Chapter 13 Part 2: The Return Home – The Questions
The journey back to Konoha was suffocating.
Usually, the trip home after a successful mission was filled with relief—the adrenaline fading into the anticipation of a warm bed and a hot meal. But this time, the silence that hung over Team 8 was heavier than the humid air of the forest.
Ino walked a few paces behind Naruto, her eyes glued to his back. Every time he shifted his brush or hummed a tune, she flinched.
Shino was silent, his bugs buzzing agitatedly beneath his skin, sensing the residual pressure clinging to Naruto like a second skin.
And Kurenai…
Kurenai felt like she was escorting a natural disaster that had decided to take the shape of a twelve-year-old boy.
"So," Naruto broke the silence, his voice loud and cheerful, causing Ino to jump. "That ramen is going to taste amazing. I'm thinking miso pork. Double chashu."
Ino stopped walking. "Ramen?"
Naruto paused and turned around, blinking. "Yeah. I said it was on you guys, right?"
"You just killed a god!" Ino shrieked, her composure finally shattering. "You erased a giant shadow monster from existence, the shrine collapsed, and now you're talking about soup?!"
Naruto tilted his head, looking genuinely confused by her outburst. "Well, yeah. Getting rid of pests makes me hungry."
"Pests..." Shino repeated the word, his voice devoid of its usual calm. "Naruto. That entity possessed chakra density far exceeding any ninja. It warped reality within the village. To call it a pest is... illogical."
Naruto chuckled, waving his hand dismissively. "You guys overthink things. It was just a little shadow that forgot who owned the dark. I reminded it."
Kurenai stopped then. "Naruto."
Her voice was sharp, commanding. It was the tone of a Jonin leader, though she felt anything but in control.
Naruto looked at her, his smile softening but not fading. "What's up, Sensei?"
"What are you?"
The question hung in the air, stripping away the pretense of teacher and student.
Naruto's smile didn't drop, but his eyes... they changed. The playfulness receded, revealing that ancient, heavy wisdom that had no business belonging to a child.
"I told you," Naruto said softly, tapping the large brush on his shoulder. "I am the Monk who calls the True Name. I protect the balance. Sometimes that means painting over a mistake. Sometimes it means erasing it."
He turned his back to them, resuming his walk.
"Don't worry so much, Kurenai-sensei. As long as the Leaf doesn't become a 'mistake,' we'll get along just fine."
Kurenai stood frozen, a chill running down her spine that had nothing to do with the wind. It wasn't a threat. It was a statement of fact.
The Gates of Konoha
The green gates of the village came into view by late afternoon. Izumo and Kotetsu were manning the station, looking bored as usual.
"Welcome back," Izumo said, looking up from his papers. "Team 8, right? Mission complete?"
"Mission complete," Kurenai answered, her voice sounding exhausted even to her own ears.
"Hey! Izumo, Kotetsu!" Naruto waved enthusiastically as he walked past them. "Keep up the good work!"
The two chunin blinked, surprised by the boy's sudden charisma. "Uh... thanks, Naruto?"
Naruto didn't stop. He didn't wait for his team to dismiss him. "Alright, I'm heading to Ichiraku! Catch you guys later!"
Before Kurenai could even open her mouth to order a debriefing, Naruto vanished with a Shunpo, leaving only a gust of wind and a few swirling leaves in his wake.
Ino slumped, letting out a long groan. "He's infuriating. He's terrifying, but he's so... annoying."
Shino adjusted his glasses. "He is an enigma. I suspect his ink... or whatever power he uses... are not from this world."
Kurenai sighed, the weight of leadership crushing her shoulders. "Go home. Rest. I have to report to the Hokage."
"Sensei," Ino asked quietly, "Are you going to tell him... everything?"
Kurenai looked at the empty spot where Naruto had been standing.
"I have to."
The Hokage's Office
The sun was setting, casting long, bloody shadows across the Hokage's office. Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, his pipe in hand, listening.
He had expected Kurenai's report to be strange. He knew Naruto was powerful. But this...
"He erased it?" Hiruzen asked, his voice low.
"Completely, Hokage-sama," Kurenai reported. She stood rigid, her professional mask struggling to stay in place. "The entity, 'Kagekō', claimed to be a god of that land. It warped the environment, drained the life from the villagers, and commanded shadows. Naruto... he didn't use jutsu. He didn't use seals."
Kurenai swallowed hard.
"He covered the entity in black ink. And when the ink cleared... the entity was gone. Not killed. Gone. As if it never existed. He said... he said he 'severed its name'."
Hiruzen closed his eyes, exhaling a plume of smoke. "The Monk who calls the True Name..."
"He called the darkness 'his'," Kurenai added, her voice trembling slightly. "He said all black belongs to him. Hokage-sama... I fear we do not control him. We cannot control him."
Hiruzen tapped his fingers on the desk. "He defended the village? He protected his teammates?"
"Yes. He did."
"Then for now, he is a leaf of this village," Hiruzen said, though his voice lacked its usual certainty. "But this power... it operates on laws we do not understand."
"Is he... the Fox?" Kurenai asked the forbidden question.
Hiruzen shook his head slowly. "No. The Kyuubi is a mass of hatred and chakra. This... this is something else. Something older."
Hiruzen stood up and walked to the window, looking out over the village. He could see the lights of Ichiraku Ramen flickering in the distance.
"You are dismissed, Kurenai. You did well to bring everyone back alive. Do not speak of the details of this mission to anyone. Classify it as S-rank."
"Understood." Kurenai bowed and vanished.
Hiruzen stared out at the village, his reflection in the glass looking older than his years.
"Naruto..." he whispered. "Just what have you become?"
From the shadows of the room, a cane tapped rhythmically against the floor.
"A weapon, Hiruzen."
Hiruzen didn't turn around. "Danzo."
Danzo Shimura stepped into the light, his single eye cold and calculating. "I read the report from the previous test. And now this. A boy who can erase existence? Who claims dominion over darkness?"
"He is a child of the village," Hiruzen warned, his tone hardening.
"He is a force of nature," Danzo corrected. "And if you do not control him... he will consume us all. Or worse... he will leave."
Danzo's eye narrowed.
"Give him to Root. I will ensure his loyalty."
Hiruzen turned, his chakra flaring briefly. "He is not a tool, Danzo. He is Minato's son. He stays under my direct supervision. Touch him, and I will dismantle Root myself."
Danzo held the Hokage's gaze for a long moment before turning away. "Your sentimentality will be the end of this village, Hiruzen."
As the door clicked shut, Hiruzen slumped back into his chair. He looked at the paperwork on his desk—Naruto's smiling academy photo stared back at him.
But now, when Hiruzen looked at the picture, he didn't see a prankster. He saw the ink staining the edges of the frame.
The questions were piling up. And Hiruzen feared the answers.
Chapter 14: The Regatta of Ruin
A New Rotation
The morning mist clung to the village gates as the newly rotated Team 10 gathered.
Sasuke Uchiha stood with his arms crossed, his posture radiating impatience. Next to him, Sakura Haruno fidgeted, stealing glances at him while adjusting her headband.
And then there was Naruto.
He arrived last, strolling leisurely with his large brush slung over his shoulder like a traveling stick. He wore a wide, relaxed grin that seemed to mock the seriousness of the mission.
"You're late," Sasuke stated, his voice cool and biting.
"A wizard is never late," Naruto replied cheerfully, tapping the end of his brush on the ground. "Nor is a monk. We arrive precisely when we mean to."
Sasuke scoffed, turning away. "Just stay out of my way, dead-last. This is a B-Rank escort mission. If you slow us down, I'm leaving you behind."
Sakura nodded in agreement, shooting Naruto a stern look. "He's right, Naruto. You barely passed the academy, and I don't know how you got through the last few weeks on Kurenai's team, but this is serious. Don't cause trouble for Sasuke-kun."
Naruto blinked, looking between them with genuine amusement. It was almost cute how oblivious they were. "Don't worry," he said, his tone dripping with a patronizing kindness. "I'll make sure to stay behind you... way behind you."
Kakashi looked up from his orange book, his single eye curling into a closed-eye smile. "Now, now. Let's try to get along. We have a long trip ahead of us."
Degarashi Port
The journey to the Land of Tea took two days. Upon arriving at Degarashi Port, the smell of salt and tar filled the air. The port was bustling with sailors, merchants, and laborers, but one ship stood out among the rest.
The Gilded Lotus.
It was a massive merchant vessel, armed with ballistae and reinforced with steel plating.
"Impressive," Sakura murmured.
"It needs to be," Kakashi said, snapping his book shut. "The sea routes have been plagued by pirates operating out of the Land of the Sea. Our job is to ensure this ship and its cargo of medicinal herbs reach the Land of Water intact."
They met the captain, a gruff man named Goro, who looked relieved to see Hidden Leaf headbands. As Goro briefed Kakashi on the route, Naruto wandered over to a large navigational map pinned to a barrel.
His finger traced the blue expanse of the ocean, stopping at a cluster of dark shapes south of their intended path.
"Demon Island," Naruto muttered.
Sasuke glanced over, annoyed. "We aren't going there. That place is a wasteland. We're sticking to the trade route near Jiro Island."
Naruto didn't look up. He leaned closer to the map, his senses extending outward. To anyone else, it was just ink on paper. To Naruto, names held power, and the name on this map... it smelled.
It smelled like old rot. It smelled like the thing he had erased in the Haunted Village, but deeper. More concentrated.
"The ink is bleeding there," Naruto whispered, mostly to himself.
"What are you babbling about?" Sakura asked, walking over. "It's just an old legend. Demons don't actually live there."
Naruto straightened up, his grin returning. "If you say so."
The Open Sea
By midday, The Gilded Lotus was cutting through the open waves. The land was a thin strip behind them, and the ocean stretched out endlessly ahead.
Sasuke stood at the bow, staring at the horizon, his senses sharp. He was eager for a fight. He needed to prove that he was stronger than his brother, stronger than anyone in his class.
Naruto sat cross-legged on a crate near the stern, watching the wake of the ship.
Kakashi leaned against the railing nearby. "You're quiet, Naruto."
"Just listening, Sensei."
"To what?"
"The water," Naruto replied lazily. "It's heavy today."
Kakashi narrowed his eye. He remembered the report Kurenai had filed. He erased a god. Kakashi looked at the ocean—millions of tons of water. If Naruto decided to use his power here...
"Don't sink the ship, Naruto," Kakashi warned quietly.
Naruto laughed. "No promises."
Mother Island – The Observation Post
Miles ahead, nestled in the rocky coves of Mother Island, a group of thieves waited. They were missing-nin from the Hidden Mist.
But they were not in charge.
Sitting on a jagged rock pinnacle overlooking the sea was a man who seemed out of place. He wore a high-collared black cloak with silver trimmings. His hair was pale, and his eyes were a dull, void-like gray.
He held a small cube in his hand, tossing it up and catching it. But the cube didn't fall naturally. It warped, disappearing and reappearing in his palm instantly.
Ryūjin. The Host of Kūkan.
"They are approaching, Lord Ryūjin," one of the rogues grunted, bowing low.
Ryūjin didn't look at him. His gaze was fixed on the horizon, his eyes narrowing as he sensed a specific frequency of energy.
Do you feel it? A voice echoed in his head. It wasn't his own. It sounded like the distance between stars. Vast. Cold. Empty.
"I feel it, Kūkan," Ryūjin replied softly. "A density... like a black hole."
The Monk, the Devil whispered inside him. The one who names. He is on that ship.
Ryūjin's hand closed around the cube. The space around his fingers distorted, light bending awkwardly around his fist.
"So, the obstacle who eliminated our friend Kagekō," Ryūjin mused. "Tenji and Himiko are busy preparing the vessels... I suppose it falls to me to test the waters."
He stood up. He didn't push off the rock; he simply ceased to be on the rock and existed floating a few feet in the air.
"Send the fleet," Ryūjin ordered the mercenary. "And release the specimen near Jiro Island."
"The... the specimen, sir?" The mercenary paled. "But that thing is uncontrollable! It will eat us too!"
Ryūjin turned his gray eyes to the man.
"Distance is irrelevant to me," Ryūjin said. "If it eats you, you were simply too close."
He waved his hand. The space around the mercenary's head twisted violently, snapping his neck without Ryūjin ever touching him.
Ryūjin looked back out to sea, a cruel smile touching his lips.
"Let's see if your ink can stain the void, Monk."
TBC