Swirling Chaos (Naruto)(discontinued)

 

“… Fine.”

 

Naruto lets out a sigh as he capitulates to Mikoto’s demands. The Uchiha Matriarch just raises an eyebrow at him, forcing Naruto to clarify what he means with a wave of his hand at all three women.

 

“You can look me over yourself if you really want… and there’s no reason for you to send Hanabi and Satsuki away. They can ‘assist’ you.”

 

Mikoto nods sharply at that, even as both of the younger kunoichi straighten up, doing their level best to hide their excitement at learning something new about him. Naruto honestly isn’t too worried about them suddenly hating him once they learn he’s a Jinchuriki. Maybe before the merge he would have been more concerned about their reactions, but Naruto had too much confidence both in himself as well as Hanabi and Satsuki to think either of them would discriminate against him.

 

“Very well. Then before we get started, I suppose I should ask the two of you… are you willing to stay in assist?”

 

Satsuki scoffs at that, crossing her arms over her chest.

 

“What kind of question is that? Of course!”

 

Meanwhile, Hanabi bites her lower lip but hastily nods the moment her brand new mentor’s eyes turn in her direction.

 

“Yes.”

 

Naruto gives Hanabi an encouraging smile when she glances back his way, but while she does smile back… she also still looks worried for him. Truth be told, he’d been a little concerned that she would be upset at learning that he’d been holding back even during their two spars. He’d certainly had to go much further with Satsuki than he did with Hanabi.

 

But no, far from being upset about that, the Hyuga Heiress seemed to be much more upset about the implications of what he’d been doing to himself in order to go that fast and that hard in the first place. The thing was, Naruto knew he was fine. He knew he was already fully healed up. This whole song and dance was pretty pointless… but in a way, he was happy to use it as an excuse to be able to let Satsuki and Hanabi in on his ‘S-Rank Secret’. Which apparently Mikoto was allowed to do as Uchiha Matriarch? Or at least, he hoped she was allowed to do this, heh…

 

“Alright then. Come with me, all of you.”

 

With that, Mikoto leads them off of the training field and back into the Uchiha Clan Compound. Specifically she leads them all back to her office, where the four of them all pile in with Mikoto leading the way. Finally, once they’re safely ensconced in a private location, Mikoto turns to Naruto and crosses her arms over her chest again.

 

“Strip.”

 

Naruto just raises an eyebrow as he complies with her instructions. If she thought she was going to embarrass him, she had another thing coming. He was well used to the song and dance of med-nin at this point, though admittedly his younger self hadn’t been. Still, decades of the not-so-tender mercies of one Sakura Haruno had more than inured him to such commands.

 

Wordlessly, Naruto strips down to his boxers and nothing else, revealing every inch of his chiseled physique. He’s not unaware of Hanabi’s eyes tracing over his muscles and defined abs. He’s also not unaware of Satsuki doing the same thing, albeit trying to be more subtle about it. But both her and her mother have their Sharingan Eyes active still, so Naruto knows they’re committing this to memory.

 

Of course, where Auntie Mikoto is concerned, he’s sure that she has nothing untoward in mind for him. Regardless, after a moment of studying him, the Uchiha Matriarch steps forward with a nod. Then she raises a glowing green palm, revealing that she is indeed a med-nin… or at least trained in their techniques. Moving her palm over his body, Naruto watches her as she works in silence for a moment.

 

Wasn’t she going to tell Hanabi and Satsuki his secret? Was she really going to drag this out for some reason? Finally though, Mikoto lets out a sigh and pulls back, nodding again.

 

“You’re fine… physically. Tell me Satsuki, do you agree with my assessment?”

 

Stepping forward as well, Satsuki’s three-tomoe Sharingan Eyes spin as she glares intensely at every bit of him. Finally though, her shoulders slump and she frowns. It’s clear that if she thought she could get away with it, she would definitely lie and say Naruto had fucked up somewhere along the way in using his techniques. But that simply wasn’t the case and they all knew that.

 

“… Yeah. He’s fine. Physically.”

 

The words are dragged out of Satsuki begrudgingly, the older kunoichi looking like she’s sucking on a lemon as she says them. Naruto has to resist the childish urge to give her a cheeky grin or even stick out his tongue at her when Mikoto turns away from them both and looks to Hanabi. He manages to hold off because he’s NOT a child anymore. Satsuki might be physically older than him by a few years in this world, but Naruto had twice as much experience as her… possibly more.

 

“And you, Apprentice?”

 

The use of her new title makes Hanabi jolt from her inner thoughts as she’d been studying Naruto all this time with the Byakugan. It makes Satsuki stiffen a little as well, the older kunoichi giving Hanabi a considering look, as if checking for herself whether the Hyuga Heiress is worthy of being her mother’s apprentice.

 

Ignoring their reactions entirely, Mikoto raises an eyebrow at Hanabi.

 

“Your eyes see deeper than mine and my daughters. You were the one who brought up his chakra pathways. How are they doing now?”

 

Knowing that his chakra pathways are perfectly fine now that he’s no longer in a fight, Naruto gives Hanabi his best pleading look, turning his blue eyes into weapons of mass destruction. Unfortunately, he’s not sure that the puppy dog eyes actually hit… while technically Hanabi SHOULD see them given the capabilities of her clan’s dojutsu, her focus seems to be fully on his body itself and the chakra pathways inside of it.

 

Her brow furrows for a moment before she slowly nods.

 

“His chakra pathways are… fine…”

 

Completely ignoring the way Hanabi’s voice trails off at the end there, Naruto claps his hands together and smiles.

 

“See? You’ve all confirmed it with your own eyes. I’m perfectly fine. Check-Up over!”

 

“Except…”

 

Naruto shoots Hanabi a betrayed look, but the Hyuga Heiress is stepping forward and placing her hand against his abdomen.

 

“Something strange is happening here. The chakra pathways are all tangled up and… and it almost hurts to look at, it’s so bright.

 

Oh right. That bit. Well, Naruto supposed he knew why Mikoto had been so sure she’d be reading Hanabi and Satsuki in on this secret now. And indeed, when he looks over at the Uchiha Matriarch, she’s nodding along with Hanabi’s words.

 

“Yes, you’re quite right Hanabi. This is the secret that I knew you would both learn if Naruto allowed you to stay for this Check-Up. Put simply… the night that the Kyuubi attacked the village, it was not killed nor driven off. It was captured and resealed within a baby… within Naruto. Like his mother, your Hokage, before him, Naruto is the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox.”

 

Both Satsuki and Hanabi jolt at this, looking as surprised as Naruto expected them to be from this bombshell information. Mikoto, meanwhile, is quick to follow up her revelation with a tone of solemn seriousness.

 

“I want to be clear with you both… Naruto being the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails does not make him any less human, nor does it make him anyone other than the Naruto you both have always known. Kushina carried the Nine-Tailed Fox before him and Mito Uzumaki carried it before her. None of the three of them can be blamed for the Kyuubi’s actions, nor are they responsible for anything but their own decisions.”

 

He appreciates Mikoto’s support, even if he doesn’t think it’s necessary. Indeed, Satsuki just snorts in derisive amusement at her mother’s words, before giving Naruto a wry grin.

 

“Suppose that explains why you always had so much energy, brat. Tch, though that doesn’t mean you can just go around tearing yourself apart and rebuilding yourself like that, got it?”

 

Naruto can’t help himself… he raises an eyebrow at Satsuki and spreads his arms wide, looking down at himself and making a show of checking his body over for injuries… of which there are none. He’s blemish-free thanks to his rapid healing.

 

“Actually, Satsuki… I think you’ll find that I definitely can. After all, I beat you didn’t I? And yet here I stand, no worse for wear.”

 

The older kunoichi’s eyes widen at Naruto’s taunting, having clearly not expected it. She squawks and looks half-ready to attack him right then and there, location be damned. However, before she could decide between a verbal or physical response, Hanabi suddenly cuts in, her brow furrowed and her eyes still focused on his abdomen.

 

“But… I mean… I’ve always known there was something off about Naruto. His being a Jinchuriki is a nice explanation but I already knew just from looking at him all these years that he wasn’t like everyone else when it came to his chakra pathways. This though… this is different. If you’re saying that the bright ball of chakra at the center of his stomach is supposed to be the Kyuubi… then that part has changed in the last two days.”

 

… Whoops. He’d let Kurama stay out way too long, hadn’t he? His eyes widen at the same time that Mikoto’s do. Satsuki just looks confused, not entirely sure what Hanabi’s words mean. But the Uchiha Matriarch definitely seems to pick up on what Hanabi is unintentionally revealing. In an instant, Mikoto is surging forward again and Naruto already knows what she’s about to do.

 

Kurama!

 

With a forceful tug and a note of apology, Naruto grabs Kurama from where she’s off elsewhere likely enjoying her newfound freedom… and shoves her back inside of him. He doesn’t lock her up in the cage anymore or anything like that, because the cage as it was originally designed by his father no longer exists. However, he does effectively reign in her leash, yanking her all the way back to where she’s SUPPOSED to be… fully within him, trapped by the seal.

 

Naruto?! What the fuck?! I was hunting in the Forest of Death!

 

There isn’t time for him to explain, so he just drops the barrier they’d both put up so they weren’t constantly in each other’s business. In an instant, Kurama knows everything that’s happened to him since he let her go off on her own. Though interestingly enough, she doesn’t let him know everything that’s happened to her. Still, Naruto doesn’t think much of it at the moment. It’s far more important that she understand what’s happening right now with Mikoto Uchiha.

 

Ah. I see now.

 

All of this happens in the half second that it takes Mikoto to arrive back in front of him and plant her fingers in his abdomen. She doesn’t do so quite so forcefully as some of his enemies in the other universe had done, but Naruto still inhales sharply as her nails dig into him and she uses her chakra to make the seal on his belly appear to everyone in the room.

 

As Satsuki and Hanabi stare at the seal, Mikoto’s lips thin out and she goes over what feedback she’s getting from this direct contact. Naruto waits patiently, having some idea of precisely what she’s going to say next. Ultimately, the Uchiha Matriarch’s shoulders slump in relief… but she also scowls at him, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

 

“The Kyuubi is still within its seal. However… this seal has been modified, Naruto. How is that possible?”

 

Keeping his head high and his eyes on Mikoto’s, Naruto decides that lying here might not work out like it did with his mother. Lying to a Uchiha was always a bit more difficult all things considered. So he goes with the truth and only the truth.

 

“I modified it myself, Lady Uchiha. You don’t need to worry… my mother already knows everything. If you want to know more, you should talk to her directly. But… safe to say, it’s fine. The village isn’t in any danger.”

 

There. Naruto hadn’t told a single lie. Ignoring Kurama’s snickering in the back of his head, he stares Mikoto down until the Uchiha Matriarch slowly nods. She’s still frowning but she does ultimately step away from him, pulling her fingers back and letting the seal on his abdomen fade back into nothingness. Once again, he’s blemish-free as he stands there in front of the three kunoichi wearing nothing but his boxers.

 

“… Very well. I’ll make sure to do exactly that, Naruto. It would seem a lot has happened in the past few days since Kushina and I were able to talk. I’ll meet up with her as soon as I possibly can to discuss things.”

 

Naruto tries not to shiver at that. Mikoto’s words almost sound like a threat but he really doesn’t have anything to worry about. Sure, Kushina will probably tell Mikoto about Kurama and her ability to manifest outside of his body, but even if she does, that’s alright. Naruto already has his mother’s blessing and seeing as his mother is also the Fifth Hokage, that’s really all he needs.

 

Letting out a sigh, Mikoto walks back over to her desk and sits down rather heavily, frowning even then as she looks at him and then at the other two in the room.

 

“I don’t think I need to tell you both that you are not to speak of anything you learned today with anyone else outside of this room. But consider it said all the same. In the meantime… go and wash off you three. Feel free to use the clan’s private baths to do so.”

 

Naruto blinks at the offer but takes the dismissal for what it is and files out of the room alongside Satsuki and Hanabi. The three of them head down to the Uchiha Clan’s private onsens, with Naruto and Satsuki leading the way since Hanabi has actually never been here before.

 

However, when they finally arrive… Satsuki stops in her tracks and turns to them as Hanabi tries to follow Naruto into HIS bath instead of following Satsuki.

 

“Hold on a second. Where do you think you two are going?”

 

Without even a moment’s hesitation, Hanabi slides her fingers into his and takes his hand in her own. Naruto blinks at the Hyuga Heiress’ boldness but doesn’t try to stop her as she tilts her head to the side and smiles at Satsuki.

 

“To take a bath of course. You’re welcome to join us… if you want.”

 

That catches him off guard, however. And it catches Satsuki off guard as well, the Uchiha Kunoichi’s eyes widening as she freezes in place. Even Kurama is laughing in the back of his mind as she observes all of this through his eyes. Naruto doesn’t say a word, not to shoot Hanabi’s idea down nor to support it. Instead he finds himself watching Satsuki curiously to see precisely what she’ll choose…