Violet-Eyed Serpent: Ch.20

My vision spun as I quickly chopped at the tendrils with a Chakra Scalpel, falling to a knee while watching as the White Zetsu simply pulled his wooden vines back with a smile.

“The leader asked that we do not hurt you too much so come with us.”

“Hurt me…too much? You stabbed me.” I gritted out as I placed my glowing green hands against my chest, glaring at the White Zetsu who scratched the back of his head before looking at the others.

“What do we do? We can't just attack him.”

“Yeah, we might kill him.”

“Identify yourselves, intruders!” The old Uzumaki cut them off before they could continue talking and I watched as he walked up to stand besides me. The other Uzumaki with us quickly moved to stand in front of us like a wall before I turned my head as more Zetsu came from the ground to block us off.

'Of course Madara sent more than just a few to kidnap me, but why is he kidnapping me? Does he want me for something?' I thought with a frown as I stood up, my legs unsteady and my mind aching after Zetsu nearly drained my chakra dry.

Hearing a soft growl, I turned to see Sessho standing up, his fur stained with blood as he hobbled over to me with his teeth bared to the Zetsu clones.

“It's okay, bud. We're good.” I whispered as I placed my hand against his side, healing his injuries while staring at the White Zetsu clones who were staying still.

“I will ask only once more. Identify yourself, intruder.”

“I am Zetsu. No, that's wrong. We are Zetsu, an entity sent here by a man to get him.”

“Who is this master of yours?” I asked with a frown, but I was not surprised when one Zetsu giggled while the one with the swirling mask just shook his head.

“Nope, won't tell you that~ Now, you are too important to hurt, Nagato, but everyone else here…” The swirly mask trailed off and I frowned as I saw the one with the spiky hair creating tendrils from his waist.

Okay, I know that Zetsu was not a strong fighter as he was more for information gathering and spying, but as I watched the white masses of flesh forming around the Uzumaki members, I remembered just why he was a menace to deal with.

“I have also created the same masses on the bodies of every shinobi on this island. I know you can kill me, but can you kill me before I kill almost everyone else?”

“You dare threaten our clan with such underhanded tactics? You believe us to be afraid of death?” The old Uzumaki stood tall despite the issue of the white flesh mass clinging to his body. Zetsu just seemed to be amused as their giggles mixed into a chorus of eerie joy.

“No, no, old man. We don't want you to die because then Nagato would hate us. We just want him, but if you force our hands…” Swirly mask trailed off and Sessho bared his fangs before he gave a confused growl as I held a hand up.

'Could I kill them all? Most definitely, but could I do it before they drain everyone dry? That…I'm hesitant about.' Looking at the Zetsu, I sighed as I nodded and took a step closer.

“If I go with you, will you let everyone here live?”

“That depends.”

“On what?” I asked with a frown before letting out a frustrated sigh as Zetsu shrugged.

“Whether or not you come quiet. No tricks, no clones, no summons. Just you.”

“No, you do not sacrifice yourself for us.” The Old Uzumaki cut in and I sighed as I turned to see his gaze hard and firm at the Zetsu.

“And if I stay here, you guys will be weakened even more. What are you going to do when Kiri and Kumo decides to come back?” I asked before raising an eyebrow as the man smirked.

Turning his gaze to the Zetsu, I watched as the man walked forward while staring directly at the Zetsu clones.

“You said that these masses will be absorbing our chakra, correct?”

“That is right!” Swirly Mask nodded and the old Uzumaki smirked before making a Tiger seal while pulsing his chakra.

Sealing Jutsu: Crouching Dragon!

The next second, my eyes widened as rows of kanji spread out in all directions before watching as the white flesh masses fell from their bodies.

“You will find that absorbing the chakra of an Uzumaki can be quite…dangerous.” He spoke and I watched in awe as golden chains made out of fuinjutsu kanji exploded from his back and stabbed through the Zetsu clones by the dozen.

'…I think I may have underestimated just how strong these guys are.' It was not just the old man as the other Uzumaki were also creating sealing tags one after the one.

Some of the tags exploded, but others either sucked every bit of chakra from the Zetsu it attached to or paralysed them to the point that every muscle in their body was pulled as tight as possible.

“Ah, I forgot to introduce myself.” The old Uzumaki spoke with a smile as he walked towards me, not even looking as if he had dozens of Zetsu clones floating behind him with his Adamantine Chains stabbed through their heads.

“The name's Menma Uzumaki, son to Arashi Uzumaki and leader of Uzushiogakure. Pleased to meet you.”

'…Never underestimate an old man in a profession where everybody dies young, Nagato. Rule fucking 1.' The battlefield had shifted so fast after Menma's opening attack that I found myself staring there like a goofball.

Sessho's confused whine pulled me back to reality and the two of us looked at each other before back at Menma who was walking towards Swirly Mask.

“You…you don't understand what you've done…”

“I know exactly what I've done.” He spoke as he took out a tag from his robe before rushing forward, slapping the tag against Swirly Mask's chest before kicking him back as his chains vanished.

The tag did not explode nor did it activate some effect. What it did was unfold like a flower, kanji unravelling from the tag and crawling all over Swirly's body as his gargled screams filled the air.

I watched as the kanji covered him from head to toe before they glowed, a bit grossed out as his body dried up like a husk within seconds before crumbling away into dust.

“We will return…and next time, you…you won't escape.” Turning to the spiky-haired one as he spoke, it was already too late as only his eyes and hair were visible before he fully sunk into the ground.

I sighed as I realized this was not going to be the end before looking to Menma as he spoke up with a frown.

“Are you okay, Nagato?”

“Yeah, just…I guess my brain's just processing what just happened.”

“Good, then add this.” He said as he turned and walked over, placing a hand on my shoulder that had a surprisingly firm grip for his age.

“You are an Uzumaki. That means you're part of this clan just as much as any of us. We look out for our own and we do not sacrifice ourselves for nothing, understood?”

“…Understood.” I nodded with a smile, to which he smirked before patting my shoulder a few times and looking out at the damage to the island.

“Uh, sorry for a quarter of it being nothing but craters. I tried to keep the battles with the Bijuu as far away from the centre of the island as possible.”

“It's quite alright. We have other things to worry about. With Kiri missing a leader as well as two Bijuu, they won't attack, but Kumo might still want to get rid of us. We have wounds to patch, defences to build and now your new enemies to worry about.”

“Yeah, looks like I'm getting an extended stay on the island.” I spoke with a grin and he chuckled before I looked down as Sessho pushed at my side. I just smiled as he finally flopped down onto his side with a tired growl before sitting down besides him with a sigh.

“You guys need help with repairs?” I asked and he hummed before gesturing to the village.

“We'll let them handle the outside. For now, we need to go fix the barrier.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright, now just draw this kanji here…and here…and finally here…There, good to go!” Menma said with a happy smile and I wiped the sweat from my brow as I stood up, watching as the dozen other Uzumaki with me finished their parts as well.

“You're definitely an Uzumaki. You've only been here a few hours and already, you've got some rudimentary skill of Fuinjutsu.”

“Eh, I've always been a fast learner.” I answered with a shrug while looking around at the village, which was steadily being repaired by every helping hand available.

I have to admit that the sight of hundreds of Uzumaki of every age and gender running around did bewilder me for a bit considering how scarce they were in the future.

Hanging out with them though made me realize just how similar most of them were to Naruto and Kushina in terms of personality considering how half of them wanted to do pranks while the other half were masters at making any kind of ramen.

“Hahaha~ Fast learner or not, if you stick around, you'll be drawing barrier seals in your within the next week.”

“I'll take that as a challenge.” I said with a smirk, shaking the cramps out of my hands after writing out Fuinjutsu kanji for the past few hours.

Using Fuinjutsu required a monk's patience and a surgeon's precision, two things that I did not have much off after the chaotic day of fighting against two armies, two Bijuu and Zetsu's clones.

'Still though, there really is nothing like family.' I thought with a smile as I watched a group of teens ran past, one having ink stains on his face while the others carried buckets that were clearly not seawater like they were claiming.

The scent of broth simmering in pots filled the air and I watched as two elderly Uzumaki ladies argued about whether miso or fish broth would make better ramen while a group of Uzumaki gathered around them to be the 'taste testers'.

“Add a bit of miso…and noodles…hehe~ Instant ramen scrolls…” Looking at the pre-teen that whispered that while writing out ramen ingredients onto a scroll, I just shook my head before turning to Menma as he nudged me.

“I see you're becoming more and more comfortable with being here.”

“Oh, I was comfortable from the start. I just had to get used to the chaos of the village.”

“Hmm, do you see yourself staying here? For good, I mean.” His question knocked me for a loop and I looked at him to see him looking back with a smile.

“…Here? In Uzushio?”

“Yes, here. You have roots here, people who like you and the gods know that the clan does not have the best medics so you could help us with that too. That's not mentioning the fact that you also saved our village in its weakest moments, which most definitely earned you more than a bit of goodwill around here.”

“That all sounds good...”

“But?” He asked and I sighed as I remembered the group I had back home, smiling before shaking my head.

“I'll visit and stuff like that, but I have my own family back home. We're just a group of kids that are trying our best to fix the country we're in, but just as they would give their lives to achieve my dream, I want to risk my life to make sure they can achieve theirs.”

“Hmm, how old are you if I may ask?”

“Twelve.” I answered and he slowly turned to me along with the few Uzumaki who were listening in, Sessho giving a happy bark besides me as Menma looked at me.

“You're…twelve?”

“Yep.”

“12? 1-2? 10+2?”

“That does make 12 last I checked.” I answered with a smirk and he just continued to look at me before shaking his head.

“You're going to be a monster when you're grown-up.”

“I know. For now, I'm just plain old Nagato.” I said and he chuckled before I frowned as I felt a presence in the back of my mind, my eyes widening as I felt the King of Hell rumbling in my head along with feeling the chakra of the Bijuu still in him.

'Right, forgot about those.'

“Hey, Menma. Do you know how to seal Bijuu into others?” I began and he raised an eyebrow before nodding.

“That is the last seal one must learn in order to become leader. Why do you ask?”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summoning: King of Hell

The King of Hell rumbled as he rose up from the violet flames in front of me, both Menma and I watching as he opened his mouth and slowly spat out the bodies of both Goto and Zangetsu.

“And?” I asked as I looked to Menma, who hummed as he knelt in between both bodies while placing a hand on their respective seals that were on the chest for Goto and the neck for Zangetsu.

“The beasts are still inside, but the seals are eroding by the minute. If you wish to have the beasts, now is the time to do so.” He answered and I nodded before picking up both bodies.

“You sure this is going to work?” He asked and I hummed as I placed Goto on one of the three cradles that stood in the centre of a large ritual circle made out of kanji before answering while placing Zangetsu in the second cradle.

“It's an 80/20 in my favour. Then again, I've always had the worst of luck so it could also be a 20/80 in the favour of me dying.”

“Of course. Very well, are you prepared?” He asked as he weaved through hand signs and I took a deep breath before nodding.

“Ready.”

Tailed Beast Removal Method

I gritted my teeth and my eyes widened as I felt my body lock up, immediately activating my Medical Ninjutsu as my hands were laid on my chest before beginning the healing process as I watched my chakra flowing from my body.

It flowed upwards in a pillar before splitting off into nine tendrils, the end of each taking the form of a roaring dragon as six of the tendrils sunk into Zangetsu's seal while the rest sunk into Goto's seal.

With a grunt from Menma, I was unable to move while watching as my tendrils ripped out the roaring forms of Saiken and Isobu from their prisons. Neither looked happy to be removed from their seals, but there was also nothing they could do about it considering my chakra tendrils were stabbed into their chest and forced them to stand still.

Sealing Jutsu: Nine Phantom Dragons

Weaving through six new hand signs, I gagged on air as my body went slack, my vision spinning as I watched my chakra rip them from the ground before pulling both of them into my chest.

Four Symbols Seal

Four Symbols Seal

Eight Sign Seal!

I flew up with a gargling cough as Menma rushed forward and slammed both of his palms onto his chest, gasping for air and feeling the adrenaline fading before falling back with a groan after catching my breath.

“Are you okay?” Menma asked and I looked up at the sky before looking at my chest, smiling in relief when I saw the two Four Symbols Seals overlapping to form an Eight Sign Seal.

“I'm okay. Hah…are you sure this will hold both of them?” I asked and Menma chuckled while nodding as he helped me stand up.

“It will. The Eight Sign Seal was designed to keep the Nine Tails at full power in check and both the Six Tails and the Three Tails combined do not come close to matching his power. You'll be fine.” He said and I nodded while placing a hand on my chest.

'Step one of getting power is complete. Now for step 2…time to become a Sage.'

A/N: And we are off to the next arc: Trials and Becoming a Sage~!!

Also, we're now officially a Jinchuriki~…I think? Does it count?

Eh, who cares?! We have two Tailed Beasts in us now, but that's the limit for now as I want Nagato to get stronger and meet Madara before we start hunting them all down for their chakra.

Also for the Madara Situation, that's going to be its arc on its own along with the whole Otsutsuki thing that I'll explain when the time comes.

Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!