CHAPTER 26: The Blade Itself

He wields the flame in one hand.

He carries lightning in the other.

His crimson eyes see beyond what even his legendary father has seen.

If there is such a thing as peace, he will find it.

No matter the cost.

No matter how many times it took him.

At this point, what Naruto considered a good night of sleep was any night he was not dreaming of flames, lightning or corruption.

One month had passed since he had completed his first set of seals. Soon, he'd have to move on to the next.

He was starting to notice a difference. He had carved two different seals with "Strength" as a component.

Orochimaru had him do a lot of strength training, insisting that as Lightning user, — soon to be also Wind — the usual drawbacks of carrying too much muscle mass wouldn't really apply to him.

With his natural leaning toward Yang chakra, he was likely going to be able to grow very strong physically. He might as well make good use of it.

The snake sage had him eat so much food that he had been queasy about the amounts, in the beginning. Like most things, he got used to it.

Something he hadn't really counted on was his puberty being kick-started by his seals.

There were not so many girls around the camp, but he noticed a few of them.

Anko was a beautiful woman, if a scary one.

Karin was his closest friend here, and even though he was aware she was attractive, he was not about to do something stupid.

There was another cute red-head with a foul mouth. She didn't seem very approachable, though, so he steered clear.

Still, he was feeling a lot of tension inside himself.

Nobody had told him being a teenager would suck this much.

His Wind Release training was going decently, at least.

Naruto was definitely not going to use this one in combat yet, but he was able to cut small objects he held in between his two hands.

He could also blow a wind stream from his mouth to dispel dust clouds. That was about it for the practical side of things.

What he did notice was that he did have a bit less chakra to use than before the first carving. Compared to what he had read, though, this was more than manageable.

His best guess was that it had been due to the leftover Nine-Tails' chakra interfering.

With Orochimaru watching attentively, — better than the way he sometimes looked at things as if he were about to eat them — Naruto started drawing symbols on the floor.

He settled in the middle.

"Choho." The butterfly.

Spirit. Adulthood. Joy. Longevity. Metamorphosis. Transformation.

He summoned a dagger, easier than last time.

The symbol, which looked like two larger lines representing wings, and a thinner one for the body, went on his upper back, along his spine.

He let his chakra fill it, blinking a couple tears away.

Naruto sighed and drew the preparations for the next one, which he would carve twice. He braced himself.

"Omoikane."

Wisdom. Pondering. Intelligence. Reflection. Self-Mastery.

As his only mind-focused seal, and the only one he felt brave enough to try out, he took his time.

He carved it onto his left temple, where hair would hide it, once it grew back.

It gave him a pretty rough headache, too.

"Omoikane."

Wisdom. Pondering. Intelligence. Reflection. Beyond the Human Mind.

He carved his right temple now.

The headache got much worse. He felt that it would be safer not to add anything when it came to his mind.

For some stupid reason, he continued.

"Inari."

Life Force. Growth. Fertility … Fertility?

His head was pounding.

'Shit. What was it again…? Something about foxes..? I can't think.'

Too late. He couldn't afford to mess it up. He carved it just under the seal that used to host the Nine-Tails.

He activated it.

In retrospect, that had been dumb.

He would not realize it right away, but later on, when he actually had to deal with its consequences on a daily basis…

He'd curse his past self for not having been a little more patient.

Oh, and Orochimaru, too. But this was a daily thing, anyway.

When he awoke, despite the pounding headache, his thoughts were clearer than ever.

Some of the distractions, the intrusive thoughts, worries, had just… faded away, for lack of a better term.

Some hazy memories sharpened, as well. Some wanted… some less so.

He was sick again, so he took the time he spent in his bed to sort through them.

He managed to practice some chakra sensing after just two days of rest, this time.

His chakra levels had been more noticeably affected this time. Overall, he estimated he'd lost about a quarter of his maximum capacity with all the seals he had carved into his flesh.

It would take some time before he was back at full strength, then.

The scars were not so visible, in the end, being mostly covered by the ink he had used to draw the supporting symbols.

Over the next two months, in which he didn't dare continue carving seals into his body, he noticed he was growing.

Fast. Very fast, even.

Some people in Orochimaru's base did double takes when they saw him again after a long period.

When he had come here, just a few months ago, he had been one meter fifty-two.

A bit on the lower side, but nothing to really worry about.

Now, a few months shy of fourteen, — he had trouble counting, considering the time displacement thing — he was standing at one meter sixty five.

Which meant he was a bit taller than Karin, now. It was… a relief, somehow.

He was also filling out pretty nicely. The combination of Uzumaki genetics, a Bijū's chakra in your belly, and a few seals to speed up your growth were truly a sight to behold.

He weighed around seventy kilos, by now, and he was still growing.

"This is likely going to be the last set of seals I'm going to be carving. I don't want to risk more."

"As you wish." Orochimaru nodded, but didn't push.

"Fūjin." Wind God.

Tempests. Typhoons. Protection. Battle. Trickster. Vitality.

It went under his left collarbone.

This one hurt when it activated.

Naruto had to wait a half hour before resuming.

"Raijin" Thunder God.

Lightning. Thunder. Storms. Aggression. Fierceness. Stamina.

He tried not to think too hard on what the other symbols would likely bring him. He could not afford it.

Right collarbone.

It activated.

Something was wrong. He could feel it. The seals were opposing each other's inner workings.

They had expected this to happen.

He gasped, motioned for Orochimaru to let him be.

He would need to finish this set right away, otherwise…

No need to think about it now.

He drew the last seals with a shaky hand.

"Kannon." Goddess of Mercy.

Harmony. Fertility. Fearlessness. Balance. Healing.

He carved her symbol along his spine, under Choho.

He felt her pull.

Fūjin and Raijin settled enough for him to feel he was not going to die.

Still, everything ached.

He asked for water but passed out before he was able to drink any.

Later on, when Karin comes to his room to bring him some food, she doesn't understand why he insists she doesn't come too close.

He looks so nervous — red in the face, too — that she doesn't insist, though.

"Orochimaru-sensei, I think we may have a problem on our hands."

"What is it?" He asked, golden eyes curious.

"…The fertility symbols. I thought it was just puberty at first, but…"

"…Hm?"

"I think we may have used too many of them." Naruto said, not meeting his eyes.

"It was the best way to speed up your growth, when combined with the others."

"Yes, I understand this." Naruto said, frustrated. "But they also do weird things to… my thoughts. I keep getting distracted."

"Oh. I see." Orochimaru said, amused. "Why don't you find yourself a nice girlfriend or two, then?"

Naruto reddened and left huffing.

'He made it sound so easy.'

'Maybe Orochimaru had a point.'

Despite feeling himself improve at a much faster rate, and despite his increased mental acuity… it was hard for him to focus, sometimes. Same thing went for his clones, and he knew he was missing out on some productive hours.

Simply put, he was a growing boy.

And there were no girls his age in camp. What kind of woman would be interested in a fourteen year old…? He shuddered to think of it.

To Naruto's surprise, Wind came a to him a bit easier in the weeks after. Before long, he was able to summon it to slow down his fall or enhance his throws.

It also seemed to work better with blunt weapons than lightning. He could use it to make each attack a bit faster, and thus, stronger.

This morning, Orochimaru motioned for him to stop.

"Why do you insist on using a staff, when you seem to be better with a sword…?" He asked.

Naruto doesn't answer right away, a bit hesitant.

"Ah. I see." Orochimaru says, looking serious. "Your aversion to killing. Mercy, then."

"What of it?" Naruto asks, defensive.

"Nothing wrong about it per se." The man calms him down. "But there's something here you're ignoring."

"…"

"Mercy is a luxury only the strong can afford." Orochimaru says, wistful.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been a shinobi for around fifty years. I know how unusual that is. Most of us tend to die well before that."

It was true. The average life expectancy for a shinobi was at around twenty-seven.

Not including the permanently disabled veterans. Naruto forced himself not to wonder about Sakura's whereabouts.

"What is your point?" Naruto asked.

"What do you think is the main reason I got there?"

Naruto thought about it.

"…Talent and diligence?" Was this the answer he was looking for?

Orochimaru snorted. "Without wanting to brag, I know I'm a prodigy. But that's not it. There have been two dozens of people with just as much, or even more innate talent than me born in Konoha after me."

Out of all of them, Namikaze had been the most prodigious. Born to a civilian family, no particular bloodline and still…

Naruto let him continue.

"Out of all of them, do you know how many are alive now?"

He hesitated.

Orochimaru finished. "Three. Hatake Kakashi. Uchiha Itachi and Shisui. Their brothers, we'll have to see about, in the future."

"…Only three?"

"The rest died, yes. Most of them, on the battlefield."

"…"

"It's not that I was more talented than them. It's not that I was working much harder than them, either. It's not even because Sarutobi-sensei nurtured our talents, even though this is also what allowed us to at least grow through a period of almost constant warfare. He could not protect us from everything, no matter how strong he had been."

Naruto didn't like where this was going.

"I won't hide it from you, the biggest reason I'm still here… is simple, dumb luck." He shrugged. He had accepted his place in a seemingly random, seemingly cruel universe.

"The second reason is that I don't hesitate to force my luck. I put all the chances on my side, no matter what it takes. Killing, experimenting, cheating… You name it. Sarutobi-sensei did not always approve." It had been the major reason he had been passed over for the role of Hokage in favor of Minato, back when he still cared about it.

He had been bitter at the time. Now he saw it as the best choice Sarutobi had made, both for them and the village. The fact that Minato had died after less than five years on the job was just more proof that he would not have been able to make the necessary sacrifices. He continued.

"Jiraiya and Tsunade used to be too merciful, too. They've learned better. Despite their aversion to killing, they realized the same thing I did… When all three of our lives were put at risk because of the mercy they extended to people they shouldn't have."

Orochimaru looked wistful. "People you spare will come back again. If not the next day, then the next week. If not next week, then in the next war. And in our world, there will always be conflict."

"It doesn't mean killing indiscriminately is right."

"No. It doesn't. But what happens when someone you spared kills one of your allies? Your friends?"

Gaara would definitely have.

"Well…"

"Because that is what will happen in a war. Mercy is more likely to see your friends dead. Me and my teammates long decided that we'd rather bloody our hands instead."

Naruto said nothing.

"I'm not saying you should kill every time you fight." Orochimaru's eyes hardened. "But there are times you will need to. And some people you just can't afford to let live. I would suggest you prepare for this eventuality."

Despite his feelings on the matter, Naruto could not deny the man's words had an impact on him.

He had always shied away from learning techniques more suited from murder.

If a situation rose where he had to choose between killing again… or letting an ally die…

Were his morals worth the lives of the people he cared for?

What was a man's life worth..?

Who was he to decide an Iwa ninja's life needed to end because he was a threat?

And who was that very same man, to do the same?

He had a lot of soul-searching to do.

Naruto wasn't sure what to make of it, but he started training with his bow and sword again.

Orochimaru had a point. If the need rose at some point…

Well, he would need to be prepared.

"Why do you use this sword in particular?" Orochimaru asked again.

It seemed like the man was intent on making him question a lot of things.

"Huh?" This was a sword the old man had given him long ago.

"I don't mean that there's anything wrong with it. It seems like a good quality one, even."

"So…?"

"Why don't you use your summoned weapons?" Orochimaru asked.

'Oh.'

"Like the dagger I used to carve these seals into my skin?" He repressed a little shiver at the memories.

"Exactly."

"Well… I…" Actually, he didn't know. "It's only become possible for me to summon them at will very recently."

Curiosity shone in Orochimaru's eyes. "Elaborate."

"Well, the first few times it happened, we were in danger."

"Who is 'we'? And what happened, exactly?"

Ah. The same calculating glint in his eyes. Could be good news, could be bad.

Naruto focused on the memory. Since he had completed both memory seals, things were much clearer.

"Well, the first time, I was holding Sakura — a friend of mine — and that Uzumaki man was threatening us. I felt some sort of… pull, maybe? Some link between us. Sasuke told me something like a gauntlet appeared around Sakura's hand, too."

"A gauntlet?"

He nodded. "Something half physical. Same thing happened with Sasuke, on a later mission. The one where I got myself captured, actually."

"You summoned another gauntlet? Specify."

"No. It was a pair of swords this time."

Orochimaru muttered to himself. "Fascinating."

"I guess."

"So the weapon summoned depends on the person you… 'Link' with?"

"I never really thought about it. But… yes, I would say so."

"Could you summon the very same weapons right now?"

"Let me try."

Naruto focused.

In a crack of Lightning, a gauntlet appeared around his arm.

"Is this the one?" Orochimaru asked.

Naruto observed it carefully. "…No. I don't think so."

"Do it again, then."

He pictured the gauntlet receding, and it faded away in a show of blue light.

"Maybe picturing the link itself would work better. Emotions and intent are connected often enough." His master supplied.

He nodded.

Sakura.

Kind. Resilient. Smart.

Nothing happened. Maybe that was too vague.

He took a moment to think. He knew her better than this.

She was strong willed. Even after what had happened to her, she would not settle for less than what she wanted.

Level headed. Barring one specific situation where they were facing death for the first time, she always pulled through with good rational decisions.

Caring. She was kind to everyone. But more than this, she liked helping.

She was a hopeless romantic. He had seen her cry over the cheesiest romance novel ever. Of course, he had to read it too, after that.

She was emotional. Because she was empathic.

She was self-reliant. To some degree, he was not surprised she had left the village.

She was Sakura. She would be fine.

He felt the link.

Somehow, he knew she was alive, somewhere.

He hoped she would feel it too.

Naruto pulled, then he pushed.

The gauntlet appeared in a flash of light.

Somehow, he knew this was a replica, and Sakura still held the original one. He also knew he could always summon his own, from now on.

It was black and gold, and covered his forearm and half of his hand.

"Fascinating." The same gleam was back in Orochimaru's eyes.

Orochimaru had known a few Uzumaki.

He knew about their chains, a Bloodline Limit that appeared in some of them. Uzumaki Kushina had been one. Karin looked like she had the potential for them too.

But this… This was not the Uzumaki technique.

There was something of it in there. But it was too different. He wondered what had happened to Naruto for him to manifest such a strange technique.

Ever since he had seen him summon a dagger for the first time he had been curious.

This gauntlet was not a weapon. It stopped before the fingers, had no blade or spikes.

Armor, maybe? Something told him no.

Now…

Manifesting physical tools had been an Uzumaki thing.

Shaping chakra as weapons and shields that were both solid… and not. That was closer to the higher levels of Uchiha dōjutsu.

This had something of both.

It was not Namikaze's blood. It was not from Uzumaki Kushina either.

Just what were they dealing with?

Orochimaru enjoyed a good riddle.

"So, what does it do exactly?"

"Huh?"

"What is its use?" Orochimaru repeated.

Naruto stared. He had never thought of it.

Orochimaru continued. "The chains summoned by the Uzumaki had the ability to be controlled by their users. They were durable, could bind targets, and nullify their chakra. This worked even on Bijū."

"Okay."

"And they were used for sealing, in a myriad of ways."

"Is this something similar, then?"

Orochimaru shrugged. "I guess we'll have to try it out to find out."

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