?”

"You speak as if it were a simple trap," Jiraiya said, glaring at him. "I fell into an underground pit, where I was surrounded by some mutated animals who wanted to eat me. They made the scientist appear positively cute." 

“Is that what took you so long?” Naruto nodded. “I will forgive you then.”

Jiraiya snorted.

“What did you find in the laboratory? Anything interesting?”

“Some of it was interesting, but most of it was disturbing,” Jiraiya replied, as he pulled out a scroll from his vest. “I have already begun writing up a report on it. Take a look, as I can’t be bothered explaining it to you.”

Naruto took the scroll from him and began browsing through its contents. There was too much information written down, so he focused on the key points. Jiraiya had thoroughly searched the entire building for information about the research that had been conducted there. 

Himura Uzumaki, a senior member of the clan and a close friend of his grandfather, the clan's leader, was in charge of constructing the laboratory and initiating the Genesis Project. Hisashi had told him about the man before, who had some questionable ethics. However, he had the implicit permission of the clan's leader to carry out the project to see if they could strengthen their Shinobi forces by developing a serum.  

Jiraiya didn’t find a lot of information on the project, as it looked like someone had tried to erase everything about it, as if it had never existed. But they had already seen the serum at work, and it was obvious something had gone horribly wrong. At some point, the serum had left the island, and had been injected into other lifeforms. 

The scientists here weren’t solely focused on the Genesis Project. There were some horrific experiments taking place, including biological engineering, genetic modification, cross breeding, and cloning, among other things. The scientist they fought was one of the more extreme examples of a scientist gone mad. He wondered if the knowledge gained from the cloning experiments had been used to create Kushina. It made him sick to his stomach.

Besides the animals on the island, they used enemy Shinobi as test subjects, or civilians, if no one else was available. The scientists had no reservations about who they used. Some of what they were subjected to was nauseating, and no one deserved such treatment, not even enemy Shinobi. 

The scientists mainly experimented on larger mammals, such as the gorilla and the large cat population on the island. There was also some experimentation with the local fauna, which explains some of the unusual plants Hinata discovered. The scarlet flowers she collected were the most interesting because they were an unintended consequence of the Genesis Project.

The swarm of bees they encountered had been genetically engineered to serve as a delivery system for the serum they had created. They pollinated the plants, causing them to mutate into what they are now. The scientists conducted some preliminary experiments on them, but they were found to be extremely toxic. If they had more time, they could have learned more about them, but the attack on Uzushio occurred shortly after, and the laboratory was abandoned.

The bees were mandated to primarily target larger mammals, which included humans. They served dual purposes: as a defence against intruders on the island and to create more research subjects. It explained why they were so aggressive towards their team, as they were attempting to inject them with the serum. Jiraiya suggested in his report that some bees may have escaped or been removed from the island, resulting in the serum spreading beyond its borders. It seemed like the most obvious answer.

Naruto froze as the paragraph he was reading brought up a memory. He turned his head to see Shikamaru standing by the window, gazing out at the forest.

“Shikamaru,” Naruto said, catching his attention. "Didn’t you say you were stung by a bee?"    

Shikamaru grumbled and reached up to rub his neck. “Don’t remind me. It still hurts a lot."

"You got stung by a bee?" Jiraiya glanced up from the scroll he was reading. “This isn’t good.”

“What’s the matter?” Shikamaru asked.

Naruto sighed. “Shikamaru, the bees were designed to inject serum with their stings.”

Shikamaru's complexion turned pale. It took him a moment to process the fact that he most likely had the serum in his bloodstream. "I was going to say troublesome, but this is way beyond that."

Jiraiya approached Shikamaru and examined him closely. "Have you had any unusual symptoms, or have you noticed anything strange?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I had trouble falling asleep last night, but I cannot think of anything else."

Jiraiya reached and grabbed Shikamaru’s head and turned it to the side, so he could see the wound on his neck.

“Hey!” Shikamaru protested.

“Stay still,” Jiraiya ordered. “This is no ordinary bee sting. It’s severely inflamed. Do you have a bee allergy?

Shikamaru shook his head.

Jiraiya released him with a troubled expression on his face. 

Naruto frowned. “Is he going to be alright?” 

“I don't know. We need to return to the village so Tsunade can examine him. I am not sure how quickly the serum will start affecting Shikamaru. I was going to wait until tomorrow before we left, to give you some more time to heal, but this is too urgent.”

"I don’t suppose you discovered a cure during your search of the facility." Shikamaru questioned with a hopeful expression. His usual laid-back demeanour had vanished, and he now appeared terrified. 

“I’m afraid not,” Jiraiya said. He marched towards the door. “I am going to summon the ink beasts. We are returning to the island now. Make sure you have everything packed, as we are leaving in thirty minutes.”

Jiraiya walked past Hinata as he exited the room. She held a tray of food in her hand and placed it on the table beside his bed. She cast a glance between the two of them. “What’s going on?”

“We just got some bad news,” Naruto said, and he proceeded to explain the situation.

She gasped and raised a hand to cover her mouth. “Shikamaru, I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s not your fault,” Shikamaru said. “It comes with being a Shinobi. Shit happens.”

“Is there anything we can do?”

"Hopefully, Tsunade will have an answer," Naruto said, digging into his meal. He was extremely hungry, so he needed to finish it off quickly before they left.

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

They returned to Uzushio, arriving late in the morning. They landed on the training grounds adjacent to the village square. Naruto noticed that some of the tents had been removed as people began to move into their newly built homes, making the area appear a lot emptier.

The construction team had taken some time to find their groove, but they were now producing them at a consistent rate. There were not many earth release specialists in the village, so it was a steep learning curve to not only learn the jutsu but also gain the control required to construct stable housing. His house was on the waiting list, and he did not have long to wait before it was his turn to get one. He would share a house with Kushina and Karin. Since the latter joined the village late, she was at the bottom of the waiting list, and he would rather have her live with him.

“Let’s go make the report first before we go see Tsunade,” Jiraiya said. “Mei will want to know what’s going on.”

They proceeded to the administration building, greeting some friends along the way. A familiar figure appeared, and she dashed towards him. Naruto grunted in pain when she slammed into him. He still wasn’t fully recovered.

“Naruto!” Kushina peered up at him. “You finally returned. What took you so long?”

Naruto ruffled her hair. "Your big brother had to play hero and rescue the fair maiden.”

Hinata stumbled.

Kushina pointed to Shikamaru and grinned. “Do you mean Shiku?”

“Troublesome.”

"I will tell you later," Naruto said, smiling at her cheek. "I need to finish my report for the mission I just completed. Go play and we can get some ramen for lunch after I’m done.”

“Okay!”

He was still hungry after eating the food Hinata had prepared for him. Perhaps it was a result of the Hiraishin he performed or the resulting injury, as he had never felt so hungry before. He would need to ask his father about it when he got the chance. 

Kushina dashed away, and they entered the administrative building. They discovered Mei in her office, hidden behind a large stack of paperwork on her desk. She looked to receive them.

"Finally, you are back, Jiraiya," Mei sighed. She extended her arms to stretch, before slumping back into her seat. "I have been swamped with paperwork ever since you left. Please take it off my hands."

“We need to report on our mission,” Jiraiya said. “We made some concerning discoveries.”

Mei noticed the unusually serious expression on Jiraiya’s face and straightened. “What do you have to report?”

"First and foremost, I want Shikamaru to skip this report and head straight to the medical office," Jiraiya said. "He was injected with a serum that is linked to the red aura. Tsunade needs to examine him and place him in an isolation room as soon as possible."

Mei reached up and touched the scar on her cheek, reminding herself of the fight with Yagura. 

“Shikamaru, I will have someone escort you to the medical office. You have permission to explain everything to Tsunade. I will visit you once we are done here.”

“Is there really a need for an escort?” Naruto complained as she summoned a guard to escort him. “You are treating him like an enemy.”

“Don’t speak nonsense. We must exercise caution until we can determine what is wrong with him."

“It’s fine,” Shikamaru assured him. “If I’m in isolation, it means I can spend more time doing nothing, and my mother can’t nag me about it.”

Shikamaru put on a brave face, but Naruto could tell he was worried. Naruto had no idea what he would do if he had the serum inside him, while it continued to gradually erode his mind until he was nothing more than a mindless beast. Hopefully, Shikamaru won't get to that stage. 

The guard arrived and led Shikamaru out of the office.

"Naruto also requires medical attention," Hinata stated.

"What’s wrong with you?" Mei asked. “I am going to assume it’s not life threatening, since you are standing here on your own power.”

 Naruto waved her question away. “Hinata is worrying for nothing. I feel fine.”

Jiraiya elbowed him in the side, causing Naruto to groan in pain. 

“Asshole!” Naruto exclaimed. “What was that for?”

“I thought you were fine,” Jiraiya replied, smirking. “Why are you crying like a baby from a mere elbow to the side?” 

“I am still a little tender,” Naruto reported to Mei, ignoring his godfather. “But nothing that cannot wait until we are done here.”

Mei nodded, and they proceeded to deliver their report. It took over an hour because there were so many details to go over, and Mei kept asking more and more questions. He didn’t forget that this mission was also a chunin exam for him, so Mei would pay much closer attention to it than usual. Jiraiya would ultimately decide, since he was the one who observed them, and Naruto hoped he had done enough to pass. Given the circumstances, he felt he had done reasonably well.

After the debriefing, Naruto was ordered to get a medical examination, and Jiraiya and Mei followed him to the medical office. Hinata left, saying she would see him later. She wanted to show the Yamanaka's the crimson flowers she picked to see if they could learn anything about their properties to help Shikamaru. 

“Are we going to eat now?” Kushina popped up in front of him.

“I want to, but these people won’t leave me be,” Naruto sighed.

Jiraiya handed her some Ryo. “Naruto needs to get a checkup with Tsunade. Why don’t you get something for Naruto and yourself and bring it to the medical tent.”

Kushina clutched the money to her chest and ran off towards the restaurant.

Tsunade was still running tests on Shikamaru when they entered her office. She had already upgraded to a building, which was much more spacious than the tent she used before. Sakura was off to the side, performing some tasks for her.

“Have you found anything?” Jiraiya asked.

“I can’t find any trace of the serum,” Tsunade answered. “It’s already been absorbed into his body. I don’t know anything about it, so I can only treat the symptoms as they appear. But I will continue to work on a solution. From what you have told me about the red aura, he will start displaying increased levels of aggression. I just don’t know the timeframe.”

Naruto was disappointed. He had almost been expecting her to have already solved the problem, but not everything came easy. Was there something he could do with the Sakurai Burashi? He didn’t think it could solve every problem, but maybe he could get lucky.

“Did you contact his parents?" Mei asked. "They need to know what happened.”

“How about we don’t tell them for now,” Shikamaru suggested. “My mother is going to nag me all night once she finds out what trouble I have gotten into.”

“Don’t worry,” Naruto said, slapping his shoulder. “I will retrieve your parents for you. See how much of a friend I am?”

“You bastard,” Shikamaru grumbled, flipping him the finger. 

Tsunade examined Naruto and told him to rest for a few days for his injuries to completely heal. After eating lunch with Kushina, he exited the tent and proceeded to Shikamaru's parents' home. He stopped when he heard a scream and looked up to see Ino chasing a figure dressed in orange across the rooftops.  

“Get back here, Boruto!” Ino screeched. “Just wait until I catch you, you little pervert. How dare you take a peek at me in the bathhouse?”

Boruto thumbed his nose at her. “You haven’t got anything I want to see. What a letdown.”

Ino yelled. “Naruto is dead when he returns. How dare he create such an abomination?”

Naruto ducked behind a house to avoid being seen by the girl. What exactly had his clone been up to while he was away? Was his reputation in the village completely ruined now?

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

About a mile west of Uzushio, the ocean water began to bubble as something emerged from its depths. A man's head rose, and he looked around cautiously, as if he expected trouble. He reached out and threw away the seaweed that had become stuck on his face. There were eight tentacles extending out from his back, allowing him to swim through the water like an octopus. He had no trouble breathing because he could hold his breath for a long time before needing to resurface.

“You know my name, you know my fame, and you know my aim! Eight tails, that’s me, da stylin, Killer B. I’m here, on a mission, to scope out the opposition.”

“Now is not the time to be rapping your ridiculous rhymes. Focus on the mission.”

“There's always time for a little rapping, to get your foot tapping. Yo! Hey! Ho!” 

“Just get onto the island without being seen. Or heard. Then we will take it from there.”

The man wiped the hair out of his eyes. “Gyuki. Do you think what my brother is doing is right? These people just want to be free; you feel?”

“Why are you asking this now? If you had such thoughts, why didn't you express them before accepting the mission?”

“Heh. I haven’t decided what I will do when I get to the island, but I believe I am a better choice than some of my comrades. They have no chill; that’s for real.” 

“Are you going against A’s orders?”

“He will invade the island, regardless of my actions. I’m in a bind, and that’s weighing on my mind.”

Killer B submerged beneath the waves again and continued on towards his destination. 

So, what do you think? Killer B arrives on the island. Will he be a calamity, or something entirely different?

Thanks for reading.