Naruto: The Last Harbinger of Storm
NTLHOS BOOK 2: Chapter 33: A New face Or phase.
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🖋️ Author's Note:
Authors note is below. Please go through it. Like and comment.
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"Do not look for a sanctuary in anyone except yourself." — Buddha
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Previously on NTLHOS-2:
I don't know what to say he said. I hope you could stay.
Naruto just smiled.
Pulling his travel-worn cloak around him and taking his staff in hand, His Grace Naruto Uzumaki—no, the wandering sage, as many had come to call him, the second coming of the Sage of Six Paths whose legends now stretched across the length and breadth of the Elemental Nations, walked onward along the starlit road.
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Now:
Naruto walked in quietly beneath a canopy. Towering cedars and twisted oaks rose around him, their leaves filtering midday light into a gentle green glow. The air was thick with the scent of rain of first rain, though the rain had passed earlier that morning. With each breath, Naruto felt the forest's nature chakra interweave with his own, life in every direction, from the worms beneath the soil to the sparrows flitting between branches. He was not alone, he could feel each one of them.
Pausing mid-stride. A familiar presence tickled at the edges of his sage senses that he tried to ignore for the past hour. "You can come out," he said softly, voice carrying through the ferns and fern-shadows. "I know you've been following me for the past hour, Jiraya."
At that name, spoken not with the boyish cheek of years past but with gentle affection that he would have liked, Jiraiya emerged from behind a broad tree trunk. For a moment, the two simply looked at each other. The sannin's white hair was longer than Naruto remembered, and there were more lines in the man's face. Jiraiya's eyes, however, were the same, bright with mischief, now tired with relief.
"You've gotten even better at sensing, kid," Jiraiya greeted, raising a hand in a half-wave. He tried to keep it light, but there was some unease. Clearing his throat, he added with a wry grin, "And here I thought I was still the best at hide-and-seek."
Naruto shook his head. "When a toad like you tries to hide in a forest, the slugs and snakes will always tell on you," he said. But beneath the levity, there was an edge. It had been long since he'd spoken to Jiraiya face to face.
Jiraiya took a tentative step forward, boots crunching on twigs. "Naruto," he began, then paused. The older man's mouth opened and closed as if not knowing what to say. The titles swirling in his mind, Godson which never could be, Emperor, Arch-Sage or just Naruto, seemed to catch in his throat. In the end, he let them go. He let everything be simple. "It's good to see you. Really good."
Naruto smiled. He noticed Jiraiya's hesitation and decided to bridge the distance between them. Unexpectedly, he closed the gap and wrapped his arms around his father's mentor in a short, firm hug. Jiraiya stiffened in shock and surprise for a split second, then embraced Naruto tightly. As Naruto began to pull away, Jiraiya held him even closer, and tears began to pour from his eyes.
Naruto let the man have his moment, standing quietly as Jiraiya wept into his shoulder. After a while, he gently patted Jiraiya's back and whispered, "Jiraiya…"
Jiraiya swallowed hard and pulled back slightly at the gesture, his eyes red and glistening. "I'm sorry… Naruto." He said the name without any honorific or title, and somehow, it felt right, more honest. He patted Naruto's Sholder, though the younger man now stood taller than him.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. For not being there when you needed me. For letting your father down. For choosing the village over you. I… I was a coward. I wanted to say this the day we met, but I couldn't. Not with the barrier of titles and loyalties between us. But now, with nothing standing in the way, not the village, not any role or rank, I need to say it. I am sorry."
The words from Jiraya with a rawness rarely seen from the Toad Sage. Jiraiya, who always masked his pain behind a grin and pervyness, now stood stripped of that mask. Vulnerable. Seeking the closure he had longed for, for years.
Naruto's red hair, longer and tied loosely behind him these days and with long beard, Looked at jiraya with compassion. " I forgive you jiraya. Whiel you may not be there for me when I wanted you and I wont deny that there was days in my child hood when I though someone or anyone would come for me. But at the same time I am not oblivious of the fact that I was breathing in the village was because of you, it you were the only wall that protected me from the like of danzo and others." Naruto gave a small grin. "I blamed you once, now after being a monk and coming to terms with life and seing like from completely neutral view, I don't blame you jiraya, if you ask could you have done better? Yes way better. But if it was some else they wouldn't have done fraction of what you did. I forgive you jiraya."
Naruto's red hair, longer now and loosely tied behind him, moved gently in the wind, his beard framing a face that looked mature. He looked at Jiraiya with compassion.
"I forgive you, Jiraiya," he said softly.
"There were days in my childhood when I waited… when I hoped that someone, anyone would come for me. And you didn't. I won't pretend that didn't hurt. But at the same time, I'm not blind to the truth either. The fact that I was even allowed to breathe in that village... that I wasn't turned into a weapon or erased altogether… it was because of you, you was one of the reason."
A small smile touched his lips.
"You were the wall between me and people like Danzō. I blamed you once. I won't lie about that. But now… after walking the path I've walked as a monk, a sage, I've come to see life from a place beyond my self. If you ask me, 'Could you have done better?' Yes. Far better. But if it had been someone else in your place, they wouldn't have done even a fraction of what you did."
Naruto stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Jiraiya's shoulder. "You were flawed… but you tried. And for that, I forgive you, Jiraiya and I am greatful. "After all," Naruto added, his voice low but steady, "the only reason my head wasn't taken, and exile was the verdict in the Fire Court all those years ago… was because of you."
They began to walk together down the overgrown path, side by side with no particular destination in sight. Jiraya Noticed the forest seemed to part for him, branches bending gently away as if bowing to Naruto's passage, leaves rustling in greetings that only Naruto could fully hear and understand. Jiraiya watched it all out of the corner of his eye as they walked. He'd heard of Naruto's heightened communion with nature, but witnessing it was something else entirely. If he didn't know better, he would have though Naruto could do Mokuton. A butterfly alighted briefly on Naruto's shoulder, then flitted off, as if delivering a message to the flowers ahead that the sage was coming.
For a while, duo walked in companionable silence. Jiraiya's mind churned with a thousand questions, but he let them settle one by one, like silt in a pond, until he found the most important. "How did you know it was me?" he asked quietly. "I could've been anyone trailing you."
Naruto glanced sideways with a playful glint. "Well, you could use a bath. I smelled your cologne a mile away."
Jiraiya guffawed, the tension easing further. "I never knew you could joke. I always seen you serious and plotting your next move."
Naruto tapped a finger to his temple. " I can at times, but when I have my duty. I sensed you. Your nature chakra… you encase your chakra with nature so no one can sense you I can even differentiate between nature chakra. Even suppressed, the toad essence with feeling of loging for something, I'd recognize it anywhere." His expression softened. "Besides, you're the only one who would follow me for an hour without saying hello. Most others would be intaligent enough to have tried to attack or talk by now of know sensor." He said with a smile
Jiraiya nodded, accepting that truth but affronted at the last part. Naw a day, many considered Naruto more myth than man, and a frightening myth at that, an Exile Emperor now an Sage wandering the lands, with uncertain motive.
They eventually came upon a small clearing where the forest floor dipped into a stream-fed hollow. The remnants of an old wooden bridge crossed the narrow stream, just a mossy beam and a single rope still hanging. Naruto paused and looked around. "Shall we stop here for a bit? I think you have a lot to talk."
Jiraiya agreed with a nod, hopping down a short ledge. He settled on a fallen log by the water's edge with a quiet groan, his joints were not as forgiving as they once were. Naruto crouched by the stream, cupping water in his hands to drink. The water shimmered faintly with chakra in his presence, as if glad to be near him. A dragonfly landed on his knuckles as he drank, and the fish swam closer rather than darting away.
"You really have become one with nature," Jiraiya said quietly, half to himself.
Naruto finished drinking and sat beside him on the log. "I had good teachers," he replied with a smile. "It was grace that I met my master at the lowest point of my life."
At the mention of Naruto's master, a pang of guilt flickered in Jiraiya's chest. He hadn't been the one to guide Naruto during those years… circumstances, choices, and regrets had pulled them apart. He pushed the thought aside for now.
"You know, it wasn't easy to find you," Jiraiya said, pulling a somewhat misshapen rice ball from his travel pouch and offering it. Naruto accepted it gratefully, though he raised an amused eyebrow at the clumsy wrapping, bits of rice were already falling apart.
"One day you're spotted by a monk in the northern steppes," Jiraiya continued, "the next, a rumor puts you in a library deep in the Iron Country. Then, you vanish like smoke."
Naruto took a bite and grinned mid-chew. "Smoke, huh? I prefer wind. Hard to catch, but I go where I'm needed."
Jiraiya's expression sobered slightly. "Is that why you left?" he asked gently. "Because you were needed elsewhere? You know… a lot of people would say you were needed most in Konoha, as the hero who saved the world."
He kept his voice level, free of accusation, but the question lingered like mist between them.
Naruto chewed slowly and swallowed, his gaze drifting to the bubbling stream below. "Truth is," he said, voice softer, heavier, "I wasn't sure why I left… or why I didn't fight to stay in Konoha. I had the strength. After five years in exile, I could've amassed enough power to bend even the daimyo to my will, to seize Konoha from Hiruzen if I wanted."
Jiraiya turned to him, but Naruto kept his eyes on the water.
"But I didn't want it," he continued. "Konoha had too many old ghosts… too many entrenched chains. There were cracks under its foundation, rot hidden behind its smiles. I didn't want to rebuild the future on a corpse. I dreamed of something new—a system without bias, without dirty politics and infighting. A true new era."
He paused, then gave a faint smile.
"When I took my first steps to revive Uzushio, gathering my people in the Land of Swarms and rebuilding our old trade lines… that's when my master came to me. He changed everything. Under him, I evolved. My perception sharpened. I didn't leave Konoha because I was exiled. I left because my purpose was no longer there."
Jiraiya listened, the weight of Naruto's words drawing a quiet, sorrowful frown across his face.
Naruto continued sadness adorning his face, "It wasn't rejection that made me walk away. In truth, it was incredibly hard to leave behind the people who loved me, who saw me as one of their own. I've seen every layer of Konoha's society, Jiraiya. I've shared roofs with beggars, slept under bridges beside the homeless. I've been given bread by a destitute family when I had nothing, just a month after Kakashi failed me, when I was wandering without purpose with no hope."
He looked away, eyes tracing tears. "Back then, I didn't even have the maturity to be grateful to that family. I was too naive, too arrogant, convinced that I was destined for something greater. And yet… that single act of kindness became a step toward understanding my place in the world. I've dined with the Hokage and the highest dignitaries of Konoha, and at the same time, I've also starved beside the homeless. I can say with certainty, there is no one in Konoha who knows it like I do. Not even the Hokage."
He turned back to Jiraiya. "I had a vision for Konoha, one that went beyond the tower and its politics. I worked at the grassroots, helped the marginalized, built alliances strong enough to rival even the Hokage's. And when I was banished… I did despair. I felt hopeless. Even then, somewhere in my mind, I believed that once those five years passed, I could reclaim everything I'd lost. I'm not saying I was optimistic, my confidence was shattered, but even in that brokenness, my wish was to return and show everyone who saw me as lesser, including the Daimyo, what I was truly capable of.
"After all, there were many who suffered just for supporting me. Many in konoha, who loved me more than life itself, willing to follow me to the ends of the world. I thought I'd reclaim what was taken… and give back to those people Konoha everything they gave me."
He paused, the breeze stirring through the trees.
"Many will say I am the son of a king treated like a beggar. That Konoha was ungrateful. Maybe that's true… but I've never believed Konoha as a whole was ungrateful. The rulers, yes. Hiruzen and his council failed me. But that family of beggars who shared their last bread? They are Konoha too."
"So how can I paint the whole of Konoha with the same brush I use for Hiruzen and the others? If I did that, it would be an insult, hights of ungratefulness toward the destitute family who fed me, toward Kosuke who was more of a father to me, and toward the many others who stood by me when they had no reason to. Konoha isn't just its leaders… it's also its people." That reson why Konoha has a unique place in my heart. If not for it, both its cruelty and its compassion, I wouldn't be who I am today."
His voice softened.
"It punished me, yes. It tortured me. But it also fed me, clothed me, and gave me the strength to believe I could rise above it all. It forged me. And that pain, that very imbalance and balance, prepared me to receive the teachings of my master. For the vision he entrusted to me… I needed to be ready. And Konoha, in its own broken way, helped me ready."
He looked toward the fading sky. "So don't think I left to punish Konoha. I left because I had to. Because the vision I carry, to take steps beyond what Lord Hashirama made. It demands that I put aside my desires and supress my longing to even the ties I cherish most. I knew that in doing so, I might lose the love of those I treasured, that we might even stand on opposite sides someday. "
Naruto met Jiraiya's gaze, his face turning serios, streaked with silent tears. "But Uzushio is essential to that vision. And if I must carry that burden alone… so be it. It's the path my master entrusted to me and I will honour it, no matter the cost."
"Is that what you believe now?" Jiraiya asked. He broke off a piece of his rice ball, more to keep his hands busy than out of hunger.
Naruto tilted his head, contemplating the rippling water. "I believe the world needed a chance to stand on its own, to evolve beyond what Lord Hashirama built, with or without me. To see if the peace everyone talks about is real, to test whether the peace you envisioned can achived."
Jiraiya's eyes widened at the words. Naruto smiled and continued, "I didn't enter politics for power or even ideals. I did it for my friends, the Uchiha, the people of the Tower those I called mine then. But I was aimless at first. I devoured philosophy and in that one book I found is your book, Tales of a Gutsy Ninja. While I don't agree with every word, I sympathize with your goal. I see the world differently than you do, I'm very optimistic that we'll reach your vision and even surpass it, but the path can't be that flowery like you belive."
He paused, choosing his words carefully. "My master taught me to exist without bias, neither friend nor foe, neither like nor dislike. In that state lies true peace. But peace itself is not the ultimate, it's a gateway. True ecstasy, what some call enlightenment, comes when you realize your oneness with everything. I want to plant seeds for a world that nurtures such souls, a world that changes from within each individual, not just through society. If the people evolve, the world inevitably change. That's why I restored the deities and spiritual paths. But my goal isn't to have anyone worship a deity or follow a prescribed path, whether householder or monk. I envision a world where people pursue their ultimate purpose, rather than merely survive. For at the end we will all die one day, if not today, then some tomorrow, so before that time comes, everyone should discover their own ultimate. Peace is essential, it's a means, not the goal."
Jiraiya stared at the stream. Tiny fish nibbled fearlessly at the algae, unconcerned by the two giants towering above them. He felt a surge of astonishment, Naruto had read his first book, but what truly shocked him was Naruto's clarity that peace wasn't the ultimate goal. Perhaps that is why the younger generation always surpasses the old.
Jiraiya felt conflicting emotions. He was proud of Naruto's brilliant mind and accomplishments, yet sorrowful that he'd played no part in the blossoming of such a soul. Maybe the universe saw to it that Naruto would grow beyond any limited ideology precisely because I wasn't there to guide him. It pained Jiraiya to realize that his absence had allowed Naruto's greatness to flourish unbound.
He could no longer deny that, in sheer impact and individuality, Naruto had surpassed him. It wasn't the number of foes defeated—though Naruto's strength rivaled even Minato's, but the power of his vision and the depth of his compassion that marked his true superiority.
He cleared his throat. "I won't pretend to understand all of that," Jiraiya said honestly, "but I grasp enough from our talk to see—peace isn't the end. Even if the entire world were at peace, what then? When everyone dies, what have they truly achieved?"
They sat in silence as Jiraiya watched the dry tracks of tears on Naruto's face, tears born not of weakness, but of profound love for the world.
Naruto finally spoke, his voice hushed.
"Do you know the saddest thing? The family who fed me those few nights… years later, after I had made my name in Konoha, I searched for them everywhere. I wanted to repay their kindness. But the world has its own ways, its own laughter, I never found them. To this day, I don't know if they starved to death or moved to another village.
"In truth, it was excruciating to return to Konoha, to face all those faces, the betrayal in some eyes, the hostility, the sadness, even hatred… and in few, the joy of seeing me again, the love that once shone in those eyes now had deferent. No one knows I carry this pain. I lived as an Emperor, and now as a wandering monk. So I spoke with old friends who still welcome me as Naruto. But at night, from afar, I checked on those who once loved me but now look me different.
"This… this is the price I paid to my teacher for uplifting me. He never asked for it, but I offered it willingly. For, I have to fulfil this mission. Naruto Uzumaki, this individual cannot achieve these goals. But an Emperor can, and a monk can. So Naruto Uzumaki the individual remain here, watching from a distance."
Jiraiya had no immediate answer, only a heavy silence. After few moments, he added, voice low, "But you should know… the peace you left behind, it's cracking, Naruto. It may even be crumbling."
Naruto said nothing, letting Jiraiya speak. The old toad sage's tone had shifted to the one he used during serious debriefings, grave and quiet. "In the last year especially," Jiraiya went on, "we've seen the rise of economic warfare between nations. You remember how after the daimyo treaty all agreed to work together? Well, that unity didn't last as long as anyone hoped. Old habits started creeping back."
"Like Konoha and Iwa's rivalry," Naruto murmured.
Jiraiya nodded. "Exactly. Relations between Konoha and Iwa have grown strained. Trade deals falling apart, border disputes flaring up. The Land of Earth has been accusing the Land of Fire of undercutting their merchants, and the Land of Fire accuses them of hoarding resources. Both sides rattling sabres, though quietly for now. It's more cold war than hot war, but even cold wars can turn into hot war."
"And the smaller nations? Are they getting caught in it? What of Uzushio?"
"They are, but it is different" Jiraiya said, grimacing. "The big ones use trade as a weapon, and the small countries suffer. Last month, the Land of grass had a food shortage because their grain exports to Earth were suddenly blocked. Villages haven't started open fighting, but it's economic strangulation." He exhaled, shoulders slumping. "This economic warfare… it's insidious. People go hungry and blame each other. The goodwill from the Alliance is evaporating."
"And Uzushio has grown—grown beyond anything you can imagine. It's a giant. Economically, it now rivals all the major villages combined and could crush any one of them in days. The alliances you forged with minor villages keep those communities well-fed and thriving, as Uzushio's clans actively invest in local businesses across both minor and even some major lands. Many Uzushio clans wield political influence in those regions through their economic hold.
Yet the peace and prosperity you created have changed the world completely, now nations compete more economically than militarily. But that foundation is beginning to crack. Reports show that although Uzushio remains the most economically powerful nation in the history of the Elemental Nations, its internal power centers are now clashing.
Jiraiya continued describing the present-day world. Though there was no outward expression, Naruto was deeply pained by the news. Uzushio's self-sufficiency, wealth, and near-unchallenged military standing which is secured by daimyo and Kage treaties, this has now bred a dangerous sense of arrogance among its leaders, each pursuing self-interest over the vision they once shared."
Naruto closed his eyes, feeling the forest's life pulse around him as if to anchor himself. A woodpecker drummed in the distance. "What can I do? I am a monk; I do not attend to the material world except when duty calls," he said quietly. "Until people's bellies are filled, there is only one problem: hunger. But once they are sated, a thousand more arise, greed, grudges, ego, and countless others."
Jiraiya didn't press further. He glanced at Naruto's satchel resting by the log, noticing for the first time that it was bulging with scrolls and papers, a sheaf of letters peeked out. Many bore strange seals and stamps from distant lands. "You've been busy yourself, I take it," he said, nodding at the correspondence. "Communication?"
Naruto followed his gaze and smiled. "Something like that." He pulled the stack of letters onto his lap. The pages were of varying sizes and colors: some crisp with formal script, others scrawled on rough parchment. "I have… friends, students, actually. They're scattered across the land: some are priests, others householders whom I've initiated into various paths. This is how I guide them on their journey ahead."
At that, Jiraiya's eyebrows rose in pleasant surprise. "Students? So the great wanderer has been teaching?
"Oh some here, some there," Naruto replied. He untied a thin leather cord that bound the letters. "They were each searching for something peace, purpose, enlightenment maybe. Kind of like I was. I evolved soul or soul having urge to evolve and when we crossed paths, and I just pour myself into them. It ended up with four of them as sages, each in their own way. Then I sent them off to find their own answers, so they write to me for further guidance." He chuckled, sorting through the letters. "It seems even when I try to be alone, I can't help but be pulled."
Jiraiya felt pride swell in his chest. Naruto truly had become a teacher.. "So you're corresponding with them? How very old-fashioned of you," he teased lightly. "No toads to carry messages?"
Naruto smirked. "Sometimes I use hawks, ordinary message hawks. If its instant communication I will probably cannot continue as monk. I don't want the world hunting me with their problems."
Jiraiya held up his hands. "I won't argue there. Though usually my ink goes toward more… creative works." He gave an exaggerated sigh. "The perils of being a best-selling novelist." That earned him an eyeroll from Naruto.
Naruto selected one letter sealed with a pale green wax. "This came from one of them… a young monk from the Fire Temple originally. I sent him to live among the common folk in the Land of Wind for a time." He broke the seal and unfolded the letter. "He writes regularly, every couple of weeks."
As Naruto's eyes moved over the words, Jiraiya observed Naruto's face soften. "What does he say?" Jiraiya ventured.
Naruto responded by reading a small excerpt aloud. His voice changed subtly, as if adopting the rhythms of the writer:
"Master, the drought here worsens, yet the people endure without bitterness. For them, this is ordinary. I learned that it hurts when the rich become poor, because they're accustomed to comforts whereas the poor do not feel the same pain, having never tasted wealth. Here, people are used to hardship, and I, who have enjoyed good fortune all my life find it a struggle. I think if people truly understood how to feel ecstasy, they would work through the pain of deprivation. You were right to send me here."
Naruto stopped, clearing his throat. He indeed plucked a dried desert flower from the folds of the letter and showed it to Jiraiya. A brittle purple petal fell into Naruto's palm. "He always ends with something personal," Naruto explained quietly. "A sign of hope he found. He knows I don't need reports of success or failure, just honest experiences, when I feel he learned what I intended for him, I will send him somewhere else."
Jiraiya nodded slowly, his thoughts drifting for a moment to three children from Amegakure… and to Minato.
Naruto folded the letter back carefully and took out a blank scroll. "While we rest, I should send a reply while the last courier to Wind is still in the area."
Jiraiya watched as Naruto dipped a brush into a tiny inkpot from his pack and began to write in elegant, deliberate strokes. The younger man's face was calm, serene. It was a far cry from the Naruto he once knew, the emperor now turned monk, not as an ascetic lost to the world, but as someone grounded enough to do even the most menial of tasks with reverence.
As Naruto wrote, Jiraiya spoke, not wanting to break the peace but compelled by curiosity. "You said four sages. A monk from Fire Temple, now in Wind. What about the others?"
Naruto answered while his brush flowed across the page, "Oh this monk from fire temple is only a monk not a sage. Sage, one is a kunoichi from the Land of Lightning, a former Kumo ANBU who grew disgusted with the Raikage's policies and sought a gentler path. She's in Earth Country now, helping remote villages prosper through inventive uses of sage chakra in farming."
Jiraiya whistled softly. "Teaching Sage chakra? You madman. If only the old guard knew," he chuckled, imagining the elders' faces. He then realized something Naruto said. "The capital… Naruto, did you happen to visit the Land of Water recently?"
Naruto glanced up, brush hovering. He looked faintly embarrassed. "Ah. Yes, a couple of months ago. I stopped by the harbour city. Just for a day."
Jiraiya slapped his knee. "I knew it. Word reached us of some incident at a harbor, a rumor that a port enforcer slapped an unknown traveler for breaching a restricted dock, and that traveller simply smiled and apologized. Then later someone recognized the monk and swore it was you." Jiraiya broke into a grin. "Scared the hell out of the authorities. The new Mizukage and the Water Daimyo have been having kittens thinking you were roaming their lands."
Naruto closed his eyes, half in amusement, half in regret. "I should have been more careful. I wasn't looking for trouble. The enforcer was just …, I had wandered where I shouldn't have. No harm done."
"No harm? He laid hands on the great Naruto Uzumaki and lived to tell the tale!" Jiraiya laughed. "They say the poor guy almost fainted. But the higher-ups… they're nervous. Probably thought you were there to judge them or, I don't know, topple their regime again."
Naruto sighed and resumed writing. "That's the problem, isn't it? They assume I hold grudges or plans for power. I don't. I am monk now, I have neither fear of disrespect or desire of respect."
"I know, Naruto." Jiraiya said softly. Naruto produced a small scroll from his pouch and continued.
Naruto wiped his brush and smiled. "I use volunteers to send it. some likes the travel."
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Naruto and Jiraiya travelled together for days. One morning, as the sun rose over the horizon, Jiraiya said quietly, "You've grown wise, Naruto. Wiser than I ever was."
Naruto shook his head. "I'm just trying to grow clear, if that makes sense. Like water." He slid his feet out of his sandals, letting them dip into the cool stream. The current swirled kindly around his ankles.
Jiraiya watched the ripples. "Clarity, huh. That sounds nice." He stretched his legs as well, groaning as his knees protested. "But if you'll permit an old fool a bit of selfishness, I kind of hope your clarity leads you back to us someday. The world could use you."
A toad suddenly appeared in front of Jiraiya and handed him a scroll. Naruto glanced up and asked, "What is it?"
"Latest intel from Uzushio," Jiraiya replied, unrolling the scroll.
"Let's hear it then," Naruto said calmly, returning to what he was doing.
"Oh, you'd like that," Jiraiya smirked. "I just got the full report on what happened in your council meeting just yesterday."
Naruto raised an eyebrow but kept his focus. "Alright then," he said, not pressing.
Jiraiya chuckled. "I'll tell you anyway. I'm sure the moment you return, you'll have all your spies flushed out and everything laid bare regardless. Might as well enjoy being the first to know while I can."
" As I said there are factions forming in that council." Jiraiya's voice dropped with a hint of distaste. "Some old names cropping up, Danzo, for one."
Naruto's hands clenched reflexively. "Danzo… what is he doing in Uzushio?"
"meeting few of your clans, so he claims," Jiraiya said with a bitter twist to his lips. " He has a knack for landing on his feet, however he falls. He turned up in Uzushio offering his 'expertise' to some clans. Tsunade tried to keep him away, but he was part of fire daimyo's retinue. He's been manipulating certain council members, he sought meeting with Chinoike clan."
"They've secured a larger seat at the table now, still neutral in Uzushio's politics, but they've grown stronger because of it. Danzo's been whispering in their ears, pushing for more… assertive policies, all under the preteens of good faith. After all, they are the police force," Jiraiya said, his tone laced with concern.
"As for the Prajna Group, they practically loathe Danzo and Root. While the Chinoike didn't accept anything he offered, they still entertained him out of respect for his standing. But the Prajna were quick to call them out, accusing them of compromising their integrity."
He sighed. "It was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. The Prajna don't see reason once Danzo is involved. It's triggering political splintering. Not all of Uzushio's alliances are holding steady—and if I'm reading this right, I think that's exactly why Danzo came to Uzushio in the first place."
Naruto absorbed this solemnly. "Tsunade's in the middle of a storm then, trying to hold Uzushio together."
"She is. And on top of that, she's raising your boy." Jiraiya smiled softly now. "the new emperor Arashi Uzuamki."
Naruto's face lit up at the mention of the child. "Arashi…. He wasn't even born when I left. My son."
He paused, the joy in his expression slowly fading into something unreadable, distant, expressionless.
Jiraiya gently placed a hand on his shoulder, steady and reassuring. "I think… just knowing you're out here, trying to do good in the world, that alone will make him proud to be your son."
He offered a soft smile. "Tsunade never says it outright, but whenever Uzushio's council gets too heated, she uses the same techniques you used to use in Konoha councils. Like you left her a compass, something to steer by."
A beat. Then Jiraiya added with a grin, "Besides, she's not entirely alone. She has Lord SUifu and all the Uzumaki."
They left the clearing and continued along the forest path. As they traveled, the terrain gradually changed, the dense inland woods giving way to salt-tinged air and sparser coastal pines. By dusk, they were walking atop cliffs of crimson rock overlooking a vast sea, shimmering under the orange sky. Far out on the horizon, the rest of the scatter small islands lay dark against the sunset, like resting leviathans.
Jiraiya's eyes widened as he took in the sight. "Are those the...?"
"Crimson Island's true beauty," Naruto confirmed. The cliffs they stood on were part of a larger headland that jutted into the ocean. "Named for these red rocks and the way the sun sets the sea on fire each evening. They're remote and uninhabited, mostly. But one of those islands" he raised a hand, pointing to the largest in the cluster "holds something sacred. Something desecrated long ago that needs to be restored."
The wind from the sea tossed Naruto's hair and cloak, and Jiraiya felt a shiver despite the warm hue of the sky. Naruto's voice had a reverent tone he rarely heard.
Naruto said. "The shrine of Chinamaki, the Headless Goddess, lies in ruins there. I came this way to reconsecrate it."
Jiraiya had heard many legends in his life, but Chinamaki was a name vaguely known from ancient myth, not from any mainstream Leaf religion. "Chinamaki... what's her story?"
As they carefully descended a switchback trail toward a cove where a boat was moored, Naruto explained. "A goddess of transformation and fierce compassion. She symbolizes self-sacrifice, the idea of giving your own head, your own ego, to nourish others. In some tales, she decapitated herself to feed her starving attendants with her blood, showing that life springs from giving, not taking. Its bit extreme and intense."
Jiraiya made a low whistle. "Heavy stuff. And there's a shrine to her out here?"
"Was a shrine," Naruto said, voice colored with both sorrow and determination. "Centuries ago, pilgrims from various lands would travel here. They sought blessings for courage and selflessness. But in the wars long past, bandits and zealots who feared her doctrine of equality desecrated the temple. I have to check the condition."
By now they reached the small cove. A humble rowboat swayed gently, tied to a rock. Naruto stepped in and motioned Jiraiya to join. The old sage gingerly did, and Naruto untied the rope. There were oars, but instead of rowing, Naruto held a hand over the water. The sea seemed to respond; a swell of chakra-infused current nudged the boat forward, guiding them toward the largest island.
Jiraiya watched the water ripple under Naruto's guidance, amazed anew. "So, you're really going to perform a ritual to restore a temple? Did you always do this?"
Naruto laughed lightly. "Not exactly. But one of the arch sage's duty is to consecrate temple if needed. I can build energy for the idols but that will long time. But reconsecrate the energy, re-establish can be done in short time."
The boat bumped onto a pebbled shore of the island. Twilight had deepened to a rich purple, and the first stars winked above, but an uncanny glow seemed to emanate from deeper within the island's forest, as if the air itself remembered holiness and hungered for it again.
Naruto and Jiraiya disembarked. Following a barely visible path of ancient flagstones, they ascended a low hill. At its summit, cradled in wind-shaped trees, lay the ruins of the shrine of Chinamaki.
Jiraiya felt a hush fall over him as they stepped into the ruined courtyard. Broken pillars and shattered stone slabs lined the perimeter, weeds and wildflowers poked through cracks. At the far end stood the remains of a statue, a headless feminine figure of granite, arms outstretched. The sight was eerie.
Naruto approached the statue slowly. He kneeled and carefully brushed leaves and dirt off the idol. Jiraiya hung back, not wanting to interfere or disturb the moment. The air felt thick with anticipation.
"Here we are," Naruto said softly, though it wasn't just to Jiraiya, but to the island itself. "Let's begin."
He knelt at the edge of the broken shrine, brushing his fingers across the moss-covered stone. "You're about to witness something few ever do. The return of a deity to this realm. This will be the second hardest consecration I've ever performed, second only to the restoration of the Fourteen Shrines of Uzushio. The deity bound to this place is among the most powerful and fearsome. It will take everything even in me to complete this process."
Then he glanced at Jiraiya. "Also, summon the toads. I've decided this shrine will be maintained by them. Lord Gamamaru has been asking for an audience for quite some time, I think it's time I honoured that request."
Naruto removed his travel-worn cloak and folded it with care, revealing the simple monk's robes beneath. The fading light bathed him in a soft glow, illuminating the faint black markings that began to form around his eyes. He had entered Sage Mode, not with strain or intent, but effortlessly as if breathing. The pigmentation that framed his eyes was subtle red, but the pressure in the air shifted. Jiraiya felt it instantly. There was trident formed in neck and the swirl in fore head of red colouring.
This wasn't the crude, battle-born Sage Mode he know. This was something else entirely. If his own sage techniques were like striking a leaf to a tree, Naruto's presence now was like standing beneath the weight of a thunderstorm immense, and alive with purpose.
As Naruto moved to sit cross-legged at the heart of the shrine, eyes already slipping shut, Jiraiya knew this might take time. Over the past several weeks, he had witnessed Naruto slip into meditations that lasted days, sometimes without food, water, or even the most basic needs. And each time, Naruto emerged different.
With a soft sigh, Jiraiya got to work.
He summoned shadow clones to begin cleaning the grounds sweeping debris, scrubbing soot from stone, and restoring the offerings altar. Then, with a practiced hand, he summoned a toad messenger, relaying Naruto's request to Mount Myōboku. He didn't know how long this would take… but he knew enough now to wait.
When Naruto moved like this, he wasn't just restoring shrines.
He was shifting the balance between realms.
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High above in the summoning realm, where mountain mists curled like living things, in a secluded nook of Mount Myōboku, Shima perched on a low stool, her wide frog-eyes narrowing in surprise. Before her, Lord Fukasaku slowly unrolled a scroll, the ink unmistakably from Naruto's hand—precise, steady, and deliberate.
"What is this?" Shima croaked, impatient. "His Grace Naruto Uzumaki, the Arch Sage, agrees… to the request of Lord Gamamaru to meet? In the mortal realm?"
Fukasaku's wizened brow creased. "Precisely. He writes that for the reconsecration of Chinamaki's Shrine, Lord Gamamaru's presence is required. That the Arch Sage himself will perform the consecration and that our Gamamaru's assistance will be required."
Shima's throat bulged with disbelief. "We invited him here, and he never came. Lord Gamamaru has not left the Summoning Realm in centuries. Do you truly believe he'll accept now?"
Fukasaku gently folded the scroll. "The Arch Sage does not request lightly. If His Grace calls, Lord Gamamaru will answer. After all, they are equal."
Shima leapt to her webbed feet. "Then let's go. We must not delay."
----------------{XX}-----------------------{XXX}-----------------------------{XX}-----------------As they reached the great hall of Mayabokuzan, Lord Gamamaru sat in his great stone throne, in deep meditation as always. But today, something was different. The old, seemingly dotty toad had a sharpness in his pre ancient eyes. Compassion remained etched into his face, but there an awareness, as if the world itself now became serious.
"Lord Gamamaru," Fukasaku said, bowing with reverence. "We received a letter fro…"
Gamamaru lifted a weathered hand slowly and spoke, "There is no need. For one such as I, who sees the past, the present, and what little future remains, letters are but courtesy. What the Arch Sage has written is courtesy. He already answered my request, in the other realm. I know what is unfolding."
Fukasaku hesitated. "So you knew this would come?"
Gamamaru's eyes, clouded with time and sight, blinked slowly. "No. Not fully. I remember the day the Nine Tails was released… the natural flow of the world shifted. On that day, something more than a beast emerged, a force awoke. The birth of the first true Arch Sage in many decades. That soul was… evolved. It takes many lifetimes to reach such a state. For him, it merely required awakening in this one for he had ventured and strived in his past lives to reach where he is now."
He exhaled, voice low. "Since that day… the future has been clouded. The enlightened once intervened. And now, as my path nears convergence with his. While I can see others path, for even I cannot see the road where I must walk."
Fukasaku blinked. "Can Lord Uzumaki see, as you do? You've held the mantle of Arch Sage for thousands of years."
Gamamaru's eyes twinkled faintly. "He can. But he will not. Not yet. He still walks within the material realm of form and consequence. His master, who walks among the highest being would forbid him from using the sight to influence worldly affairs. It would unravel his path. And he will not allow it"
He leaned forward slightly, expression unreadable. "When I descend into the material world now, my vision will also fades. That is the cost of knowledge, of knowing what lies beyond, yet being bound to what is here. He and I… we are equals. But I erred long ago, in hubris, seeking something that should have been sought. While I sought to compete, he… simply became."
Gamamaru's voice quieted, almost wistful. "It will be Uzumaki Naruto who delivers me from this cursed existence, of having tasted the Infinite… but never being able to feast again. To know what lies beyond… and remain denied. That is a torment greater than anything."
He turned toward the darkened horizon.
"But I feel it… Chinamaki will be the key. She will guide me. And through him, perhaps… I may find release."
He stood slowly, staff rising beside him. "Make preparations. Summon the warrior toads. They shall guard and maintain the shrine. It is by the grace and magnanimity of Lord Uzumaki that we have been offered this privilege."
He paused. "It is by his mercy… that I may yet find salvation."
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Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter of NTLHOS- Book 2!
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🖋️ Author's Note:
Hey guys! 😊
This chapter is very different from what we've seen so far. I hope the philosophy isn't too boring, but as a writer, I think I deserve some freedom to give depth to my characters, especially the protagonist. I'm not repeating the same themes; instead, I'm diving deep into the nuances of the concept I'm building, and also exploring a new side of Naruto, not as the emperor or any other mask, but Naruto as an individual.
This chapter brings out his personal view of life, his internal thoughts and emotions.
Until now, Naruto was largely a mystery when it came to his inner world — and that was deliberate. I made sure to only drop breadcrumbs about his thoughts. But that will now begin to change.
I truly hope I've done some semblance of justice to this phase of the story. 🙏
The next chapter will finally bring the meeting of two Arch Sages, something I've been building toward for a long time.
Also, since this chapter is quite long, I might have made some mistakes with grammar or spelling, please let me know if you spot any!
This is an 8k+ word chapter, and it took a lot of time and effort to write, so I truly hope it resonates.
Don't forget to like ❤️ and comment 💬 your thoughts mean the world!
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Chapter 34: Chinamaki. 5.5k long
Chapter 35: Cross Roads. IS OUT!!!!!!!!!!! 9K LONG
Chapter 36: The New Field. IS OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!! 9k LONG
Chapter 37: Loyalty. IS OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!! 7 K LONG
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Chapter 39: Destruction. IS OUT!!!!!!!!!!! 12K Long
Chapter 40: Power of a God. 10K Long
Chapter 41: Perspectives. 12K Long
Chapter 42: Confluence of Storms. 18K
Chapter 43: Deception. 12k
Chapter 44: Judgement. 10k
Chapter 45: True Powers of the world. (NEW) 20k IS OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( Naruto is Back)
Chapter 46- The Game Begins Anew. IS OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (new) 14k long
Chapter 47- This is What True Titans Look Like. IS OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (new) 10k long
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Chapter 49 – Divine Punishment. IS OUT!!!!!!!! 13K LONG
Chapter 50 – Death. IS OUT!!!!!!!! 13K LONG