"No, it's this one. The one before it is just to read the chakra input."
"I thought that was for the size of the storage space?"
Naruto sighed as Adrik had hit a snag in his study of fuinjutsu before he could get very far. The two had been going over the same thing for a few days now to no avail. Not only was Adrik having a hard time understanding and differentiating between each individual symbol, he was completely convinced he could use seals without chakra, which was becoming more and more unlikely with each hour that passed.
"Come on, man. This is the easy stuff."
Adrik sent a mock frustrated glare at his blonde friend.
"You don't get to say that kind of thing. This stuff comes about as naturally to you as breathing."
Naruto shrugged.
"Hey, how was I supposed to know that? The academy doesn't teach it, and nobody bothered tellin' me about it before."
Adrik sighed and nodded as his friend had a point. It was strange how such a powerful branch of techniques could be overlooked.
"Maybe I should just go to the Hokage, if he's not too busy."
Naruto shook his head slightly.
"You shouldn't rely on him too much. Take it from me, he's been like a grandpa to me for as long as I can remember and I barely ask him for any help."
Adrik sighed again. He leaned back and laid down on the grass while staring up at the sky.
"Then what am I supposed to do? Information doesn't just come from nowhere, and these books and scrolls are too hard to understand. Fuinjutsu just doesn't make sense to me."
Naruto laid down opposite to Adrik and stared up at the scarcely clouded sky.
"I know I keep askin' it, but are you sure chakra isn't the problem here? Even when you drew the symbols right, you couldn't make the seal do anythin'."
Adrik nodded, even though the blonde teen couldn't see him.
"I'm sure. As far as I can tell, the chakra is just a catalyst for the symbols to function. Not the other way around. In theory, I should only have to replace the chakra usage with my Element and it'll work."
Naruto hummed as he put his hands behind his head and thought.
"So far you've tried mixin' your Element with the ink, usin' your Element to try and activate the seals, and outright usin' your Element instead of chakra ink. It's not a whole lot, but there ain't much else I can think of. The only thing I can say is keep tryin' to understand what the scrolls and stuff say."
Adrik let out a frustrated sigh.
"I told you, it's too hard for me to get a grasp on. It's like trying to learn a second language."
Adrik closed his eyes for a few seconds to think. After a moment, he backtracked to what he said.
"Second language..."
Adrik opened his eyes wide and sat up straight.
"Oh, God dammit, man!"
Naruto sat up slightly startled.
"What? What happened?"
Adrik put a hand on his head.
"What happened is I just think I figured out a solution that makes me feel stupid for not finding it earlier."
Naruto raised his eyebrows.
"What is it?"
Adrik grabbed one of the scrolls and pointed to it.
"You see the symbols on here, right?"
Naruto nodded confusedly.
"In your mind, they come together to form seals, kind of like different letters come together to form words."
Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he was beginning to understand where the teen was going.
"It's like a language. The symbols are letters, and the seals are words. You write them out with chakra ink, which is like your way of speaking. But for me, this is a language I don't understand. I don't know the letters well and I can't form the words."
"So you're sayin'... You need to make a language you can understand and speak?"
Adrik nodded with a small grin.
"Exactly. If I can't learn this language, I'll teach myself another."
Naruto smiled along with the teen before frowning.
"But wouldn't that take, like, way too long to do? You'd be stuck tryin' to make symbols and seals for the rest of your life, dude."
Adrik nodded.
"Maybe. But what else can I do? What we tried didn't work, and this seems like the best secondary option. Besides, how do you think fuinjutsu started?"
Naruto nodded slightly.
"Fair point. But how do you even figure out where to start?"
X
"And you're saying this new... sealing language... could provide an answer to this problem you are facing?"
Adrik nodded. The Hokage hummed and looked down at his desk in thought. The idea of a new sealing language had never occurred to him. Though, he supposed, there was something similar in the past. He glanced at Naruto who sat next to the teen with his excitement clear as day.
The old man nodded to himself before snapping his fingers. In an instant, seals around the room lit up blue before disappearing.
"Nobody can see or hear anything that occurs in this room until those seals are deactivated. This is now a private discussion between the three of us."
This confused both of the teens, also serving to put them on edge slightly. Adrik noticed how all of the hidden Anbu members had left the room. At least, all except for one. As the Hokage got up to walk over to the wall with the pictures of each Hokage on it, he stopped him with a simple question.
"Why didn't one of the Anbu leave?"
The Hokage turned around. At first he was confused. After a single second, his eyes narrowed drastically.
"Where are they?"
Adrik confusedly pointed to right above the door to the office and the Hokage vanished before either of the teens could blink. They looked back when they heard a crash and a thud.
On the ground with blood gushing from its throat was an Anbu. The mask they wore, however, was featureless aside from the two eye holes and the symbol of NE at the top.
"O-Old man, what was that?"
The Hokage snapped his fingers. The privacy seals flashed and an Anbu came in. This one had the usual animal shaped mask.
"Cat, take this body to Ibiki. See if you can get any information out of it-"
Before the old man could finish giving his order, the body burst into controlled flames. Within a matter of moments, the body, blood included, had vanished into a pile of ash that was practically negligible.
"Damn... Cat, new security checks for the Anbu are in order. Be thorough. We cannot have another spy like this in our midst. Who knows how much he has reported back..."
The Anbu with long, purple hair and a mask shaped like a cat's face nodded silently before leaving the room. The Hokage sighed and snapped his fingers again. The privacy seals flashed again as they were reapplied. He looked back at the two still confused and now very concerned genin.
"Not to worry, the situation has been dealt with for now."
He continued as he got walked back over to the two teens.
"There is not much I am able to tell you aside from this. If you see an Anbu member with a mask like that, know that they are not your ally, and do not engage."
The two teens looked at him as if waiting for anything else. Upon seeing that that was all they would get, they nodded nervously. The old man sighed again as his features lightened up.
"I apologize for the scare, you two. That was not my original intention."
"Then, what was?"
The Hokage nodded to Naruto before walking back over to the wall with the pictures of each Hokage. He stopped in front of the picture of the Fourth Hokage and lifted it. He flipped it over and put his hand on the back of the frame. After channeling his chakra, he unsealed a fairly large scroll.
"While you are only fifteen and still a genin, Naruto, I believe that some of the contents of this scroll would still be best in your hands. Perhaps they will even help Adrik in his endeavors, if you wish to help him. And, seeing as Adrik is your close friend and you may tell him anyway, I believe now is the time for me to share what has been kept from you for so long."
The Hokage walked back to his desk with both the picture and the scroll in his hands. He set them aside as he sat back down.
"Now, while you both know of the attack of the Nine-Tailed Fox, neither of you know the context of the event, nor why the beast was sealed into Naruto here."
The old man sighed once more and took off his Hokage hat. He set it on the table in front of him and crossed his hands as he spoke.
"It was no more than an hour or so before the Nine-Tailed Fox was unleashed and began its path of destruction. A child was born. That was Naruto. When the time came, and no other option was available, the Fourth Hokage had to seal away the Tailed Beast. The power of such an entity, however, would destroy anyone who tried to contain it within themself. He needed to seal the beast in someone who's chakra system had yet to develop so they could adapt to the demonic chakra of a Tailed Beast. In short, he needed to seal it in a child. But... he could not simply ask another family to donate their own child for what amounts to a sacrifice. Especially knowing the kind of life that child would have to live."
By this point, both Naruto's and Adrik's eyes were widened as far as they could be. However, Naruto's eyes were much more watery than Adrik's. The Hokage continued after his short pause.
"As it turned out, however, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was a father as of an hour prior. And... with such a power having to be contained, who better to entrust it to than his own son?"
Naruto sat in silence as the Hokage stopped. The blonde teen looked down as the tears began falling down his face. He sniffled as more and more fell.
"... Damnit..."
Naruto couldn't help but curse as the tears seemed to be unending no matter how many times he wiped his face.
"Old man... wh-why did he... Why did the Fourth... Why did my father..."
The Hokage got up and walked around his desk. He put a hand on Naruto's shoulder to comfort him. Adrik did the same, much to the appreciation of the blonde teen. After a few more sniffles and hiccups, he finally managed to get out his question.
"... Why did my father do this to me when... when he knew what would happen to me?"
Naruto's sadness turned to anger as his pupils turned to slits and his eyes narrowed. The Hokage noticed this and his expression softened.
"He believed that if his son was anything like either of his parents, he would overcome the adversities he would face later on in life. There are still so many things I wish I could ask him myself, and I assume you are the same way. But just know that you are the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox not for a punishment, not out of hatred, but out of love and trust."
This seemed to at least dampen the anger Naruto felt as he cried harder. Whether that was a good or bad thing, though, was yet to be seen.
X
A few minutes later, Naruto had calmed down and the Hokage sat back down at his desk.
"There are many details that I am still unsure of. I do believe the answers to many of your questions are contained in this scroll here."
Naruto nodded as he wiped his eyes one more time.
"Hey, old man... Can I ask you somethin'?"
The Hokage nodded with a warm smile.
"Anything, my boy."
Naruto nodded.
"Who was my mother?"
The old man's smile seemed to grow wider.
"I am glad you asked. Your mother was actually one of the top jonin of her generation, even considered a candidate to become Hokage. Her name was Kushina Uzumaki, the woman you get your last name from. I believe you get much more than that from her, though. Her attitude, her facial features, her fiery determination. You get all that from her. She was a master swordswoman, and a master of fuinjutsu like Minato. She even taught him in the ways of Uzumaki Fuinjutsu, an honor none outside of her clan would ever receive."
"Wait, I have a clan? My mother was from a clan? Where are they?"
The Hokage's smile disappeared, replaced by a solemn frown.
"Yes, you... had... a clan. As of about thirty-eight years ago. In the Second Great Ninja War, they were unfortunately wiped out by the combined forces of Hidden Stone, Hidden Mist, and Hidden Cloud. They were outnumbered nearly three thousand to one. The few Uzumaki Clan members that survived are scattered across the Elemental Nations. In this scroll is everything your mother gathered before having to flee the Land of Whirlpools."
"Land of Whirlpools?"
The Hokage nodded to Adrik.
"Yes. A land populated almost exclusively by the Uzumaki Clan. It got its name from the ever present whirlpools that surrounded it, making for an incredible natural barrier between them and enemy nations. One of the few things I was told about the contents of this scroll are that they are for your eyes only, Naruto. In fact, it is a blood seal that keeps any from opening it. When you have time, smear blood across the seals on the scroll to gain access to the contents. Make sure none are around when you open it. Some things in here are far too valuable to let slip."
Naruto nodded as the Hokage carefully handed him the scroll. After that, the old man grabbed the picture frame of the Fourth Hokage and carefully opened it. Behind the actual photograph were two letters addressed to Naruto.
"Please, read these when you get home. They are the last things your parents wrote for you."
Naruto took the letters fervently.
"I will."
The Hokage nodded and glanced at Adrik.
"Now, about the contents of the scroll. There are two seals on that large scrolls. On the left is everything your father put into it. On the right is everything your mother put into it. That is where you will find the Uzumaki Fuinjutsu style. I believe what is in there will be of great use to you as well as Adrik. Perhaps it will even jumpstart his endeavors in making a new sealing language."
The Hokage smiled warmly at the two who nodded with smiles of their own.
"Now, remember. This is an SS-Rank secret that only I and one other currently know of, Naruto. Along with the two of you, of course. Do not let this get out to anyone."
Naruto nodded in understanding. He pulled out a recently made sealing scroll that he had finally perfected making and sealed the large scroll away.
"But there's one other person I have to tell this to, old man."
The Hokage raised an eyebrow.
X
Sasuke and Sakura watched as Naruto entered the clearing, somewhat earlier than he usually would. They were confused as the teen had an air around him that didn't match his usual antics. The only way they could describe it was like a calm breeze.
Adrik had yet to appear as he was doing his final lap around the Leaf Village per his physical conditioning routine provided by Might Guy. They couldn't help but take note of how much different their days as genin had become from two months ago. Sasuke was getting along with his teammates more, even managing to have a few conversations with Naruto that didn't involve throwing insults around. Sakura was actually starting to put effort into her career as a kunoichi. She had started learning medical techniques from Haku with a bit of help from some scrolls and she was even progressing well with her elemental chakra training. On top of all of this, she could even hold normal conversations with Sasuke and Naruto.
Haku couldn't help but be proud of the work her 'student' was putting in and the improvements she made. Sakura was even regularly sparring with her two teammates. It's safe to say that every genin on Team Seven, including Adrik, had improved dramatically. Just how much, though, they were soon to test.
"Hey, guys, where's Adrik?"
Sasuke and Sakura shrugged.
"He probably has some new training technique his other weird sensei is putting him through."
Naruto nodded towards Sakura. The blonde teen went to sit under the same tree she and Sasuke sat under as they waited for Zabuza and Haku.
"So, what's with the good mood? You go on a date with Hinata or something?"
Naruto blushed in embarrassment as he looked at Sasuke.
"Wh-What?! No, no, nothin' like that! I mean, she's just my friend and somethin' like that would- I only told you guys about her once!"
Sakura scoffed.
"Oh come on, Naruto, she's half the conversation and she isn't even a part of them most of the time."
Naruto went to speak but stopped as he had no retort. He grumbled as he looked away, making his two teammates, yes, even Sasuke, laugh. The three all looked up as Adrik entered the clearing along with Zabuza and Haku.
X
"Now, you're all probably wondering why I needed you out here today."
Adrik nodded along with the other three genin. He had to take a break from his training with Guy and Lee.
"So, there's this event coming up two weeks from now. It's called the 'Chunin Exams'. It gives each genin participant a chance to advance to the rank of chunin if they can get far enough in the exams."
Their eyes widened in surprise. Zabuza laughed a bit and pulled out three folded slips of paper from his pocket. He handed one to each of the genin of Team Seven.
"This is a form that you turn in when you enter the room for the exams. All the details about when and where to show up are on there."
Being the first to open and read the form, Sakura looked back up at the jonin with confusion.
"It says only teams of three genin can enter the exams, or two under certain circumstances. What about Adrik?"
Zabuza nodded slightly.
"I will get to that. First, though, I need you all to realize just what these exams are."
The seriousness in their sensei's voice immediately got the genin's attention.
"You will be put through life endangering events one after another for a chance of becoming a chunin. Each part of the exams will test your skills not only as a team, but as individuals. I am not allowed to explain much further, but you get the idea. Trust me when I say your goal shouldn't be to ace each test, it should be to survive them. Be careful."
They all nodded hesitantly with a few nervous gulps going around. Zabuza turned to Adrik.
"Now, I was informed to get a hold of you and tell you to go see the Hokage. He says it's important."
Adrik's eyes widened slightly before he ran off into the distance, shouting back over his shoulder as he disappeared behind the clearing.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
Zabuza had to hold his stomach as he laughed hard. He wiped a stray tear and his laughter ceased after a few more moments.
"... So, what do you think the Hokage needs him for?"
Everyone in the clearing shrugged at Sakura's question. Not even Zabuza had an answer. The jonin turned back to face his three genin.
"Alright, now, who's ready for some Chunin Exams prep training?"
The three genin flinched back at the maniacal smile they could clearly see being 'hidden' by the bandages covering Zabuza's face.