9: Turbulent Waters

Hundreds of miles from the Land of Fire lay the Land of Lightning of which rivaled that of Konoha in power. The Cloud and Leaf had been bitter rivals since the destruction of the Isle of Uzu, home of the fabled Uzumaki clan, and their village: The Village of Longevity, Of Whirling Tides, and most importantly The Village Hidden in the Eddies. All of these were of the same origin for they were in fact the same shinobi village.

The Isle was in fact two, one containing the legendary shinobi village, and the other being the prosperous Negi Island which operated under the trade routes that shipped the goods that made the villages great.

It was upon these shores that a young woman washed up upon. She was weakened and battered, her clothes filthy and tattered from miles of travel. Her once vibrant red hair was now dulled and dirtied with sea salt and sweat.

She stumbled ashore from the raft that bore her, and collapsed into the sand, "I'm finally home," she muttered weakly, crawling on her hands and knees toward the grassy area just ahead of her. "I'm finally free."

It felt as if it had been centuries instead of the ten years since leaving her home, and traveling to that accursed island to aid in the creation of a monstrous summoning beast. In the end, it hadn't been worth it. The beast had been uncontrollable, and had to be destroyed. In the end she had made the creature chase her to the mouth of a volcano, convincing some of the other creatures to push it into the boiling pit of lava far below.

She had been the only one to survive the monster's wrath.

And now she was all alone once again. Her parents were long gone, having died when she was young. Her only other family had moved off long ago to escape the loneliness of the once proud isle. "I wonder if my little cabin is still there," she muttered, finally finding the strength she needed to rise back to her feet.

Long ago, before her ancestral home had fallen in the Second Great War, Uzu had been a fair land, with rolling hills, but now, thanks to the destruction, large craters dotted the island where once proud temples had stood.

She kept walking, ignoring the moss and vine covered ruins of the old village, her mind focused on her little hutch of a cabin, and if it still stood. She had only been eight when she had left the island, and ten long years was a long time for a small dwelling such as hers to stand without maintenance. As she rose over one of the natural hills, she sighed when sh caught sight of her home...or what was left of it.

The little cabin that she had once known was now a pile of rubble, knocked down by the weather, no doubt about it. The girl sighed and sat down on the grass tiredly. "So now what?" She wondered out loud to herself, looking up at the passing clouds. "With all the whirlpools around the island, I don't think I'd be lucky enough to get passed them a second time without a proper boat."

She got back up and headed back down to the beach. Looking across the roiling waters, the mainland looked to be a few hundred miles away if she cut right across the waters of the Kanashii Ocean. But that would have been suicide. Even with her large reserves, expanded after so long in dealing with unruly beasts, she didn't have enough to get to the mainland fast enough.

Her other options were to stay put, and hope a merchant ship passed by closely enough to spot her, or to hoof it over to Negi Island, and make a mad dash to the Land of Noodles. That much she could do, but it was risky all the same. Her chakra reserves were large enough to cross over the smaller area, but it was wrought with large sea creatures. None fiercer than the gigantic horned whales that called the waters between Kanashii Ocean and the Kaizoku Sea their home. Larger than normal whales, they were surprisingly gentle when approached with caution. The problem was the equally large predators that saw the whales as food.

The bulls, when they sensed a threat, became violent, and attacked without mercy. The large horns on their head served them well as weapons should whatever they were after didn't get out of the way in time.

Still, it was a risk she would have to take if she wanted to start a new life. Staying in the ruins of Uzu without anyone else around did not sit well with her. There were too many ghosts from the past haunting the isle. Both friend and foe alike. It was why she had left in the first place.

Sighing to herself, she set off along the beach toward the next island.

=x=

Sasuke was laying flat on his back looking up at the ceiling of his apartment, his nerves making it impossible to relax in the early morning. Today was the day, the day that Naruto would attempt taking the curse mark from his neck. He sat up and went to wash his face noting the dark circles under his eyes. Despite his surprisingly enjoyable evening with Sakura and her family, the weight of the entire situation had hit him and hit him hard when he returned home to find and Anbu shinobi waiting for him to relay the message about the following morning.

It was just past dawn when he the knock came to his door.

He opened the door to find another Anbu waiting for him, "Uchiha-san, I am to escort you to the Uzumaki Compound's sealing chambers to remove Orochimaru's Curse of Heaven from your person."

"Understood," Sasuke nodded, "Do I need anything to prepare?"

"I was not informed of anything needed from your part, save for yourself." The masked shinobi said, "Shall we go?"

Sasuke nodded, and followed the shinobi out.

Meanwhile...

Tenten groaned as she heard a loud pounding on her door, rolling over to try and drown out the noise with a pillow over her head. "Gai-sensei, it's too early to be up," she groaned, feeling a pair of arms wrap around her. "Make it go away, Neji."

"I'd rather not," said the young Hyuuga sleepily, "After all, what would he think if he found out I spent the night?" He said, a hint of laughter in his voice.

Tenten sighed in contentment, "It's not like we did anything," she giggled, "but then, knowing Gai - "

"We'd never hear the end of it," Neji finished for her.

"TENTEN-CHAN!" Gai roared, pounding on the door again, "I NEED TO FIND NEJI-SAN AT ONCE! NARUTO-KUN WANTS TO TEST OUT HIS NEW SEAL-BREAKING JUTSU ON HIS SEAL!"

Tenten sighed, nearly falling back asleep,"Oh...how nice..." she yawned, snuggling back into Neji, "A seal-breaking...Seal? WHAT!?" She and Neji came awake at once.

"Did he really just say that?" Neji asked loudly.

"Is that Neji-kun I hear?" Gai asked in a slightly quieter voice, "Neji-kun, just what business do you have in Tenten-chan's apartment this early in the morning?"

Neji and Tenten looked at each other, one whose Pj's were ruffled and half open, while the other's shirt was somewhere on the floor.

"How...are we gonna explain this?" Tenten asked, at a loss.

"I...have no idea..." said the Hyuuga genius.

"NEJI!" Gai roared, the front door slamming open, "GENIN OR NOT, YOU TWO ARE TOO YOUNG TO BE ENGAGING IN ELICIT SEXUAL RELATIONS!"

"Three," Tenten grabbed up her alarm clock, "Two," she brought if back for a throw, "ONE!" She hurled it just as her bedroom door crashed open.

"IT IS MOST UNYOUTH - GAH!" Might Gai may have been a Jonin, but even he couldn't dodge a thrown object thrown at him be a weapons specialist, especially not one that was undergoing strength training with the most powerful Kunoichi in the world.

Tenten smirked, "And that's what you get for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, Sensei." She said, looking at her boyfriend, "Now, why don't we get out of here before he wakes up?"

"Good idea," Neji nodded, "He said Naruto was looking for me, so we should probably go there."

With that they snuck out of the apartment, leaving Gai knocked out on the floor with a goofy look on his face.

Meanwhile, as the two youngsters made their way toward the Uzumaki home, said blond was already preparing. The Sealing Chambers were beneath the compound underneath a the large tree in the center of the home. It spanned the entire main house, and was covered in anti-jutsu seals, meaning that once inside, no one would be able to cast a jutsu unless they were of Uzumaki decent.

Naruto himself was bare-chested, and covered in a light sheen of sweat. He was moving through the various hand seals that the seal he would use required. On the back of both hands was the kanji for 'Sea'.

"How're you feeling, kid?" Jiraiya asked from where he stood within the room. "Nervous?"

"Not really," Naruto said, frowning, "I just hope this works." Naruto admitted, "I mean, what if this isn't meant for Curse marks? If it's meant for breaking simple seals, then - "

"Sealing arrays cane do just about anything, Naruto," Jiraiya said, trying to ease his apprentice's worries. "The only thing that limits them is the user's skill, and their imagination. You'll do fine, Naruto."

The blond nodded, frowning. "When is Anko supposed to get here?"

Jiraiya shrugged, "Not sure. Tsunade's supposed to be bringing her." He said, frowning, "Tsunade also sent Gai after Neji so he'll be here soon. Are you sure about that, by the way? Taking Neji's seal from him is gonna cause a shit storm with the main branch, let alone the branch family. They'll be after you to get the seal off of them, but the main branch may just try to silence you."

Naruto shrugged, "I promised Neji that I'd change the ways of the Hyuuga clan, and that's just what I'm gonna do, consequences be damned." He said, frowning as he set about placing sealing tags around the room, "Besides, if they come after me, I can file a complaint with the Hokage, and either make them back off, or take responsibility for the damages they cause."

Jiraiya looked at him in approval, "You've been studying. That's good, as clan head of the Uzumaki, you'll need to know what you can and can't do if you're attacked by a rival clan here in your own village."

Tayuya came down the steps, looking around the room, "Uh, hey, guys...Tsunade's here, and so's Neji and Anko..." She said, looking from the Sannin, to the blond, "And I think Emo-boy should be here soon, so - "

"Now who's nervous?" Naruto smiled at her, making the girl blush, "Come on, Tayuya-chan, this should all go just as we planned."

"Is that why you're testing it on Neji first?" Tayuya asked, crossing her arms suspiciously.

Jiraiya chuckled, "I'm gonna go up and guide the others down here," he said, moving passed Tayuya, "You two behave yourselves while I'm up there."

"Yeah, yeah," Tayuya said, waving her hand at the man as he left, "You're the one that needs to behave, ya old perv."

"Such cruel words from your girlfriend, Naruto!" Jiraiya grasped at his chest dramatically.

"She's/I'm not my/his girlfriend!" Both youths shouted in perfect sync, which made them blush, and the old man cackled as he ascended the stairs.

Tayuya huffed and crossed her arms, "Jeez, what a jerk!" She snapped, looking back toward the blond, "So...how's this gonna work?"

"I'm pretty much going to be pulling the seal right off of you," Naruto said, frowning, "We already tested it on a high-level chakra binding seal that Pervy Sage placed on himself, and it looked like it was just lifting right off of his skin."

Tayuya reached up and placed her hand over the nape of her neck, "Will...will it hurt?"

Naruto looked at her sadly, "Yeah...it's gonna hurt a lot...even the old man couldn't keep back a few yells."

Tayuya nodded, "Okay...well, it's probably nothing I've not been through before, I guess. I mean, serving Orochimaru gaurantees pain." She said, her voice trembling, "And...it's no more than I deserve..."

"No one deserves pain," Naruto said, frowning.

Tayuya gulped, "I do...Listen, Naruto, there's something I need to tell you."

Naruto looked at her, listening.

The girl took a deep breath, 'No going back now.' She thought, "So I was talking to Tenten yesterday, and she said you were really close to the Third Hokage," she said, gaining a nod from Naruto. "Listen...when...when Orochimaru attacked the village, he fought and killed the Third...but that was only because he was able to reanimate the two previous Kages...and because...my former teammates and I created a four-corner barrier to keep him from getting any help from the his Anbu." Naruto looked at her with wide eyes, but Tayuya wasn't finished, yet. "It's my fault, Naruto. If I'd runaway like I'd so wanted to back then, he'd still be alive."

Naruto turned back around, making sure all of his seals were in place, "Why tell me this now?" He asked without looking at her. "You didn't kill him, Tayuya-chan...none of you did. From what I've heard, Hokage-jiji used a forbidden seal that would've killed him anyway, so it wouldn't have mattered either way. He died exactly how he wanted to die. You had nothing to do with that."

"But I - "

"And you were a kunoichi of the Sound Village, following orders from your Kage," Naruto put in, finally turning to look at her. "If you'd turned your back on your team, then I would've thought little of you, but all you were doing was the job your were given. That's what a shinobi does."

Tayuya felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, "You...you don't hate me, then?"

Naruto looked at her in surprise, "Hate you? How could I do that!?" Naruto yelled, "You're probably the most awesome girl I've ever met, and you're family...kind'a, awe you get what I mean, ya know?!" The blond ranted, scrubbing his hands through his hair in agitation.

Tayuya smiled at him then, "Thanks alot, Shithead-kun."

"Can't you just call me by my name?" Naruto groaned, "I thought we were past all of that 'shithead' bull?"

"Nope," Tayuya grinned, "Never."

It was then that Jiraiya, followed by Tsunade, Anko, Neji, Tenten, Sasuke and an Anbu guard came into the chamber. "Are we all ready?" Jiraiya asked of the blond.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I just need Neji to sit here," he said, pointing to a circular pentagram seal on the floor surrounded by five candles. "And take off your headband, I can't have anything in the way of the seal."

Neji nodded, reaching up to take the band from his forehead, revealing the abhorrent seal on his forehead. Tayuya frowned when she saw it. She'd heard about the enslavement of the branch Hyuuga family, but she'd never seen one in person. For a level-3 seal master like herself, she was easily able to see what if was capable of. Removing it? Not a chance, not with her current skills.

"Are you sure this'll work?" Tenten asked worriedly.

Naruto nodded, "This'll work, I promise, and you know I never go back on a promise."

"Good luck, Dobe," Sasuke said, frowning.

Naruto sighed as Neji sat within the circle, "Alright, Neji, I have to warn you, this is gonna hurt like hell," he warned, but the young Hyuuga prodigy just shook his head.

"A few moments of pain are well worth being rid of this mark, Naruto-kun," he said, "I live every moment of my life in fear of the clan's elders activating the seal, and killing me with it. Once it is removed, however, it can never be cast again, as an unbreakable law of the clan." He looked up at the blond with determination in his pupil-less eyes. "Do your worst, Naruto Uzuamki."

Naruto nodded and clapped his hands together, "Each of these candles represents one of the five main elements," he said, "With five elements, I will pull the Caged Bird Seal from your very being. Are you ready?"

"I am prepared."

Naruto took five tags from his jacket, and tore them to shreds, tossing them into the air above them, "God of the Eastern Sea, Amei," he said, forming the snake seal, "God of the Western Sea, Shukuryou," Dragon, "God of the South Sea, Kyojou," Ox, "God of the Northern Sea, Gukyou!" Bird, "Gods of the Four Seas, fend off one hundred demons, and dispell the curse!"

The five candles around the sealing array Neji sat in flickered to life, each one a different color of flame. Once they were all lit, a beam of light formed a circle, connecting them, and followed the pattern of the pentagram. It then descended down on Neji. As soon as it came into contact with the seal on his head, he was immediately assaulted with a blinding pain, as if something large were being drawn from his head from behind his skull. He groaned in pain, forcing him down on his hands and knees, his forehead against the floor as the seal descended ever lower. The mark on his head glowed green as it fought against the seal, and Neji began to howl in pain as the sensation grew stronger and stronger. The five elemental seal reached the floor, alighting the seal beneath the Hyuuga, who reared up, screaming in agony.

Naruto moved then, reaching out to place his hand against the mark in a grabbing motion, and hauled back, a sharp crack sounding through out the room. The light died down, and both young shinobi fell flat on their backs.

"Neji!" Tenten rushed forward, just as Tayuya did as she tried to get to Naruto. Jiraiya and Tsunade were right behind them.

"Are they alright?" Sasuke asked as he made way for them.

Tayuya picked up the prone blond as he tried to sit up, dizzy from the experience, "I'm alright," Naruto groaned, "Man, that sure took a lot out of me...Neji, you okay over there?"

Neji groaned from where he was being held by Tenten, "I'd...be fine if Tenten wasn't trying to smother me." He said, making the girl loosen her grip on him.

"Sorry." The brunette squeaked, looking up at the seal...or where it had been, "Oh my gosh, it's gone!"

Neji looked at her, and placed a hand on his forehead, bringing with it a smear of green ink, "I...It's...I don't believe it!"

Naruto chuckled, "Believe it," he grinned, giving his friend a thumbs up, "I told you I could get it off of you, -ttebayo!"

"Yeah, yeah, great, the jutsu worked," Anko said, making her presence known, "Can please get to me? I want this fucking hickey off of me like ten years ago!"

"Give it a minute, Anko-san," Tsunade said, checking the blond over, "That was a massive strain on Naruto-kun's body, as well as his chakra. He may not have enough to - "

"I can do it," Naruto said, rising back to his feet, smiling at the snake woman, "I'm ready when you are, Anko-neechan."

Anko felt herself blushing at the title givn by the blond, but shrugged out of her coat either way. "You need a clear shot at the seal, right? Do I need to take off anything else?"

"Oh, yeah, please d-Gah!" Jiraiya started, but was soon silenced by Tsunade's fist in his face.

"It's fine that way," Naruto said hurriedly, the woman's figure already too distracting for the hormonal teenager. Tayuya saw this and gave him a sharp pinch on his arm, "Ow! What the hell, Tayuya!"

"Just get on with it!" Tayuya huffed, sauntering away from the blond, and leaning against the wall near Sasuke.

"Smooth," Sasuke muttered.

"Shut it, emo-fag!" Tayuya hissed at him.

Naruto looked at the red-head in confusion as Anko sat down in the sealing array, "Okay, Blondie-kun, let's do this." She said, a slightly nervous pitch in her voice. Naruto nodded, and began his mantra again. This time, as the seal began its descent, the mark on Anko's neck reacted, a bolt of purplish chakra shooting out before it could touch her. Anko grunted in discomfort as the seal forced its way down on her, and forced her to the ground just as it had done with Neji, only the array on her neck attempted to break free of its confines and spread.

Luckily, the seal met with the brother seal on the ground, and Naruto moved in for his part, grasping Anko's shoulder, and hauling back. The seal erupted in dark, rancid chakra that filled the room with a chill as it rose in the form of a black, red-eyed snake, hissing as it dispersed a moment later.

Again, Naruto fell back, but was caught by Jiraiya this time before he could hit the ground as Tsunade moved to help Anko. "That's it, you need to rest after that one!" The elder sage growled, "I'm able to sense chakra, Naruto, and you barely have any left!"

"I agree," Tsunade snapped, "Anko's out cold! We need to get you two up stairs, now!"

"B-but Tayuya-chan, and T-Teme..." Naruto groaned, his eyes rolling back into his head as he fell unconscious.

Jiraiya shook his head, picking the boy up in his arms, "It'll have to wait, kiddo," he sighed, looking at the girl, "Could you go up and get a bed ready for him, and Anko? Tsunade and I will bring them up, and get some food ready. At least then we'll make sure he has the energy to keep going."

"I can do that," Sasuke volunteered, "I know how to cook."

"Me, too," Tenten said, helping Neji up, "And Neji could use some rest as well."

Neji just gave her a weak smile, "Really, Tenten-chan, I'm fine."

"You look paler than usual," Tenten added, hauling him toward the stairs.

=x=

Orochimaru looked down at his newly acquired hands, "Hmm, this body is quite something." he said, flexing his fingers, the tips turning black as it continued down his wrist, "To think such a rare ability was right under my nose this entire time."

"Not really, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said as he entered the room, smiling with glee, "You see, that body was one of my most successful experiments."

"Oh?" The man smiled in return, "How do you mean?"

"Well, you see, it's all thanks to Kido-san's research." Kabuto explained, "The artificial Kekkei Genkai narcotics worked to an extent, but I had no idea that this one was one of your marked shinobi."

"He wasn't, really," Orochimaru said, "After the battle was over, and this one was left standing, I had to mark him. After seeing how strong he was, it was a wonder I hadn't done so sooner. Tell me, have you had other successes?"

"Very few," Kabuto shook his head, "The Steel style was a lucky strike since humans naturally have iron in their bodies, which in turn can be turned to steel given the right components. But I am close to break through with another ability, perhaps you could help me?"

"I'd be delighted, t-" The Snake Sannin suddenly frowned, "Hmm...odd, I can no longer sense Anko-chan's curse mark."

Kabuto looked surprised, "She was killed?"

"No, I don't believe that to be so," he said, stroking his chin, and smiled, "It seems that our dear friends in the Leaf have figured out a way to remove my little gift." He said, weaving through a few hand signs, "There, now should dear Sasuke-kun's mark come into danger, the one threatening it will be quite surprised."

What has Orochimaru done? Who is the young woman traveling to the Land of Fire? And how is she connected to the Uzumaki? So many questions, and so little time. Find out next time as Naruto's attempts to remove the Curse Marks continue!

Please Review!