Naruto: Amongst the Whirling Tides Chapter 1

Hi all,

Here’s the first chapter of my Naruto story. I have decided to attempt a non-gamer story and see how it turns out.

“Are you going to kill me, Naruto Uzumaki?”

Naruto crawled his way over to Gaara, every single movement a struggle as his body felt incredibly sluggish. Every cell in his body was screaming out in agony. He was certain that there wasn't a drop of chakra left in his body. At some point during the fight, he had accessed the Ninetails chakra. It was almost a guarantee given how much pain he was currently in. Using the Kyuubi's corrosive chakra had adverse side effects, especially when he had only just begun to learn how to harness its power.

Temari and Kankuro appeared, preparing to defend their brother.

“Stop!” Gaara snapped at them, freezing them in place.

Naruto finally reached Gaara’s side but didn’t attack him. He turned over and looked up through the trees at the sky.

“Why would I do that?” Naruto asked finally.

“Are you simple-minded, Uzumaki? I invaded your village. Hurt your friends. I killed some of your shinobi. You should hate me.”

Naruto looked around, but he didn’t see Sasuke or Sakura in the vicinity. His mask fell away, revealing a face completely different from the one he usually wore.

“I don’t hate you.”

“What?”

“I hate this village,” Naruto admitted. “My entire life, I have been despised by the citizens of Konoha. However, the worst part of it all is not their hatred. It is their indifference. If they had attacked me, beaten me, hurt me, then at least I would have known that I existed. Instead, I was treated like I wasn't even there. Do you know what that does to a kid?”

“I have been hated because of the monster that resides in me,” Gaara said. “Tell me, for what reason do they hate you?”

Naruto considered for a moment, knowing the ramifications of revealing an S-class secret. Technically, he was allowed to reveal the information to anyone he trusted implicitly. It didn't apply to this situation, he was sure.

Making up his mind, he slowly reached down and lifted his shirt. He wasn’t sure if the sealing tattoo was still visible since he couldn’t be bothered to lift his head to take a look.

“He has a sealing tattoo,” Temari gasped, answering the question for him.

“I have a monster inside of me as well,” Naruto said. “The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.”

Temari and Kankuro hastily retreated a few steps. Instead of being upset by their reaction, Naruto found it hilarious. Even if he looked completely helpless at the moment, their fear overtook their common sense. It was probably due to the fact that they were used to living with a monster.

“We are the same, Uzimaki,” Gaara said. “Hated for something we cannot control. There is no escaping it. We will always be alone.”

Naruto hummed in response. “Is that really true though? At least you have your siblings. Even now, they stay by your side to defend you, even though they are probably afraid you will kill them one day.”

“What are you getting at?”

“You should treat them better,” Naruto stated bluntly. “There are few in this world that we can truly call precious. Your responsibility is to hold onto them tightly and defend them with your life. Only they can make your life bearable in this fucked up world.”

Gaara didn’t respond.

“I have precious people of my own, although they are few in number,” Naruto said.

“You can’t protect them forever.” Kankuro scoffed.

“Why not?” Naruto responded. “There must be a place out there where we can exist in peace. Some place where we can be free of the ninja system that perpetuates the endless cycle of hatred.”

“You're delusional, Uzumaki.”

Naruto held his hand up to the sky and clenched his fist. “I will find such a place. Believe it!”

============

The grey skies cast a pall over Hiruzen Sarutobi’s funeral. Over one hundred Shinobi stood before the man’s coffin, attending a private ceremony before he would be escorted through the streets of Konoha so the civilians could say their final farewells. The Sarutobi clan, including his son Asuma and grandson Konohamaru, stood at the front to pay their last respects.

The other ninjas attending were lined up in rows, in accordance with how close their relationship had been with the Hokage. Naruto watched on from the third row. The number one emotion he felt at the moment was resentment. Towards Orochimaru for attacking Konoha. Towards Jiji for dying. However, he was most resentful of those who were responsible for organising this funeral and relegating him to the third row.

It wasn’t rational to hate those faceless people. But why should he not be up there in the first row? Why was he here? As if his relationship with the old man had been nothing of consequence. A man he considered a grandfather when there were few positive role models in his life. He supposed he should be grateful that he was allowed to be here at all, considering how the majority of the village felt about him.

Naruto watched as a man stepped up to the coffin, interrupting the priest who was conducting the memorial service. The man’s arms and head were bandaged, and he looked frail, using a cane for support. He looked like a decrepit mummy that had just crawled out of the grave. The priest stepped aside for him, who turned and faced the onlooking Shinobi.

“Danzo, you bastard.”

Naruto looked to his side, where someone had stepped into his personal space. “What are you doing back here, Jiraiya?”

“Finally calling me by name, kid,” the tall white-haired Sennin smiled.

“You get a free pass today,” Naruto replied. “Who is Danzo?”

“Trouble,” Jiraiya said. “And the new Hokage.”

“What? This old fart is the new Hokage? How come I have never heard of this guy before?”

“Because he is not meant to be seen,” Jiraiya said. “While Hiruzen worked in the light, Danzo operated in the shadows. He is ruthless, and not above getting his hands dirty to achieve his goals. I am surprised that the Daimyo chose Danzo as the fifth Hokage.”

Danzo began his speech, raising his voice for everyone to hear.

“Listen, kid, things are going to get tough,” Jiraiya said. “Danzo is going to completely change Konoha, and not for the better. I want you to hang in there, no matter what happens. I will…”

“You’ll what?” Naruto asked. “You don't have to worry about me. I am used to dealing with the village’s bullshit.”

Jiraiya didn’t respond, and Naruto turned and saw that he had disappeared. “How rude.”

“Naruto Uzumaki.”

Naruto turned in the other direction to see an Anbu standing there. “What is it?”

“The Hokage wants to see you in his office.”

"Now? But he hasn’t finished his speech yet. Let’s see what he has to say for himself."

The Anbu didn’t respond but didn’t force him to leave. He just stood impassively by his side.

Naruto sent out invisible tendrils of his chakra. They slowly reached out until they made contact with the shinobi, and it was at this point that he was usually able to sense the target’s emotions. So far, he has remained undetected by any of the dozens of shinobi and civilians he has performed this technique on. Which included the Third Hokage.

He shuddered and quickly withdrew his chakra from the Anbu when all he felt were extremely muted emotions. It almost felt like he was trying to read an inanimate object. It wasn’t something that he had ever felt from anyone before, a feeling that he found very unpleasant. In fact, he was certain that he preferred the hatred that most of his targets felt for him.

Naruto couldn’t recall the first time he was able to use this technique. It must have been shortly after he unlocked his chakra for the first time. The technique gave him the ability to manipulate his chakra to read people’s emotions, and even tell if someone was lying. So far, he could only extend the tendrils out a length of a few metres.

It had been overwhelming at first, as he lacked any control over the technique, so he was bombarded by the emotions of everyone in his immediate vicinity. The relief came after he learned to shape the chakra, honing it into its current iteration.

Although the technique only reinforced the fact that most of the villagers hated them, it was still better than being ignored completely. At least he could feel something from them other than indifference. He was not invisible to them.

Unfortunately, honing the technique didn’t give him any other benefits such as refining his control with his main chakra. They seemed to be completely separate from each other. He still struggled with his control due to Kyuubi’s influence.

Naruto returned his attention to Danzo as he made his speech. His voice was commanding and held the attention of those in attendance.

“....I knew Hiruzen Sarutobi for over five decades. We are both fossils of a bygone era and should not have lived as long as we have. Unfortunately, one of us has finally succumbed to the inevitable end that everyone in the Shinobi world must confront. He was my comrade, my brother-in-arms against those who sought to conquer us. Together, we have fought in wars, and we have experienced happiness, grief, despair and everything in between.

“I often clashed with Hiruzen over our differing ideologies, as well as the direction Konoha should take, but I have nothing but respect for all that he has accomplished. He is the embodiment of the will of fire. Now, I have taken up that mantle as the Fifth Hokage…”

The Anbu tapped his shoulder, signalling that it was time to go.

“Do you know the Shunshin technique?” The Anbu asked, ignoring his protest.

“No, I haven’t learned it yet.”

“Useless.” The Anbu reached out and grabbed him.

“Bastard. Let go, I haven’t finished paying my respects to the old man.”

The man didn’t bother to reply, and Shunshin’d them away from the cemetery. The technique utilised chakra to temporarily vitalise the body so the user could move at extreme speeds. It appeared as if they had vanished into thin air. Unfortunately, it was not a technique that was designed to carry passengers. Naruto could swear his body was about to be torn apart in the brief moment it took to arrive at the Hokage’s tower.

Half an hour later, Naruto was kicking his heels outside the Hokage’s office, waiting to be summoned into his office. He was angry because he had been kept waiting after being rushed here from the Third Hokage's funeral. Naruto tried to reign it in. He had no intel about what the Fifth Hokage was like, so he had to play it cool. If he had to guess, though, he would say Danzo was definitely a man not to be trifled with. Unlike the Third, he wouldn't let Naruto get away with his usual antics.

“The Hokage will see you now,” the Secretary approached him, gazing at him as if he were dirt beneath her shoes.

“I could have sworn I saw you in the Red Light District,” Naruto muttered as she walked away. She whirled around in anger, but he had already fled into the office.

Naruto walked up to Danzo who was sitting behind his desk. He didn't look up as Naruto saluted but instead continued to read from a folder. After a while, he became bored and began impatiently bouncing his leg.

“You lack discipline,” Danzo said, raising his head. “Stand still.”

Naruto stopped moving. The Hokage got to his feet and walked slowly around his desk, his cane tapping against the floor. His hand held a file and he read from it, which appeared to be a report on his Shinobi career.

“Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, and a recently graduated genin under Kakashi Hatake’s leadership. Graduated dead last in class and only passed because he was dumb enough to be tricked into stealing the Scroll of Seals. Only managed to defeat the traitor because of sheer dumb luck and a Jonin’s worth of chakra at his disposal. Am I correct in my analysis so far?”

Naruto said nothing. The circumstances involving the Scroll of Seals were incorrect, as he was fully aware that Mizuki was lying to him. He had planned the theft of the scroll with the old man, in an attempt to uncover any other traitors among them. He wasn't going to correct Danzo though. It's better if he underestimates him.

“In the fight against the missing-nin Zabuza Momochi and the mercenary ninja Haku, Uzumaki performed surprisingly well. However, yet again, he didn’t rely on his own abilities. When he couldn't save his comrade, he let the Kyuubi take over. Uzumaki is ill-disciplined, poorly trained, and overly emotional. Not good traits for a shinobi."

As he was speaking, Danzo didn’t even look at him, as if he was unworthy of his regard. Naruto resisted the urge to lash out at the man. Danzo closed the folder with a snap and came to stand behind him.

“Do you know who wrote that report?” Danzo asked. “It was your sensei, Kakashi Hatake. Apparently, he does not regard your capabilities as a shinobi at all.”

Naruto shifted uneasily on his feet but didn’t say anything. He was well aware of what his sensei thought of him. It was hard to hide from Kakashi the fact that he knew just how exactly the man felt about him. Although Kakashi didn’t hate him, he didn’t seem to like him that much either.

“I won’t speak of the Chunin Exams,” Danzo continued, “because we all know how that went. The only time that you truly shined was during the invasion when you subdued Gaara, the jinchuriki of the Sanbi. Although, I guess we can attribute that down to Jiraiya’s excellent training methods.”

Naruto was caught unawares when Danzo lashed out with his cane, sweeping Naruto off his feet. The force of the impact left him gasping for air.

“You are Konoha’s jinchuriki, and far too valuable to pursue the typical Shinobi career. As such, I am withdrawing you from your Genin team effective immediately. Your training needs to be taken in hand. You are a tool that needs to be honed since you will be used as a deterrence against other villages who decide to use their jinchuriki against Konoha.”

When Naruto glared up at Danzo, he drove his cane into his stomach, causing Naruto to cry out and curl into a ball.

“You shall learn some respect, boy,” Danzo said mildly.

“Respect is earned,” Naruto wheezed.

“Don’t worry, you will have earned the right to respect me after I have finished with you.”

Danzo bent down, and he struck Naruto's neck, causing the boy to lose consciousness.

“Fu!”

A man in a white uniform and mask appeared, kneeling down in front of Danzo. “What are your orders, Lord Hokage?”

“You will be taking personal charge of Naruto Uzumaki. He needs to be torn down before he can be conditioned into my personal tool. There is no need to hold back. The Kyuubi will heal any injuries. Just make sure you don’t kill him.”

“Hai!” Fu responded, yet he made no move to leave.

“Was there something else?”

“Sir, are you going to give him a binding seal, so he cannot reveal your secrets if he somehow manages to escape?”

After considering the idea for a moment, Danzo decided against it. “No, it is fine to wait. I have run into trouble in the past when I applied the seal to unwilling participants. Best to wait until his will is broken. Go now."

“Hai.” Fu picked up Naruto and Shunshin’d away.

Danzo returned to his desk and sat down. There was still so much to do, and not enough time in the day to do it all. He didn't even have time to celebrate his success in becoming Hokage. In order to reach this point, it had been a long and difficult journey.

He did not fool himself into believing he would ever become Hokage by conventional means. The Daimyo would never have given him the position normally, as his methods were considered too extreme. That's why he had to take matters into his own hands.

It had taken him well over a decade, but he had finally managed to place a handful of spies within the Daimyo court. It wasn't easy, as all potential recruits had to undergo extensive background checks. There was also a high level of security. The samurai guarding the Daimyo were very good, and he had a lot of shinobi among his ranks as well. The Daimyo recruited talented ninjas when they were still young, just like he did himself.

His purpose in placing spies in the imperial court was so that he could secure a private audience with the Daimyo alone at the right time. As soon as Hiruzen’s death had been confirmed, he travelled swiftly to the capital to enact his plan. Usually, the Daimyo chooses the next Kage when the previous Kage dies or becomes incapacitated. However, he did take the advice of the Shinobi Council and the Jonin Commander into consideration. It was essential for him to preempt the meeting and ensure that the Daimyo had already made his choice before he even travelled to Konoha.

Once he was alone with the Daimyo, he subdued the man. He uncovered the bandages covering his right eye, revealing a Sharingan implant. He cast a powerful yet subtle mind-controlling genjutsu on the man. Kotoamatsukami was a dojutsu that Shisui’s Sharigan granted him, and it was augmented by Hashirama's cells implanted in his body. Typically, the cells enhanced the dojutsu to give him the ability to use it more than once a day.

However, he had discovered a way to strengthen the genjutsu, turning it from a subtle mind-controlling genjutsu into an overwhelming directive. He used it to manipulate the Daimyo into choosing him as Hokage, as well as giving him a route to escape the palace undetected. He could have given the man additional orders, but the more commands he gave, the less effective the genjutsu became.

Regardless, the command was so strong, he was sure it would last at least a year. The only downside was that the Daimyo would be aware that he had been manipulated when he finally broke free of it. However, It would no longer matter by the time that time came.

Danzo rubbed his eyes tiredly. Even though he had secured the Hokage position, his hold was only tenuous. There would be a lot of resistance from the shinobi forces and Clans, which would take some time to resolve. He couldn’t completely alienate them, so he had to use all his skills to persuade them to his vision for Konoha. He considered using the dojutsu on them as well, but that wasn't a good idea. There were sensor-type shinobi that would be able to detect his use of the dojutsu. Fortunately, the Civilian Council was already under his control, although they wouldn't play much of a role moving forward. They had outlived their usefulness.

A knock sounded at the door, and the secretary entered. “Hokage, there are Suna representatives waiting in the guest room downstairs. They are very insistent that they see you right away.”

“Tell them they can wait a bit longer,” Danzo ordered. “I am busy.”

“Yes, sir.”

They had no right to demand an audience. It was they who invaded Konoha, so he wouldn't show them any respect. His future plans included Suna, and it just so happened that he had the former Kazekage’s children in his grasp. They would be used as a bargaining tool in order to gain a lot more concessions from the Suna council in the future. It was the first step in one of many in order to destabilise their village. His ultimate goal was to assimilate the village into Konoha.

At that point, he would have two jinchuriki at his disposal, which would match the two that Kumo had. Danzo was broken out of his thoughts when Jiraiya jumped through the window. Before his Anbu hidden in the office could attack the man, Danzo waved them off.

“It didn't take you long to secure Naruto,” Jiraiya said as he sat down.

“I am surprised you did not intervene,” Danzo replied calmly.

“I cannot react without thinking,” Jiraiya said. “I must weigh all my options before making a move. Naruto will be fine for the time being. He may suffer a little, but he will get some much-needed training.”

“Do you intend to commit treason against Konoha? Because I will not hesitate to declare you a rogue-nin and have you killed.”

“It is not going to be as easy as you imagined," Jiraiya replied, ignoring Danzo's threat. "You are going to alienate a lot of the shinobi with your methods. There is even a possibility that many of them will abandon the village. What are you going to do then? Send them all to their deaths?"

“Let me worry about persuading the shinobi of my vision for Konoha. In the meantime, I want you to return to your spy network. The Akatsuki are a threat to Konoha that we cannot ignore.”

“Are you trying to get me out of the way?” Jiraiya stood up. “It will not be that easy.”

Jiraiya strode out of the room. The moment he left the Hokage's office, his expression changed. The situation was not looking good. He understood full well what Danzo’s future plans for the village were. The madman would see the Elemental Nations burn so Konoha could stand alone as the one supreme power.

“I’m sorry, Naruto, but I will not be able to help you in the short term,” he whispered. “I must gather allies and consider my next moves carefully.”

He was sure that he was being watched closely in order to ensure he actually left the village. Little did they know that he had ways of getting back into the village undetected. After all, he was Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin. He may as well give up if he cannot accomplish this much.

Jiraiya took out his old copy of Tales of a Gutsy Ninja, which he kept hidden beneath his kimono. For the longest time, he stared at it in sorrow. “It feels like my dream is further away than ever before.”

============

Fu led Naruto to a small enclosed room with a small bed. The room had no windows, and the door was a heavy metal door secured with a lock. Naruto immediately disliked it as it made him feel confined as if walls were closing in around him.

After pushing him in, Fu shut and locked the gate behind him. “I will be back in a minute,” he said before walking away.

Naruto sat down on the bed and wrapped his arms around his legs. He didn’t know where he was because he had been blindfolded most of the way. The secrecy scared him, as it hinted at something that needed to be hidden away from prying eyes, something potentially harmful.

He tried to engage Fu in conversation but he remained silent. Naruto tried to get a gauge on the man’s emotions, but he felt similar to the Anbu he encountered before. His emotions felt incredibly muted as if there was nothing but a blank canvas behind his eyes. It was the second time that he felt such a thing, in such a short amount of time. Danzo must be doing something to them to make them this way. Were they going to do the same to him?

“I wonder what Sakura and Sasuke are doing now?”

They hadn’t been at the funeral. Sasuke was still recovering from his injuries, and Sakura probably was by his side. What would they think when they learned that he was not on the team anymore? Would they be happy, sad, or indifferent? Surprisingly, he wasn’t too upset by the fact that he was no longer a genin. It had been on his mind for a while now, about leaving the village, even if that made him a missing-nin. The death of the Third Hokage, along with the ominous new Hokage, had made his decision even easier. However, he would need to find a way to escape here first.

Fu returned with a man wearing a plain grey uniform and wearing a white mask, carrying a few clothes with him. They were followed by two men similarly dressed, who were hauling a tub full of soapy water. “Shu, this is our new recruit. He needs to be prepared for his stay here.”

“Hai,” Shu said. He walked forward and stood in front of Naruto. “Strip.”

“Sorry, I’m not into guys. Why don’t you try Fu over there? He looks lonely.”

Shu grabbed Naruto by the hair and lifted him off the bed. Naruto screamed and threw a wild punch at the man’s stomach. Shu twisted his waist and dodged the strike easily.

Shu retaliated by slapping Naruto across the face, blooding his lip. “I am not going to ask again. Strip.”

Naruto spat some blood into Shu’s face. The man wiped it off his cheek, not looking too bothered by the act. Without warning, Shu buried his fist in his stomach and Naruto felt his breath leave him, followed by excruciating pain. Naruto wheezed as he attempted to take a breath frantically.

To his utter humiliation, he was stripped of his clothes and chucked into the tub full of water.

"A wooden tub? Is that all you can offer? Where is the manager? I want to make a complaint," Naruto said, glaring at his tormentors.

“You are nothing,” Fu said. “Less than a cockroach. What makes you think that you deserve any better?”

Shu stood behind him and Naruto felt him grab his hair again. But this time he wasn’t trying to hurt him. He gasped as he felt a tug in his hair before some golden strands fell into the water.

“Shu is very proficient in wind-style ninjutsu,” Fu said. “Lord Hokage trained Shu himself.”

Naruto gritted his teeth as the man proceeded to remove all of the hair from his head. As it came closer to his scalp, he could feel the buzz of the wind chakra as it passed over his head, removing the last bits of hair. He wasn’t gentle, and Naruto winced when the blade made some shallow cuts in his skin. He was now completely bald.

After Naruto exited the tub, he dressed in the clothes. He was led out of his room and down a corridor into a large chamber. It was a training area, with several targets set up, and racks of weapons arranged along the wall.

“Drop and give me two hundred push-ups,” Fu ordered.

Naruto briefly considered refusing, but he realised that he was in no position to resist at the moment. It would only lead to more pain. He dropped to the floor and started doing the push-ups.

After fifty, he began feeling the burn in his arms. When he passed a hundred, he was struggling, with sweat dripping down his face, shaking uncontrollably. He was barely able to lift himself off the ground as his form began to lose shape.

“Stop,” Fu ordered. “Correct your form. I won’t have any half-hearted attempts. If you don't perform a push-up correctly, I will add to the total amount you need to complete.”

With great effort, Naruto managed to keep his form long enough to finish the two hundred push-ups. It took him far longer to finish them than the first hundred, but he did it. He collapsed to the floor afterwards, completely spent.

“Your stamina is pathetic,” Fu said emotionlessly. “We will need to work on reducing the time by half. You get a five-minute rest, then we will move on to another exercise.”

Naruto groaned as he followed the man’s orders. He must endure for now, but when he gets the chance, he will escape this hell. They had another thing coming if they thought they could break him. He was Naruto Uzumaki. Believe it.

============

Later on, Naruto lay in his bed with his eyes closed. Anyone watching him would think he was asleep, but he was actually accessing his mindscape. Jiraiya had explained to him that the seal created a storage space in his mind to keep the Kyuubi imprisoned. Since he was a Jinchuriki, it was surprisingly easy to gain access to it.

When he next opened his eyes, he was in his mindscape. It was a large room with the appearance of a sewer. Naruto really wanted to question the person who designed the seal, and what made him think it was a good aesthetic choice to make it a sewer. Naruto felt personally attacked as if the person who designed it thought his mind was full of unclean thoughts.

Naruto stepped forward, his feet wading through the shallow pool of water as he approached the huge cage that represented the seal containing the Kyuubi.

“Hey Kyuubi, we need to talk,” Naruto shouted.

Deep in the confines of the cage, a huge form moved out of the shadows until he was standing before the gate. Kyuubi growled lowly in its throat as it glared down at him malevolently. In spite of Naruto seeing him many times before, he could never get over his awe and terror at the sight.

“Human, what do you want? Why must I suffer your presence?”

“Don't be like that. I know you love seeing me. It must get lonely down here. Maybe you should give it a makeover? It looks a little depressing."

The Kyubi roared, hitting the cage violently, sending Naruto stumbling back in fear. It was an instinctive response, something he had no control over. The Kyuubi was a malevolent force of nature and something to be respected.

"Tell me what you want then get out of here before I get really angry.”

Naruto sighed and turned serious. “I am in a spot of trouble. I would like to make a deal with you. I guarantee it will be worth your while.”

A long silence. “I’m listening.”

So, what do you think? I will try and get the first chapter of my original story out this weekend, but no promises. I decided to hold off adding it to the poll for another week, so you can get an idea of what it’s about first.

Additionally, I will remove HP: The Artisan Path for this week's poll as well, so I can give my other stories a chance to be updated next week.

Thanks for reading.