It was a few days after the incident involving the Kiri Shinobi and the rebel forces, and Naruto was currently sitting in a small tent near the centre of a large camp. When they had arrived at the rebel camp Naruto had been surprised when they were allowed in, he thought they would have been forced to leave in case they were spies. Apparently the captain of the camp, an older man with long dark brown hair named Tsurugi, needed them to stay until his commander came and asked them a few questions.
Naturally Naruto and Shizuku had been worried about this, Fuu being her usual self merely stayed impassive. Of course they were quickly assured that if they meant no ill-will towards the rebels, as their rescue of the Kunoichi they found had shown, then nothing bad would happen. Of course that didn't particularly ease their worries; Shinobi weren't known to be the most honest people, even if Naruto found their goals to be honourable.
He had found out this was one of the many hidden camps scattered through the contested regions of Mizu no Kuni, and that there were even some deep within Kiri-controlled territories. Of course he wasn't foolish enough to ask where these other camps was, that would be far too suspicious; although that didn't mean he wasn't curious. He presumed the camps themselves were hidden by a combination of various Genjutsu, traps and the mists, which seemed to work to both sides' favour and disadvantage.
Technically the group was being held captive by the rebels, but it wasn't all bad; they weren't treated poorly, although the Shinobi obviously came first. It had also been a prime opportunity to talk to various Shinobi, especially about water Jutsu and affinities. Shizuku especially loved the extra help from Shinobi who were happy to help a young girl with something as mundane as a water affinity; Naruto figured it was a good escape from the fighting. It made sense that training affinities would remind the older and more veteran Shinobi of their youth, back before all the war and bloodshed.
Under their guidance Shizuku had made leaps and bounds with the second stage, creating a whirlpool with nothing but manipulation of water Chakra. Naruto had also begun to practise his own water technique, once again noting that it felt easier somehow with each passing element he mastered. He wondered if by isolating and controlling each of his various affinities it made it simpler to access the rest; it made sense when he thought about it. He smiled at the thought; remembering his original goal of understanding Chakra so long ago.
It had now been almost a year and three months since leaving the Fire Temple, Naruto was twelve and had been for two months. That much was for certain just as it was obvious to everybody else; Decembers were viciously cold in Mizu no Kuni, especially to those that weren't natives. Luckily the further they moved south the milder the climate became; but that didn't stop the thin layers of frost that covered the ground each morning. The torrential and perpetual rain wasn't helping all that much either, which was why Naruto smiled as Shizuku ducked under the flap of the tent.
"Hey Naruto, you wanted to see me right?" The blonde just nodded cheerfully as he stood up from his meditative position on the ground. He had tried speaking to his tenants again only to find Matatabi asleep, something he found she did quite often, Shukaku his usual psychotic self, and the Kyuubi being even more stubborn than usual.
"Yeah, come on, I want to try something." He quickly ducked under the flap of the tent with Shizuku hot on his heels, the both of them ignoring the rain falling around them. Shizuku practically lived in it anyway and Naruto had gotten used to his after all his time travelling with her; it was just one of those things you learned to live with; at least, before now.
"Come on Naruto, where are you taking me?" The blonde had a cheeky smile on his face but didn't answer, instead taking Shizuku's hand in his own and carrying on. The violette just looked at his larger hand, smiling nervously as she felt his warmth flow into her from the contact. She had to refrain from giggling like a schoolgirl as the young monk led her through the camp to a small area near the outer edge where she had been training in her water affinity.
There was a small stream that ended in a pond which made it perfect for her and the space was large and open for practising Jutsu. Naruto simply cast a keen gaze around the clearing; it would suit his needs perfectly. There were various seals set up around both the perimeter of the clearing and the camp itself to stop any usage of Chakra being detected by loyalists. It allowed the rebels to practise and hone their skills in preparation for conflicts in safety.
"Alright, this should do." Shizuku just laughed playfully as they stopped, noticing with a raised eyebrow Naruto had not let go of her hand, not that she was going to inform him. With some trepidation and a flutter of anxiety she noticed they were all alone, the training ground was conspicuously empty.
"Come on Naruto, should do for what?" Naruto just grinned again, making Shizuku's heart do a double take for a second time.
"Simple, we're going to stop it from raining." Shizuku blinked once, then twice, then she just looked at Naruto strangely for a moment.
"Didn't you already do that with your gravity abilities?" Naruto just shook his head, that same infectious grin splitting his face.
"Nah, that's too easy." As if to make his point he raised a hand and suddenly Shizuku felt very odd, like there was nothing holding her down on the ground any more. She had to anchor herself with Chakra or she felt as though she would simply float away. More incredibly though the rain around them had stopped falling; the drops just hung in the air like little spherical pieces of glass held up by invisible strings. The purple-haired girl just looked around in wonder at the impossible scene, smiling uncontrollably as she saw the world distorted through a thousand drops of water. Of course it had to come to an end as Naruto lowered his arm and allowed the rain to fall once more.
"Wow." Still Naruto's grin didn't dissipate, if anything it grew stronger seeing Shizuku's awed and genuinely happy smile.
"That's nothing; you're going to stop it entirely." Shizuku just looked around at the blonde; she was obviously sceptical but after that miraculous event she was slightly more inclined to believe him.
"How?" Naruto just smiled as he took her other hand, causing the girl to blush as red steadily overtook her naturally pale skin tone. He sat down, pulling Shizuku with him until they were sat opposite one another; Shizuku with her legs folded beneath her and Naruto in his classic meditative position. He smiled gently at her, reaffirming his grip on her hands before looking up at the sky, uncaring of the droplets of water pattering on his face.
"Focus Shizuku, I want you to treat this like a normal Water Chakra exercise." The violette just looked at Naruto strangely, wondering just what he was planning, and why he needed to hold her hand to do it; not that she was complaining. "Reach out with your Chakra, feel it jumping between every drop of rain and push it back." Shizuku frowned but complied all the same, closing her eyes and imagining just what Naruto had described.
She used the droplets of water on her face as a medium, breathing deeply as she pushed her Chakra outwards, shifting its nature to water once it left her body. She kept pushing, feeling as her Chakra leapt from individual droplets around her in a small sphere of influence about five feet wide. Around there she began to struggle, beads of sweat joining the rain on her forehead as her hands trembled slightly from the exertion. She opened her eyes, amazed as she saw the rain around her lightening up while outside her little bubble it was still just as heavy.
"I can't do any more." He voice was slightly strained from the stress she was putting into the strange exercise. However she immediately felt Naruto tighten his grip on her hands, the warmth of his skin relaxing her slightly.
"It's alright, don't give up." Shizuku nodded determinedly, pouring all the Chakra she could into holding off the rain around her. She nearly jolted off the floor when a massive influx of Chakra suddenly raced through her body. She was suddenly full of energy again, like a fire had been lit deep within her; when she opened her eyes again she only saw Naruto's smiling face. She realised with a start she was using his Chakra, the thought bringing a smile to her face as well a rosy blush to her cheeks when she realised a bit of Naruto was inside of her.
It was an incredible feeling, compared to her own reserves the Chakra running through her body felt practically unlimited, like she could use as much as she needed and never feel tired. It was like seeing the ocean for the first time, struggling to comprehend just how vast it was as it stretched out into the horizon. She pushed out again, exerting her control over the new source of Chakra and practically bathing the area around them in pure water-natured Chakra. The next time she opened her eyes it had stopped raining completely, she couldn't even see the edge of whatever clearing they had made in the downpour.
"We did it." Her voice was quiet, as if she still didn't quite believe what she was saying; her eyes were roaming the area in shock and awe. Suddenly she shot to her feet, throwing her hands up and crying out in joy. "We did it!" Naruto got to his feet more sedately, smiling as Shizuku just laughed up at the sky, sometimes pointing as if in defiance. It was the first time in her life she had been underneath the clouds and it had not rained on her. Suddenly her head shot around at Naruto, her eyes fixed on him as her features were locked in an ecstatic grin.
"Oof!" He was suddenly knocked to the ground as Shizuku practically tackled him, something she was beginning to have a knack for much to his chagrin. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, laughing and grinning, obviously trying to crush Naruto to death from the grip she had in him. After a moment or two she settled for just setting her face against his chest and quietly mumbling thank you over and over. When she finally sat back, now straddling Naruto in a rather awkward manner, she still had that same grin in her face, which slowly faded as she noticed the way Naruto was looking at her.
"Naruto?" He was staring up at her, eyes opened and smile gone; it was replaced by a look she had never seen in him before and couldn't place. What she didn't know was that Naruto was simply transfixed by the sight before him. Shizuku for once wasn't wearing her Miko outfit; she had to wash them at some point after all. Instead she had a tight navy shirt and simply black leggings that did nothing to hide her developing body, especially as they were both soaked through from the rain before and the clothes were clinging to her frame.
"Um Naruto?" He never stopped looking at her as he leaned up, propping himself up on his elbows as Shizuku suddenly found their faces only a few inches apart. For a moment she was captivated by his eyes, the same eyes that had always held her attention. She felt as though she could be hypnotised by the swirling concentric circles. She almost flinched as Naruto raised a hand to wipe off a single drop of rain that was clinging to her cheek, snapping her out of her chance.
"Naruto?" Her voice was quiet, barely a whisper as the blonde moved closer and she found herself mirroring the action. Soon their noses were touching, their breath coming in faster as they found both their heart rates quickening. Then, just like that, their lips met; however unlike last time this kiss was anything but chaste. Naruto found his hand naturally moving to the back of Shizuku's head, trying to deepen the intimate contact while Shizuku placed her hands on Naruto's cheeks.
When they finally parted their breathing was even more ragged and small smiles played across their faces. Then, like any good thing, they went back for more.
They had to wait a whole other day before the commander finally turned up, a tall man with spiked up blue hair in the shape of a shark's fin. He wore a battle kimono, the standard attire of a Kiri hunter-nin as well as an eye-patch over his right eye. He met Naruto outside of the command tent for the small camp, the only place Naruto and his friends had not been allowed access to besides the armoury. Although he did get a glimpse inside when the man came out, managing to spot a table filled with maps and little icons representing troops and bases.
He couldn't help but imagine that standing over a table with nothing but a two-dimensional map and some plastic figurines, it would be easy to forget that they represent real people. It was like some large game of Shogi, but instead of small pieces of labelled wood it was living, breathing humans who could really die. He shook himself of the thoughts, leaving the strategizing to the rebels as he looked up at the much taller Shinobi.
"So you're the kid the reports were talking about?" Naruto was slightly unnerved by the man's piercing gaze; even with only one eye it seemed as though he could see right through the blonde. "I heard you had some interesting abilities." Naruto said nothing, just returning the man's cool gaze with his own calm mask. "What's your name?" Naruto smiled slightly wider but answered all the same.
"Naruto Uzumaki." The man's eyebrow rose slightly but he didn't comment; he unknowingly shared thoughts that Naruto himself had a few times.
"Ao." At that Naruto raised an eyebrow; before in the camp there had basically been a policy of not telling him or his friends any of the Shinobi's names. He had only learned the captain's name from overhearing it when a Shinobi had given a report. Ao noticed the look and just grimaced slightly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Trust me kid, telling you my name means nothing; I'm known to the loyalists by description anyway so there's little you can do with it." Naruto just nodded quickly, it wasn't like he was going to report this place to the loyalists.
"I'm gonna get straight to the point Gaki, what are your intentions?" Naruto just raised a hand disarmingly; he had left his Shakujou in the tent the three had been sleeping in.
"I'm just a travelling monk. I had heard of the situation Mizu no Kuni was in and wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help." Ao just grunted at that; it wasn't a total lie, just as it wasn't completely the truth. It wasn't like Naruto was going to admit he was running away from Kumogakure Shinobi for stealing one of their most prized artefacts.
"Trust me kid, you should just leave while you can. A few people have tried the same thing you have and have either gone home with a couple scratches or not at all." That was something else Naruto already knew, but he just inclined his head politely all the same.
"I think me and my companions will stay for a while longer, there are still things we wish to do in the area." Ao narrowed his eye slightly while frowning at what he thought was another stubborn kid who didn't know any better.
"I don't think you understand kid, from the reports one of the Shinobi you encountered got away. He will most likely have reported to Yagura or one of his superiors by now, that puts you and your friends in danger." Naruto simply smiled softly, surprising Ao with how calm he seemed to be despite the obvious danger to his life.
"I wouldn't worry about me or my friends Ao-san, we're perfectly capable of defending ourselves." Again Ao merely frowned, he already knew that to some degree thanks to the very detailed reports he had to go through. Even in a civil war, nobody of a high-ranking position was safe from paperwork.
"Yes, the sand ability you were seen using." Naruto simply smiled and waved his hand, a small pillar of earth rising up and deconstructing into the element he was now so adept at wielding. Ao stared at the small construct before Naruto allowed it to drop, peering at it as if he could see through it. "An interesting ability, combined with your large Chakra reserves and you could be quite powerful as a Shinobi." Naruto just smiled again, having no intention of ever becoming a Shinobi.
"I didn't take you for a sensor." Ao just grunted as a response, something Naruto was relatively used to from his talks with his tenant and knew to mean 'mind your own business'.
"Anyway kid, word of advice; when we finally let you leave the base start heading either out of the country, or at the very least east. The fighting's not as bad out there and you should lay low for a while until Yagura's interest in you decreases. He's not somebody you want as an enemy, ask any of the rebels here; he alone has killed more of us than any other loyalist." Naruto just nodded again in thanks for the advice, before pausing in thought.
"When you finally let us leave?" Ao just nodded, his interest in the conversation already waning; he had more important things to do like fight a war.
"Our camps shift positions occasionally; you'll be allowed to leave when this one moves. We obviously can't let you just leave knowing the position of one of our forward bases." Ao didn't even wait to see if Naruto understood or not, he just gave a curt wave of his hand and ducked under the flaps into the command tent. He couldn't help shake the feeling that this wasn't the last time he would be seeing Naruto.
It was finally the day that the three were allowed to leave; the camp was abuzz with activity as people went about their business. Tents were being disassembled all around them, rations and supplies being stored into scrolls for transport and the equipment was being distributed to spread the load when they moved. Naruto was currently ducking around people carrying large poles and pieces of tent to get to the medical tent, the last that would be pulled down. He had visited the woman he rescued, Nezumiiro, a few times during their stay with the rebels however she was mostly too tired or weak to hold any length of conversation.
However today she had been cleared to leave her bed and start on some light exercises to get her body back on the track to recovery. Unfortunately in war people weren't too picky about their soldiers, regardless of injury. If they could fight then they were given a weapon and told to fight, for whatever cause that particular side thought was just or right. Of course there were those who genuinely believed in their cause, which was good of course, but ultimately they were names on a list; where exactly that list was got decided at the end of the war.
He ducked into the small tent, noting that it was conspicuously absent of people save for one Shinobi guard, probably a Chuunin, and the three or four patients lying on beds. Medical Shinobi were a rare commodity even in peace time, there were none at this camp. He understood that most of the care or treatment was done by civilian doctors who were brave enough to enter the front lines. He thought they were brave as ultimately medics were the main targets for enemies due to their ability to keep Shinobi going for longer.
"Hi Naruto." The woman waved at him with a weak smile; the two had gotten along well once she was informed Naruto was the one who saved her. He had been right, had the woman not received the basic first aid he had given her she would have bled out minutes after he found her. Luckily the girl hadn't sworn her undying fealty to Naruto or something like that, the blonde wasn't sure how he would have felt with yet another girl in their group, the situation with Shizuku was getting complicated enough as it was.
"Hey Nezumiiro." He waved back at her with a smile as the orange-haired girl sat up in the bed, wincing only a little from her injury which had gotten substantially better after proper treatment. She wouldn't be able to fight for a few months but she at least wouldn't be permanently crippled, or worse dead. "Hey, take it easy." The girl just chuckled as she scooted back in the bed so she could lean against the wall of the tent.
"Heh, that's a funny thing to say to a Kunoichi Naruto, we don't know how to take it easy." The blonde just sighed with a small smile, from the interaction he had with the girl he was able to tell she was very passionate in everything she did. Be it training, her family or even her pride over the rebellion, Nezumiiro never did anything by the half measure. "So we're leaving today, have you thought about what I said some more?" Naruto's reply was a sad smile to which the older girl simply nodded in understanding.
During their talks Nezumiiro had accidently caught a glimpse of Naruto's eyes; thankfully she was grateful enough to him not to tell anybody else. However it had managed to spark her into asking why he didn't join the rebellion with them when he too had a bloodline trait. Of course Naruto had been adamant that he could not condone or take part in violence except in self-defence. It was enough to say Nezumiiro had been very active in trying to persuade Naruto to help. She had seen some of what he could do in the clearing and thought he would be a great help in the fight.
"I understand your reasons Naruto, but what we're doing is for the good of the entire country. Mizu no Kuni can never heal from the massacres if Yagura stays Mizukage; if you help us I'm sure we can bring him down even faster." Naruto smiled lightly; he suspected if the girl wasn't injured and had the entire right side of her body bandaged she would be gesticulating wildly as she talked.
"I think you overestimate me slightly Nezumiiro." The girl just shook her head fiercely, wincing from the action with a small grimace.
"No way! I bet If you and my Aunt Mei teamed up you could easily take down the Mizukage!" Naruto chuckled; he had heard a lot about Nezumiiro's aunt, the leader of the bloodline rebellion Mei Terumi. From what he had heard she was incredibly powerful, able to utilise two elemental bloodline limits in combat. He had also gathered that she was remarkably beautiful, but that was more from some of the lewd comment he had heard being made by the male Shinobi around the camp.
"I'm just a monk Nezumiiro." The girl simply snorted at that, looking straight into Naruto's currently narrowed eyes.
"Yeah, a monk with a legendary Douj-" She was cut off as Naruto threw a hand over her mouth, the rest coming out as muffled and indignant protests.
"Shh, I don't want people to find out; I've already told you that." The girl simply stared at him with large eyes, unable to talk until Naruto removed his hand.
"But why not? You'd get loads of respect and people in the rebellion would look up to you with such a powerful bloodline." This time her voice was quieter, a visible effort on her part to do so as she was mindful of the others in the room.
"Exactly, I would have all that attention on me, people might come after me hoping to fight me, or to somehow use me or my eyes to their ends. It would put myself, but more importantly my friends in danger until I am strong enough to defend us." Nezumiiro simply pouted, her arms crossing underneath her chest in a very distracting manner.
"But you're plenty strong!" Naruto just smiled softly, patting the girl on the shoulder.
"Not strong enough." The orange-haired girl simply maintained her pout, not understanding why her new friend wouldn't use his abilities to help the rebellion.
"But when is strong enough?" At that Naruto's smile saddened slightly.
"Hopefully I will never have to find out." With that Fuu came into the tent to tell him they were finally being allowed to leave the camp before going back out to find Shizuku. Naruto turned to a now confused Nezumiiro, the girl looking at the hand he had on her shoulder. "I guess this is goodbye then Nezumiiro." The girl seemed to shake her head on her confusion, smiling brightly up at the blonde. He should have known nothing could dampen the vibrant girl's spirits for too long.
"Nah, we'll see each other again, I know it! I still have to introduce you to Aunt Mei, she'll be able to convince you, I just know it!" Naruto just smiled again, patting her once on the shoulder before turning and leaving the tent. Nezumiiro never lost her confident smile as she settled back down on the medical bed.
The trio were back on the road again, or more correctly they were back in the forest, blindly heading east as they had been advised. Now that both Naruto and Shizuku had the means to complete their water exercises there was no longer any reason for them to go to Kirigakure. There was also the small fact that Kiri was on complete lockdown; nobody went in or out without being thoroughly searched. Without proper identification it was unlikely they would get close and even if they did, if Naruto's eyes were seen they would instantly be arrested, or at least they would attempt to arrest them.
Naruto wasn't exactly sure what to do next; technically there was nothing really for them to do in Mizu no Kuni, except Naruto still felt as though he had a purpose here. It was like there still something he had to do, but he hadn't quite found out what yet. Nezumiiro's words still rang in his head, he kept wondering if it was wrong to turn down the offer to join the rebellion. It went against his peaceful views, yet at the same time he couldn't deny what Yagura was doing was just wrong.
Unfortunately he was hardly a politician, not that there hadn't been attempts at negotiation. Yagura had apparently been unwilling to listen to any of the bloodline clans and anybody who argued in their defence was simply labelled as traitors to the village and to the country. It had gotten to the point where the Water Daimyo had to flee the country for his own safety, leaving it squarely in the control of the Shinobi village. It had basically been martial law until the rebellion began.
They passed through a few more towns and villages on their journey east, each bore the scars of war. Whether it was people on the streets, the increased Rebel or Loyalist presence, the general air of fear or the hopelessness hanging over the people, the war seemed to be taking its toll on everybody. It actually made Naruto fear what he might find if he went further south. Eventually though they reached the eastern coast of Mizu no Kuni's main island and Naruto still hadn't come up with their next move.
However looking out over the sea, a bright golden beach beneath them at the bottom of the cliffs they were standing on, he could almost forget the war-torn country behind him, almost. He sighed wearily, they'd had a long journey and each of them was tired, some relaxation would probably do them some good. The veritable beach of sand made it very easy for Naruto to set up a quick hut, getting them out of the sudden sun that had emerged from the clouds. Shizuku beamed at the sight, she had never thought she would ever get to enjoy a beach in the sunlight and only wished she had a bathing suit.
"Wow, this place is beautiful!" Naruto couldn't help but agree with Shizuku's declaration, he just wished the rest of the country could be as calm and tranquil as this single stretch of sea and sand.
"It certainly lives up to the portrayal in books." Naruto was rather surprised to hear some actual emotion in Fuu's voice, she sounded genuinely pleased at the sight which in turn raised his own spirits.
"I guess we earned a day off." Through their travels east Naruto had worked on his Banbutsu Souzou almost religiously, handing off any food he made to people as he passed. He figured it wasn't like money; he was simply feeding people like he would anyway had he the supplies to spare. Luckily he managed to fix the issue with the taste otherwise he might have been doing more harm than good. Anyway, the things he made had to go somewhere; he found that when he made food he couldn't simply convert it back into the black dust; it seemed fixed as whatever he had created.
Suddenly the quiet, serene atmosphere was disturbed by a strangely loud bird call; Naruto looked up into the relatively clear sky but didn't see anything. However not even moments later the same call cried out, even closer that time. Deciding to ignore the annoying bird Naruto turned his attention to the sea, besides bounding between Kaminari no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni he never had the opportunity to actually enjoy the ocean before.
"Naruto!" Shizuku's scream of surprise jolted him into action, turning his head this way and that to see where she was. However to his horror the girl was high up in the air, tightly bound in the talons of an enormous eagle that was flying out to sea. She was out of range of his Banshou Ten'in before he could even blink. Quickly getting a grip after the strange sight he took off after the girl, only for the large bird to fly even faster, quickly fading into the distance. He heard his name briefly on the wind before he lost sight of the girl and the bird altogether.
"SHIZUKU!"