Chapter 12: Distant Cousin.

When Hinata heard that Sage Mode is a powerful jutsu, her interest is piqued.

"Zokuto-kun, will you really teach me that Sage Mode?" asked Hinata with a sparkling eyes.

"Sure." Zokuto nodded. "By the way, there are many ways to learn Sage Mode. Some people were born with the talent of being able to feel and absorb the natural energy. Some people awakened the talent that enabled them to sense and absorb the nature energy.

I don't know if our Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama born with this talent or awakened this talent later on in his life, but I'm sure he is in one of these cases as he managed to learn Sage Mode on his own. This may have to do with his awakened Mokuton Kekkei Genkai. Later on, because a Senju was the first to be able to use nature energy in balance to his chakra energy, the name Senjutsu then used to name this technique, and the balanced energy also named as Senjutsu chakra." explained Zokuto, while using Hashirama as an example to his explanation.

"Another way to learn this jutsu is learning it from the Sage regions such as Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest. However, you will get an inherent effect. For example, your eye pupil will look like frog's pupil if you learn Sage Mode at Mount Myoboku, and the pupil of snake for Ryuchi Cave.

Then, there is the safest way, which is getting to learn it by the help of someone who is already able to use this jutsu. My training fall into this category as I already know how to perform Sage Mode."

To prove his point, Zokuto sat in front of Hinata and started to meditate. Not long after that, a dark-red line appeared and thickened his eyelid. His whiskers also turned into a dark-red sharp stripes. Another three sharp stripes appeared on his forehead, which are thick near his hair and thinned toward the middle of his eyebrows. Zokuto then slowly opened his eyes. Upon opening his eyes, his chakra and power rose exponentially.

"This is Sage Mode." said Zokuto, looking at Hinata. He then jumped down the Hole. He then fall onto the ground, below the high cliff of the Hole.

Bang!

The fall caused a loud sound and a small tremor. On the ground, Zokuto was standing without any scratch. However, the ground below him was damaged as if a big metal ball was forcefully knocked into it.

Zokuto climbed back to the top of the cliff. When he got on top, he saw a wide eyed Hinata, Neji and Naruto. Zokuto then left the Sage Mode state.

"Awesome! Hei Zokuto, that is really awesome. Teach me that jutsu. Teach me please!" begged Naruto.

"You should finish your training. Once you are able to perform Bijuu Kata, then you will certainly be able to enter into Sage Mode, which I have shown to you just now." After that, they continued their training.

While Zokuto and his friend are dilligently training, something else happened to his clone.

Just when Zokuto's clone with the two mist kid reached the shore of the land of Fire, they met a nin of Konoha. This nin is one of Konoha's three Sannin, Jiraiya.

"Uzumaki Zokuto! Finally I found you!"

"Oh. So it's Jiraiya-san. Have you been searching for me?"

"Kid, stop running away, and come back to Konoha."

"No, can't do. I like it being outside of Konoha."

"Listen kid. Do you know, because of you Naruto also run away from Konoha. More kid also followed your example."

"You mean Neji and Hinata, right? Actually I'm the one who brought them out of the village." admitted Zokuto.

"What? How come there is no report about you when they escaped?"

"You heard me. They are now staying with me. So, you don't have to worry about them." said Zokuto. "Just go back to Konoha on your own, Jiraiya-san. Tell that old Sandaime, I took Naruto and the Hyuugas to experience a long term training, away from Konoha. This way, a certain Shimura will not be able to do anything to them.

Also, tell Sandaime to stop being hypocrite and useless. In all of Hokage's reign, he is the first to kill so many of his own people."

"What do you mean by that Zokuto? Don't you dare smear dirt into sensei's reputation."

"Jiraiya-san, are you blind or are you pretending to not know it? Let me ask you this. Where did all those Senjus go? Why did Tsunade-san left the village?"

"That...Tsunade left because his family..."

"Died right? Also, all those Senjus died in missions, right? Then, how did so many Senju died in their mission? Why are there only little records of Sarutobis or Shimuras dead in their missions?"

This time, Jiraiya was silenced and could not refute those question.

"Jiraiya-san, if you stop on doing outside spying and concentrate on investigating inside of Konoha, you will know just how many clans that vanished or declined to the point of extinction. Hatake clan, Kurama clan, Senju clan, and even including my Uzumaki Clan... Jiraiya-san, you see that only my and my brother are left. If it's not because we are Jinchuurikis, we might already be on the way to meet our ancestors."

Hearing Zokuto mention about his clan, Jiraiya felt some sadness crept into his heart. If Zokuto did not mentioned it, he will always think that everything is good in Konoha. However, now that reflect to Zokuto's word, he found it so much convincing.

"Let's just stop this talk. Jiraiya-san, just go back already. I'm not going back to Konoha, not for the time being."

Zokuto then turned and walked away with Haku and Kimimaro in tow.

"Stop Zakuto! I still need to take you..."

Before Jiraiya finished his words, Zokuto cloaked Mora's bijuu chakra, and with his speed, he suddenly appeared at Jiraiya's back, and hand chopped his neck. Jiraiya who did not expect Zokuto to suddenly appear at his back, collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

"Let's go. Let's left this place before Jiraiya woke up." said Zokuto.

"Are you going to let him live? Why not just kill him?" asked Haku.

"I cannot do that. I want him to send my message to Sandaime Hokage. Also, he is after all still my godfather. Killing him is equal to making my parent and my brother to be sad." explained Zokuto. "In any case, he is not our priority. Let's continue our journey."

He then turned and walked away. Kimimaro and Haku looked at Zokuto's back. They are not able to see him as a kid. He look more like an elite shinoby. They looked at each other, before they started following Zokuto, who is already distance away from them.

Sometimes later, Jiraiya woke up. The first thing he did was to check for Zokuto's existance in the vicinity. He soon was disappointed as Zokuto was already long gone.

"I need to report this to sensei." After that, Jiraiya also left that place, though with so many doubt about his sensei, and Konoha.

...

Next Day.

Zokuto was having a lunch alone today. The others are in the academy, helping the kids to learn ninjutsu.

Suddenly, he felt something.

'They already arrived!'

He then hurriedly finished his meal. After that, he jumped out of his house, and climb up to the top of the Hole.

"You are here."

"Yes. I managed to find them, and brought them here." replied Zokuto's clone.

"You have done well. Let me handle th rest."

"Okay." Zokuto's clone then dissipated into a layer of smokes.

'So, all this time we have been following just a clone? Also, we got rescued by just said clone?' thought Kimimaro. Haku is also thinking the same.

"Welcome to Tonika Village. This is your new home." said Zokuto, pointing toward the big hole which encapsuled the Tonika Village. "Let's go down there. I want to introduce you two to the people I know, and also show you where you will stay, meaning your house."

Without waiting for their reply, he grabbed both and jumped down the cliff. They instinctively want to resist, but held back when Zokuto entered into a cloaked bijuu form. A chakra wings extended and flapped to slow down their descend. A moment later, they stepped onto the ground.

Zokuto then guide the two toward his house.

"Hei Zokuto, we are home." Naruto did not wait and just opened the front door, and entered into the house.

"Huh, he is not in the house? Did he go out to train?" questioned Naruto.

"Oh, you guys is already home."

"Hei, there you are. Did you go out to train...huh!? Who are these two. They look very familiar." said Naruto.

"Yuki Haku and Kaguya Kimimaro." stated Neji.

"Are they also one of our cousin?" asked Naruto. Neji and Hinata showed a look of amusement when they heard Naruto. They then looked at Zokuto, and waited for his answer.

"Well, I'm not sure about Haku, but Kimimaro is our distant cousin." nodded Zokuto.

"It's that true?" asked Kimimaro with a sceptical look.

"Our Uzumaki's oldest ancestor is Otsutsuki Kaguya. This same ancestor has many bloodline ability. One of them is the bloodline inherited by your Kaguya clan, the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai." explained Zokuto. "As I already told Naruto, Neji and Hinata, Otsutsuki Kaguya has two son which are Hagoromo and Hamura. Hamura only inherited the Byakugan and it's related dojutsu technique from Kaguya, while Hagoromo inherited the other dojutsu ability and bloodline.

Later on, Hagoromo has a son called Indra and Ashura. Indra inherited the other dojutsu ability, and Ashura inherited the other bloodline. I am sure that like Senju and Uzumaki, Kaguya clan also a descendant of Ashura. Therefore, that made them our Uzumaki distant cousin."