The old gods

"Come sit next to me." Karin said.

Naruto did.

"Closer."

"…"

He could smell her perfume.

She laughed a bit when she noticed his discomfort. If she had been thirteen, she would definitely have felt the same awkwardness. But she was sixteen, and he still looked like a child, so… Not really.

"And now?"

"Can you feel my chakra?"

"Yup."

"Okay, so you do have the most rudimentary part down already. Continue."

He waited. Then waited some more.

"…Are you doing anything?"

"Yes. I was pulsing my chakra. Pretty low intensity, though. I will go a bit higher." She said. "Now?"

"Still can't feel anything."

"And now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"Nope. Ah, I think I feel something!"

"Good." She nodded. "Can you estimate people's chakra capacity?"

"Only when they are very strong, for now."

"That's what I expected. No wonder your space-time jutsu went sideways."

He shrugged. "It still worked."

"Because you had the Hokage give you a shortcut. Would you use it again?"

"Fuck no. I don't want to end up in the next century."

Karin snorted. "Thought so."

"How did you learn about your sensing abilities, even? Is this an Uzumaki thing?"

"Eh, not particularly. I mean, I don't think so. I always had some ability with it, to be honest. My eyes are pretty bad, so I guess that's how I navigated things before I got my first pair of glasses."

"How come you never mentioned it, back then?"

She shrugged. "I thought everybody could do the same."

He laughed.

Orochimaru observed Naruto.

The boy looked strong for his age, and healthy too.

He had potential, for sure. Maybe in time, he could really get rid of some of his enemies for him.

"Very well." He said. "Let us see what you can do as of now. I suggest you give your best."

Naruto nodded.

"The exercise ends when I say so… or when you draw first blood. Use any means necessary."

Naruto unsealed one of his swords. There was no chance of accidentally killing this man.

He summoned two clones, and a Lightning one.

They reached for sharp wire. Static crackled in the air.

Orochimaru smiled as they leapt.

"Let's end this here." Orochimaru said, voice even.

Naruto was breathing hard. He fell over, trying to get his heart to settle down. They have been at it for the last two hours.

'The boy is good.' Orochimaru mused.

He wasn't about to go all out against a child, of course. But he actually had had to pay attention, so he was pleasantly surprised.

'Yet… This is not going to be enough. Not even close.'

Someday, he would be strong.

But, as Naruto told him, he was planning on facing the Akatsuki to free the Nine-Tails and uphold his promise…

He could not afford to wait.

And training the boy to face Nagato and his motley crew for him was safer for himself, Orochimaru knew.

So he would give him the best education he could. The boy would get rid of his enemies for him. He would make sure he would not turn against him, too.

It wouldn't do to replace his Uzumaki problem with another one.

Speaking of the boy, there was some real potential.

Namikaze and Uzumaki. The Nine-Tails' chakra. On top of this, he was a natural at the shinobi arts, despite his obvious reluctance.

Something that Orochimaru didn't like to admit to himself was that he had trouble communicating — and so, teaching — with people who were average.

The prodigies, geniuses, he would make shine.

But he was too far from normal to help regular shinobi.

Naruto would do perfectly, then.

"Eat and rest. We will meet again at three in the afternoon." Orochimaru said, before disappearing. He had a corpse to dissect. Eating could wait.

Naruto panted an answer and drags himself to the hub.

There were only five people currently eating. Karin was one of them, so he sat next to her.

He asked her if she had any news from Konoha.

"Ah, you mean from your friends…?" She asked, understanding in her eyes.

"I haven't heard anything about them."

"Well…" Karin thought. "I did not write to any of them in more than a few months, now."

"Oh." Naruto said, disappointed.

She smiled. "But I can tell you what I know."

"Please."

"Ino is doing good, she's been a Chūnin for some time now."

"Really?" He smiled in relief. "That's… good. How is she?"

"I think she's doing fine… now. She took your apparent death pretty hard, though."

"Ah…" He said nothing more. What was there to say?

"Sasuke has been out of the village for a while, but he came back a few times with his sensei."

"Kakashi?"

"No, Jiraiya."

"…The Sannin?"

"That's him. Orochimaru-sama complains about him a lot, but I think they're good friends. He doesn't really mention people he doesn't think about."

"How is he?"

"He's built quite the reputation, outside of the village, actually. I don't know how strong he is, but after years with one of the Sanin, you can assume he can at least hold his own against most ninjas. He's a master of Fire Release, supposedly."

"That's Sasuke." He hadn't expected anything less.

"Toru is fine too, he…"

Naruto's heart skipped a beat.

"…Say that again?"

"Toru is fine? There are rumors he's going to become a Jōnin soon, actually."

"Toru is alive…?" Naruto asked, his voice tight.

"Well, yeah. I mean he's missing an eye, but that's been the case for long." She looked at his pale face. "…Did something happen during the mission?"

"Yeah. I saw someone cut his throat open."

Karin gasped.

"…Nevermind, if he's alive. I'm…" He sighed in relief. "I'm very glad to hear it. Not sure how he fixed that, but…"

He wiped his eyes.

"That's great." He smiled. "What about Sakura?" He asked, and Karin winced.

"Well… that's the thing. Nobody knows where Sakura is."

So, Sakura had apparently left the village, leaving only a note behind.

Karin had gotten the info from Ino, who didn't know much more about it. Her parents had been tight-lipped about it, so she assumed it had something to do with them.

But no matter how she pushed, — and Ino was good at pushing and prodding — they would not say much more, only confirming that she had left willingly.

Since she had been discharged honorably, just like any civilian, she was free to leave.

Naruto was worried.

But there was no way he was going to find her without more information, so he just hoped she knew what she was doing.

'It is Sakura. She probably planned everything out.'

He had to tell himself that a few more times.

"Lightning Release, then. I can help you with that." Orochimaru nodded. "But you're at a decent level already. I can teach you jutsu, but when it comes to progressing your master over it… You're going to have to keep on practicing."

Naruto nodded. He had thought so.

Orochimaru continued. "Chakra quality is built over time. You cannot refine yours much more right now, because your chakra has not matured enough yet."

"Is there a way to accelerate the process?"

"Same as building bigger reserves. Use it until you're running low, and then let it refill. Over and over again."

"I see. Thank you."

"It might be wiser to focus your efforts on Wind Release, for the time being. You are in luck, for this is my main affinity. Let's not waste any time."

By the time he went back to bed, he was wondering how he was going to survive this.

Orochimaru seemed to make sure to push him to his exact limit… and then a bit more.

He almost had a sixth sense for it.

"You're a fast learner." Orochimaru said, the next morning. "And your clone learning trick is pretty interesting."

Naruto panted. "Thanks… I try."

"Is this going to be enough, though?"

"…What do you mean?"

"For your goals. You want to free the Nine-Tails. And Akatsuki will come after you, once they learn about you."

"…"

"At this rate, you would be Jōnin material in two, maybe three years. No doubt."

Naruto said nothing.

"Will this be enough…?"

"…No."

"Can you afford to progress at this rate?"

"No."

Orochimaru smiled.

"We both know that Akatsuki might move faster. I do not know what they're planning right now. The organization did not do anything openly in the last years. Capturing you was their boldest move yet. And even then, they kept their association with Rain hidden."

"I wasn't supposed to survive, as far as I know."

"Exactly. What happens to you if the Nine-Tails disappears… or else?"

"…I will die, most likely. Maybe lose my chakra." To him, both options were basically as bad.

The way the Nine-Tails had looked at him when they sealed their bargain didn't really imply anything good, should he fail to uphold his part.

"That's what I thought." Orochimaru nodded. "Then you are living on borrowed time."

Naruto sighed. He already knew this, deep down. He had just wanted to keep his head in the sand a bit longer.

It was obvious that the man was trying to lead him to some option he might not want to consider if the circumstances were not so dire, too.

"What do you propose, then? I assume you have something that might work."

Orochimaru's eyes gleamed.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

The dissection room was a pretty morbid place, of course.

It was somewhat cold too, even if the corpses were kept cold mostly thanks to seals made for this express purpose.

"What are we here for?" Naruto asked.

Knowing that dissecting corpses was something every village did was one thing.

Seeing it was another.

He didn't like the experience much.

"You're seeing it."

They were standing in front of Uzumaki Suijin's naked corpse.

"You could have covered him."

Orochimaru laughed. "What use does a corpse have for modesty? Besides, what is all over his body is what we are here for. Take a closer look."

Scars rippled over the corpse's skin. There were patterns in there, and ink mixed with them.

"What is this…? Seals?"

"Close enough. It's his life's work, a modern twist on an old ritual... with mystical ties. Something that likely worked for those of the Uzumaki bloodline."

Naruto looked at him, now intrigued, despite the dead body in the room with them.

"They are specific seals carved with intent into his body, linked to his mind and soul… meant to re-purpose his chakra to enhance his capabilities." Orochimaru said with delight.

"He still died like any other man."

"Of course, of course." Orochimaru waved away. "The Fourth specialized in this kind of instant assassination. You'll find that most people, when unprepared, cannot do much about their brains being turned to mush."

"Hm."

"It's an ancient art, one that was practiced long ago, when the Uzumaki were at war. Later on, it evolved into the sealing style used to create Jinchūriki."

"What does it have to do with us?" Naruto said, cutting through his long-winded tirade. The man talked too much.

"Isn't it obvious?" Orochimaru was ecstatic. "We're going to steal his expertise and use it on you, using the Nine-Tails to circumvent most of the drawbacks."

Naruto said nothing for a while.

"…Is there a reason it fell out of favor?"

Orochimaru shrugged. "Sure. The art was constantly evolving, so of course… there could be some unintended side effects. It had a pretty high mortality rate, even for the Uzumaki clan."

'Figures.'

"And that's why you decided… This was our best bet?"

"Most Uzumaki didn't have a Bijū's chakra floating around in their gut. Its chakra is as close to divine as it gets. That should cover you, as far as mysticism goes."

"…"

"And most Uzumaki didn't have me, either."

That had been a week ago.

Training resumed normally. Karin taught him how to use his sensor abilities. Orochimaru made him a bit stronger, faster and better every day.

But he could see the limits.

His body could only grow so fast. His mind could only take so much.

The Nine-Tails' chakra was floating around inside him, uselessly.

Naruto didn't know how much time he had.

In the end, Orochimaru had known what he would choose from the start. That's probably why he had spent even more time studying the corpse, as well as his research.

Bastard.

"For what it's worth, I think you made the right choice." Orochimaru said, two weeks later.

"…I hope so." Naruto answered.

"And doing them all before your puberty is over will allow you to make the most out of them. I shall keep you safe while you recover."

They had been making preparations, this whole time, training falling off a little bit.

If this worked, they would be able to catch up on this easily.

If.

Naruto said nothing.

He had learned a lot about how this would work.

First there were the drawbacks. For a period of up to two years after completing the seals, his chakra network would be working at less than full capacity.

So he'd risk being much weaker for a while.

For a ninja, that could mean death.

The main seals would have to be carved into his skin. It was the only kind of sacrifice that would result in an intent strong enough for it to take.

Once a main seal was drawn, the supporting seals could be drawn in ink, and be compacted into the scar. He'd then be free to cover the scar with ink, if he so desired.

Now…

Seals were different from Ninjutsu on a fundamental level.

You could twist a jutsu to do different things.

Seals were made to do exactly one thing.

This clarity in intent was what made them work in the first place. The symbols themselves were here as a guideline, of sorts.

Then there was the risk of overlapping seals.

If they had similar purposes, but worked in too different ways, there was always the chance they would disturb the other's function. Which would be bad, at best.

Orochimaru was confident in what they had come up with, though.

They picked seals that had similar enough functions, and assumed nothing too bad would happen.

Naruto wished he felt the same.

They needed to start, now.

Another drawback was that Naruto had to do it himself. The intent would not be sufficient, otherwise.

The older man would just be here to make sure he actually survived the process.

Orochimaru had worked out what the symbols meant by cross-referencing Suijin's research and the actual carvings on his body.

Most ended up being simplified versions, — you still had to carve them into your body, in the end — symbols of what they were referencing.

Usually divinities that had been worshiped by the old world.

The first seal to carve would be the Magatama, above his navel, as a part of the seal that was already there, and visible ever since the Nine-Tails had been extracted.

Long ago, in the Elemental Nations, it had been a symbol of power and strength.

It also meant birth, and fertility, as well the soul and the power of the spirit.

Orochimaru had prepared a knife for this express purpose.

Now, sitting on the floor, mostly naked, and surrounded by candles, with the supporting seals drawn around him, he realized it wouldn't do.

He knew what he needed.

Just like he had only been able to do under high duress, he reached inwards, for the ancient feeling he had mostly been ignoring.

Lightning sparked in his hand, and a small knife appeared, made out of chakra. Orochimaru looked on without saying a word, surprise in his expression.

Naruto hesitated once more.

It was too late for regrets.

Naruto plunged the knife in his belly. He kept his hands steady, as blood poured out.

He focused on the symbol in his mind.

Health.

Strength.

Stamina.

Fertility.

Soul.

Moon.

It was like something else took control for a moment. He relinquished control.

Chakra. He was chakra.

Magatama. Life.

Magatama. Power.

He carved the seal.

He could feel something reaching for him from within. He let it.

His chakra pooled into the seal, as he had expected.

The Nine-Tails' chakra, that he had almost forgotten about, reached for it too.

This part was unexpected.

His soul burned.

Working with the Nine-Tails chakra came with one unexpected drawback.

Bijū chakra was very different from human chakra.

Chakra quality came over time… And the Bijū had lived for centuries.

Their very own physical form was shaped out of raw chakra.

The Nine-Tails was the most powerful of them all, and even at half capacity, only the Eight-Tails came anywhere close.

Using the Beast's to power a very human seal, meant for human chakra…

Well, that was comparable to using a sledgehammer to kill an ant.

Too much. Way too much.

Naruto let out a grunt. His jaw was clenched so hard it felt as if he were about to break his teeth altogether.

He felt tears run down his face.

Naruto managed to pull the supporting seals within the Magatama seal. They settled, covering the wound in black ink.

The first one was complete, and it was burning with power. He didn't feel any weaker, either. Was this supposed to happen…?

If anything, he felt as if he were more awake than he had ever been before.

Still, he had two more to carve tonight.

"Ryu" was next.

He drew the corresponding supporting symbols on the floor, Orochimaru overseeing his work. He took that time to catch his breath. His navel was still on fire.

This one would go over his left shoulder.

The Dragon had been a big part of the Uzumaki clan's iconography.

"Ryu."

Wisdom, Strength, Masculinity. Luck, Glory, Hidden Knowledge.

It wasn't any easier to carve the corresponding seal. But he knew what to expect, now. Blood, pain, fire.

For power.

For freedom.

For his life.

The Dragon symbol was complete.

This time, he screamed when both chakra sources within him filled the seal. He pulled on the sealing marks surrounding him, taking them in, as well.

He panted. One more to go. He could barely lift his left arm.

He drew the last supporting symbols.

Naruto breathed in, hard.

He plunged the dagger for the last time.

"Tengu".

Sky. War. Disruption. Combat. Chaos. Swordsmanship.

That was the last one, is what he kept repeating to himself.

He pulled on the seals, taking them in.

Naruto screamed, his voice breaking.

His chakra flowed into it. The Nine-Tails' did as well.

The Tengu seal stood on his right shoulder proudly.

All three seals burned. But this, he felt he could manage.

He stood up. Orochimaru watched him carefully.

He took a few steps, with bare feet, leaving bloody marks on the floor.

Then he collapsed.

Orochimaru caught him.

"You did well."

Naruto was sick for the next three days.

Coming in and out of a fever when he could have been training — or doing anything else, really — sucked.

Naruto never got sick.

He hoped this was just temporary. If he had managed to fuck himself up completely…

Well, he'd have time to think about this later.

Karin brought him food during these days, and stayed to chat a bit.

That was the decent part.

He didn't even have the strength to do much reading.

He thought he felt a bit better at night, though.

"The Nine-Tails' chakra has interfered in ways we didn't expect, I assume." It was the first thing Orochimaru said to him, once he had managed to leave his quarters.

"Yeah, I think so. You thought it could happen?" Naruto sniffled. He was still feeling a bit off.

Orochimaru shrugged. "It was a possibility, it's very… alien in every way. I knew that even if it came to this, it probably wouldn't kill you, though." Seeing Naruto's face, he added. "I was right, wasn't I?"

"I guess so."

"Do you feel anything different?"

"It's a bit too early to tell. I feel a bit… antsy though."

"You've been bedridden for a while."

"I've been bedridden before. This is a bit different. It's like… a craving? For fighting. Maybe."

Orochimaru nodded. "By any chance, do you also feel a sudden… desire to prove your strength. Maybe through fighting, too?"

"…And how do you know this?"

He shrugged. "Well, these are some of the main characteristics of the seals, of the creatures we used. You cannot expect to simply reap the benefits without getting none of the flaws, can you now?"

"…What? You didn't say anything about this."

"Well, a Jinchūriki might take on some of its Bijū's traits, right."

Naruto nodded.

"You just carved seals dedicated to ancient myths into your skin. Two of them, in fact."

"Don't you think I would have liked to know about this earlier?" Naruto tried to remain calm, but his blood was boiling.

Wait, why was he so angry…? He was very slow to anger, usually. Orochimaru playing around with dangerous tools was nothing out of the ordinary. Was this from the seals…?

He stopped to breathe.

Orochimaru looked a bit amused. "It won't change you on a fundamental level, though. It's still going to be you."

"What else can I expect?"

Orochimaru seemed to hesitate for a second. Hesitate!

He never did that.

"Well, this set should be manageable, but we need to speed up your maturity, if you plan on getting powerful anytime soon."

Naruto closed his eyes in consternation.

"…And this sort of seal might influence you a bit more."