Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 118 UZUMAKI

I swam up through the whirlpool. The water simply swirled around me. Not pulling or dragging me. Simply running along my skin. I was water. It moved on past as I swam up and up. 

When my hand touched the rocky pool edge I felt weak but forced my body out. Once I hit air for the first time I tried to breath it in but instead I puked all the water out. 

It felt my full stomach and lungs. Mixing and making it taste awful as I expelled the nourishing water that had kept me alive. When I emptied all of it out I rolled over to my back. Taking in the first breaths. They were delicious. 

“Never again,” I said. My voice echoing in the cave. 

“Good, you succeeded,” Kame said. His voice next to me as if he was standing right there. “Come up. You can clean me of these damn parasites while we talk.”

I chuckled. Standing up with a groan I stumbled away from the whirlpool. My clothes were drenched. I took them off and walked naked up the ramp. Halfway there Michi met me. 

“You’re alive,” Michi noted. 

“I am. How long have I been out?” I asked. 

“No idea. Months?” Michi asked. I nodded. I had suspected as much. I grabbed him and he guided me back to Kame’s pool. 

“You have done well,” Kame said as I began prying off the small barnacles that had attached to him. I wasn’t sure how he attracted them but he was used to it. “Tell me what it felt like to you.”

“It felt like I could do anything,” I admitted. “But it didn’t last forever.”

“No,” Kame admitted. “You will find that in Kame Mode you can use your max strength all you want. Then when it ends you will be at your full strength once more.”

“Do I have to be in water to activate it?” I asked. 

“With practice you will be able to use it without water. That blade in your hands has the same feel as water. It will help,” Kame said. I looked down to the Jitte. Dropping my water chakra I felt along the Seastone. It really did feel like water. 

Focusing it took me a whole minute of meditating to activate the Kame mode. Then my chakra was replenished and I felt invincible. Slashing the Jitte I was in peak form. Then after a couple of minutes the Kame mode faded. I didn’t feel as strong, but I didn’t feel weak either. 

“Good, there is not much transformation going on in you,” Kame noted. 

“Trasformation?”

“Yes, activate it again. And look at your hands,” Kame noted. I nodded. My hand on the Seastone it took another minute but I pulled in the water energy around me. My hands looked normal, but there was slight webbing between my fingers. 

“The Kamjutsu wants you to turn into a turtle. But you have melded with it nicely.” I nodded. Back in Naruto he had orange coloring around his eyes when he used Sage Mode. 

“You will find with practice that you can maintain the Kame mode for longer and longer. True endurance is in your palm. But do not overdue it. While you are constantly at your peak, you must train your body outside of Kame mode. You have passed through the Uzumaki. It is for the turbulence. Not the calm.”

“The Uzumaki?” I asked. 

“Yes. The Whirlpool,” Kame said. I had forgotten that Uzumaki meant whirlpool. Like the red swirls on his back symbol. “Kame Mode is for when it is hard. Not for peace. When the water tries to force you where it wants to go. As you saw, you were one with the water. Not going with the flow. But making your own. As you did so in the Uzumaki. you must do so out there in life. Create your own flow. The current will go around you.”

“That was surprisingly inciteful,” I said. “I um have hard fights ahead. Thank you for your guidance.”

“Yes,” Kame rumbled. “And when it is over you will come back.”

“Is there more training?” I asked, excited. 

“No,” Kame said. “These fucking barnacles will be back. I need someone to remove them.”

I laughed. Nodding. “Of course.” The turtle closed his eyes as I finished. I didn’t have any reason to stay so I left. 

—-

What followed was days of running. During that time I headed straight North to Konoha. Running on the water was easy. I had been in the pool for a long time so I wasn’t as strong as normal, but after a few days I was back to normal. 

I practiced Kamjutsu when I felt tired. My strength replenished I kept on going. My mind and body as sharp as ever. Honestly I was excited about the new ability. I had finished my quest and was potentially able to summon the sea turtles to other worlds too. I was looking forward to the future. 

Arriving back in Konoha I felt like I’d been away from home for too long. It had to have been the 2 years. I still wasn’t sure how long I was in the Whirlpool. I showed the guards outside of town my ID and they didn’t believe me of course. 

I was only 12 when I left. Now I was 15, but I looked more like 18. Aging myself with my Epitome chakra I was able to become my peak, and then some. Now about 6 feet 2 inches tall I had long black unruly hair that went down to below my chin. Chiseled muscles, no more baby fat on me, I was a man. 

They let me in eventually and I ran to my home. Blowing past people since I couldn’t wait to see them. 

I pried open the door just as Reina happened to walk past. I was on her immediately. “Weston?!” She gasped as I picked her up and pushed her into the wall. 

“It’s me, babe,” I said and was kissing her. She wrapped her legs around me. Uncaring of the dirt and grime on my skin. My tongue in her mouth we expressed everything that needed to be said through the kiss. 

“Bastard,” she mumbled as she pulled away. Well almost everything. “How dare you go off without us.”

“Sorry babe. You couldn’t follow,” I said. Sneaking in kissing her face and neck with each word. 

“You still should have done more than leave a note,” she said. Her breath catching as my chakra covered hands moved along her body. 

“I’m sorry. I’ll do better in the future. Shinju make it back?” I asked. 

“Right here,” the red eyed woman said. I pulled away to see that we had an audience. Many more people than I expected. I blushed under all the women’s eyes. 

Mika, my fathers maid was there. As well as Hina and Shinju. Then I noticed Evelyn, Aurora, and Hazel. All 3 of my sisters. It had been a long time since I’d seen Aurora and Hazel. They were pretty much copies of my oldest sister. Dark hair, petite. Hazel was 18 and Aurora was 16. Then I remembered I’d been gone for 2 years. Aurora was 18 and Hazel was 20. 

“Hey,” I said to the girls. Evelyn walked up first. But I was ready for her. As she went for a nut shot I turned my thigh to absorb the hit then punched her. She moved to the side and tried to sweep my leg but I jumped up, stomping down on her ankle. She turned quickly and we threw a few more moves. When it was over she drew back. 

“Stronger I see,” Evey said with a smile. “Guess you weren’t joking about training.”

“Nope,” I said. “Sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“That’s fine. You don’t have to answer to me. You have to answer to the Hokage. She was pretty pissed when I told her,” Evelyn said. I frowned but nodded. 

“Weston!” My father said rushing down the hall. My maids parted as he walked by. He opened his arms out and hugged me. “It’s good to see you made it.”

“Thanks dad,” I said hugging him back. It was good to be somewhere that I actually liked my dad. 

“Now, where have you been?” He asked drawing back. Unsurprised by my change in looks over the last 2 years. 

“Long story,” I said. “First through. How long have I been gone?”

“From here? 2 and a half years or so,” he said. 

My gut clenched. “Is Naruto Uzumaki back in town?” I asked, worried. 

“That Jinchuriki?” My father asked. “No, I haven’t heard anything on him.”

“Good,” I said with a sigh. I had thought that the time gap was 2 years, but I guessed I was wrong. Maybe it was longer than I remembered. “Jeez. I was in the whirlpool for….jeez. At least 6 months.”

“The what?” Father asked. 

“Whirlpool. Come on. I’ll tell you the story.” 

—

“Fuck, I want to go,” Evey said after I finished the story. She was looking over the map to the Great Baria Reef. “Are you serious they taught you a new jutsu?” 

“Yeah, he called it Kamjutsu,” I said. “I don’t think there's an issue with others making contracts with them. But I wouldn’t recommend learning Kamjutsu if you don’t have water chakra. It took me a long time to learn.” 

“But you’re stronger because of it?” 

“More like I never tire,” I said.

“Damn, you get all the fucking luck,” she said. My other sisters were looking at the map over her shoulder. “Dad, we need this.” 

“I agree, but not now,” father said. “The Hokage called for everyone to come back after Danzo was found dead.” 

“He was?” I asked, hiding my excitement. 

“Yes, months ago. Some poison. The Hokage called for all spies to come back after that,” he admitted. “Which is why your sisters are all here. Now, I have heard Evey’s report on your mission. I want to hear your own version of events.” 

“I doubt I can add anything to her report,” I admitted. 

“How about you start with why your sister worked to fake your death, but you left your target a note that you were alive,” father said. His eyes cold as he asked the question. I looked over to my sisters. Evey just shrugged. I cursed. I knew she had spies, but I had hoped Mei would keep it to herself. 

“War is coming,” I said. “Months from now.”

“How the fuck can you know that?” Evey asked. 

“I know because I wasn’t only sent on a mission for us, I was sent on one by the Hokage,” I said. “I won’t discuss the details with anyone but her.” I challenged them to try to pry the lie from me. My father frowned but nodded. “I believe that the Mizukage will be important in the coming war. And I don’t want her pissed off at me.” 

“Scare you, did she?” Evey asked.

“Fuck yeah,” I spat. “She’s the Mizukage for a reason. I wasn’t going to risk coming back from the dead only for her to try to kill me.” 

“Smart man,” Evey laughed. “But still amateurish. We talked about this. The worst thing you can do is fall for your target.” 

“I know,” I said. “I don’t know if spying is for me. I would like to go back to working with my team.” 

“Yes,” father said. “The Hokage expressed the same request. She was very upset you weren’t back.”

“Jeez, I didn’t know you were so popular, Weston,” Evey said. “First the Mizukage and now the Hokage? Cougars got a thing for you or something?”

“All women have a thing for me,” I said with a sigh. “You wouldn’t understand with the massive balls of yours.”

Evey barked a laugh. “I’m gonna kick your ass.” She got up cracking her knuckles. “Let’s see this fancy jutsu of yours.”

“Fine with me,” I said, rolling my shoulders. “I’m gonna kick you in the nuts this time.” 

Evey cackled again as we moved to head out but were stopped as Mika opened the door. “Young master,” she said. “The Hokage has called for you.”

“Fuck,” I mumbled. I should have known it would be a whirlwind of activity as soon as I got back. “Rain check?” 

Evey frowned but nodded. No one made the Hokage wait. “Let’s catch up later,” I said to Aurora and Hazel. They nodded giving me a hug. Both timid in comparison to Evey, I much preferred them. “Good to see you 2.”

“You too,” Aurora whispered, kissing my cheek. 

“Not you,” I said to Evey. She made a swipe for me but I ducked under it and headed out the door.