The accidental summoning contract with the Snapping Turtles of the Shiofuki Archipelago became a significant, if clandestine, part of Naruto's ongoing development. True to Gamaken's word, Kamekichi became Naruto's primary guide and occasional, highly unorthodox, training partner. Due to the secrecy surrounding the contract – Takito advised keeping it known only to their innermost circle (Mei, Haku, Ao, Zabuza) to maintain an element of surprise – Naruto couldn't simply summon the turtles to the rebel hideouts. Instead, during lulls in the fighting or on specifically designated "training excursions" (often disguised as long-range patrols), Naruto would travel to the Shiofuki islands, or Kamekichi, with surprising stealth for his size, would meet him at remote coastal locations.
Turtle training was unlike anything Naruto had experienced. It was less about flashy jutsus and more about cultivating an unbreakable defense, understanding the natural energies of earth and water, and developing a fighting style that was both patient and explosively powerful. Kamekichi, despite his youthful exuberance, was a harsh taskmaster.
"No, no, boss!" Kamekichi would scold, his heavy tail thumping the ground as Naruto struggled to maintain a defensive stance under a simulated rockslide (actually Kamekichi and a few of his younger turtle brethren pelting him with boulders). "Your roots aren't deep enough! You gotta be like the old mountain, unmovable! Feel the earth, draw its strength up through your feet! Become the shell!"
They taught him 'Kōrasen Tōhō' (Shell Sage Art), their unique form of senjutsu. It wasn't the perfect sage mode of Mount Myoboku, but a more primal, raw connection to natural energy, focused on enhancing physical durability to an incredible degree, fortifying his skin and bones to resist powerful blows, and granting him short bursts of tremendous physical strength. Mastering even the basics was agonizing, requiring Naruto to sit in meditative stillness for hours amidst crashing waves or howling winds, learning to absorb and balance the fierce, untamed natural energy of the volcanic islands. His Uzumaki vitality and massive chakra reserves were a huge advantage, allowing him to endure training that would have crippled others.
Haku often accompanied him on these trips, her presence a quiet encouragement. While Naruto meditated or endured Kamekichi's brutal drills, she would practice her own ice jutsu, the stark, volcanic landscape a strange counterpoint to her elegant, crystalline creations. Sometimes, Kamekichi would try to "toughen her up" too, much to Naruto's amusement and Haku's exasperated sighs, though she always managed to evade the turtle's boisterous attempts with graceful ease.
These part-time training sessions, spread over many months as Naruto turned thirteen, added another layer to his already eclectic skillset. He was becoming a warrior of earth and water, his movements gaining a new solidity, his defenses becoming remarkably resilient.
The "trials" were unlike any shinobi training. They involved navigating treacherous volcanic vents that spewed superheated steam, crossing chasms on crumbling rock bridges buffeted by hurricane-force winds, and enduring the crushing pressure of deep-sea currents in submerged tunnels, all while the islands' unique natural energy alternately assailed and tested them.
Naruto, however, thrived. His Uzumaki vitality and massive chakra reserves allowed him to withstand the pressures, the heat, the sheer elemental fury. His growing mastery over Suiton helped him navigate the aquatic sections, and his innate resilience, honed by years of neglect and Takito's and Mei's brutal training, allowed him to push through pain and exhaustion that would have incapacitated anyone else. Kamekichi often accompanied them, offering cryptic advice or sometimes just boisterous, unhelpful encouragement.
"See, boss? It's easy! Just gotta become the steam! Or, you know, don't get boiled!" Kamekichi would chortle as Naruto narrowly dodged a geyser.
Meanwhile, the war ground on. Yagura's forces, though hampered by the loss of Port Kagerou, were still formidable. The rebels, under Mei and Takito's leadership, engaged in a protracted campaign of harassment, sabotage, and targeted strikes, slowly chipping away at the Mizukage's control over the outer islands. Naruto, Haku, and Chojuro – who was rapidly developing into a skilled swordsman under Mei's guidance, his shyness slowly giving way to a quiet confidence when a blade was in his hand – became a highly effective trio, often deployed on the most dangerous missions.
It was on one such mission, nearly a year after the turtle contract, that the next significant piece of Naruto's destiny fell into place. They were tasked with intercepting a high-value loyalist convoy rumored to be carrying advanced weaponry and strategic documents, moving through a series of desolate, mist-choked islands dangerously close to the Land of Fire's maritime borders. Takito had warned them of potential Konoha patrols in the area, advising extreme caution.
Their ambush was initially successful. They disabled the lead ships, and Zabuza, leading the main assault force, engaged the convoy's Kiri guards. Naruto, Haku, and Chojuro were assigned to a flanking maneuver, to cut off any escape routes and secure the cargo. As they moved through the dense, gnarled mangroves of one island, Naruto's senses screamed a warning.
"Konoha shinobi!" he hissed, pulling Haku and Chojuro into the dense foliage. "At least one squad, possibly more. Standard patrol formation."
Peeking through the leaves, they saw them: a team of four Konoha chunin, identifiable by their Leaf headbands and flak jackets. They were clearly investigating the sounds of the battle.
"Orders, Naruto-san?" Chojuro whispered, his hand already on the hilt of his katana. (his main squad eventually learned of his real name and had taken to calling Naruto 'Naruto-san', though Haku still preferred 'Minori' in their private moments, a small link to their shared beginnings.)
"Avoid engagement if possible," Naruto decided. "Our priority is the convoy. But be ready. If they spot us, we neutralize them quickly and silently. If necessary we leave no survivors to report back." The cold pragmatism of war had become second nature.
Unfortunately, one of the Konoha shinobi, a sensor type, detected their presence. "Hostiles! Kirigakure markings!"
The fight was unavoidable. The Konoha chunin were skilled, their teamwork polished, but Naruto's team was exceptional. Haku's ice mirrors created bewildering diversions, her senbon striking with deadly precision. Chojuro, though still nervous in a direct fight, moved with surprising speed, his sword a silver blur. Naruto, drawing on his turtle training, was a whirlwind of earth-shattering punches and water whips, his defenses nearly impenetrable.
Three of the Konoha nin fell quickly, incapacitated but not killed – Naruto still harbored a deep reluctance to take Konoha lives directly unless absolutely necessary. The fourth, a burly, loud-mouthed chunin with distinctive spiked black hair, proved more resilient. He wielded a peculiar weapon: a large, ornate conch shell attached to a sturdy wooden handle, which he used like a heavy mace. He swung it with surprising agility, and each impact carried a strange, concussive force.
"You Kiri scum picked the wrong Leaf shinobi to mess with!" the man, Kotetsu Hagane, bellowed, swinging his conch shell mace in a wide arc.
Naruto met the attack, not with a jutsu, but with a Kōrasen-enhanced block. The impact jarred him, but his arm held. As their weapons locked, a strange thing happened. The conch shell mace, so close to Naruto, suddenly pulsed with a faint, inner light, and a low, resonant hum filled the air, a sound only Naruto seemed to hear. It wasn't a sound, exactly, but a… calling. A deep, primal vibration that resonated with his Uzumaki chakra, with the natural energy he'd learned to touch through the turtles.
'Uzumaki… child of the tides… hear me… awaken me…' The whisper echoed in his mind, ancient and powerful.
Naruto, momentarily stunned by the sensation, faltered. Kotetsu, seizing the opening, pressed his attack. But Haku intervened, a wall of ice erupting between them. Chojuro, seeing Naruto's distraction, engaged Kotetsu, their blades clashing.
"Naruto-san, are you alright?" Haku asked, her voice laced with concern.
"The mace…" Naruto muttered, his eyes fixed on the strange weapon. "It… spoke to me."
Before Haku could question further, the tide of the larger battle shifted. Zabuza's forces had overwhelmed the Kiri loyalists guarding the convoy. With their primary mission accomplished and more Konoha reinforcements potentially on the way, retreat was paramount.
"We need to go!" Naruto yelled, shaking off his strange trance. "Chojuro, disengage!"
During the chaotic withdrawal, as Zabuza's main force secured the cargo ships, Kotetsu, pressed by Chojuro and wary of Haku's ice, was forced to abandon his conch shell mace when it became wedged in the thick roots of a mangrove tree during a desperate defensive maneuver. He cursed and fled with his recovering, but still dazed, comrades as the rebels melted back into the mists.
Later, as their ships pulled away, Naruto felt an irresistible urge. Under the guise of ensuring no pursuers, he slipped away from the main group and, guided by Haku who had noticed his preoccupation, made his way back to the mangrove island. The conch shell mace was still there, half-submerged in the brackish water, forgotten in the heat of battle.
As Naruto approached it, the low hum intensified, the faint light within the shell pulsing in rhythm with his own heartbeat. He reached out and touched it. A jolt of energy, warm and strangely familiar, surged up his arm. It felt… right. Like an extension of himself. The mace was surprisingly heavy, yet balanced perfectly in his hand. The intricate carvings on its surface seemed to depict swirling whirlpools and ancient sea creatures.
"This is… an Uzumaki artifact," Naruto breathed, a certainty settling deep within him. "From Uzushiogakure, the Land of Whirlpools."
Takito, who had quietly followed them, emerged from the shadows. He examined the mace, his expression unreadable. "Indeed. The Shiosai no Tsuchi – the Roaring Tide Hammer. A legendary weapon of the Uzumaki clan, said to be able to command the very tides and amplify the wielder's chakra, particularly Suiton and Fuuton. It was thought lost when Uzushio fell." He looked at Naruto. "It seems fate has a peculiar way of returning what was lost to its rightful heirs. It called to you, didn't it?"
Naruto nodded, his gaze still fixed on the mace.
"Then it is yours to wield," Takito stated. "But be warned. Such weapons often carry a will, a history. Learn its secrets, master its power, but do not let it master you."
Over the next few months, as Naruto approached his fourteenth birthday, the Roaring Tide Hammer became an integral part of his arsenal. Mei, intrigued by the ancient weapon, helped him incorporate it into his taijutsu, its weight and concussive force a devastating addition to his Kōrasen-enhanced strikes.
She also noticed its similarities between their own sentient mystical sword utilized by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Samehada. As the blade is made up of scales, it inflicts injuries through shredding or shaving what it comes into contact with, rather than just cutting the object in question. This flaying effect is similar to a shark's skin. The scales add a supplement to the blade as a shield, and the blade's offensive capabilities make it easy to overpower other swordsman. The shell can also be used in conjuncture with Water Release, leading to the sword glowing with chakra. Luckily the blade is more willing to allow others to wield it, it does demand the users chakra. With her noticing this when she swing the blade around a couple times.
He learned to channel his wind and water chakra through it, creating localized vortexes or pressurized water blasts. Combined with his still-developing chakra chains, his fuinjutsu, and his snapping turtle resilience, he was becoming a truly unique and formidable warrior.
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