A Hero's Come Back

Chapter 11: The Uzumaki Clan

"I don't smell it." Shikamaru, Ino, and Sakura all sighed as Kiba sniffed around the place where Naruto had indicated the barrier was at. "No shit, idiot," Ino muttered. "What was that?!" Kiba snapped. Naruto laughed, stepping forward and interrupting the argument before it snowballed. "Just give me a minute. I've gotta open us a door through the barrier, ya know? Ino, can you please stand up?" She cocked an eyebrow at him and whined. "My feet are killing me. Why do I have to stand up?!"

He pointed at the rock she was sitting on. "You're sitting on the seal, ya know." She blinked and stood up. Naruto stepped around her, and knelt down before the rock. Biting his thumb, he let a drop of blood fall onto the center of it. Then, he started going through a series of hand seals that the others wouldn't recognize, due to being specific to the Uzumaki Clan. The blood formed a seal and glowed. Suddenly, a massive wall of what looked to be chakra chains appeared in front of them. Slowly, they unraveled, creating a large entrance.

Naruto stood up. "Come on, guys, this thing doesn't stay open for long." They all hurried through it, Naruto bringing up the rear. The chain barrier quickly reformed after him and disappeared, giving a clear view of where they had been standing previously. "So, it's a barrier where you can see out, but no one can see inside?" Shikamaru noticed. Naruto nodded. "Yeah. It's a really complicated jutsu and I don't really know how it works, I just go with what the old man told me." Sakura sighed. "Of course you can use a jutsu you don't even understand. Of course. Do you even understand the Rasengan?"

"Yes!" Naruto exclaimed defensively. "It's a concentrated, whirling chakra death sphere that requires a shit-ton of chakra and concentration." "I'm surprised you can concentrate long enough to write your name," Kiba remarked dryly. Naruto whirled on him. "What?!" Shino spoke up before Kiba ever got the chance. "You're the one that got distracted by a stick being thrown on a mission." Kiba snarled at him. "Shut up, bug boy!" "No," he said simply. "Why? Because I'm telling the truth." Naruto laughed as the two argued, with the others looking on in varying degrees of fond annoyance.

After they'd finally calmed down, Naruto continued leading them up the hill, where his Clan was waiting.

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Z raced through the village, Koken chasing after her. A few of their fellow clansmen called out to the two, but Z was on a mission. During the time in which Naruto and Jiraiya had stayed with the Uzumaki Clan, both cousins had heard plenty about Naruto's friends, the Konoha 11. Z herself wasn't too impressed with them. In fact, she was infuriated. They had treated her cousin so horribly, following those old fools in the Leaf blindly, not knowing what they were even hating Naruto for–it made her blood boil.

Koken was more levelheaded about the whole thing. He acknowledged the power adults had over children, the power of example. While he hated the way Naruto was treated and would never forgive the village elders, who should know better, he couldn't find it in himself to entirely blame the Konoha 11. Though he was worried about this supposed 'best friend' his cousin had, that had apparently attempted to kill him. Honestly, Naruto was too loyal for his own good sometimes.

And he'd have to keep the equally extremely-loyal Z from severely injuring their escorts. This was not going to be an easy job. Why did he agree to be her guard again?

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"Why is this hill so steep?!" Ino moaned. Shikamaru sighed. "Such a drag. We are in the mountains." "Shut up, Shikamaru!" Ino retorted. "Come, my friends! Let us push our way to the top!!" Lee exclaimed, sprinting forward. "Don't go on ahead, Lee–you don't even know where you're going!" Tenten called out.