Nindō 0021: Likeness

"Can you at least tell me what the deal with this Mark is?" Kurama asked irritably. The fox was not fond of being kept in the dark.

"It's a complicated construct, but it is a mark that I brand on the soul of a person who trusts me," Naruto said. "On Sarada, for example, the mark showed up in the form of a mutation for her Sharingan as I'd expected. I did subtly guide the mark to express itself in the form of a mutation, but I didn't have true control over it. On others, it won't be as clear and it's mostly going to be up to chance. Another example is when I brand Hinata, there's a much lower possibility that the mutation will show up in her Byakugan. Since she doesn't go on missions or fight in general, it isn't something that is used a lot, in that case, the mark will find a more suitable spot to express itself according to her personality."

"And what exactly is the purpose of this mark?" Kurama asked, "Is it some sort of a contract?"

"Honestly," Naruto said, "I am not sure either. At least not completely. From what I know, it's a literal brand that's going to declare that the bearer is connected to me — in baser terms, they belong to me, hence the Dominion aspect."

"You put such a mark on the little Uchiha girl?" Kurama seemed weirded out about it.

"What's wrong with it? She's my disciple anyway," Naruto asked, "I'm just examining the effects of the mark on her before I brand Hinata, Boruto, and Himawari as well. This brand is much more than you realize, Kurama. Think about it, it's something that the literal personification of time in the universe told me about. I need to explore it further, but I'm sure that it's very useful."

"I don't know how much I would trust this literal personification of time as you call it," Kurama said, his tone full of skepticism.

"I understand where you're coming from, buddy," Naruto said. "But there's truly no need to worry about any of these things. You just need to trust me on this."

"Fine," Kurama felt defeated but gave in nonetheless. "What benefit does it bring to you exactly? Does it allow you to suck the holders dry when you need chakra or something?"

"Nothing that extreme, Kurama. I'm not Orochimaru. And it has a very wide range of uses. One of which I tested just two days ago with Sarada — telepathy. At any time, from anywhere, I can telepathically talk to any of the mark holders. The mutation of her Sharingan has also made the dōjutsu much better, almost comparable to the base enhancement that the Mangekyō provides. I've also realized that she's extremely receptive to my chakra. I can essentially feed her my chakra to make her stronger. There are more tests I need to do to determine how that enhancement exactly works, however."

"If you're down for it, I'm with you. Maybe we can yet push back the Ōtsutsuki clan," Kurama said. "Are you planning to use that Uzumaki girl for this purpose as well? You called her all the way to Konoha after all."

"I am," Naruto agreed. "Karin is actually a very good recipient for the Mark of Dominion. She has Uzumaki blood along with the signature abilities of the bloodline. I want to see how it reacts to her and what she can help me uncover. I'm going to test it on a soul from the Pure Land as well at some point. Since it is a soul-based mark, it should theoretically be possible to brand them."

"I don't think your insanity was completely fixed, partner," Kurama said. "The reanimation Jutsu has been sealed away and for good reason at that."

"I'm not going to disrespect those souls like Orochimaru by summoning them into a dead body," Naruto huffed. "I'm going to directly summon a soul from the Pure Land. Don't worry so much, it's a normal thing."

"You hear yourself right now, right?" Kurama asked. "That casual tone of yours makes it sound like you've done it multiple times before."

"I've been there before, Kurama. Stop worrying so much."

"You've been to the … Pure Land," Kurama never thought that speechlessness would be an emotion he would experience after all that it had been through, "I think I'm done for now. I'll just sleep and observe what you're planning. Just try not to get my existence nuclear-fissioned into dust this time around."

…

Once Naruto was done talking to Kurama, he woke up from his meditation and stood up, "Don't forget about separating a part of your chakra to become a cute pet for Himawari, Kurama," Naruto said with a laugh as he jumped out of the window and made his way to the training ground where the test was being held.

[Go fuck yourself.] Kurama wasn't planning to agree to Naruto's demand just like that.

"Haha," Naruto merely laughed as he changed positions with his clone and dispelled it before any of the Kage or their aides could realize it. All they felt was a light gust of wind blowing into the seating area, except, of course, Sasuke, who had noticed both Naruto's disappearance and reappearance. He wasn't near the five Kage but overlooking the competition from a distance at a height. Taking a hard breath, he narrowed his eyes at Naruto.

…

"Yes! We passed." Sarada exclaimed excitedly, pumping her fist, "Let's do our best in the next one as well, guys," She looked at Boruto and Mitsuki who both nodded at her. Mitsuki had a neutral smile on his face that showed that he was happy, but that was the extent of it. As for Boruto, his smile was a hesitant one, one filled with self-doubt and confusion though no one noticed it in their excitement.

At this point, it was time for the Hokage to address everyone. As he stepped onto the podium, Naruto's eyes met Sarada's as he gave her an approving nod. He'd already seen from his shadow clone's memory that she had the fastest reaction time in the round. Even though it was more of a basic elimination round, she had come first and made sure to pull her teammates through with her.

At the same time, Boruto, who was standing right beside Sarada thought that nod was for him as well, making him feel constricted in his chest, 'I'd already given up, Dad … It was Mitsuki who grabbed me at the end moment.' As the blonde's expression took for the worse, Naruto's eyes hovered over him for a moment.

The Hokage's speech concluded the first round of the chunin exams as the participants all dispersed, ready to prepare for the next round.

"Are you going to the training ground to train with Dad, Boruto?" Sarada asked her teammate as they were on their way back to the village from the training ground.

"Not tonight, he's called me there early in the morning tomorrow."

"That's good as well," Sarada's neutral tone didn't betray any emotions.

…

"Lord Seventh?" Sarada walked into Naruto's office timidly merely an hour after the first round ended.

Naruto's clone raised his brow, "What's wrong? You're never this hesitant."

Sarada's lips parted as she was about to say something but she then closed her mouth. Opening it again, she hesitated as Naruto looked at her with a pointed look. "Can I stay here for the rest of the day?" She blurted out as fast as she could before looking down with her fists clenched.

"Sure you can," Naruto said. "You can help me out with some paperwork and all. But are you sure that you don't want to go home to rest? These kinds of tests can be nerve-racking even if they are simple."

Sarada pulled the extra chair and put it beside Naruto before sitting in it and looking down at her lap. "I hate him," She said after a long pause.

"I see that Sasuke is still the same brooding guy that you described two days ago?" Naruto said.

"Worse," Sarada nodded with suppressed anger, "He doesn't even try to spend time with me. He's taken on that dumbass Boruto as his disciple after seeing him use the Rasengan. And me? I can just rot at home." Sarada's vicious words mixed with her tear-filled eyes made Naruto feel bad for Sasuke yet he also felt confused by Sarada's state.

"He didn't agree to teach you even after you asked him to?" Naruto asked putting his hand on Sarada's head to comfort her, "Stop crying, how about sensei punches your father in the face for you, huh? I promise I'll leave his face swollen for the next week."

Pfft. She couldn't help but laugh amidst her tears at Naruto's words. Still, she shook her head, "Didn't you say that you wouldn't take me on as your disciple until the chunin exams were finished?"

"That was just to motivate you, girl," Naruto scoffed. "Do you think I would've let you anywhere near my work if I wasn't already sure about you? Now tell me, did you listen to my advice and ask him to teach you?"

"N-no …" Sarada looked down at her lap embarrassedly again. "But I kept shooting him looks and trying to signal him to train me."

"Like father, like daughter, I see," Naruto's expression turned wry. "I'll tell you the same thing that I told him. Stop trying to convey secret meanings through small gestures. Sasuke is a fool who doesn't know how to respond despite noticing your anger and annoyance. He just broods by himself trying to come up with ways to cheer you up in his head and not doing anything about it. You're both too similar. Now I'm giving you an ultimatum, Sarada. Tonight, you are to talk to your father and tell him exactly what you told me. Understood?"

"But —"

"No buts. I will not listen to any more excuses. I will check up on you after the second round and if you aren't training in that same field as Boruto and Sasuke then I'm going to … think up a punishment on the spot. But I promise that you won't like it."

Sarada had to cough to hide her laughter, "I-I'll talk to Dad, Seventh-sama."

***

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