The Mad Sage Of Uzushio, A Naruto Fan Fiction, Chapter 23: Enter Uchiha Vision! The Evolution Will Be Televised!
Chapter 23: Enter Uchiha Vision! The Evolution Will Be Televised!
Chapter 23
Enter Uchiha Vision!
The Evolution Will Be Televised!
Chief Dispatcher Gamera continues to lecture the new arrivals at the dispatch office of the Demon Hunter Guild of the Otsutsuki Empire, while an awestruck Taketori Hoki is stunned to come face to face with his idol, Hatake Kakashi, after only just learning that Kakashi was his father. Kakashi stares silently at his son, recognizing the knowing look in his eyes. Uzumaki Yuntaro is excited to finally meet his brother Uzumaki Yukai, and his sister Akimichi Karui, but holds his tongue out of respect for the dispatcher.
Gamera:
And further more… we have a welcome mat for a reason!… And we don’t take kindly to people who just decide to pop in without warning otherwise!… You’re lucky you’re all still breathing!… We don’t take kindly to unnecessary surprises here!… You hear me Yukai?… You’d better remind that father of yours!… I’m not playing around Yukai!… Just because you can’t join the guild… doesn’t mean that you get to ignore it’s rules!…
Uzumaki Yukai:
Sumimasen!… Sumimasen!… Gamerasama… If we had any other options… we never would have done things this way… And we didn’t actually intend for the others to even be here yet… I don’t even know how they got here…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Technically speaking brother… we’re not here at all… And that is my fault I’m afraid… But I was requested to do so by the acting hokage… Tsuanadesama… She’s my master now… I’m going to be training as a medical shinobi!…
Uzumaki Yukai:
Uh?… Who are you again?…
Akimichi Karui:
You’re Yugito’s son… aren’t you?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai… Sodesu… How did you know?…
Akimichi Karui:
I suspected… It’s father’s pattern… but not because he wants it that way… He just doesn’t have a clue about that sort of thing… He didn’t even know about Shizune over there… until he was introduced to her just recently…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
I came to Konoha to meet my father… But I don’t think he knows I exist… And I keep missing him…
Akimichi Karui:
I doubt that he’s completely unaware… But… are those Rinnegan?… They’re definitely not the starlight variety… How did you even get those?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Who knows?… All direct descendants of Otsutsuki Kaguya may possibly have at least a latent talent for developing it… But I can only chalk it up to a sheer random fluke combination… of peculiar circumstances… and peculiar heritage…
Hatake Kakashi:
What exactly did you mean by… ‘we’re not here at all’?…
Taketori Hoki can no longer contain himself.
Taketori Hoki:
We’re spirit avatars father!… projections of consciousness!… using senjutsu!… and genjutsu!… and… other stuff… I think…
Hatake Kakashi:
You’re quite excitable… aren’t ya kid?… I take it that you’ve been duly informed?… about me?… Sumimasen… I should have told you myself… But I was worried that you’d be disappointed… And I didn’t know if I could handle that… given how much you hero worshiped me without even knowing I was your father… I didn’t want to ruin that for you… I should have told you a long time ago… You too Kiba… I owe the both of you debts that can never be paid… I know all too well what Shintaro means when he says that…
Akimichi Karui:
He does say that a lot…
Darui:
So… You’re Yuntaro?… The Fourth Raikage told me about you… But since you declined his offer to join the Demon Order of Kumo… we decided that we would just keep you confidential until you changed your mind… What did finally change your mind?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
My mother sent me… She told me that it was time for me to ‘Grow up and deal with civilization!’… her words…
Darui:
Uh?… Your mother is dead kid… I thought that the Fourth Raikage had told you that… after the war…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
He did… But my mother is now a spirit messenger of the resistance against the empire!…
Gamera:
Oi!… What did I tell you about talking that sort of politics within the guild?… If you want to have that discussion… take it elsewhere… If you’re here to join the guild… then lets get on with it… before business picks up again…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai… Gamerasama… Sumimasen… My sister Ishitara has already joined… They did that before we got here…
Ishitara holds up her guild medallion with a prideful smile.
Akimichi Karui:
That’s great!… Here I was worrying that you might have just run off with your new boyfriend…
Sarutobi Konohamaru:
She might have been tempted… But we didn’t go far… Hesitation is perfectly understandable… But she needn’t have worried… She passed with flying colors… We both did… Yuntaro and I are even going to take the exorcist exam… Passing it grants a commanding rank within the guild…
Taketori Hoki:
Are you going to join the guild too father?…
Hatake Kakashi:
I’m certainly going to try… I can’t let myself lose to Konohamaru… I’d be the laughing stock of all the former kage…
Sarutobi Konohamaru:
In that case… you may have to take the exorcist exam with me and Yuntaro…
Hatake Kakashi:
Sodesuka?… Well then… I’d hate to disappoint…
Darui:
Ai… Likewise for me too… Shintaro sensei would never let me live it down if I didn’t at least try… And I have my own reasons as well… personal reasons…
Senju Tsunade:
Ai… Sodesune… And the same goes for Sakura and Sarada… if not Karui…
Akimichi Karui:
Iie… I’m no exorcist… I’m not my father…
More tests are prepared, and Gorgon starts to get excited for more demonstrations. But then a bell sounds signaling a local news alert, and a two dimensional high definition image of local newscast is suddenly projected down from the ceiling as a holographic image floating in the air in the center of the room. The image itself has numerous bits of alien writing down one side, with a picture of Uzumaki Shintaro just above the column, and the view of the Raikame pulling to the shipyard sky lantern that his design school calls home, bathed in flashing light under a barrage of flash bulbs. An excited male voice of a newscaster immediately begins to chime in with the announcement.
Male Newscaster:
Breaking news!… Founder and builder of the Sky Lantern Flotilla… Uzumaki Shintaro… has returned to the flotilla!… Jane?…
A female newscaster then chimes as well.
Jane:
That right Dan… And he’s doing so quite publicly and openly as well… It is well known that Shintaro sensei prefers to be discrete in his visits to the flotilla… But ever since his ship the Raikame was spotted on approach… rumors have been swirling about the news… and what it may mean for the flotilla politically… Interest has not only peaked instantly… but is rapidly boiling over within the flotilla… All the message boards… have gone completely overboard with the news… But what could it possibly mean Dan?…
Dan:
Jane you ignorant sloth!… How could anyone know at this point what’s in Shintaro sensei’s head… It’s Shintaro’s flotilla… And we’re all just floating in it… And who knows what he has in store for us now… But let’s go live to Turtle Dove on the scene of the dock… Dove?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Gamerasama… I thought that there was a rule against talking politics within the guild…
Gamera:
We are only watching the local news… And we are not discussing it!… Damarei!… Rookie!…
The image of Shintaro disappears from the side of the image, along with the column of alien writing underneath it. Then the image shifts from a live feed of the Raikame pulling into the shipyard, to a live shot of a correspondent on the dock surrounded by numerous protestors, well wishers, and lots of female fans, of numerous species, even the Otsutsuki. The correspondent appears as a humanoid bird creature wearing a white kimono, and holding a microphone in feather covered hands. The crowd sports numerous signs in various languages, with messages ranging from death threats to promises of undying love, and everything in between.
Turtle Dove:
Well Dan… We have quite the crowd here already… and people are still flooding into the shipyard… even to the point of threatening to trigger the automatic jump limiters to avoid overcrowding… And we certainly have the usual assortment of haters… and fans… of all sorts…
Gamera:
A typical kerfuffle for that man… the Storm Sage… When he rains… he pours…
Uzumaki Yukai:
Sumimasen… Gamerasama…
Gamera:
Urusai!… Damarei!…
The camera pans over to reveal a velvet rope barrier keeping people off the edge of the dock, and clearing a path for the ship’s occupants away from it, as the Raikame pulls in along side, and the camera zooms in slightly on the crew on deck.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Uhm?… Which one is my father?…
Akimichi Karui:
That was his mug shot on the side blurb a moment ago…
The Raikame docks, and numerous dock workers tend to the ropes being tossed to them, as they furiously scramble about to tether the flying boat to the dock. Shintaro beams a plastic rehearsed smile for the media, and begins to wave, followed by the other crew members on deck.
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Konichiwa!… Konichiwa!… Konichiwa!… Domo!… Domo!…
Turtle Dove:
Shintaro sensei!… Shintaro sensei!… What brings you to the flotilla so conspicuously?… Has something happened?… Is there some news of the war?… And who is the lovely lady on your arm?…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Now Dove… You know that loath being the center of attention… It was not my intention to be so conspicuous necessarily… But you guys are just too good for me… I can’t keep anything from you lot…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Wow… The media sounds dangerous…
Sarutobi Mirai:
That’s sarcasm again precious boy toy… That’s also a deflection…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Neat!…
Inozuka Kiba:
Baca otaku...
Sarutobi Mirai:
Precious otaku…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
I came to the flotilla to make introductions for some members of my family that you haven’t seen in the flotilla before… This lovely lady is my new girlfriend… Kurotsuchi… leader of a village of shinobi…
Shrieks of disappointment erupt from the assembled admirers.
Kurotsuchi:
Uh… Konichiwa… Wow… You weren’t kidding…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
And this is my nephew… Uzumaki Naruto… and his family… His wife Hinata… their son Boruto… and their daughter Himawari… He is a sage of Mount Myoboku… and the leader of his own village of shinobi where he comes from… And this… is my grandson… Uchiha Sasuke… the brother of Itachi the Crow… and an acolyte of Ryuchi Cave…
Turtle Dove:
Are you serious?!?… The brother of Itachi the Crow!?!… But he doesn’t look anything like a crow spirit…
Uchiha Sasuke:
My brother’s real name… is Uchiha Itachi… He died… and was reincarnated… as Itachi the Crow… And on occasion at least… he still looks like he used to… just not to you…
Uchiha Sarada:
Does he really?… I’ve only ever seen him as a crow…
Uchiha Sakura:
I’m sure that you’ll get your chance…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
And just so you ladies know… My grandson is a married man…
Shrieks of disappointment erupt once again throughout the crowd.
Uchiha Sakura:
As popular as ever…
Turtle Dove:
Sasukesama!… Sasukesama!… Will we ever get to meet the special lady?…
Uchiha Sasuke:
Perhaps… For now… Sakura is busy with more important things… along with our daughter Sarada… Not everyone has time for the press…
Uchiha Sakura:
Name dropper…
Uchiha Sarada:
Is it really a good idea to volunteer that information unnecessarily?…
Uchiha Sakura:
There’s no point in hiding it… And we’re supposed to be joining the guild here… remember?… Once that’s done… the media can write what they like… as long as they spell our names right… Welcome to politics…
Gamera:
Oi!… What did I say?…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Shitsurei shimasu… But I promised my family and their friends a tour of my design school… My grandson Sasuke is a promising artist… And we have quite a few new candidates for the school here besides him… So we really must be going…
Turtle Dove:
But Shintaro sensei… can we at least get a glimpse of what they can do?… Perhaps Sasukesama could demonstrate his talent for us…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
My grandson doesn’t do… public exhibition… unnecessarily…
Just then, the Otsutsuki Emperor’s hulking son Enrio shimmers into place, oversized battle hammer in hand, with an assortment of grotesque and twisted looking monsters for minions in his entourage. They take up the space on the dock between the velvet rope and the ship, as the camera view widens out to take it all in, and the overwhelming throng of a crowd starts to make itself scarce, anticipating trouble.
Akimichi Karui:
Enrio!…
Uchiha Sakura:
Enrio?…
Akimichi Karui:
My uncle… from the wrong side of the family… and the abductor of my mother… back when my sister Ishitara was still just a child in the womb… He just shimmered in with the power he stole from my mother… by ripping out her eyes right in front of me and Yukai…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
What brings you here savage?… Surely your father warned you against confronting me…
Otsutsuki Enrio:
I just came to talk… and to meet the new family… And I’m well within my rights to visit any public sky lantern in the flotilla… Those are your rules… remember?… You don’t want to break your own rules… do you?…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
If you came to talk… then get to it… and then get lost… or I might be tempted…
Otsutsuki Enrio:
Any time you want heretic… Any time you want… But I was hoping to see my nieces and nephew here… You can’t keep hiding them forever… And the empire has nothing but time…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Then you can shove off and wait somewhere else… They don’t belong to you and your father… They never did… And they never will…
Otsutsuki Enrio:
There you go with that heresy talk again…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
You are no god baca… You never were… And you never will be… And your divine pretense would be more believable… if you didn’t keep such lowly company… But I guess no one else can stand you well enough for that…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Uhm?… Is that what they call… trash talk?…
Sarutobi Mirai:
Hai precious… Hai…
While everyone is distracted by the news feed, Ishitara and Konohamaru finish and turn in their registration scrolls, completed, signed, and sealed. Then Ishitara grabs Konohamaru’s hand, and shimmers away with him, then shimmers back standing on the deck of the Raikame. Upon their arrival on the deck of the Raikame, the flash bulbs from the remaining press begin to rapidly pop off again, as they catch a glimpse of the infamous juggling princess, proudly holding up her Demon Hunter Guild medallion, for her uncle and all the press to see.
Akimichi Karui:
Oh sister… What have you done?… Yukai!… Go after her!…
Uzumaki Yukai:
You got it sis!…
Yukai shimmers away with his own Starlight Rinnegan, then shimmers into view on the dock behind his uncle’s entourage, taking advantage of the space cleared out by the crowds after Enrio showed up.
Uzumaki Yukai:
Konichiwa uncle… Long time no smackdown… Did you really miss us that much?… I’m touched…
Otsutsuki Enrio:
You will be kid… You will will be…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Bold words for a coward… who couldn’t even abduct his own sister… without a platoon of demons to assist him… Some things never change…
Otsutsuki Enrio:
And some heretics never learn… The power of gods cannot be denied… nor defied… not for long… And the empire has nothing but time…
Enrio shimmers away from the dock with his entourage, then shimmers back into view in the center of the guild dispatch waiting room, displacing and disrupting the holographic display.
Akimichi Karui:
Enrio!…
Otsutsuki Enrio:
My how you’ve grown Karui… in spite of being raised among primitives and heretics…
Akimichi Karui:
You’re the only primitive here… savage!…
Otsutsuki Enrio:
And you have a daughter now… and another child on the way it seems… The emperor will be pleased to hear about the new additions to our family…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Pardon me… But there are rules here in the Demon Hunter Guild… Talking politics is strictly prohibited… We’ve already been reminded a few times… If you wish to have a political discussion… then you’ll just have to go elsewhere… But I’m pretty sure that no one here wants to go with you… And although I don’t know all the rules… I’m pretty sure that bringing demons into the guild… is against them…
Gamera:
They are!… Your father the emperor will hear about this Enrio!…
Otsutsuki Enrio:
And who are you supposed to be?… Those aren’t Starlight Rinnegan…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
My name is Uzumaki Yuntaro… son of Uzumaki Shintaro… but not of your sister… I’m just a fresh rookie here… But I’ve already demonstrated two of the three competencies required for membership within the guild… I only have to demonstrate sealing now… I was going to take the exorcist exam… But since you insisted on bringing demons into the guild… I may just have to make a demonstration out of them…
Ostutsuki Enrio:
Go for it baca!…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Very well then… Challenge accepted… I’m sure that you probably know what one of these are…
Yuntaro holds up his spirit avatar’s hand, and a matte black material begins to ooze out of his avatar’s palm, and forms itself into a matte black orb, about the size of a baseball, hovering just above his open palm.
Uchiha Sakura:
A truth seeker orb?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
No hints from the audience please… But yes… Sodesu… It’s a form of physical matter made from pure chakra… I generally don’t like to use these things that much… They’re very dangerous for most people to touch… And normally I don’t have much use for that… But they do come in handy for some things… I never learned how to throw a real shuriken… It was never a part of my training before… But with one of these… I don’t need to…
The truth seeker orb begins to morph and shape shift into a matte black shuriken, which then hovers and spins just above his palm. Yuntaro then uses his shadow lightening chakra mode, and baths himself in a sheath of purple lightening, which he then extends to cover his shuriken, giving it an electric purple lightening halo.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
I call this my Truth Seeker Shuriken…
The truth seeker shuriken then launches itself at the assembled demons standing behind Enrio. Enrio then swings at the shuriken with his hammer with surprising swiftness, given the size of the hammer. But the truth seeker shuriken zigzags it’s way around Enrio’s hammer, then proceeds to slice a path straight through all the demons behind Enrio, leaving all the demons frozen in place, bathed in a similar electric purple lightening halo. The truth seeker shuriken then returns to hover and spin above it’s master’s palm again.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
And that… is what I call the Shadow Lightening Static Cling Prison… Static cling can be such a pain… It deserves to have a weapon named after it… The only drawback is that it doesn’t preserve the host for possible exorcism… something I’m going to have to work on…
Enrio turns to look at his frozen minions, then uses the Tenseigan in his forehead, a higher evolution of the Byakugan, to shoot a beam of focused energy at his own demon minions, severing each of their heads, but breaking the static cling prison seal that held the demon parasites within it’s seal.
Akimichi Cho Cho:
You destroyed your own minions?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Iie… He destroyed my seal… and freed his minions to take other hosts…
Otsutsuki Enrio:
You’re a bright boy… for a heretic… Perhaps I should smash that smart lip of yours with my hammer… and teach you a lesson about trifling with gods…
The truth seeker shuriken then launches itself again at the hammer itself, and severs the hammer head from the top of it’s long handle, before returning to hover and spin above Yuntaro’s palm again.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
There now… Hopefully you’ve learned your lesson… about following your own rules… This is supposed to be the Demon Hunter Guild of your own empire after all… If you continue to flout the rules however… I may have to ask you to leave…
Otsutsuki Enrio:
Baca heretic!… How dare you?!?… I’ll mount your head on my hammer for this…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Is that a euphemism?… or innuendo?… Either way… it sounds quite inappropriate… This is certainly not proper behavior within the guild…
Enrio rages and howls with anger with his hammer’s handle still in his hands, shaking it above his head, before taking a run at Yuntaro. Yuntaro then changes his truth seeker shuriken back into an orb, but amps up the electric purple lightening halo surrounding it. Yuntaro then launches it into Enrio’s gut, channeling all of his shadow lightening chakra into it, with an electric purple lightening arc connecting his hand to his orb, powering it into it’s target.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Truth Seeker Thunder Ball!…
Yuntaro’s truth seeker thunder ball blasts Enrio backwards, through the wall of the dispatch center, and out into the surrounding space, before Enrio blips away into some random sky lantern within the flotilla, as part of the flotilla’s safety net. Yuntaro’s orb then returns to him, but without it’s electric purple halo, with Yuntaro himself now no longer bathed in that same aura, having shed it all for the sake of channeling it into his attack.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Sumimasen… Gamerasama… But he was trying my patience… And rules are rules… That’s what civilization means… I think… And enforcing the rules is not necessarily an act of war… or of politics… But we should probably get on with the business of the guild before we have any more interruptions… from barbarians and savages… or just other politicians…
Gamera:
Hah!.. I like you kid!… But don’t worry about that sore loser… If you didn’t kick him out… then I was going to have to… But you haven’t seen the last of him… Count on it… And he’ll be coming for you now…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
So be it… A true sage has nothing to fear from false gods…
Yukai suddenly shimmers back into the dispatch center.
Uzumaki Yukai:
Did he come here?… Where did he go?…
Akimichi Karui:
He came here… And our new little brother here just showed him the door… and very forcefully too… You’d better go back and let the others know what happened… We still have to join the guild here… But we have nothing to worry about here… The guild seems to have a new bouncer…
Gamera:
Ha ha ha… Don’t tempt me to make it official… And speaking of official… that demonstration completes your application for the guild kid… Welcome to the guild… Here’s your medallion and your registration scroll… But you’ll need to use actual blood in person to sign and seal it… then bring it back here… physically… in order to complete your registration… Yukai!… Make yourself useful and take these on behalf of our new guild member here…
Uzumaki Yukai:
Hai… Gamerasama… I’ll go and let the others know…
Yukai grabs Yuntaro’s prizes and shimmers away to leave the guild to get on with guild business.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Now how about this exorcism exam?… I brought my own pen!…
Yuntaro reforms his truth seeker orb, into a truth seeker pen.
Sarutobi Mirai:
My precious otaku sennin…
Several hours pass, as tests and demonstrations get underway. Ishitara and Konohamaru return to the dispatch center, in order for Konohamaru to take the exorcist exam, along with Yuntaro and a few others. Meanwhile, Shintaro’s tour fields endless questions from the press about their home planet, and about what a shinobi is. Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sasuke field most of the questions. Naruto and Shikamaru answer most of the questions about shinobi in detail, but are as vague as possible about their home planet for the time being. Sasuke however gets asked endless questions about his marital customs, the state of his current marriage, and whether or not he believes in polygamy, while Boruto laughs his ass off at the whole spectacle. Kurotsuchi gets almost as much harassment by the press for her relationship to Shintaro, the de facto royalty of the flotilla, as Sasuke gets for his marriage status.
Elsewhere, in a dark hole somewhere within the flotilla, a gang of six sinister creatures watch the local news of the flotilla, featuring the familiar face of the formerly one armed bandit, Uchiha Sasuke. Their leader is the demon racoon who arranged the ambush of Sasuke and Sarada in Konoha, pursuing the bounty placed on Sasuke’s head by the Otsutsuki Empire’s bureaucracy. Two more of their gang grow increasingly agitated as they watch Sasuke on the news. One of the agitated ones is a large rhino like creature with green skin, black eyes, and red fur covering it’s head and horns, and running down it’s back to it’s tail. While the other one resembles a yellow scaled velociraptor with red eyes.
Demon Raccoon:
Well… Looks like he’s got two arms now… Handy… heh heh heh…
Demon Velociraptor:
Where’s the girl?!?… I don’t care about the one armed bandit!… I don’t care how many arms he has!…
Demon Rhino:
Yeah… We owe her… She humiliated us…
Demon Raccoon:
Sure thing… But the bounty is still active… and pays pretty good… And we can still use her as bait… if we can find her… What do you wanna bet… that she’s here somewhere too?… I could use a new host… This one’s just about had it… And I could use an upgrade anyway…
A large boar like creature, with black fur and yellow horns, chimes in.
Demon Boar:
The juggling princess was rather proud of that guild medallion she was holding up for all the cameras… What do you wanna bet that the Uchiha girl is doing that too?… Perhaps even as we speak… If she starts celebrating somewhere in the flotilla… she might let her guard down… I wonder what she tastes like…
Demon Raccoon:
No eating!… I need a host!… But I’ll take that bet… But she could end up celebrating anywhere… How do we lie in wait for that?…
A giant coiled up rattle snake, with green scales and yellow eyes, rattles it’s tail, and hisses a reply.
Demon Rattle Snake:
It’sss bound to be sssomewhere near the desssign ssschool… or the guild dissspatch… We could sssimply sssearch around there for a while…
A number of black large black furred spiders with red eyes clinging to the ceiling, start to speak in unison.
Demon Spiders:
We should hunt!…
Demon Raccoon:
Hai!… Enough talk!… And enough with the Uchiha channel!… Let’s hunt!…
Many of the new shinobi applicants to the demon hunter guild pass with flying colors with all their demonstrations, and some even pass the exorcist exam. Others can only demonstrate fighting and sealing, and have to wait, and participate in an actual hunt with guild members under Gamara’s supervision, in order to finish the process by demonstrating their sensing ability. Yuntaro, Sarada, and Sakura all perfectly ace the exorcist exam, but Darui, Konohamaru, and Kakashi all pass the exam as well.
After Yuntaro completes his exam, Tsunade orders him to break his jutsu and return everyone’s consciousness back home to their bodies. Tsunade also requests that Yukai use his Starlight Rinnegan to take Yuntaro’s medallion and registration scroll back to Konoha, in order to help expedite his registration. Back in Konoha, everyone arrives back into their waiting bodies feeling stiff, having been sitting still for several hours. Some are more sore than others, having been standing the whole time because they were on guard duty when they were taken away without warning. Kiba’s voice chimes in from the other side of the garden wall.
Inozuka Kiba:
Owoooh!… My neck!… Damn that baca otaku!…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Sumimasen!… I can probably fix that!...
Inozuka Kiba:
Leave it alone!…
Taketori Hoki:
What happened to your neck bro?…
Inozuka Kiba:
I was just looking up at some stupid bird… to check to see that it wasn’t another air attack by some giant crane… or something else even weirder… when that damn jutsu hit us… I feel like my neck’s been caught in a vice this whole time!…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Sumimasen!…
Inozuka Kiba:
Urusai!… Baca otaku!…
Sarutobi Mirai:
Well… I’m getting changed while I still can… And you’re not going anywhere without me… physically or otherwise… until I get back… Wakarimasuka?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai… Miraisama… Wakarimasu…
Yukai shimmers into view in the garden, homing in on his new brother Yuntaro’s chakra with his Starlight Rinnegan.
Uzumaki Yukai:
Well there you are… We finally get to meet in the flesh… Here you go…
Yukai walks over to Yuntaro, as Yuntaro gets up to greet him, as well as stretch his legs. Others in the garden begin to do the same. But Jugo remains seated and simply practices his flute. Yukai hands over Yuntaro’s prizes, with an awkward and nervous smile.
Uzumaki Yukai:
So… You’re Yugito’s son?… Karui always suspected that something happened between her and dad… I was too young to notice at the time… And honestly… I just thought my sister was being a bitch… She does that…
Senju Tsunade:
Yukai… Can you stick around for a bit?… and then take a bunch of us back physically?…
Uzumaki Yukai:
Hai… Sure thing… As many as you like… I may need to take a few hours to build up enough sage mode chakra… But that shouldn’t be a problem… I’ll get started right away…
Senju Tsunade:
Domo… Yuntaro… I want you to come with me… There’s something that I want to give you before we go back…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
But Miraisama said that I couldn’t go anywhere without her… physically or otherwise…
Senju Tsunade:
You’re so cute… I don’t think that’s what she meant… And I’m making it an order… I’m your master now… Now come with me… Kurenai sensei will let your girlfriend know where you went… And we won’t leave Konoha without her… physically or otherwise… Promise…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai… Tsunadesama…
Senju Tsunade:
Gaarasama?… Chojurosama?…
Gaara:
Hai… We’re in… But we should all grab something to eat before we get caught up in anymore… unexpected surprises…
Chojuro:
Hai… Likewise… And we kage should also be prepared to at least take the exorcist exam… We have to lead by example… And we can’t let Darui and Kakashi beat us that easily…
Gaara:
Certainly not…
Most of the various shinobi and kage disperse throughout Konoha, in order to recharge, refuel, and regroup for the next round. Meanwhile Kurenai sits in her garden and listens to Jugo practice his flute, and stares into her new well of shadows, courtesy of her would be future son in law. Tsunade and Shizune lead young Yuntaro into the Hokage’s office, where Tsunade excuses herself for a few moments and leaves Yuntaro alone in the Hokage’s office with Shizune. Tsunade returns carrying something in a garment bag. She unzips it, and removes a brand new green chunin flack vest of Konoha, with a red crest with the black swirl of the Uzumaki Clan on the back, traditionally symbolizing friendship within Konoha, just like Mirai’s.
Senju Tsunade:
Here Yuntaro… Put this on…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
You mean… that I get to wear one of those funny looking vests too?…
Senju Tsunade:
Uh… Yeah… It’s not the normal procedure… And I’m just the acting kage while Naruto is away… But this is an unusual circumstance… And you are certainly no ordinary shinobi… to say the least… Properly speaking you aren't shinobi at all… And a fancy vest doesn’t necessarily change that… Only time and training will… not to mention experience… In terms of skill… knowledge… and power… you’re beyond jonin level… But in terms of experience… your mother is right… You have much to learn about war and combat… You pulled off your victory against Enrio… with sheer power and hutspa… But Enrio won’t likely make the mistake of underestimating you again… You took far too many gambles… But that is something that you will learn with time… As it is now… considering everything up to this point… especially your acing of the exorcist exam… you easily qualify for the rank of chunin… So I am granting you an emergency battle field commission… and promotion… to a chunin of Konoha… And you are going to have to get used to wearing the proper uniform… as well as some sort of proper footwear… Do you have something against sandals kid?… or boots?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Some of my jutsu work best bare foot… for a more direct connection to the ground… for lightening style… as well as earth… And I was always losing my sandals in the wilderness… So I gave up on them… And I just got used to it…
Senju Tsunade:
Well you’re going to have to get use to the habits of civilization… You represent Konoha now… And not only are you going to have to get used to wearing the uniform… but also conventional footwear of some kind… flip flops at a minimum… so you don’t track mud and crap everywhere when you have to actually go indoors…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai… Tsunadesama… Although I may have to borrow some… as I have no money…
Senju Tsunade:
I’ll buy you some before we go back kid… Flip flops are cheap… Here… You will need to wear one of these too…
Tsunade reaches into her kimono, and pulls out a steel headband forehead protector of Konoha, etched with the stylized arrowhead symbol of Konoha, with swirl in the heart of the arrowhead, then tosses it over to Yuntaro.
Senju Tsunade:
Normally that’s worn tied around one’s forehead… But people wear them all sorts of different ways… And you must wear it somewhere… in some way visible… that and your vest… plus flip flops… and get used to it… just like your mother told you… ‘Grow up and deal with civilization!’… And don’t forget your guild medallion… You just went through a great deal of trouble to get it… Consider it a part of your uniform… The rest of your medical shinobi training we’ll deal with when the current kerfuffle is over…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai… Tsunadesama…
Yuntaro slides on his vest, then ties his headband around his head in the conventional way as instructed, then places the chain of his guild medallion around his neck. As the final touch. Yuntaro then conjures forth his shades from out of nowhere, right into his waiting hand, then places them on his face to complete his uniform.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
There… Do I look prestigious?… I think these vests look funny… But I don’t really know anything about fashion… And Miraisama says they’re prestigious…
Senju Tsunade:
I think you look precious…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Close enough…
While Shintaro and the crew of the Raikame continue to deal with the press, Kakashi Choji, and Choza, along with Darui and Omoi, all wait in the dispatch center for their first hunt to demonstrate their sensing ability. Meanwhile, Sakura and Sarada, along with Karui and Cho Cho, all decide to avoid the press for the time being. And they choose to celebrate their new medallions with a sightseeing tour of the sky lanterns surrounding the immediate vicinity of the dispatch center, all proudly sporting their new guild medallions.
Karui takes the group to visit an old cafe and bakery that she remembers from when she would visit the flotilla with her father as a child. The demon raccoon spots them, with a lone black furred spider on his shoulder from the demon spider hive of their gang.
Demon Raccoon:
There she is… Tell the others… She’s not alone… But they have no clue… Newly minted rookies… with their precious medallions… We only need to wait… and keep our distance until an opportunity arises…
Demon Spider Hive:
Hai… Wakarimasu…
Uchiha Sakura:
A botanical maze?…
Akimichi Karui:
Hai… It’s not so much fun if you have the eyes to see through it to some extent… My father put in barriers to make it more interesting for people like us… But I was always more interested in all the pretty flowers… It may sound silly for a shinobi to say… but that’s the one power of my father’s that I was always genuinely envious of… gardening… I love flowers… But I’ve always had a black thumb… And father makes it all look so easy… Normal gardening is hard… and time consuming… and doesn’t normally lead to developing useful battle skills…
Akimichi Cho Cho:
Mama… Where is this botanical maze?…
Akimichi Karui:
It’s in one of the larger sky lanterns in shipyard row… dedicated to the maze… with multiple levels… and multiple entry points… the welcome mats… and multiple expansive open garden clearings… where people like to picnic and smell flowers… Because it has multiple welcome mats… where you start in the maze is completely random… A major shopping hub is right next to the maze in shipyard row… I know my father gave you a shopping list… He likes to assign scavenger hunts as chores…
Uchiha Sakura:
I’ve noticed… But he doesn’t necessarily assign funds…
Akimichi Karui:
That’s because my father almost never even thinks of money… to the extreme annoyance of everyone around him…
Uchiha Sakura:
I’ve noticed that too…
Akimichi Karui:
We have money here in the flotilla… He makes money from all sorts of businesses that he partnered in as part of the founding of the flotilla… But he almost never spends any of it… He generally doesn’t need money for anything… So he forgets that he even has it… And then he goes on a spending spree now and then when he remembers… buying up all sorts of weird junk for whatever reason… In fact… I’m still authorized to use the family accounts here in the flotilla… which is why lunch is on me… It would serve him right… if I drained his accounts just to help you complete his scavenger hunt… or just to have a little fun… or a new spaceship… like one of those really high tech ones… I would love to learn how to fly one of those… They have schools for that here too…
Uchiha Sakura:
There are some high tech items on his list…
Akimichi Karui:
See… He’s practically asking to have his accounts drained… He’s just forgetting that detail… So we have to fix that for him… It’s for his own good…
Uchiha Sakura:
And for the good of our planet…
Akimichi Karui:
There you go… It’s a mission… Oi!… Four orders of Jelly Babies to go please!.. Oh… Sumimasen!… Make that six orders to go please!… I almost forgot to account for Cho Cho…
Akimichi Cho Cho:
Oooh!… Jelly Babies?… Nandesuka?…
Akimichi Karui:
There a common favorite desert here within the flotilla… Basically there like jelly beans… but made from babies!…
Akimichi Cho Cho:
Agh!?!…
Akimichi Karui:
Just kidding Cho Cho… Although in some places within the flotilla… if your not careful… you never really know… Aliens diets are… well… alien…
Uchiha Sukura:
Come to think of it… purchasing foodie guides is on the list…
Akimichi Cho Cho:
A foodie guide!?!…
Akimichi Karui:
Hai Cho Cho… It’s like a food version of the maps that we got from the Raikame… only more specialized… showing all of the dining options within the flotilla… and their appropriate species designations… among other information… like ratings and reviews…
Uchiha Sarada:
That sounds more like a survival guide under the circumstances…
Uchiha Sakura:
Time to go shopping…
The waiter brings their orders of Jelly Babies, and puts the bill on Shintaro’s tab. Then they leave for the shopping hub next to the botanical maze, with the demon raccoon, and the demon spider on his shoulder, following discretely behind them, and reporting back to the other demons in their gang. The new demon hunters stop by a local credit union founded by Shintaro for the sake of the flotilla, the Sky Lantern Credit Union. They add Cho Cho, Sarada, and Sakura to the list of authorized users for Shintaro’s accounts, with Karui’s authorization, then proceed into the malls and shops of the shopping hub.
Back in Konoha, after a brief stop to buy proper footwear for his uniform, Tsunade and Shizune escort the young exorcist Yuntaro to an informal meeting and consultation over all you can eat sushi with Might Guy, Lee Rock, and Lee Rock’s son Lee Metal. When they get to the restaurant, the prospective patient and associates are waiting for them. Guy sensei wears a brace on one leg, and is dressed in an all green one piece body suit, with a green flack vest of Konoha over the top of it. And he sits on a stool at the bar with his two acolytes, next to an empty wheel chair parked by his stool, with all three of them sporting identical bowl cuts and thick bushy eyebrows. Guy sensei is telling stories about his life long rival Hatake Kakashi, as Tsunade and her acolytes come walking up to them at the sushi bar.
Might Guy:
Ping Pong!… No matter what Kakashi will tell you… I lead him… in Ping Pong!… and All you can eat sushi!… overall… Kakashi leads me in total challenges won… But only because I can no longer fight and train like I used to… But I can still beat him at will… in Ping Pong!…
Senju Tsunade:
That’s quite a record to be proud of… in spite of the excuses…
Lee Rock:
Hai!… Sodesuyo!… It’s unbecoming…
Lee Metal:
Papa?…
Might Guy:
Eh!?!… Nani?!?… I’m not making excuses Tsunadesama!… It’s just a statement of fact!… I’m not complaining… It was a worthy sacrifice… But I do miss our real challenges… Perhaps I might complain a little about that… It’s only natural… I feel bad for Kakashi… He doesn’t like to admit it… But he misses it too… Uh… Who is this young new chunin with the monk’s robes?… Is this the miracle monk?…
Senju Tsunade:
Hai… Sodesu… I wanted you to meet him… I was hoping that he might be able to persuade you to get over your stubborn pride…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Stubborn pride?… Tsunadesama?…
Might Guy:
Uzumaki Yuntaro?… Sodesuka?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai… Sodesu…
Might Guy:
Tsunade… and your father Shintaro… are trying in vain to get me to sign on to a pointless experimental treatment… But as much it may pain me to admit… we must resign ourselves to that which we cannot change… and embrace the change that we cannot undo… And we experienced shinobi must set a brave example… and steadfastly move forward as we are…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
With all due respect… that sounds stupid… But then I’m new to being shinobi… for less than an hour in fact… It sounds like you’re trying to put a brave face on being a coward… But then that depends on the nature of the treatment… Is this some sort of surgery?…
Might Guy:
Iie…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Drugs?…
Might Guy:
Iie…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Surgery and drugs?…
Might Guy:
Iie… Music…
Yuntaro busts up laughing at Guy’s resistance to music therapy.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Music therapy is one of my specialties!… I’ve even successfully used it with rock creatures… although only one so far…
Senju Tsunade:
Sodesu… I’m a witness… He literally reassembled the poor creature after nearly killing him for his demonstration of fighting power… while applying for the Demon Hunter Guild of the Otsutsuki Empire…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Sodesu… But I had help from Jugo… with medical senjutsu… through music therapy…
Might Guy:
With medical senjutsu you say?… with music?… And how would a young monk such as yourself even master such power?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
I was raised in a monastery… in part by a trio of old Uzumaki refugee monks from the old Demon Order of Uzushio… who were also practitioners of senjutsu in the Uzumaki tradition… and my fancy eyes helped a little…
Yuntaro removes his shades briefly to show off his fancy Rinnegan eyes.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
I can’t really understand why a shinobi such as yourself would have something to fear from a little music therapy…
Lee Rock:
Indeed... If I had followed that principle when Tsunade proposed a risky surgery to restore my own physical ability to serve as shinobi… a potentially fatal risk… Guy sensei himself convinced me to take the risk… But now he refuses to follow his own advice…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
And why is that?… I have to wonder… Are you afraid of it failing?… afraid of disappointment?… May I ask how you were injured?… or is it classified?…
Senju Tsunade:
He was injured by going all out in the final battle of the last great war… By opening all eight gates… using the eight gates technique… But he was rescued from what otherwise would have been fatal… by senjutsu from your cousin Naruto… the senjutsu of Mount Myoboku… combined with that of the Sage of Six Paths… sage mode chakra shared with Guy sensei… by Naruto…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Wow!… I had heard of that!… That was you?… The eight gates technique is extremely rare and dangerous… Something only a sage can safely and reliably use… thanks to senjutsu… in theory… Although your survival does seem to indicate that the theory is correct… I had also heard that you had managed to pass on this technique…
Lee Rock:
Hai… To me… And now I have passed it on to my own son…
Lee Metal:
Ha Hai!… So so sodesune!…
Lee Rock:
Don’t let this monk make you nervous Metal… He’s not that much older than you… And he’s only just beginning to learn about being shinobi…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai… I’m only just beginning… But medically speaking… I think that you all have a great deal to worry about…
Lee Metal:
So so sodesu suka?!?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai… Even short of opening the eighth and final gate… the technique is bound to do all sorts chronic and accumulative damage… shortening one’s life… And accidents do happen… Such practice must be balanced by the power of the sages… by senjutsu… And if you cannot do this yourself… then you can never trust this technique… However impressive it is to master this technique… let alone pass it on… it is beyond irresponsible to pass on such a technique without the proper balance… of senjutsu…
Might Guy:
Nani?!?… Irresponsible?!?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
You heard me… But it does seem that you’re at least compatible with senjutsu… or it wouldn’t have worked well enough for you… in order to save your life from the eight gates technique… Have you ever attempted to study senjutsu?… of any tradition?…
Might Guy:
Iie… I have no talent for such things…
Lee Rock:
Even less so for me… Metal has more talent for that sort of thing… He can even do some fuinjutsu… But we’re Taijutsu specialists… largely because we lack talent for other skills… to be honest…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Well… You may be honest… But you are wrong… There is no way that I will believe… that someone who can master the eight gates technique… somehow can’t master senjutsu to some extent as well… among other things… And the Uzumaki tradition of senjutsu relies heavily on forms of taijutsu for it’s development… among other things… including music… Do you have any talent with music by any chance?…
Might Guy:
People do say that I have lovely singing voice… better than Kakashi!…
Lee Rock:
He’s not lying… Kakashi sensei can’t sing…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Well… That’s Kakashi sensei’s problem… But if you can sing… that may be enough for you to work something out… and maybe pass it on… in order to create a viable new tradition… of senjutsu… eight gates senjutsu… I like the sound of that… I may want to learn this technique myself… We have to go back to the sky lantern flotilla to complete my registration for the Demon Hunter Guild… I’m a recognized exorcist now… And so is your rival Kakashi…
Might Guy:
Nani?!?…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Sodesu… He’s still there now… still going through the process of joining…
Might Guy:
Yeah?… Sodesuka?… Well then… I simply must join this challenge!…
Lee Rock/Metal:
Guy sensei!…
Senju Tsunade:
That did it…
Yuntaro, Tsunade, and Shizune join them for sushi and discuss the matter further, while they refuel for the return trip to the flotilla. Tsunade appoints Guy sensei acting regent kage so that she and Shizune can go back to the flotilla, and try and join the guild, with a keen interest in taking the exorcist exam herself. But Lee Metal is informed that his newly reunified team is now set to go back with them too, as his head nearly explodes in a nervous fit, prematurely triggering the opening of the first of the eight gates. Then all of a sudden, Yuntaro’s mother Yugito shimmers into view of Lee Metal, causing him to sporadically open the second gate.
Lee Rock:
Ease off Metal… That’s the second gate… which is impressive… but this is a restaurant…
Lee Metal:
Sumi!… Sumimasen!…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
If the gates are triggered by anxiety… I wonder how they’ll react for the exorcist exam?…
Lee Metal:
Ex… Ex… Exam!?!…
Senju Tsunade:
He did ace all the fuinjutsu written tests at the academy… That’s part of why his team was on the list… And he’s on my exorcist list…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
But he’ll need to be able to demonstrate sensing… From the sound of things… none of these three sound ready for that… But Metal sensed my mother coming… almost as soon as I did… Mother?… Did you find anything out?… about Shinki’s mother?…
Nii Yugito:
I lost her in the flotilla!…
Senju Tsunade:
The flotilla!?!…
Nii Yugito:
Hai!… They’ve built a portal… a direct link… stable… I don’t know why exactly… Whatever is possessing this Matsuri person sensed me… then ditched me… That’s an old one for sure… very dangerous… I’ve already reported this to Hagaromo… You have to get back to the flotilla and go after this person… Exorcist!… and tell your father!…
Yugito shimmers and fade away as the ghost she is.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai mother!… We have to tell both the kazekage and the mizukage… although for different reasons… This business with Uncle Toshiro just keeps getting more and more involved…
Senju Tsunade:
That’s a very astute observation… for such an innocent...
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
I may not know fashion… But I know history… even more so legends… But politics is something else… alien politics is something else entirely beyond that… But that is what my Uncle Toshiro is tangled up in… We’d better regroup… right?… Sodesuka?… I got that right… right?…
Senju Tsunade:
Yes precious… And we’ll have to go pick up your girlfriend too… Metal… go round up the other members of your team… and your jonin team leader… Ise Udon… Then grab the scientific ninja tool maker Katasuke sensei… and his assistant Kakei Sumire… and bring them over to Kurenai sensei’s house… Konoha is going to have to start paying her rent just for putting you up… and putting up with the traffic… And round up the mizukage and the kazekage… and their respective parties… and tell them we have news and that we have to get going… and get them to Kurenai sensei’s house too… Lee…. I need you to stay behind this trip with Guy sensei… Shizune and I have to go take this exorcist exam… given that Sakura and her daughter Sarada have already aced it… along with this miracle monk here… I can’t let all my students surpass me now can I?… Don’t worry Guy sensei… I’m sure that you’ll get your chance after treatment…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
And training…
Yuntaro returns to Kurenai and Mirai’s house with Tsunade and Shizune, and finds Kurenei sensei swooning to Jugo’s flute, while Yukai gathers sage mode chakra with senjutsu, and with Mirai being relieved for her boy toy to have returned to where she can keep an eye on him. Yuntaro interrupts Jugo’s playing with a question to Kurenai’s annoyance.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Jugo?… When Enrio brought demons into the guild… you could sense them… couldn’t you?…
Jugo:
Hai… But I didn’t know what it was… until you said that those were demons…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Well that’s good enough to start with… With your skills in assisting me with medical senjutsu through music therapy… you could at least be an exorcist’s apprentice… if not an exorcist… And who knows with time…
Jugo:
I would like that…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Good… I may need your help with the kazekage’s problem…
Jugo:
I won’t let you down… Yuntaro sensei…
The mizukage, the kazekage, and their respective entourages, all arrive along with the Metal team and the scientists. Yuntaro takes the time to awkwardly address the group before departure.
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
I don’t know what you’ve all been told exactly… but the short version is… that my mother Yugito has returned from investigation of Uzushio… And she has learned of a stable portal from our planet to the flotilla… because she followed Matsuri there… But that thing inside her sensed my mother… and lost her there within the flotilla… To be clear… only the older more dangerous demons can do such things… and only the older and more powerful ones would dare to possess a shinobi to begin with… At this point we don’t even know if Matsuri is still in the flotilla… And my mother ordered me to return to the flotilla and inform my father… as well as track down Matsuri… But this is now legitimate Demon Hunter Guild business… perfectly legitimate excuse for chatting up Gamerasama about the patterns of such activity within the flotilla… And I have to complete my registration… Katasuke sensei and his escort have and a considerably different mission… but they could be targets of this activity too… There is no telling how long this portal has been in operation…
Senju Tsunade:
This could explain the demon attack on Sasuke and Sarada to begin with…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
We all have to go straight to my father first… as per my mother’s orders… From there we have business with the guild…
Meanwhile, back in the guild dispatch center, a loud alarm sounds off.
Gamera:
Listen up rookies!… You sure picked a bad day to have to demonstrate your sensing abilities with a supervised hunt!… We just got an alert of a demon being detected in the one of the shopping hubs!… The big one next to the big botanical maze…. a big maze next to a big maze… and the demons know this… And it’s the bane of my existence!… Shintaro never should have built that thing!… I don’t care how popular it is!… And we’re going!… You’re Up!… With me!… Shintaro sent you!… So you can help me sort his mess!… You’re gonna earn your medallions… let’s go!… Icu!…
Gamera disperses his barrier and enters sage mode as before, and rises up out of his pool in a halo of steam and green flames. His arms and legs are retracted and replaced by green flames, as hovers over to the waiting rookies, waiting to show their sensing caliber.
Gamera:
You four rookies grab some shell and hitch a ride with me… I have my own map to the flotilla sealed within my shell… trouble spots like those mazes of Shintaro’s making are repeat destinations… and I have my own shortcuts… Don’t worry about about the green flames… That won’t hurt you unless I want it to… Gorgon you come too… These rookies can’t be relied upon… Gorgon here can’t seal… So he can’t join… But he can fight… And he’s a highly sensitive and experienced tracker… He likes to tag along with guild members on their hunts… He comes in handy that way… And he’s kind of an attention whore… And you’re gonna need the backup…
Gamera shimmers away with the Gorgon and the shinobi hitching a ride to the shopping hub. Shintaro finally begins his tour of the design school, suddenly freed of media entanglement, but distracted by the news of Yuntaro’s arrival in the flotilla, as well as Yuntaro’s confrontation with Enrio. Then Yukai shimmers into view of the entire tour, and the entire class at his design school, with the remainder of the summit, and their respective entourages, as well as Tsunadesama and the contingent from Konoha, including Yukai’s little brother Yuntaro.
Uzumaki Shintaro:
So… You’re Yuntaro… Aren’t you?… Your mother told me about you… but only after she died… and was recruited by Hagaromomo sensei… She didn’t want you to be spoiled and disillusioned by the world too soon… She fears that she’s coddled you now… But she thought that it was finally time… But I was expecting you in Konoha!… Not here picking fights with false gods!… But I hear that you did well… Try not to do that again!…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai!… Father!… Sumimasen!… But he had it coming!… I have to go back to the guild to finish my registration with the Demon Hunter Guild!… I aced the exorcist exam!… But mother ordered me to come to you and let you know… that Uncle Toshiro is mixed up in some bad business in Uzushio… with a stable portal… that a demon used!… connecting our planet to this flotilla… I had asked mother to investigate… She tracked a possessed shinobi… of personal interest to the kazekage and his son… through a portal to the flotilla… Then mother lost them when the demon possessing the shinobi in question sensed her… and lost her…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
Sensed and lost!?!…
Uzumaki Yuntaro:
Hai father… There are older ones connected up with this and uncle Toshiro… and now with the flotilla… and most likely directly with the empire… if I had to guess… But I’m new to being shinobi… This is my new girlfriend Miraisama!… Tsunadesama is my master now!… I’m training to be a medical shinobi!…
Uzumaki Shintaro:
A medical shinobi?… becoming a shinobi like your mother I suppose… different specialty… I had heard that you’d aced the exorcist exam… But don’t get carried away just because you aced a written test… I bet Sarada may get a bit a head of herself too… But at least you are both members of the guild… Everyone who needed to become members before we started… have already done so… or are working on it with Gamera… But you have to make sure to officially complete your registration as soon possible as well now… ever since your disagreement with Enrio… Yukai… Take them all to the deck of the Raikame… And get them maps for the flotilla with the key to the ship in them… And go ahead and give them the bookmarks for the guild… and the design school… And show them how to make their own way through the flotilla properly… Ishitara… Please take Konohamaru and join Yukai… Go help the others learn their way around and join the guild… They may need your help with their friend…
Uzumaki Yukai:
Hai!… You got it dad!…
Yukai shimmers out of the design school with the new physical arrivals. And Ishitara nods her head to her father and grabs Konohamaru’s hand, then shimmers away with him to arrive on the deck of the Raikame with the others, as Yukai begins to explain a few things. Indiscrete demonic whispers set in motion a media ambush for the granddaughter and great granddaughter of the Otsutsuki Emperor, and the wife and daughter of new media sensation of the flotilla, Uchiha Sasuke. The media happens upon their targets as they’re discussing a particularly fast ship, allegedly, with an alien space horse trader at the space bazaar.
Akimichi Karui:
The Kesel Run?… Never heard of it… I think you’re making this stuff up… And what kind of a name is the Millennium Falcon anyway?… And how fast can it really be… if it takes a millennium to get anywhere?… It sounds more like the millennium lemon…
The media ambush sets off with the shopping party being rushed by throngs of reporters, cameras, and a barrage of paparazzi flash bulbs, setting off Karui’s paparazzi PTSD, from childhood drama involving the media of the flotilla. Multiple live feeds spring up all over the flotilla. A holographic display is projected down from the ceiling of the design school workroom, depicting the live scene to Shintaro, Sasuke, and the rest of the tour.
Akimichi Karui:
Oi!… Urusai!… Baca paparazzi parasites!… Stowe the flashes!… and behave yourselves!…and I might just let you live long enough to ask a question!… maybe!…
Baca Paparazzi:
Princess Karui!… Princess Karui!… You and your sister… the Juggling Princess Ishitara… have both been seen sporting guild medallions… Does that mean that Shintaro’s daughters are turning their backs on him?… and turning to the empire?…
Akimichi Karui:
We’re just joining the guild to do our part against demonism… many from our planet will be doing so… It’s a long tradition on our world… not just my father…
Baca Paparazzi:
Princess Karui!… Princess Karui!… Is this girl really your daughter?… Is the father still in the picture?…
Akimichi Cho Cho:
Nani?!?… Watashiwa… Akimichi Cho Cho desu!… Papa!… Papa is Akimichi Choji!… And papa is joining the guild too!… So stick that in your picture!… And press it!…
Akimichi Karui:
Don’t feed the beast Cho Cho… not if you can help it… Sumimasen… Sakura… Sarada… Allow me to introduce you to fellow new guild members… and exorcists… and the wife and daughter of my cousin Uchiha Sasuke… Uchiha Sakura… and Uchiha Sarada… They both just aced the exorcist exam!…
The flash bulbs rage again to catch a glimpse at Sasuke’s wife and daughter.
Baca Paparazzi:
Sakurasama!… Saradasama!… Did you two really just ace the exorcist exam?… Does joining the guild signal a rejection of Itachi the Crow and the Resistance?… Do you represent Itachi’s brother Sasuke in this action?…
Uchiha Sarada:
Papa speaks for papa!… And Uncle Itachi speaks for Uncle Itachi!… Like Karuisama said… We’re just here to fight demonism… And yes!… Mama and I both aced the exorcist exam!… All the rest of that… is just political noise!… And you can shove your noise!…
Sasuke uses his own Rinne Sharingan to generate a portal from the workshop at the design school, to the space right behind Sakura and Sarada. Sasuke jumps through the portal and lands in view of the camera’s behind his wife and daughter.
Uchiha Sasuke:
My daughter is right!… I speak for myself in such matters… and no one speaks for me… And I only speak for my brother Itachi in terms of letting you know that that goes for him too… But you’ll be hearing a lot more from me… on a lot of things in the near future… But I will not tolerate the ambush of my family over any of it… Come Sakura… Sarada… I think it’s time to make a dramatic exit… You’re welcome to join us… Karuisama…
Akimichi Karui:
Iie… I’ve just spotted my hubby trying to make the grade with Gamera and the guild… We should go help him… The fact that they’re here means this media kerfuffle might have been demon instigated… a demon flash mob… Somebody’s got to do their jobs here… And even better to be seen doing it… much as I may hate it… And Choji is going to have to get used to it too now…
Uchiha Sasuke:
Hai… Icu…
Sasuke opens another portal back to the design school and rejoins Shintaro and the others with his wife and daughter. The demon raccoon with the black furred spider on his shoulder shrugs in disappointment.
Demon Raccoon:
Well this hunt is a bust… with Gamera’s rookies closing in… But we know our hunting ground… Welcome to the flotilla… Uchiha Sarada…
There Is No Alone!
Forever Never Ending!
There Is No Escape!
There Is No Point In Pretending!
For compilations of previous chapters in paperback hardcopy:
The Mad Sage Of Uzushio, A Naruto Fan Fiction: Volume 1: Chapters 1-17 Paperback On Amazon.com