Naruto: Amongst the Whirling Tides: Chapter 3

Here’s the next chapter. For some reason, this chapter was hard to write, and I am still not satisfied with it. I think once my new stories hit five chapters, I am going to do a massive edit to improve them.

Chapter 3

The class was now in session. Naruto sat with a bored expression on his face, with Kyuubi in front of him. Hadn’t he already graduated from the academy? Why did he have to take more lessons? He understood his own capabilities very well.

Although he wasn't as dumb as he seemed, he wasn't someone who learned best through structured lessons. His preferred method of grasping information was tactile stimulation. As a physically active learner, he learned best when his body and senses were engaged. He could not sit still in a classroom and listen to a teacher drone on. For him, it was torture.

“I believe your biggest problem with your inability to harness my chakra comes down to your lack of understanding of what chakra is.”

“I know what chakra is,” Naruto said. “It’s a combination of physical and mental energy that one can increase by training their physical stamina and mental strength.”

Kyuubi sneered at him. “This is an overly simplistic interpretation of chakra."

“Then lay your infinite wisdom on me, Kyuubi sensei,” Naruto said with a bow.

“Don’t mock me human,” Kyuubi roared, smashing his nine-tails against the gate.

“Alright, I am listening. What do I call you anyway? Kyuubi doesn't sound right.”

"I don't care."

"Nine tails? Foxy? Big Red? Wait, that last one doesn't sound right. You are orange. Why did you have to be the same colour as my favourite colour? Although, Big Orange doesn't sound as good as Red. Alright, I will call you Big Red."

"Do you want to die?" Kyuubi opened his mouth and showed him his huge set of fangs.

"Big Red, my dear, what big teeth you have!" Naruto shuddered. "Too bad you cannot reach me from inside your cage."

"Stupid brat, stop calling me that."

"Nope."

"I demand it."

"How about the Big Red Fox?"

"Damn it. Call me Kurama!"

By the look on his face, Naruto could tell that he regretted blurting out that name. So it was his actual name?

"Alright, Kurama it is."

If Kurama could reach him at that moment, he was certain he would be dead. Naruto turned serious. "Alright, let's continue with the lesson.

Kuramai lay down and rested his head on his paws. “Listen closely because I will not repeat myself. Chakra circulates through the body in a network of pathways similar to how blood travels through veins. When it is utilised properly, it can be used to perform jutsu.”

“Where does the network end?” Naruto asked. “It has to travel somewhere right? Like the heart filters blood and pumps it through the rest of the body.”

Kurama appeared uncertain. “In most cases, it doesn't. The network circuits the body in an endless loop. It needs no other means to circulate through the body. You cannot stop it until you are dead. Even if your chakra points are blocked, it circulates to some degree.”

“You said usually?”

“You are different from others due to the nature of this seal. You are unable to understand how beautifully designed it is. Not only does it create a space to contain me, but it has several other functions. One of them is that it has created a Chakra Core, for lack of a better term, that acts just like a heart would. Except it filters out different chakra types throughout your body.”

Naruto scratched his head. “Jiraiya explained to me how your chakra supplements my own, but I am confused about one point. As a result of the seal, some of your chakra can be converted into some of my own primary chakra, which increases my volume. Is that what you mean when you say it is filtered?”

“Yes,” Kurama replied. “Look around you. Do you see the canals in the centre of this space? It manifests itself as a physical representation of that phenomenon. The water represents the transformation from the tailed beast chakra to your own.”

“I see,” Naruto said. “Does the seal have the same effect on the other Jinchuriki?”

“Who knows? I suspect the seals are different because they were created by different seal masters," Kyubbi said. He muttered something under his breath. Naruto wasn’t sure, but it sounded like ‘damn Uzimakis’.

“How is having a core going to affect me?”

“I am not too sure,” Kurama admitted. “One benefit is that you may be able to store Chakra in your core and use it as an emergency reserve. During a chakra-intensive fight, you could draw on your core reserves. The best way to find out is to experiment."

If Kurama was telling the truth, then it was a good thing for him. Having an extra Chakra reserve was useful by itself. What other uses could he get out of it? Were there any disadvantages?

“Back to the lesson. Chakra has six major characteristics: volume, shape, nature, signature, concentration and balance, as well as type and output. There are three major facets of chakra that directly correlate with each characteristic. Chakra reserves and volume are directly correlated. Chakra control is associated with shape, nature, and concentration. Finally, the chakra user influences the type, output, and signature.

“Chakra volume refers to the maximum amount of chakra available from the user’s reserves. This does not imply that it is better since there is plenty of jutsu that require a high level of control. In your case, you have a difficult time controlling chakra because your reserves are boosted by my own tailed beast chakra.”

“Tailed beast chakra? Is that what it is called?" Naruto asked.

“Yes. Now stop interrupting,” Kurama growled. “Now for chakra control. The concept of shaping your chakra is self-explanatory — the chakra needs to be controlled and reconstructed, which is often a requirement for some jutsu. By shaping your chakra, you can increase its power and versatility significantly rather than releasing it in a free-form state.”

“Does that mean we shape our chakra when we use hand signs?”

“No. Hand seals were developed as elaborate training aids. They aren’t required to do ninjutsu techniques, but they make the chakra manipulations involved in those techniques easier to remember and perform accurately. Once you have enough chakra control and familiarity with the jutsu, you can reduce the number of hand seals you need to execute the jutsu. Or eliminate them entirely if you're experienced enough.”

That's interesting. Naturo noticed that both Kakashi-sensei and Jaraiya still used hand seals. Did they have jutsu that could be used without them? And how long would it take to reach that level of mastery?

Kurama continued. “Nature transformation is simply applying a chakra nature to a technique. An example of this would be Chidori which your sensei uses. It changes the chakra into a lightning nature.”

“That’s a powerful move,” Naruto said, clenching his fist. “Yet he only taught it to Sasuke. Only the best for the perfect Uchiha.”

“Heh. Are you jealous of the baby Uchicha? Why not eliminate him when you get the chance?”

“What?!” Naruto stepped away from Kurama. “I may resent Sasuke for receiving special treatment, but I don’t hate him."

“Well, I despise the Uchiha,” Kurama roared, the fur on his body standing on end. “Every last one of them. They are the bane of my existence.”

“What do you mean?”

Kurama ignored him, continuing the lesson as if nothing had happened. “The final characteristic of chakra control is concentration. It is the recomposition of a chakra’s strength, which is also crucial for the formation of techniques. This characteristic is influenced most by chakra control.

“Just like how jutsu requires a specific shape and elemental recomposition, the same concept applies to balance recomposition; each jutsu has its own parameters, and if they’re not met, the jutsu will not be performed correctly.”

Naruto yawned. “This is interesting stuff, but how long will it take? I need to get some sleep or I won’t be ready to deal with Fu’s insane training.”

“Where is the desperation?” Kurama asked. “Do you not want to escape? You should take advantage of every spare moment to find a way out of your situation. Do you think this is a game?”

Naruto grimaced. “Point taken.”

“The last facet that determines chakra is the user. Chakra type is simply the type of chakra being used. A user’s chakra usually rests in neutrality. But it can be changed to something like the tailed-beast chakra, or Senjitsu. They both have their strengths and weaknesses.”

Naruto almost blurted out that he had a third chakra type of his own. Besides his normal chakra and the tailed beast chakra, there was the third mystery chakra. This allowed him to read others' emotions to a certain extent. Although the Kyubbi may have an answer to what chakra it was, he didn’t trust him enough to reveal its existence to him.

"Additionally, chakra output is simply the rate at which you can produce chakra at any given time. This is advantageous because you can perform jutsu faster. However, it can also be detrimental. If you don’t have a lot of chakra reserves, it is easy to use too much and suffer from chakra burnout.

“Chakra can also reflect the state of its user — this is often called chakra signature. It is not as important as other characteristics, but it can reveal something about the user. Such as their personality. An emotionless and ruthless person may give off a feeling of coldness.  Or it may reveal something about their chakra type if you are perceptive enough.”

It took Naruto a while to absorb the information. The last point was of particular interest to him, as he wondered if the chakra signature was something he picked up when targeting others with his technique. He might be able to determine more about their chakra type if he practised more.

Kurama interrupted his thoughts. “Not that I have given you a basic understanding of chakra, it is time to work at controlling the tailed beast chakra again.”

Naruto groaned but sat down. He had only attempted to control one tail of Kurama’s chakra a few times, but it gave him a terrible feeling. It felt malicious like it wanted to devour him. He wasn’t sure, but his special technique seemed to make him extra sensitive to the corrosive chakra.

He sat in a meditative pose and took a few deep breaths. If Kurama's theory was correct about having a core, would that be where the chakra of the tailed beast resided? Was this space a part of his core? He would have thought that his chakra would be centred in the midsection, where it could be evenly distributed throughout his body.

"The tailed beast mode is a shape transformation," Kurama explained. “You shroud yourself in a cloak made from my chakra. I suggest you cloak yourself with your own chakra first before attempting to transform it into the tailed-beast chakra.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Naruto asked with a frown. “Last time I tried this it took me over two hours to access your chakra.”

“You know what my chakra feels like? Maybe you have to get into the proper mindset.”

“Turn into a grumpy fox with anger issues?” Naruto asked sarcastically.

“Watch it human,” Kurama growled.

Naruto had an idea, but he was wary of showing off his technique to Kurama. Could the fox see his third chakra? So far, no one else has seen it, including the Hyuga Clan and their Byukugans. The ultimate test would be to determine if Kurama could see it.

Raising a hand, he summoned chakra to his hand in the shape of several tendrils. Unlike his primary chakra, which was blue, this chakra was golden in colour. He often called it the empathetic chakra.

Instead of spreading the chakra outwards, he turned it on himself.

There was something else about the chakra that he discovered by chance. Although he only used it twice, the ability's ramifications were far-reaching. The first time he discovered its power was during an academy class.

One day, Kiba was particularly annoying, and wouldn’t leave Naruto alone. To find out what made him act that way, he sent the tendrils of his chakra out to scan him. He discovered that Kiba was an alpha male type and his enhanced senses picked up that Naruto was a threat to his dominance. It would have been funny if it wasn’t so annoying. Kiba was only in front of him in class, so he was hardly dominant.

Despite knowing why he annoyed him, Naruto could not think of a way of getting rid of Kiba. At that moment, he discovered another use for his weird chakra. Naruto, in a fit of exasperation, demanded Kiba leave him alone. He was astonished when Kiba stood up with a blank face and walked away. Never would he have imagined Kiba listening to him.

At that point, he noticed that his chakra was still attached to Kiba. As soon as the range of his chakra reached its limit, it drew back into his body. Kiba stopped and looked around in confusion as if wondering how he had gotten there.

It took a few minutes for Naruto to understand what had happened. He controlled Kiba with his chakra. There was no other explanation he could think of. Immediately, he thought of Ino. Her clan was known for controlling others, although it worked differently from his. Her clan's jutsu swapped minds with the target to manipulate them, leaving their physical bodies vulnerable to attack. It seemed like his ability was a superior version of her clan’s jutsu.

Naruto was so excited by the possibility that he decided to test it out on someone stronger. Could he control a Chunin or a Jonin with it? It just so happened that Mizuki was walking by at the time, which is why he targeted him. Since the man hated him anyway, he felt no remorse for choosing him.

As soon as the tendrils touched him, Naruto whispered an order to Mizuki. Instead of jumping on the desk and doing an impromptu dance, the man stiffened. Naruto knew immediately that it hadn’t worked and withdrew the chakra back inside himself. Fortunately, Mizuki didn’t catch on to what he had done. Still, it scared Naruto and he hadn’t tried it since then. From what he could gather from the limited information available, it seemed to only work at the level that he was at.

Back in the present, Naruto was disappointed when the chakra was absorbed back into his body. He shouldn’t be surprised. It was a part of him, so there was only a slim chance it would work. He hoped to trick himself into summoning Kurama’s chakra if he could control himself. Maybe he should try again, but take a smaller step.

He summoned more golden chakra into his hand and turned it on himself again. This time he focused on sensing his emotions instead. Right before the chakra was reabsorbed into his body, he had a fleeting sense of frustration. Was that his own emotions he felt?

“What are you doing?” Kurama demanded.

“Nothing,” Naruto sighed. He would have to experiment later outside of his mindscape.

“Then get to it.”

Taking a deep breath, Naruto flooded his body with his chakra.

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

Naruto settled down after another training session. It was a lot more difficult to consciously use Kurama’s chakra than when he fought Neji in the Chunin exams. Using Jaraiya’s method to access Kurama’s chakra after draining his normal chakra reserves was easier. Kurama forbade Naruto from using it as he called it a crude method of utilising his chakra. He couldn’t disagree. Waiting until his primary reserves were depleted was inefficient and likely to get him killed.

The problem was that Kuramas’ chakra was so dominant. Trying to channel it was like controlling a raging tornado within his body.

“This isn’t working,” Naruto said, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling.

“Useless human,” Kurama growled.

Naruto was discouraged. First, he had to overcome the obstacle of making the tailed beast chakra manifest. He used Kurama’s suggestion and tried to use negative emotions to summon the chakra, but hated how it made him feel. There must be an easier and less destructive way. It felt like Kurama manipulated him somehow.

Furthermore, he couldn’t control the stream of the tailed beast's corrosive chakra. It overwhelmed his mind and made him more aggressive and out of control. It was like a fog that shrouded his thoughts, robbing him of his reasoning and sense of self. He hated the feeling of being out of control.

How was he supposed to master this? Even one tail of the tailed beast's chakra was too much for him to handle. How would he escape this prison anytime soon if it was too much for him?

Kurama paced in front of the gate, grinding his huge sharp teeth together. He appeared even more frustrated than he had been. After a few minutes of watching Kurama pace, the giant fox suddenly stopped.

“We will try something different,” Kurama announced.

“Lay it on me,” Naruto yawned.

Kurama looked around the sewer, with a pensive expression on his face. “Perhaps we have done this out of order. There is a rare opportunity we are overlooking.”

Naruto sat up straight. “What do you mean?”

“We can explore the unique benefits of this mindscape. If I am right, then it is going to help you to control my chakra.”

“Okay. By the way, I was wondering how this seal could sustain itself. It must take a lot of chakra.”

“Because the seal siphons my chakra to maintain the seal. Otherwise, it would have collapsed a long time ago. You would be dead and I would be free.”

“Oh,” Naruto said. “Makes sense. So, how can it help me with my training?”

“Before I explain, we need to do an experiment to see if it works.” Kurama gestured toward the sewer as a whole. “First of all, I want you to make a physical change to this sewer.”

“How do I do that?” Naruto asked sarcastically. “I left my construction tools at home.”

“Don't be stupid, human,” Kurama roared. “This is your mindscape. Visualise the change happening with your intent.”

Naruto laughed. “You mean I could have changed the layout of this place before now? Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“It wasn’t relevant to the situation. Besides, I don’t know if you can change anything. Could it be that you prefer the way it looks now? ”

“Not a chance,” Naruto muttered. He stood up and approached the sewer pipe running alongside the wall.

He gathered his thoughts. What did he want the space to look like? In all honesty, anything would be an improvement on the current design. But he needed to start small and work his way up to renovating the entire space. After considering his options, he started working. First, he needed to remove as much of the current decor as he could.

He focused on the pipe and envisioned it no longer there. He imagined the space was an empty wall. Seconds passed, but nothing changed. Ignoring Kurama’s grating laughter in the background, he carried on. Minutes passed, but the pipe refused to disappear. Naruto felt like banging his head against the wall. Wasn’t this supposed to be easy?

“Don’t look at it,” Kurama suggested. “Close your eyes and visualise it.”

He didn't want to think about how wrong that sounded. Technically, he was already in his mind. So closing his eyes to imagine a space within his mind was extremely confusing. He closed his eyes and pictured the pipes in his mind. Instead of imagining them disappearing, he added visual aids.

Within his mind, the pipes slowly sank into the wall, as if they were intangible. Holding the image was challenging enough, but changing it was even harder. He couldn’t picture the entire pipe without it breaking down, so he shrunk the image down further so he focused on a three-foot section of pipe.

“Open your eyes,” Kurama said.

Naruto opened his eyes to see that the section of pipe had disappeared. He raised his hands in the air and whooped with excitement.

“It was only a small part,” Kurama growled. “It will take you a lot of time to change the entire space.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Naruto replied. It's time for me to leave. It's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow night at the same time."

“It’s not like I am going anywhere,” Kuruma grumbled.

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

Sasuke stared up at the ceiling, frustrated that he was confined to the bed when he would rather train. The battle with Gaara demonstrated his weakness. Naruto defeated him in the end, while he watched helplessly.

Where did Naruto’s strength come from? In such a short period of time, how had the dead last come so far? What drove him to better himself so much? Did it surpass his own motivation of seeking revenge?

He needed to get stronger if he wanted to kill Itachi.

The door opened and the Hokage walked into the room, his cane tapping against the floor. He approached the bed and sat down on the chair.

“You will be dismissed from your team," Danzo said bluntly. “I have much higher aspirations for you, and I can’t risk you dying on a mission or your quest for revenge.”

Sasuke didn’t respond. This wasn’t the first time Danzo visited him over the years. He felt he couldn’t trust the man, but he wasn't able to point to the reason why. Now that he was the Hokage, he felt that he wouldn't like the man’s plans for him.

“It is imperative to save the Uchiha clan from extinction. Therefore, I will search for suitable candidates for you to get pregnant. If your teammate, Sakura, wasn’t so young, I may have chosen her as one of the candidates. She seems especially devoted to you.”

Sasuke was right. He didn’t like the plans in store for him. Under the blankets, his hands clenched into fists.

“Don’t worry. I will find someone appropriate to continue your training. There is still a lot you need to learn. If you wish to face your brother one day, you must get better."

Danzo left soon after. Sasuke gritted his teeth in anger. There was no way he would be used as a breeding machine for the Hokage’s ambitions. As soon as he was fully recovered, he was out of here. He would pursue his own path.

From the direction of the window, a voice spoke up. Sasuke turned his head and froze when he saw who it was.

“Foolish little brother.”

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

“Where is Naruto, sensei?” Sakura asked.

“He is getting specialised training to get his Shinobi skills to the level he needs,” Kakashi said, not looking away from the Icha-Icha book he was reading.

Sakura grimaced in disgust at his perverted behaviour. Why were so many powerful Jonin in the village such weirdos?

They were outside Konoha on a mission. The two of them were on foot, heading for another village in the Land of Fire. Because Naruto had been withdrawn from their genin team, and Sasuke was still unfit, she was alone with Kakashi-sensei. Although she would rather spend time with Sasuke, she couldn’t deny that she was excited by their mission.

They needed to find Tsunade, a Konoha member that hadn't returned to Konoha for a long time. She was one of the most powerful Kuniouchi in all of the Elemental Nations, and somebody that Sakura looked up to. If they could find her soon, she could ask for personal training.

Sakura was no longer delusional about her own capabilities. Compared to Sasuke and Naruto, she was nothing. Time and time again, she had to be rescued by them because she was too weak. While they continued to grow stronger and move forward, she did not change. After the latest incident where Suna invaded, she finally realised she couldn't carry on like this. If it wasn’t for Naruto, she would have been killed by Gaara.

She found it incredible how far the annoying blonde had come in such a short amount of time. Seeing him fight against Gaara was exhilarating and inspirational. Which is why she found Kakashi’s comments strange. He spoke of Naruto needing to increase his skills, but he had already faced off with the monster Gaara and won.

Sakura wasn’t stupid. She had seen Kakashi's treatment of Naruto. It was only because of her own obsession with Sasuke that she ignored it, which made her feel guilty. Despite all the abuse she threw at him, he did not hesitate to risk his life to save her when she was in danger. She realised she wasn't a good friend to Naruto. She had to be better. It was this feeling of shame that made her lash out at her sensei.

“Naruto defeated Gaara,” she reminded him. “Something that Sasuke couldn't achieve. When will you finally acknowledge that Naruto is a strong Shinobi?"

Kakashi stopped and lowered his book. “What do you mean by that, Sakura?”

“Please, it is obvious that you don’t like Naruto,” Sakura scoffed. “If Naruto needed training so badly, why did you focus all your attention on Sasuke? ”

Kakashi snapped his book shut and tucked it into his vest. “You don’t know what you are talking about. Besides, it is hardly fair to paint me as the villain, when you were hardly any better.”

“I recognise my own faults, Kakshi sensei,” Sakura replied, tears pricking her eyes. “But you are our sensei. You should be held to a higher standard than me. Jaraiya didn’t hesitate to train Naruto when he needed it.”

“You don’t understand,” Kakashi turned to continue walking. “The world is more complicated than you realise. There is little room for sentiment. You need to grow up Sakura.”

“Where is Naruto?” Sakura asked again. “He has disappeared. Even if he gets personalised training, he should still be in the village.”

Kakashi ignored her. Sakura wanted to scream in frustration. The mission didn’t feel all that great anymore. She just wanted it to be over, so she could look for Naruto. She wanted to apologise to him.

A few hours later, Sakura followed Kakashi into a village. Although it couldn’t compare to Konoha, it was still a decent size. The streets were bustling with people, and there were street stalls set up alongside the road, selling all kinds of food. The aroma they gave off was incredible, and she couldn't stop licking her lips. She was reminded that she hadn’t eaten since this morning, and her stomach protested the lack of sustenance.

“We need to look for a casino in town first,” Kakashi said. “Tsunade is well known for her gambling vices."

“It’s an unhealthy coping mechanism,” Sakura agreed. “But you would know all about that wouldn’t you sensei?”

“Your claws are out,” Kakashi remarked. “Maybe you aren’t such a little girl after all.”

Sakura poked her tongue at his back, contradicting his statement.

They found the combined bar and casino in the middle of the business district. Sakura had to dodge a man thrown out of the front door. From inside, she heard music playing and raucous laughter. She followed Kakashi into the casino area.

“Is she here?” Sakura asked.

This would be the fifth town they had visited since leaving Konoha. Tsunade moved around to avoid debtors. She had accumulated a massive number of debts from all the games of chance she had lost. Apparently, she was not a good gambler.

“It seems we are in luck,” Kakashi pointed to the bar area.

Sakura followed his finger and saw two women sitting there. One was a black-haired woman who carried a small pig in her arms. There was nothing extraordinary about her, and she looked plain. The other woman, however, was different.

It must be Tsunade. She was hunched over the bar with a scowl on her face. There were signs of intoxication, as she moved erratically. A man approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Tsunade whirled around and punched the man in the face. The man was thrown across the room and hit the wall. His body slumped to the ground unconscious.

There’s no mistaking her strength,” Kakashi said grimly. “Be on your toes. She is not someone you want to mess with.”

Sakura and Kakashu approached the two women. Sakura took a closer look at her hero when they were a few feet away.

Tsunade was a well-endowed woman with long blonde hair. She wore a grass-green haori with the kanji for ‘gamble’ on the back, inside a red circle. Underneath she wore a grey, kimono-style blouse with no sleeves, held closed by a broad, dark bluish-grey obi that matched her pants. It wasn't Sakura's style, but it suited Tsunade.

“Tsunade,” Kakashi greeted her.

Tsunade whirled around and groaned when she saw who it was. “Kakashi brat, please tell me that we are meeting here by coincidence.”

“I am afraid not,” he replied.

“Kakashi,” the black-haired woman greeted him.

“Shizune,” Kakashi smiled at her. He turned and motioned Sakura forward. “This is one of my genin students, Sakura.”

“Hello,” Sakura stepped up and bowed to Tsunade. “It’s an honour to meet you, Tsunade-sama.”

“Yeah, I am beyond thrilled,” Tsunade said, turning back to the bar. She gestured to the bartender to grab another drink. “Why are you here Kakashi?”

“The Hokage has ordered you to return to Konoha,” Kakashi said.

“Who has replaced Hiruzen as Hokage?” Tsunade asked casually. She didn’t appear interested in the answer.

“It’s Danzo. But you already knew that, didn’t you?"

“Yep. Due to this, I have no hesitation in declaring that I will never return to the village with that warmongering freak in control of the village.”

“I was afraid you would say that,” Kakashi replied. “Then I am afraid I will have to bring you back by force.”

Sakura swallowed heavily. She never imagined it would go down like this.

So, what do you think? Will Kakashi really fight with Tsunade? And who would win in such a fight?

Thanks for reading.