Fateful Meeting

"Help me, system." He muttered again.

His feet caught something, and his face planted into the murky and filthy water that populated the floor of his cage.

He gagged at the awful sludge that entered his mouth. His emotions erupted, and it took everything in him to curtail the immaturity of his body.

He had a long way to go to condition himself again. He reached about, searching for the cause of his stumble. His hands gave away something soft and mushy with the consistency of wet bread.

Immediately, his olfactory was assaulted by a horrid, too-familiar smell. He quickly jerked back, disregarding the protests of his still-recovering body.

A ray of moonlight traveled down above him. He peered at his hands, blinking his vision back into working order. His hands were thick with the horrid stench of decay.

His gaunt features paled.

He expelled what little contents he held in his stomach again.

It took him some time, but he managed to muster his resolve and move the decaying corpse to the furthest side of his cage; he watched as it submerged underneath the nasty filth.

He had no idea who the individual was except for the shinobi headband that tickled at his memories; he moved closer under the moonlight to inspect his findings.

He stared at it.

Inspect unlocked!

System Installing.

Uzushiogakure Headband.

It once belonged to Fū Uzumaki, a Jōnin

of Uzushiogakure. He was tasked with seeking assistance from Uzushiogakure's ally, Konohagakure

Grants animosity status.

Hidden enemies of Uzushiogakure will potentially attack you.

The system hasn't been fully installed; thus, mission parameters aren't unlocked.

Host please standby

Animosity status.

He had his system, which he hadn't shown him much.

Fū Uzumaki," he murmured, looking back where he left the man's corpse, a relative of sorts, maybe even a cousin; he wouldn't ever know because he had been either betrayed by the leaf of Danzo had captured him and rung him for anything he could probably get his hands on.

And a mission to boot, just by finding a headband, or is it something more?

He stared at the headband, the moonlight reflecting his bright blue eyes off its scruff surface.

The world had been altered, so there is a possibility that some remnants of the village remain. He recalled that the survivors had settled into the surrounding villages. Mist Village was one, but what about the Rain Village? It was small but powerful, especially with Hanzo The Salamander possibly still being around.

Or its destruction was far later after the water, which could explain how Uzumaki had been here.

The headband resonated with him. Naruto had always wanted to be presented as a forehead protector, to be Hokage.

He said a prayer and turned his back on the corpse. He studied the cage and assessed his situation. He was inside a jail cell underground. He gripped the rails and managed to look around the dimly lit hallway.

He shook the rails in anger, barely budging the sturdy bars. The rattling of his cage seemed to summon his jailer as the lone door opened.

In walking, a familiar man with bandages around his left eye, a cane, and two black-clad shinobis trailed him indifferently.

Narrow observed them as the man stopped at each cell and said a few muffled words. He strained but couldn't make anything out.

He tied the headband around his wrist, slid his tattered sleeve over it, and looked at another notification that had just emerged.

He smiled.

Legacy Jutsu observed.

Shadow Clone Jutsu 1

This jutsu allows the user to create one or more physical copies of themselves. The user's chakra is evenly divided between themselves and their clones: creating one clone will give it half the user's chakra, creating two clones will give each a third of the user's chakra, and so on.

Rank B

Supplementary

Proficiency 33%

The notification winked out as it ingrained the necessary information into his mind.

He focused on the happenings outside the cage, hoping to unlock more; the last notification had undoubtedly made his escape easier since he had a way to fight back.

He pressed against the bars as he could barely hear the whimpers from the prisoners.

The man, obviously the leader, smiled and motioned for the ninjas to unlock the jail. He racked his brains, but it was hard to recall his captor's name.

The bandaged man motioned to the shinobi nearest him. The man nodded and performed the required hand seals; an identical copy of him emerged in a cloud of smoke.

As he watched intently, he continued to coax the system to answer him, but it did not work.

The shadow clone of one of the Root Shinobi grabbed the child and darted from the room.

Skeptically, Naruto reeled back at the scene. This continued.

He watched in rapt attention, absorbing every little detail. Soon, only two children were left.

Some agreed, others refused.

He didn't know what was being asked, but whatever it was, it was scarier than remaining locked away.

At least, that is what he had assumed, as the children looked horrid being dragged away even after accepting the dark deal.

But only two more children were let out; his cell was next. He didn't budge when the familiar man's eye landed on him.

It all clicked. This man was Danzo Shimura, Konohagakure Elder.

Narrow could see glee, calculation, and hatred in his single eye.

He shuddered, taking a few steps back as his shadow fell over him.

He loomed. The War Hawk stared down at him, unimpressed at what he was seeing.

His single eye scrutinized every cell of his being, and the man had plans that Narrow didn't want any part of.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Danzo Finally said.

Danzo glowered at the object of his dreams, the host of the Ninetails.

Anger flared. But the coldness of his profession comforted him as he returned Danzo's gaze, each unwavering as the storm brewed between them.

The war hawk smiled before letting out a cold, menacing laugh that resonated around the jail.

'I'll show them; they will pay for this.'

He had once walked a path so slender between good and evil that he had obtained a nickname in the underworld.

He might not remember his family, but a temperament like that doesn't vanish. It seeps into flesh, blood, and bone; it becomes second nature, a muscle memory.

He recalled the villagers, their baleful stares, the beating, the starvation. His protectors silently watched in the shadows.

It was decided Naruto couldn't be a traditional shinobi because of the village's hate. Forgoing the fact he was the son of their hero, the fourth Hokage.

If he couldn't be used visibly, he could be wielded as a deterrent, a simple-minded beast, the most powerful-tailed beast.

His anger intensified, but he had one rational thought and deflated like a balloon. He smiled because he was no longer the same person he had been yesterday.

He looked his jailer straight in the eye and smiled, a cold, condescending smile that halted the sounds from his foul mouth.

"Is that fire in your eyes? Danzo Shimura questioned, genuinely curious.

How could he, a notorious assassin, allow such abuse against his person? The former was afraid but not Narrow.

Their mistake would be allowing him to breathe.

The diminutive child gripped the cage and stared at his jailer and tormentor.

'How pitiful that such a thing possesses the will of fire. In retrospect, he is the son of those two. Nevertheless, your fate belongs to me.' The Shadow Kage thought as he observed the flickering flames.

A veteran of countless battles and two shinobi wars, Danzo could tell minute changes in a person and something was amiss. He methodically observed the cage and the seals.

'Everything in order.' Thought the man.

"You will mind your anger and bow to your better beast. You will become root. You will become my tool. Once that has happened, and I assure you it will."

"I have broken shinobi with ten times the resolve and resistance far more notable than that minuscule flame that has sparked in your eyes."

"You will-"

"I'm going to kill you and destroy that despicable village!" Narrow declared, voice hoarse.

Danzo's facial features became benevolent.

"I was wrong. That's not the will of fire."