Chapter 36

Finished with the spar, Naruto had lunch with Toshiro and Makoto where they seem to bond over their shared interest in fighting, and cool moves.

Just as Makoto was about to show him a cool fuinjutsu seal that could trap a soul inside eternal flames, he stopped and stood up to show respect to his master.

Naruto turned his face to the side and saw a charming woman walking towards them along with an old man.

"Greetings Naruto Uzumaki, my name is Hotaru. It is an honor to meet you directly. Please, walk with me." Hotaru extended her hand towards him, and Naruto shook it.

It was clear that she had meant for him to kiss it, but Naruto wasn't aware of the customs. Regardless, she smiled and walked.

Toshiro pushed him and Naruto walked beside her while Makoto and the old man followed them from behind.

"So, what time have you guys decided on?" Naruto didn't know what she wanted so he decided to ask about the timing.

"Father will inform you about that soon. It is something that requires careful planning since we have a lot of people to move. Therefore, let us take it easy and get to know each other…What do you think of us now? Is it better than what you imagined or is it lacking?" Hotaru walked with grace and seemed to have powerful attractive force. Her presence demanded attention. Her voice was calm and friendly that it made Naruto, want to speak openly.

"I never really thought about it, but it is better than anything I could have imagined. What about you, how do you feel about going into the outside world?"

Hotaru glanced at him and she could feel everything that Naruto did. She was a high level empath beyond Naruto, meaning it was possible for her to see all emotions of others around her.

Naruto's reaction was genuine and he didn't seem to hold any negative feeling about them. It was the first time she had come across such a person, a person pure of heart.

"I am excited to see what the outside world has to show. In this small world there really isn't much to see, so it felt like we were birds inside a cage. I have heard much about the world outside, but it's been so long and those things might not be there now. Naruto, tell me of things you recommend."

Just like that Hotaru and Naruto engaged in a simple conversation while their empathic abilities complemented each other. It also showed that Naruto was unable to sense the higher being. Though, he could see through her restraints and feel that she was stronger than everyone in town.

Naruto bid them farewell and left the pocket dimension once the timing was decided. Genryu told him to visit them after a week and they would be ready to live in the Land of Whirlpools again.

Arriving outside the realm, Naruto dispersed his clone and came face to face with three disappointed faces.

"Lord Naruto, this is not how things are supposed to be. You need to understand your position more. You can't just perform every task and forget about your standing. It reflects badly on you and all of us. People that follow you will feel useless and unreliable if you continue to act like this. Please consider this advice seriously." Orochi spoke to him as he realized that Naruto had yet to grasp his role and the importance of relaying task on others.

"How can I send others into an unknown region or situation? What if they got hurt or died?" Naruto couldn't agree with that mindset.

"They all know the risks and their duties. Death will come to them when it is destined for them, you can never save them from it or change that date. With your kind words and actions, you are only disrespecting them and their determination.

Do you expect to participate in everything? Does the Hokage follow everyone around?"

Naruto stopped and couldn't help but agree with those words since he could feel others emotions. He would have also been annoyed if the Hokage had followed him around.

His emotions were messing up with his thoughts and making him act overprotective.

"I can agree with that, but in this kind of situation it was ideal for me to go alone."

"Maybe, but what if you had died. Do you understand why the leader doesn't stand in front of the army or why the Hokage is always in the village? It is because they are the core of everything and their death would cause worse outcomes then the death of others. You should remember that your death will spell doom for humanity." Orochi didn't even need to think much before he shot down Naruto's argument, causing him to feel guilty about his actions.

"Sorry, I just thought it might be too dangerous for you guys. I will try to change and I hope you guys can help me on the way." Naruto wasn't bullheaded and prideful about his thoughts. These things weren't about his values, so he could change when he found a better answer and it was something he needed to get used to. He had always been the follower and soldier, so it was his first time in the role of the leader.

"Don't regret those words, I am going to pester you a lot until you get it through your thickhead." Ino said mischievous smile on her face as she punched him in the gut playfully.

None of them were the type to back down from a fight and the time for the girls to wait for their hero was done. They had out grown the phase and become adults that could take responsibility for themselves. And, the world wasn't kind enough to allow people with such mindset to survive through the current ordeal.

"I won't regret it." Naruto hugged her tight and messed up her hair, before composing himself and explaining what took place.

"We might have to keep watch on the Uzumaki clan from the sound of it. They had yet to let go of their desire for vengeance and could end up taking drastic steps to achieve it." Orochi concluded from Naruto's description as it seemed clear in the words those people had spoken.

"Naruto be careful of these people, their words were completely manipulative and calculated. They were trying to test you at all times and seem to look for a way to take you down. They aren't trustworthy." Hinata didn't like what she was saying when Naruto finally found some blood relatives, but being family didn't mean that they would definitely look out for you. It was especially when Naruto didn't even know them and wasn't raised among them.

"They are definitely giving me the slimy vibe. But, let's make the situation clear. What did you feel from them at those times?" Ino knew Naruto was an empath and knew how far he could see.

"I know they were trying to test me, and they are definitely planning something. But, after that their emotions were genuine. They were talking casually and desiring a bond. They aren't bad, they just need some time in the outside world to let go of their hatred."

"What about that girl, Hotaru? Why did you say she made you feel weird Did you just fall in love at first sight?" Ino pushed.

"Of course not, I felt something different from her. I am still training with Sage arts, but I felt my senses feel it. I don't what it was, but with more training I will know what it is. Right now, I can't even say anything. Just that I felt something other than Hotaru."

"Is she a vessel for something?" Hinata questioned as it could be a similar situation to them and the Uzumaki wouldn't have a difficult doing it.

"I don't know."

"If she is a vessel and you couldn't sense the creature then it must be something extremely powerful. It might be an immortal." Orochi proposed from the information presented.

"What does that mean? Something like Amaterasu or Izanagi." Naruto asked as he wasn't really aware of these mystical things, he spent most of his time playing Dragon Quest type games and learning about cool ninjutsu and taijutsu moves or, looking for the best Ramen in the world.

"Yes, you might not be aware but those beings do exist. I am a follower of Master Gaea, and I can communicate with her. You should be able to sense them as well since they aren't technically above your level of existence. I believe if she is a vessel then she is a vessel of a powerful concept. As in the concept of the sun is called Amaterasu and Master Gaea is the concept of the Earth itself. So, she could have any concept that's actually much deeper than these physical things. For example, the concept of heat itself or space or time or life. There is a lot out there and I am not aware of anything beyond what Master Gaea has bestowed upon me." Orochi just opened the trio's eyes to a new reality and to prove his point, a green color aura appeared around him in the shape of woman that smiled at them before disappearing.

"It is the nice to meet you all. I hope we can work together soon." A beautiful voice spread around them before vanishing.

"What were they doing while the wars took place, while the Otsutsuki attacked?" Naruto asked pointedly as he didn't like the fact that such strong beings did nothing when they had the power to change everything.

Orochi shook his head, "They couldn't do it. Just like I said, they aren't really stronger than you. Before the appearance of Kaguya, there was a seal on the moon that kept the immortals on earth locked. None of them could leave their domain and enter earth because of restriction put by the Sage of Six Paths and Sage of Tenseigan. Now that the seal has been broken, they are slowly gaining excess to our world. This is good and bad, because now even demonic beings might be attracted to our world.

We will have to redo the seal and make it even stronger since earth will become a fire in the darkness attracting moths to its flames.

I hope you can give them a chance, Lord Naruto."

Hearing his explanation and heartfelt plea, Naruto couldn't help but see his point.

"Don't worry, I never judge others before hearing their side of things."

"Okay, so what are we going to do about it? What if this girl has some insane power on her side, what do we do?" Ino was definitely intrigued by the existence of the mythological beings, but her mind was focused on the current problem.

"I can ask Master Gaea to see what kinds of immortals are interacting with our region. But, they will not help us out in this problem unless the Uzumaki clan really is a tyrant clan hell-bent on creating chaos."

"We can't just accuse of them what we are unsure off, and they haven't shown any open hostility. Regardless, if they have something or not we can only do what we are already doing, unless you guys have another idea." Naruto saw their looks and didn't mention attacking the clan out of fear of the unknown.

"Contract with the immortals just like Mister Orochi, I think that should give you another edge that no one would expect." Hinata proposed as she looked at him before turning to Orochi to see if it was possible or not.

"It is possible."