Branded

//For those of you wondering if Zetuo will be able to use chakra, I wrote this specifically for you. This won't be the last time I make a chapter purely for the fans but next time itll be because I actually WANT to do it. I was gonna ease this chakra situation in gradually but might as well do this so yall can leave me alone and stop asking me the same question over and over again.

I still love you guys though

----------‐‐----------------------------------------------

No one else showed up to Zetuo's new home that day, leaving the youth with nothing but hours of time. Before it even got dark the youth was able to formulate hundreds of future plans and organize them by most to least likely.

At this point, even with another unfortunate event looming on the horizon, Zetuo wasnt particularly worried anymore. There was no foreseeable outcome where he would immediately die that particular night, not a even a single scenario in which his bad luck could strike. Unless a giant meteor or giant flood wiped him out, he was finally able to relax his guard for the time being.

He had his reasons for being so confident about his own wellbeing and it was mainly because he was inside a village guarded by immensely powerful ninja. Very few of the shinobi in the village was aware of his existence and even fewer were aware of his true origins, the number easily being counted on one hand. From what Minato said earlier, it didn't sound like any outside force would foolishly attack and Zetuo was certain no one inside would dare to lay a finger on him so soon without some sort of premeditated plan.

In other words, he was safe for the night at the very least.

He didn't have to fret over whether or not blondie and red would say anything to anyone, the odds already being extremely low. Not only was the story itself unbelievable, but he could potentially deny ever saying it should the need arise. He could even get the Hokage to back up his story and further prove that he was just someone with memory loss. He also didn't have to worry about the two of them joining him as there was an 80% guarantee they would do so, mainly due to their own unbounded curiosity.

In other words, everything was finally coming together for him. He had gained all the necessities for survival such as food, water, shelter, as well as much needed information. Allies had been snagged as well as a source of income in which he would need for future endeavors, and to top it all off he would be getting trained so he could potentially adapt to this dangerous new world.

It was a combination of all these things that allowed Zetuo to lay down on the bed and fully relax for the first time since his arrival into the great unknown.

By his own internal clock established by his own body, he reckoned it was about 8am in New York. Whether or not that coincided with this time was out of the question as it was clearly dark outside at the present. Normally Zetuo always fell asleep at random times due to various scenarios and such, but regardless of that, he could feel his body slowly sinking into the bed and his mind fading as sleep took hold.

As his entire body loosened, his muscles relaxing and ceasing their movement, a spasm of pain rocketed through Zetuo, forcing him to wake up. The pain was so intense that it nearly made him pass out once again as yet another wave of pain rushed throughout his entire being, all the way down to the tips of his toes and the very top of his head. Chest tightening, body cramping up in agony, and head feeling like it was going to explode, this was EASILY the worst pain Zetuo had ever endured. Even when Zetuo had had his fingernails ripped off one by one, the pain wasnt even comparable to the current one.

It felt like he was being ripped apart at a subatomic level, attacked by things invisible to the naked eye. If he hadn't been resistant to misery and able to cope through it, Zetuo was almost certain he would be dead from the sheer shock of it all, his heart stopping before he could call for help. Any normal person from his world would've already passed out, if not dead outright, but Zetuo was able to hold on for what felt like days as time crept on ever so slowly. The waves of pain never ceased as it flowed through his very entity, all his other senses nullified while he struggled to keep his own sanity.

After what seemed like and eternity but was likely a mere couple of hours, the pain began to gradually ease before eventually disappearing altogether.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT," Zetuo screamed as he sat up, his whole bare upper body covered in sweat, his breathing ragged. "The hell was that!!!"

Despite his body now feeling weak due to the physical and mental agony, Zetuo stood up and began to pat himself over, making sure he was still intact. From what he could tell, nothing on the outside was damaged, leaving him to believe that it was more of an internal situation then an external one.

Problem with this was that he had no way of ascertaining the cause of it all. He couldn't go in to a doctor what with him being new to the village and all and he wasnt in New York to visit a nearby hospital. As of right now, his only option was to shower, drink some water, eat some food and head back to bed. Luckily this place had plumbing in which he could take a quick wash and relieve himself as well.

Eventually, after another hour of contemplation, Zetuo fell asleep, allowing sleep to claim him once again.

---------------------------------------------

Kushina was in front of Zetuo's apartment at the break of dawn the next morning, arriving earlier then most common villagers were even up.

The reason for her early arrival was partially due to the fact that it was the only time of the day that she could really spare, the other hours spent running errands and going on D rank missions. With her priorities set on becoming the first female Hokage, she didn't want to miss a single mission regardless of what it was, hence why she woke up two hours earlier then she had to.

The other reason she had woken up early was to give her answer on last night's question.

"Can you help me?"

This question had ran through her head time and time again, stuck on repeat that had even followed her into her dreams. At first, the answer she wanted to shout out was HELL NO, but once she stopped to think about it, there wasnt anything she could lose by doing so.

It was tempting to write all of it off as hubris or tell others about it, but if one stopped to look at all angles then it wasnt that bad. Anyone with half a brain could realize that there were virtually no cons to helping out someone who was clearly weaker. Even if the youth was trying to trick her and Minato, one word from her to a jonin or the Hokage would have him out on his butt and dead in a matter of minutes.

Her and Minato held all the cards and they could use them should the young male seem himself an enemy even once. Given this, there wasnt any reason she should say no or tell anyone else. ESPECIALLY when the otherworldly boy had said he would owe them for it which would no doubt be a good thing.

Once she figured out that this relationship would be beneficial to have and wouldn't significantly impact her, she had gotten the necessary sleep and had awoken early the next morning, appearing at Zetuo's door.

It also seemed that she wasnt the only one who had the same idea as Minato appeared just a short minute after she did, landing perfectly on the upstairs railing.

"Morning Kushina," Minato said politely as he flashed a smile. "You here to give your answer as well?"

Kushina wasnt feeling as tense as she had been yesterday and her attitude was far less hostile so she actually found Minato far more tolerable then she had previously. She still thought of him as weak and rather unreliable, but she was beginning to get used to him, which was a good thing seeing as they would probably be working together on bringing the otherworlder up to speed on everything. With a bit of effort and teamwork, she even went as far to think that they could probably be friends.

"Yeah, I gave it some thought, ya know?" Kushina pushed a strand of her hair back as she looked at Minato. "It wouldn't be so bad to help him out."

Minato merely nodded as he slipped off the railing and walked up to the door, brushing past Kushina. Without even hesitating, the blonde rapped his knuckles sharply on the wood, the knock echoing around the area.

A second passed. Two. Around three long seconds passed before the door was yanked open and a pitch black blade was immediately thrusted out without warning. The blade stopped sharply, halting just before Minato's throat, right before the blonde was about to retaliate with his own jutsu.

Slowly the blade was retracted as both Kushina and Minato narrowed their gaze onto Zetuo, of whom was sheathing the katana into its scabbard.

It was around this time that everything came into focus.

The first thing Kushina noticed was the scars. While she had taken note of them before when she was tailing the two boys yesterday, it was truly only now clicking just how many scars the boy had. Long ones, short ones, deep ones, shallow ones, stab wounds, small round wounds from an unidentifiable object. Every type of scar in existence was plastered over this boy's frame, decorating him like misshapen shogi board that had been beaten for years.

And the burns, she wasnt even going to begin on how many burns were on his body, including a giant one on the left pectoral in the shape of a hawk in flight.

The second thing she noticed was something that hadn't been there before, something that she couldn't quite put into words. The young male was still obviously weak but....less so? It was truly hard to put into exact wording but the vibe was definitely there, the feeling of an actual threat taking shape. It was something that just appeared overnight and it wasnt something she particularly liked. He felt like a different person altogether, someone who could pose a threat if given a chance.

Minato most likely felt it as well, his face saying it all as he took as step back from the door, his hand coming up to his throat. "Wjat happened to you? You seem totally different from last time."

"Not sure whatcha mean," Zetuo answered honestly as he unabashedly turned around, showing them his back which, just like the front, was littered with scars and burns. There was an enormous burn on the center of his back with the number 118, a number that had clearly been branded on. "I'm literally the exact same as before. Let me get a shirt on and then we can talk, feel free to come on in fam."

Kushina hesitated for a second before following, Minato walking in right behind her.

-------------------------------

"So, have you come here with an answer then?" Zetuo asked. A few minutes had passed and they were all gathered in the youths room, casually relaxing like it was completely natural.

"Can I ask you a question first?" Minato responded, his eyes flickering to Zetuo's back ever so briefly, which the black haired youth caught.

"It happened a few years back," Zetuo answered, not even needing to hear the question. "I stupidly decided to take the long way home from school so as to avoid the neighborhood gang that occasionally attempts to harass me and ran into some....unsavory individuals. These said people ran a huge human trafficking ring that, according to what I found out, spanned a few states in total. Unfortunately for them, I was able to resist due to my immunity to regular drugs and fought back, barely managing to escape with numerous other captives."

"How did.....how did you manage that?" Kushina asked, caught up in the short story.

"I mentally abused one of the guards, pickpocketed the knife attached to his hip when he came in to beat the shit outta me, killed him, stole the keys and left his body in the cell." Zetuo broke everything down step by step, shedding some light on what he considered his best escape. "His body acted as my cover while I unlocked everyone's cells, gave them weapons stolen from guards I killed along the way and lead them to one of the biggest jailbreaks ever. The 118 was my auction number and a constant reminder of how shitty the world is, especially when it's all condensed into one small state."

The room fell silent as the story sunk in, everyone dwelling over their own thoughts. Minato wondered how he himself would've handled it if he was without jutsu and couldn't see the plan being as successful. Kushina was along the same line of thinking as she marveled at Zetuo's mentality, never stopping no matter what the situation.

In a scenario that would've caused many other to buckle and surrender, he analyzed the best and possibly only route for survival and didn't hesitate to take it. The lack of fear and total confidence in everything he did was finally beginning to make sense as the two of them thought it over.

"I'll help you," Kushina said as she finally made up her mind. In the end, she'd rather help someone who needed it even if that person was somewhat dangerous.

"I will as well," Minato said, chipping in his decision as well. "Though from the sound of it, you most likely dont truly need us. Either way though, I'll help you."

//If you want another chapter TODAY then leave a vote and a review and I'll post. If not then I'll write it and save it for tomorrow.

Also join my discord.

https://discord.gg/uQUcWbm