The Demon Child

The Seal Master

Chapter 16: The Seal Master.

Updated on 12-1-2020. 

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As Naruto plowed the field his team had been assigned for the day his mind returned once again to that house and that long hallway of doors. Back to the sword and scroll. Back to that man of yellow and woman of red. He was sure it meant something, that it had something to do with him. But in the end, Naruto failed to understand what it all meant. Kakashi for his part seemed to only eye him with a passing glance while the others on his team acted like he didn't even exist. The work was hard and it was made all the harder due to the fact the old man seeming to make it a point to target him specifically. Names he had heard all his life flew at him like a kunai blade and ninja stars. But he paid the man no mind as he plowed the field and in time the job was done and the payments were handed out. His with a bit more force than was really necessary. Still, a stinging hand was better than a beating but that didn't mean he liked it. Not by a longshot.

"Ok, that will be all for now. I'll see you three tomorrow for the next round of missions". Kakashi said before jumping into the treetops and disappearing into the canopy. Sasuke and Sakura passed him without a word. Shoving his hands into his pant's pockets he walked home. Mothers and fathers pulled their children away when he came close while shopkeepers eyed his every move. Even as a ninja of the village he was viewed more like an outsider. The iron gates soon appearing off in the distance. Today he seemed to luck out. The two men standing at either side of the gates liked him. Will, maybe like was too strong a word, they tolerated his existence and while not the nicest didn't attack him or call him a demon. They simply opened the gates and let him inside. Falling onto his bed his last thought was of that house, of that hallway of doors, and of course of that scroll.

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Meanwhile, in a place detached from time and space, two ninja walked side-by-side, their hands interlocked as they did so.

"Minato-kun are you sure this was right...that we did the right thing for Naruto-kun"? The woman of red asked. Her long blood-red hair flowed down her back like a crimson waterfall.

"Come now, Kushina-chan what could possibly go wrong my orders were clear. He's likely being trained by the best the village has". Minato said with a big goofy grin on his tanned face. Kushina, however, seemed unsure like some unknown force was telling her he was wrong. The feeling made her uncomfortable and she wanted nothing more than to be rid of it. The fox had left them the other day saying only that their son was well and that he was happy. However, she knew he was keeping something from them. A motherly instinct but he had left before she could utter even a sound. Soon after that, his power seemed to disappear into the ether.

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Faster you need to go faster"! Chōza yelled as he sent yet another attack his way. Naruto rolled to the side and fired a handful of ninja stars and kunai blades. In response, a wall of hardened earth soon formed around the sizeable man making the attack fail.

"Better but still far too predictable. By the way, how goes your training with that clone jutsu"? Chōza asked. Naruto for his part looked downward in an obvious display of disappointment at his skills.

"Slow. Ino says I'm trying too hard and that I should let it flow through me". Naruto said arms crossed. Chōza could only nod his head.

"She's not wrong Naruto-kun. A river doesn't reshape the landscape all at once but by time. Slowly over many long years. You must allow it to flow like a river. It'll happen if you allow it". Chōza said sounding like a wise old sage. That image, of course, fell apart upon his eating of a party-sized bag of potato chips. Shikaku and Inoichi stood off to one side their eyes on Naruto.