Naruto: Fate System

Although Kaori had been wandering Five Great Nations since a very young age, she had still encountered many elders of the Uzumaki clan in her time.

There was no mistaking the iconic ability of Adamantine Sealing Chains.

She reached up to brush away what she thought was sweat, only to find her cheeks wet with tears as she watched Shin on the training grounds.

Konan, somewhat perplexed, glanced back and forth between them.

Finally, Shin broke the silence and explained, "Yeah, these are...the Adamantine Sealing Chains. I only just found out that maybe… I might have a small trace of Uzumaki blood in me. And about the color...maybe a mutation?"

There is no rule that the chains have to be golden. And whom should they ask to verify?

Mito? Dead.

Kushina? Also dead.

Konan tilted her head in confusion. "But your hair isn't red?"

Shin shrugged. "That's why I said it's just a tiny trace."

Konan skeptically glanced at the massive crater left by the chains slamming into the ground. "Are you sure you call that a tiny trace?"

Before she could ask further, Kaori, overwhelmed with emotion, suddenly rushed forward and embraced Shin tightly. "Shin, this is amazing! You're alive—you're all alive! I'm so happy!"

In that moment, both Shin and Konan fell silent, giving Kaori the space to express her emotions.

Empathy is a powerful tool, even when genuine, Shin thought as he awkwardly patted Kaori's back.

Though neither of them had experienced the wandering and destruction of a clan firsthand, they could at least empathize with her joy, relief, and excitement.

After holding onto Shin for a while, Kaori finally let go and stepped back. However, her face suddenly turned red for no apparent reason. She fidgeted with her sleeve, her eyes fixed on the ground.

"Um, Shin, do you think… do we share any family ties?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Shin couldn't help but twitch at her words.

Had he just unintentionally hit himself with his own boomerang? This was the danger of randomly associating familial ties.

"Probably not," he replied casually as he brushed some dirt from his training clothes. "I've never met my parents, but no one's ever mentioned that either of them had red hair."

But Shin didn't realize that his simple statement set off endless ripples in Kaori's mind. A clanmate without direct blood relation... didn't this mean we could…?

The great clans of the shinobi world often encouraged intra-clan marriages to preserve bloodline limits.

Shin, having gained his abilities through a system rather than heritage, felt no obligation to uphold these traditions.

But Kaori was different. In her eyes, the fact that Shin had awakened the Adamantine Sealing Chains meant he possessed the purest Uzumaki blood. She watched as he casually inspected the training ground's damage, his movements carrying the same charm she remembered in the clan's strongest shinobi.

Shouldn't this precious bloodline be protected and passed down? But would he accept? I'm older than him...

And what about Konan? Kaori glanced at the younger girl, who was still studying the destruction with thoughtful eyes.

For a moment, Kaori found herself consumed by internal conflict. 

Meanwhile, Shin noticed none of it, too busy examining how his chains had affected different materials in the training ground.

The penetration force seems optimal against both stone and packed earth.

In the following days, however, he began to sense a change.

When he lost track of time while immersed in studying sealing techniques, Kaori would show up with a delicious meal. The carefully arranged food always included traditional Uzumaki clan dishes she happened to remember.

When he met with craftsmen to discuss the Ame's reconstruction plans, she quietly served tea in the adjacent room.

When he completed his nightly chakra control training and opened his eyes, she would be kneeling in a kimono nearby, softly asking, "You've had a long day. Would you like a massage? I've just learned how, though I might still be a bit clumsy."

Over a few days, even someone as dense as Shin began to realize: Kaori might be harboring ulterior motives.

But his body was only 16 years old.

To avoid making a mistake, he accelerated his research and took a timely trip to the dungeon.

Upon entering, he was greeted by a peculiar, energetic voice.

"You're here? Did it work, brother?" Rai's chains rattled as he sat up straighter on the examination table.

After some time together, Shin had confirmed that Rai wasn't a transmigrator. He simply enjoyed adopting brother figures because he was an orphan.

At least his desperation for family ties might make him more loyal.

"Come out. We're continuing the experiment. Things will get intense this time, so brace yourself." Shin began setting up his sealing equipment.

Rai nodded confidently. His chains clinked as he shifted into position, ready for whatever was coming.

But less than three hours later, he lay sprawled on the table like a broken doll, drooling and hollow-eyed, completely spent.

Shin was thoroughly pleased—not because of anything untoward, but because the experiment was a success.

"Who gave you the order to come to the Land of Rain?"

"Danzō."

The response was instinctive, immediate. A moment later, Rai jolted upright, trembling as he clutched his throat in terror.

But after two long seconds, the expected pain and suffocation never came. The curse mark on his tongue flickered but remained dormant.

"It… worked? I can talk about Root now? The seal has been suppressed?!"

"Only temporarily," Shin clarified. "The seal is brilliantly designed, and I want to study it further, so I didn't remove it entirely."

He turned to Rai, his expression serious.

"Now, what will you choose?"

Rai glanced down, noting that his legs were still strapped to the table and his chakra utterly dormant. The boy before Shin remained cautious as ever.

"I'll join Akatsuki."

"Good. Then start by sharing what you know." Shin pulled up a stool.

Rai exhaled slowly as he prepared to reveal sensitive information.

Though betraying Konoha hadn't troubled him, speaking about his closest relative weighed heavily on his heart.

Finally, he said, "My sister's name is Nonō. As you guessed, she works for Root."

So, this is fate. This can't be coincidence.

"You said she's Nonō? The Wandering Miko?"

Now it was Rai's turn to be shocked. His chains rattled as he tried to sit up straighter, eyes wide with suspicion and fear.

"You! How do you know my sister's codename? What kind of sorcery is this?! Why does someone in the Land of Rain know about Konoha's spies?!"

"…"

"…"

After their mutual astonishment subsided, both calmed down. The only sound was the distant drip of water and the crackling of torches.

For a moment, Shin reconsidered Rai's potential value.

"Go on," Shin said, regaining his composure.

"Nonō had retired after the Second Shinobi War. But with the outbreak of new conflicts, Root coerced her into returning. They sent her to the Land of Earth."

He hesitated briefly before adding, "But a few months ago, after Torune's death and Orochimaru's fallout with Root, I managed to warn her. In her last letter, she said she had escaped from the Land of Earth."

Shin was stunned again. The future is becoming increasingly unpredictable.

"She escaped?"

It seemed the gears of fate had shifted off their original course. Then again, perhaps he had been the one to set those changes in motion.

Nonō was a high-ranking spy in Root. Anyone bestowed with a title was never an ordinary individual.

Moreover, her retirement and subsequent return to the field meant that very few people knew her true identity. Back when Danzō led Orochimaru and Torune to coerce Nonō into submission at the orphanage, only those three individuals learned of her role as a spy.

Just like in undercover films, the top-level spies sent into criminal organizations often maintained single-line communication with their superiors. The fewer people who knew about such matters, the better.

However, due to the butterfly effect triggered by Shin, Torune was dead, Orochimaru had severed ties with Root, and two of the three people aware of Nonō's identity were gone.

This was why, as soon as the news of Danzō's movements in the Land of Rain reached her, Nonō immediately fled without a moment's hesitation. The fear of discovery had proven stronger than any loyalty to Root.

Now, with Danzō gravely injured and unable to take charge, it was even less likely that she would return to Root.

After a moment of thought, Shin smiled and asked, "Do you know where she is now?"

Rai shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know, but we share a common summoning animal. I have a way to contact her."

Shin stared intently into his eyes, leaning forward slightly. "Do you truly not know, or are you just unwilling to say?"

"I don't know, I swear!" Rai's voice cracked slightly, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple.

Shin still didn't fully believe him. He watched as Rai's fingers unconsciously traced the outline of the seal on his tongue.

A young man who had risen from being a war orphan to becoming a direct subordinate in Root—it was hard to believe he would be completely open just because he called someone his brother. However, Shin was willing to let him keep a few secrets.

"Let's assume you don't know. Send a message to Nonō and ask her to come to the Land of Rain. I promise to ensure her safety."

"I can send her a message, but I can't guarantee—"

Shin interrupted him. "You have one week. If she doesn't come, you'll remain in this lab indefinitely, serving as a research subject."

"A research subject? But I've already defected!"

"I already told you: the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal is a marvelous technique," Shin gestured to the various research instruments scattered around the lab, "so marvelous that I couldn't bring myself to violently dismantle it."

"As of now, the value you've shown isn't greater than the seal on your tongue. You should understand what I mean."

The bluntness of this statement left Rai wailing in despair, his composure shattering completely.

"You can't do this!"

But Shin ignored him, stood up, and left without a glance back.

He wasn't a soft-hearted person like Yahiko. The shinobi world was full of people with tragic backgrounds; this couldn't be the basis for altering his decisions.

Thinking of him, Shin felt troubled.

It had been days since the battle at the base, yet Yahiko, who was possessed by White Zetsu, showed no signs of waking up.

Although his physical injuries were healed, the conflict within his soul remained unresolved. Unable to control him, White Zetsu had chosen to drag Yahiko's consciousness down with him into the abyss.

Even with his knowledge of medical ninjutsu, Shin was at a loss. Konan and Nagato were visibly disheartened by the situation.

Even if it was just to maintain their bonds as comrades, Shin felt he had to do something. Their loyalty is still useful. I can't let them lose hope completely.

If medical ninjutsu is useless, should I consider alternative methods? he muttered, watching Yahiko's chest rise and fall. Perhaps I should seek the power of that man for research assistance. If anyone could understand the intersection of soul and body, it would be him.

Shin thought of a person as he stood by Yahiko's bedside: Orochimaru. 

But how to contact him?

---

On the western front of the Land of Fire, Orochimaru, was in his own predicament.

"Are the casualties severe?" 

"Yes," his subordinate replied wearily, dark circles under his eyes betraying countless sleepless nights.

"The poisons from Suna have caused us immense trouble. The ratio of injured to survivors after each battle is overwhelming, and we don't have enough medical ninjas."

"If only Tsunade-sama were still here..."

Orochimaru sneered lightly. "Stop daydreaming. She's not coming back."

Only an idiot like Jiraiya would naively believe that bonds alone could mend every situation. Through the window, he could see more wounded being carried in on stretchers, their blood leaving dark trails in the dust.

Orochimaru had long realized that some rifts, once formed, could never be repaired.

Yet beneath his calm, a faint trace of regret stirred. 

Had he been able to prevent Nawaki's reckless behavior back then, would everything have turned out differently? 

Human beings are such fragile creatures, he thought. A kunoichi rushed past with blood-stained hands, another life hanging by a thread.

The more he witnessed the horrors of war, the more Orochimaru understood humanity's frailty and limitations.

He was beginning to consider no longer being human.

However, the ongoing battles left him no time to fully explore this thought. 

He then asked, "How are those children I requested doing?"

With battles raging on multiple fronts, Orochimaru couldn't acquire additional skilled ninjas. Instead, he had requested assistance in the form of war orphans from an orphanage.

These children, after some basic battlefield first-aid training, were tasked with supporting medical ninjas. 

"Some have been very helpful," the subordinate reported. "One child even shows rudimentary medical ninjutsu skills—truly promising. Your judgment is, as always, impeccable, Orochimaru-sama."

Despite the subtle flattery, Orochimaru wasn't impressed. He smiled faintly.

"Oh? Why don't I know about this?"

The subordinate froze in awkward silence. How could he answer without making it worse? 

Cold sweat began to drip. "The child's name is... Kabuto."

---

At the temporary Konoha hospital on the frontlines, a group of children scurried around, assisting the medical ninjas.

One child grumbled, wiping sweat from his forehead with a blood-stained sleeve, "Why do we have to help these ninjas? This war has nothing to do with us!"

Among them, the most composed replied, "Because money won't come to us on its own. Without the director, we need to do something to keep the orphanage running."

He wore round glasses.

The glasses seemed oversized for his youthful face, but he never considered replacing them. They were his most prized possession, and he meticulously polished them whenever he had a spare moment.

Watching from a distance, Orochimaru felt the child's maturity was remarkable. Perhaps he was indeed a promising prospect.

Yet something gave him pause.

In the boy's unconscious movements, he detected signs of Root training. The way he positioned himself, the precise economy of motion—these weren't skills learned in an orphanage.

Was this child undergoing Root training? And for how long? Orochimaru's tongue flicked out briefly, tasting the air as if he could sense deception on it.

What had Danzō been doing behind his back?

Just as he considered investigating Root's files before deciding how to handle Kabuto, an unexpected explosion erupted nearby.

"Enemy attack!" A sharp alarm came from the perimeter, followed by the sounds of running feet and shouted orders.

The sudden assault on the frontline hospital caught everyone off guard. Patients screamed, medical equipment clattered to the floor, and the children scattered like startled birds.

What shocked Orochimaru even more was that a woman with flying fireballs around her stormed into the hospital.

Ignoring the injured and the medical ninjas, her focus was singular—she headed straight for the child who had caught Orochimaru's attention.

Grabbing him by the collar, she glared fiercely. The boy's glasses reflected the flames of her jutsu, hiding his eyes but not the fear on his face.

"You're Kabuto? Tell me now—where is Sasori?!"

---

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