Chapter 5
Chapter 5: The Incident, Part 1
Three weeks had passed since Ellen’s crash, and the wounds on her body were finally healing, thanks to the chakra-infused herbs and items Naruto had gathered with painstaking care. It’s not exactly magic, but it’s close enough to help her heal, she thought, feeling a surge of quiet pride. Every day after her academy lessons, Naruto rushed to the small, hidden shelter where Ellen rested and trained her, pulling her further into a world of possibilities. But with every secret lesson, Naruto felt the gap between herself and her family grow wider and deeper. These days it seemed she wasn´t the shadow but a whole stranger in the household. If it wasn't for Ellen by now she would be starving or worse dead. It was embarrassing but Naruto seems to have been forgotten already.
Only a week ago, they’d gone on a secret trip to the beach without her. ´´It’s okay, ´´she told herself, forcing a laugh. ´´I don’t even know how to swim.´´ And the week before that, they had gone to the hot springs in the Land of Rice, leaving her behind once more. Of course, they left me; I’m not strong or special like Natsuki or Menma. It’s too far for someone like me, she thought, stifling the ache that gnawed at her heart.
When she wasn’t with Ellen, the academy was her world, though it often felt like she was drifting alone there too. The upcoming survival training camp for the upperclassmen—a rare chance for the academy students to spend weeks in the wilderness learning ninja skills in their graduation phase—was all anyone talked about. ´´I wonder what it would be like to have someone look forward to these things with me,´´ she thought. Menma and Natsuki were already preparing, their excitement contagious. If they had talked in this time it was now no more. She only saw them but even those two didn't greet her back busy in their thoughts and preparing. Her parents were busy too, her mother assisting the Yamanaka clans in developing a new surveillance network, while her father was weighed down by Hokage duties and political conflicts. She bit her lip. ´´I don’t belong with them. I’d just be in the way.´´
Each day, the loneliness wrapped itself tighter around her, icy and unyielding, settling in her bones. By the time she slipped into the hidden sanctuary where Ellen stayed, her chest felt like a hollow, aching void.
As she opened the door, Ellen’s voice reached her, warm and bright. On a softly glowing, floating screen, Ellen was speaking with someone who seemed friendly, important even. When she noticed Naruto, Ellen’s face broke into a smile. “Ah, Naruto! Just in time—come here!”
Naruto approached hesitantly, wondering what kind of person Ellen was talking to. On the screen, a young man with short black hair and a relaxed smile introduced himself.
“Hello, Naruto! My name is Admiral Chrono Harlaown,” he said. “I’m not Ellen’s direct superior, but my team manages interspecies relations and Lost Logia retrieval. I heard how you helped Ellen, and I wanted to personally thank you.”
A warm flicker ignited in Naruto’s chest, filling her with a pride she hadn’t felt in a long time. ´´Maybe… maybe I did something right,´´ she thought, clasping her hands tightly.
Chrono’s smile softened. “Thanks to your quick actions, we were able to recover the relic and transport Ellen’s ship back safely. You saved your Planet, Uzumaki. That relic could have caused unimaginable destruction if left unchecked.”
Naruto’s cheeks flushed as she looked away, her voice a near-whisper. “It was nothing, really…” She could barely believe someone so important would thank her.
“Your bravery had a genuine impact,” he said gently. “The TSAB always repays kindness. If you’re willing, could you tell us a bit about your world?”
Naruto’s heart fluttered at the thought that maybe, just maybe, she was useful to someone. She scratched her cheek, barely able to hide her smile. “I’d be happy to, Admiral Harlaown,” she replied. The formal title felt strange, almost too grand for her, yet it made her feel important, if only for a moment.
Chrono then introduced two more faces on the screen: a blonde man with glasses and a young woman with a side ponytail who looked friendly and approachable.
“Nice to meet you, Naruto,” said the blonde. “I’m Yuuno Scrya, Head Librarian of the Infinite Library. And this is Nanoha Takamachi, High Captain of the S Striker team and an aerial mage. Don’t worry—we’re here to record information, not to invade your planet or gobble it up!” he added with a laugh.
Naruto’s cheeks flared red as she remembered her paranoid rant to Ellen about aliens. “You didn’t have to tell them that, Ellen-sensei!” she mumbled, crossing her arms, though the embarrassment soon melted into laughter as they all joined in.
Once they settled, she began to explain. “We’re currently in what we call the 20,000th Post-Sage Era. History is divided into three periods: the Pre-Sage Era, the Sage Era—which we call the Prosperity of Chakra—and the Post-Sage period. The Sage, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, brought us chakra. Before him, there was no recorded history; he’s a legend.”
´´What must it be like to leave a mark so deep it changes the world forever? ´´she wondered, a pang of longing pulling at her. She could never be special like that.
Her audience listened intently. Yuuno leaned in, his curiosity evident. “So, this Sage figure… he must have been extraordinary. Do you know anything else about him?”
She shook her head: “They say he died of an illness. His clan, the Otsutsuki, is rumored to have come from the moon. Some clans even trace their bloodlines back to him—like mine, the Uzumaki. But he’s still a mystery.”
Nanoha murmured a hand on her chin her side ponytail swaying: “He sounds almost godlike…”
Naruto shrugged. “Yeah, but we don’t know. After him, clans lived like tribes and fought endlessly this was called the Warring State Period. Until one day when two friends—Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha—formed Konoha. They became the heart of the shinobi world. Many tribes followed them building Sunagakure, Iwagagure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure. The main 5 ninja villages. Later others came along like Amegagure. But the 5 main are the only ones with power being sponsored by their respective Daimyo.”
Yuuno scribbled notes, then asked, “Did these villages bring peace? What about your politics and economy?”
Naruto explained as best as she could. “The five great villages brought some stability… but peace? Not really. As I mentioned before we have daimyo who govern the lands and support the villages. The Fire Daimyo oversees the Land of Fire, which includes Konoha. It’s complicated. The Hokage manages the shinobi, but the daimyo… holds the true power. From taxes to stocks, the Daimyo rules truly in the Land of Fire. As the Feudal lord, he holds the rein, the Hokage as the name suggests as the shadow of the feudal lords protects him militarily.”
As they continued to ask questions, Naruto found herself at ease, sharing the history of her world. That night, as she trained and cooked with Ellen, she felt—for the first time in a long time—a warmth in her heart, a sense of belonging.
Months flew by, and with Ellen’s guidance, Naruto’s magic blossomed, her confidence growing. Yet, as summer arrived, she knew Ellen’s time here was ending.
In a secluded clearing, Ellen smiled, the faint sadness in her eyes almost hidden. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get a personal device soon. Next year, I’ll come back to bring you to Midchilda for real training. Here,” she said, handing Naruto a glowing, orb-like communicator, “use this to stay in touch.”
Naruto clutched the orb tightly, trying to swallow the wave of emotions swelling in her. “Thank you, Ellen-sensei. I… I can’t wait.”
With a quiet laugh, Ellen whispered, “Star Gazer, should we kidnap her?”
The Device embedded in Ellen’s jacket replied solemnly, “No, Sir… though tempting.”
Naruto watched, heart aching, as Ellen called up a yellow magic circle, light spiraling around her as she vanished into the sky, leaving only a bright streak in the stars. Watching the glow fade, Naruto felt a small flame kindle within her—a hope she hadn’t allowed herself to feel in years. Her neck ache looking after the yellow streak of light vanished into space.
She ran home, eager to tell her parents something, anything… only to stop, stunned, as she reached the doorstep. A barrier surrounded her house, shimmering with foreign chakra. Naruto’s stomach twisted, and, swallowing her confusion, she reached out to touch it—only to be thrown back by a wave of energy that knocked the air from her lungs. She struggled to her feet, swallowing the cry of pain clawing at her throat. Tears streaming she coughed and gurgled. Reaching her hand she tried again but was thrown back just as before. Looking around she was lucky that no one saw her pathetic self being beaten.
Then she heard voices through the barrier—her father’s, cold and unyielding. His voice carried well put through the open kitchen window. It seemed he was talking to Kushina.
“We don’t need to focus on Naruto,” Minato’s voice cut through the air, every word biting into her. “She’s… not like Menma or Natsuki. Not now, maybe later she can wait. After all, she is not a Jinchūriki nor has any enemies. Training her now is pointless, plus once Menma and Nastuki graduate we can focus on her.”
Naruto’s breath stilled, the cold ache in her chest exploding into raw agony. They don’t need me… They never did, she thought, feeling the truth of it weigh her down, heavier than any kunai.
Barely aware of herself, Naruto stumbled away from her home, barely making it to the empty house where Ellen once stayed. She bit down on the sobs rising in her throat, curling up on the dusty sofa, alone in the dim silence. I have to be strong, she whispered to herself, her voice shaking. I’m only seven. They need Menma and Natsuki… They don’t need me. They’re right.
But something within her was shifting, twisting like a storm. A sharp pain tore through her head, and she gripped it with trembling hands, gasping as her vision blurred. She stumbled to the old mirror in the corner, horrified at the reflection staring back. Her hair—once bright blonde—now shone with a vivid, unnatural red, her eyes no longer blue but a deep, haunted purple.
She stepped back, horror tightening her chest. What… what’s happening to me?
Chains, no more golden but shimmering with an iridescent glow sprouted from her back. She gasped, clutching at her head as pain coursed through her. Her senses spun wildly, magnified until she could feel the ants crawling across the floor, the faint chakra hum from the village shinobi, and the energy of the entire village pressing in on her. Her body seemed ablaze on fire, everything went haywire the world was full of color and explosions.
Blood trickled down her face, staining her cheeks as she stared into the mirror, a whisper escaping her trembling lips. “What… what am I turning into?”