Chapter 4: Childhood Preparations, pt. 2

So, more time passed, and I turned 4 years old. I'd continued my training, could water-walk, knew the basic hand-signs, and could do the body-replacement technique (kawarimi) and visual-transformation (henge). It really wasn’t that ridiculous; Kakashi managed the same at age five, even graduated top of academy class, and I had the benefit of having been an adult and having started my training basically the moment I was born.

Tou-san said that as a special birthday present, we'd be finding out my chakra affinity, and he would begin training on elemental techniques, starting with an elemental clone if I have Water or Earth at a high enough level (Uzumaki's tended to have a hard time making illusionary Bushin). Kaa-san, not be outdone, gave me a calligraphy set, and told me that I was finally ready to draw my first real seal.

Dad handed me the affinity seal. Turns out, Uzumaki's don't use chakra paper to check affinities since it is “crude, inelegant, and imprecise. We have sealing masters for a reason.” Instead, we use a seal that will give a numerical value for your affinity, one-ten. The scale is somewhat non-linear; the gap between an eight and seven is far more than that between a seven and a six. A nine would be a perfect, trained affinity. Think Senju Tobirama with his water. A ten would be even more than that; almost a deity of the element, capable of using it with a thought and minimal chakra expenditure. The only reason a ten existed on the scale was to make sure that no one went beyond it.

As someone who is untrained, unless there was something odd, I'd be in the one to five range. A five was considered amazing, especially for someone without training, and meant you could likely become one of the strongest users of that element in all the nations if trained. A four was considered a strong affinity for the element, to the point you might specialize in using the element. A three was considered worth training, but not particularly special. With a two, you'd struggle to ever really use the element. A one, you may was well not try and a zero meant it is impossible for you to generate this type of chakra, ever; a zero for the five elements would actually be a sign of a serious medical condition in humans.

Uzumaki’s tended to have high water and/or air affinities. Dad was a fairly strong water-type, and it was likely I inherited at least part of that. I myself frequently did a meditation where I tried to become one with the wind, so I expected a relatively high wind affinity as well.

As Uzumaki's, we were always adding functionality into things, seals especially. So, at some point, someone decided since we were testing affinity, the seal may as well test density and yin/yang balance too. Apparently, testing volume was somewhat dangerous (involving either an invasive scan, which some are allergic to, or draining large volumes of chakra, which could overload the seal and cause an “uncontrolled seal rupture” - aka explosion). Instead, volume was tested via jutsu or filling chakra battery seals rather than using expensive scanning seals; ditto with refill speeds.

Yin-Yang balance was a number between one and a hundred, and represented the percentage of the chakra which was Yang or physically attributed. Uzumakis tended to be Yang-heavy, as did kids, but as a genius (and reincarnation) I expected my Yin to be relatively high. Typically, high Yin levels as an Uzumaki kid meant that as our bloodline develops and we aged, even more Yang chakra would be produced as our bodies “prefer” to be Yang heavy. Generally, even those with high Yin concentrations had at least 60% Yang going into their sixties (Yin increased with age, in normal people, while Yang was highest when young). This was a good thing, as it would turn me into even more of a chakra monster, but bad in that it would mean I had to constantly maintain my levels of chakra control lest I backslide.

Density, similar to the elements, was one to ten with 10 being almost solid when still and edging into the “has transcended mortal flesh and become a biju” territory. Tou-san, as a ninjutsu/kenjutsu based clan-guard of about jonin level was probably a seven. A normal shinobi-born kid might hit a density of two by the time they were twelve years old. A member of a major clan might hit three. A genius in a major clan who trained extensively, someone like Kakashi or Itachi might hit four or five, or, very very rarely six. A gifted Uzumaki who trained a lot might hit six by age twelve; a very few managed a density of seven. A single Uzumaki in a generation might have a chakra density of eight by the time they were about to enter puberty.

Typically, density increased with age and training, and was one of the major ways that ninja got “more chakra”. Their circulatory systems weren't flexible enough after puberty to expand much in volume, but the density could (and did) increase. Conversely, before puberty, it was relatively easy for volume to increase, so density tended to have relatively low gains. Jinchuriki for example tended to have very high volume and density, though the speed at which the system grew combined with the absolute lack of established and reinforced pathways from regular chakra use tended to give them terrible control. A jinchuriki might have had a density of seven to eight by the age of twelve, and might reach nine in their lifetimes.

High chakra densities, especially at young ages, were typically a pre-requisite to activate bloodlines. Very high densities, especially without any full bloodline to activate, frequently resulted in a new bloodline, especially if the high density occurs before puberty. This chance could be further boosted by high environmental chakra concentrations.

Any Uzumaki with density seven or above before puberty could activate the Adamantine Chains bloodline, and by law must be reported to the Clan-lord so appropriate training could be arranged. In fact, this is one of the few invasive laws concerning Uzumaki clan-members and also required testing at the age of 12. Apparently when you first “unlocked” the chains, they tended to fly all over the place and could accidentally cause a lot of damage or even death.

Tou-san and Kaa-san didn't explain any of the particulars of the affinity test beyond the elemental affinity parts; I learned all the rest later. I channeled a trickle of chakra into it, until a light on the seal indicated a sufficient volume. A moment later, seven circles indicated numbers.

Water: 5

Earth: 4

Lightning: 3

Wind: 6

Fire: 3

Yang: 35%

Density: 8

“Holy… Tou-san! Kaa-san! Look! I'm going to be the god of wind!” I beamed at them, and saw the looks of mild shock. Tou-san recovered first.

“Hahaha… not quite. I didn't say this, but since your density is so high, you need to subtract one from each of your elemental affinities. Normally, we only see that problem in older people. So, really, it's this,” he said, taking my paper and writing down the adjusted affinities.

Water: 4

Earth: 3

Lightning: 2

Wind: 5

Fire: 2

Yang: 35%

Density: 8

“Still though, you should be very proud. You'll be amazing at wind jutsu, and I can teach you all of my skills with water too. You're lucky; both are relatively common affinities for Uzumaki, so we have a lot of techniques for you. We'll have to see about getting your cousin Kiyoshi to give you some training.” Tou-san was getting a bit carried away already with plans for future training. We really bonded during it, and he took a lot of pride in it, but it could annoy Kaa-san if he wasn't careful.

Still, seeing cousin Kiyoshi more would be awesome. He was Dad's first cousin, and one of the closest to our family. He was a bit younger, only seventeen years old, and hadn't married yet, though he brought a number of dates around to our place for dinner when he was at home. He was part of a naval patrol group in the clan-guard, and strong enough in wind techniques to enhance the speed of the ship while damaging enemy sails. Apparently, he was very well thought of, and considered something of a genius with his wind techniques. He was also a bit ridiculous, and over to top at home, with these big sweeping gestures and exaggerated stories that he told me. He was probably my favorite, outside of my parents and grandparents.

“Wait, wait, wait! Kohaku, look at the density and think for a moment, you jutsu obsessed knuckle-head! We have to bring him to Kazuo-sama, he may have the Adamantine Chains.”

As an aside, Kazuo-sama was Kazuo Uzumaki, the clan leader, head of Uzushiogakure, and overlord of Whirlpool and its associated territories. Technically, he had several titles: sama, in this case, as he was acting in a non-formal setting as head of our extended family. He could also be called dono (milord) when acting in a more formal setting as head of the noble Uzumaki Clan, or as lord of Uzushiogakure. Finally, when acting as the Lord of Whirlpool, he would typically be addressed as kaka (excellency). The Uzumaki had this very strange history, where they ended up as a shinobi clan, a noble clan, and the rulers of Whirlpool, and for some strange set of formal diplomatic rules, the Uzumaki Clan head was actually three people: the clan head, the village leader, and the minor Daimyo of the country, most of which was organized in semi-independent townships.

Stolen story; please report.

“Good point Tomomi. What do you think, eh Daichi? Happy to have the honored bloodline of the Uzumaki?” And hell yes, I was honored. More elated, actually. The Uzumaki, partially because of our naturally high chakra density, had a ton of potential bloodlines (beyond a general propensity for seals and high chakra amounts). This was partially a result of chakra density being one of the defining characteristics for bloodline activation, but largely that the Uzumaki were an old clan that mostly stayed neutral during the warring clans era.

Over time, we'd bred with just about everyone at one point or another. This meant a lot of residual bloodline potential, and a high chance of activating something. Most of the time these were positive adaptations, but occasionally people had cosmetic deformities, sensitivities, allergies or the like that had to be managed. Within this slurry of potential specialness, the Adamantine chains had a special place in Uzumaki hearts; the chains were powerful in and of themselves, but had also been used by many of the Uzumaki's greatest heroes.

The main reason these chains were so awesome is that they were ridiculously overpowered. First off, they stayed connected to the user, so while they took a lot of chakra to use, you could return them to your body and regain the chakra. In other words, they merely occupied part of your reserves, rather than really draining chakra during a fight. Considering Uzumaki had high chakra density and volume to begin with, and the Adamantine chain users were prodigious even among the Uzumaki, it was rare for the amount reserved for the chains to prove needed; still, if it came down to the wire, the user could retract the chain and then use that chakra as needed.

Next, the Adamantine chains were, as you may have guessed, ridiculously strong (physically). As in, they were strong enough to hold back Biju with an experienced user. The chains didn't actually have to look like “chains”, but could be edged or barbed for increased damage. They were ridiculously fast when being used too; since they were basically a chakra construct, the mind’s imagination was the biggest limit to how quickly they can move. Lastly, the chains were chakra conductive, but only for the creator’s chakra; otherwise, they were completely chakra blocking.

This meant that you could use chakra flow on the chains; chakra flow was a technique that imparted elemental chakra onto physical objects. Wind-attributed flow could cut through just about anything. With my wind and chakra reserves, I’d be a whirling dervish of chains capable of going Cuisinart-blender on everything within a few hundred meters.

You could also apply seals through the seals, so long as you could use chakra seal-etching. There were some seals designed to direct their payload through a chakra conductive medium; these were designed with the chains in mind, though could also be used with some swords. There was, in fact, a specific seal-modifier so that it could be directed unidirectionally through a chain. Sealmasters with the chains often used them to apply several seals at one time over wide spaces, giving massive battlefield control and allowing widespread destructive sealing techniques to be used with a good degree of control. So, defense, offense, and restriction, the chains were damned awesome.

In fact, it was recorded that in the early days of the Uzumaki clan's setting up shop in Uzushiogakure and the land of Whirlpools that an alliance of several pirate-shinobi clans were annoyed in the perceived incursion into their territory, and attacked. An Uzumaki champion at the time, who's name had since been lost and was known only by his title of “the Red Osprey” (he was the possessor of the Osprey summoning contract, still in Uzumaki hands centuries later) was said to have sunk a dozen ships, all commanded by ship-combat specialist ninja, and killed over two hundred enemy ninja in the battle. He then proceeded to the island, now known as Wave, that was their base, and threw them the head of the enemy commander. He ordered the clans to bend the knee, or lose the head. The Himura clan, whose ships sailed under red sails, and the Kawaguchi both surrendered; they are part of Uzushiogakure to this day. The others refused, and were utterly destroyed. The only weapon that the Osprey used were his chains.

So, hearing I might have these chains, I was pretty stoked. I'd heard the stories before, and had a lot of ideas as to how I could use them. Most of all, I wanted to find out if shadow-clones could use them, since that would mean I could make shadow-clones with chain-armor capable of tearing through even enemy jonin. It would make defending the village much easier.

And so, we got dressed in somewhat more formal kimonos and trooped off to fortified compound in the middle of the village where Kazuo-sama lives and works during the day. We passed a number of guards, most of them covert, but my sensing skills were fairly strong, and only the stronger stealth-types would be hiding their chakra enough to avoid me. I was sure there were a few of these near Kazuo-sama, but not that many. Soon enough, we were in a waiting room, and Kaa-san had informed a secretary that we had “non-pressing family business concerning the inheritance of Uzumaki traits in Daichi”. As it turned out, Kaa-san actually had higher rank within the clan than Tou-san; we were a fairly meritocratic rather than patriarchal people when it came to rank, and sealing skills were highly valued.

We were served some tea and snacks by a servant, and about a half-hour later, the secretary returned to bring us to Kazuo-sama. Kazuo was a strong looking man, about six foot tall, with a full head of dark, wine colored hair just beginning to grey pulled into a ponytail. He was dressed in the semi-formal uniform of a clan-guard officer, which included a lightly armored chess-piece and clothing that looked both comfortable, respectable, and combat-effective at the same time. He gave off an excellent appearance and air for a clan-leader and lord. He stood as we entered, and smiled, beckoning us to sit with him while we gave our bows.

“Ah, Tomomi-san, Kohaku-san, and little Daichi-kun! You're all looking very well, and Daichi-kun seems to growing to be a fine young man. Which reminds me, it's your birthday isn't it? Congratulations; though it's not much, please accept this token, though it is not much.”

With this, he gave me a beautifully detailed box about a foot cubed, made of a lovely lacquered wood with a hint of red stain. I bowed politely, thanking him greatly. I was curious what was in it, but too polite to open it until after we left. He could tell though, and grinning, told me to open it.

Inside were a pair of finely carved wooden ospreys and a seal. Inspecting the ospreys, I saw small seals scribed on the underneath of the wings. It was truly masterful work; though the sealing was not overly complicated, the fine detail and orientation of the seals was extremely difficult. All together, the base seal would, when fed chakra, detect the bounded space it was in, and have the Ospreys swoop about inside of it; at least, that was my best guess, as I didn't know a number of seals that were used.

I suspected that Kazuo-sama, one of the best sealers in the clan, had chakra etched the seals himself. Likely within the half-hour we were waiting. A real class-act, our clan-head. I was greatly impressed and touched, both by the sealing itself, as well as the thought that went into giving such a present to me, a four-year-old whose parents, while promising, were far from significant within the clan.

“My greatest thanks, Kazuo-sama. The sealing work is beautiful. And the seal itself; the ospreys will fly within my room?” At this he burst into laughter.

“Amazing! I didn't expect you to recognize that for years yet! Thank you for the compliment on the work. Are you interested in sealing?”

“Very much so! Kaa-san has even made me her apprentice.” I was throwing Kaa-san under the bus when it came to our Head's attention a bit, but if I was going to be the child prodigy, then I was going to be, by god, a prodigy.

“Really?” This time, the question was directed at Kaa-san. She looked a bit sheepish.

“Ah, yes Kazuo-sama. He passed the test, and, well, showing him the dictionary was the best way for him to learn without always asking questions.” Thanks, Kaa-san! “In fact, today is going to be the first time he is allowed to create and activate a seal he drew himself.”

And now that I was reminded about that, I was excited all over again. Being able to create and activate a seal you drew is a big thing. While other villages may allow dangerous hacks to call themselves sealer, as the Uzumaki clan and with such a large number of available sealers, we held ourselves to higher standards. Though I was Kaa-san's apprentice, I would only become an apprentice sealer once I had passed this step.

“Excellent, excellent. I am always happy to see the promise of the next generation. Becoming an apprentice sealer at the age of four is an impressive achievement; I'll look forward to your future, young man. So, what brings you here?”

“Ah, well. I was thinking that I'd start to teach Daichi-kun some jutsu, and so tested his affinity. He had an eight on the density, so according the Chakra Density Indication of Adamantine Potential Act we brought him to you.” Tou-san dropped this brick with characteristic lack of subtlety, and at this, Kazuo lost a bit of his composure. Granted, a four year old, especially one who wasn't a jinchuriki, with that level of chakra density was nuts. If I continued to grow as I got older, which I intended, I might end up actually achieving a perfect ten on my density. At the time, I didn't know what that meant, and I doubted my parents did either, but Kazuo definitely did; it meant I was leaving the map, and going into the space of saints and monsters. After a moment to reflect, Kazuo replied.

“Truly incredibly. Well, as per the Act, I will now confirm your findings.” He passed me a seal. I repeated the process, and the readings were the same.

“Very good. And an interestingly high amount of Yin, with great elemental affinities. You will certainly become an admirable man, Daichi, if you continue to work hard.”

“Of course, thank you, Kazuo-sama!” I replied with a little bow. I was pretty damned cheerful; it was hard not to be, getting that kind of praise from the absolute ruler of your territory and your clan patriarch, especially since I was a kid.

“Very good. I'll send Haruto over starting Wednesday next week. He'll train you in the Chains, and starting next weekend you will take classes with my niece, Kushina, who also has the possibility of the chains. She's a bit more than year older than you, but you seem very mature and I am sure you will become great friends.” We thanked Kazuo-sama again, said our goodbyes and left. I was left thinking though.

Kushina existed, and I had previously learned that Mito did too. The Biju existed. The probability of this world being at least a near-neighbor of a canon Naruto world was significant and getting likelier with everything I was finding out.

Kushina was in the Academy with Minato and other Konohagakure brats, and Uzushio was invaded around the time that she moved over. That meant I had about two years at the earliest, and six years at the latest, to prepare for the invasion, with it being most likely three or four years.

I needed to step up my training.