Chapter 13: I have quite possibly the worst luck ever!

It took three years of intense, grueling training, but today, now three years into my ninja training, at eleven years old, I finally did it. 

As moon light shone over Konoha, I held the water balloon in my hand, focusing all my swirling chakra into it. With a pop, the balloon burst, water splattering across my face. I stood in the middle of a playground, dripping wet, with a mix of triumph and relief.

Three years. It was embarrassing to think about. The same amount of time it took Minato to develop the Rasengan from scratch had been just enough for me to understand the first step. But there was no denying the sense of accomplishment I felt at that moment.

Luckily, Minato wasn't even close to conceiving the Rasengan yet. I still had a head start, and that was something. But the thought of what might happen if he found out about it from me... Well, it terrified me. If I were to give Minato even the slightest hint of the training method, he'd probably master it within a week. There was a significant difference between developing a jutsu from scratch and following a tried and true training method to master one.

I could almost see it: Minato's bright, eager eyes lighting up as he figured it out, the Rasengan swirling perfectly in his hand after only a few days. He had a natural talent and genius that far surpassed mine, and it was a constant reminder of my own limitations. I couldn't let that happen, especially not after he said he was going that extra mile to not let me catch up to him. I just gotta do the same.

This was my edge, my one advantage, and I had to protect it fiercely. Once my chakra control was good enough to perform the Rasengan, as long as I could obtain the shadow clone jutsu, somehow, I should be able to add some kind of nature chakra to it too, given enough time and practice, of course. Shadow clones will make doing that way, way easier.

The people of this world truly underutilize such an incredible jutsu! Or perhaps, maybe that's actually why it was forbidden? 

In any case, once I develop the Rasengan and add my nature chakra to it, I'll at least have an S-rank jutsu to my name. Hopefully, also some prestige with the village for developing a technique like that on my own, even if I'm taking someone else's future credit. 

For now, though, I allowed myself a moment of pride. I'd done it. I'd taken the first real step towards mastering the Rasengan. And as daunting as the path ahead seemed, I felt I could achieve it in due time.

As I wiped the water from my face, I thought about what came next. The second step of the Rasengan training was going to be even more challenging. The God damn rubber balls. I had long since prepared them, now I needed to not just simply pop them but absolutely demolish them from the inside out. Only then would I pass the second step. Finally, I'd need to make a complete Rasengan inside of a regular old balloon without it popping, perfect harmony, the final step. How fucking hard is that? Extremely so. But I was ready to take on the task. After all, not only would I have access to a pretty insane jutsu, but mastering the Rasengan would as a by-product give me the thing I currently lacked most. 

Chakra control.

...

As I finished cleaning up the remnants of the water balloon, I sensed a presence approaching. I turned to see a familiar shock of red hair. Uzumaki Kushina was standing a few meters away, her expression a mix of curiosity and mild surprise.

"Hey," I greeted, trying to sound casual and not give away my secret training.

"Hey," she replied, her voice guarded but not unfriendly. "Shirokumo, right? What are you doing out here so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

She paused, looking away, before she spoke. "That's fair. I'm just going for a midnight stroll, can't sleep. Now you? Why are you wet?"

I hesitated for a moment, not wanting to reveal too much. "Just... training. Trying to improve my chakra control."

"With water balloons?"

"With water balloons."

Kushina raised an eyebrow. The silence got a little awkward, but I was lucky enough that she talked first. "Hm. So, chakra control, huh? That's not something you hear a lot of kids talking about."

I shrugged, feeling sorta self-conscious. "Yeah, well, I figured its something I need to work on if I want to get stronger."

She studied me for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You know, you're different from the other kids at the academy."

"Different how? In a good way, I hope."

"You're more determined. You don't give up, no matter how hard things get. I respect that."

"Thanks," I muttered, "I guess I just have a lot I want to prove."

"Don't we all," she replied with a knowing smile, then sighed. "Being an outsider isn't easy. But it can make you stronger if you let it."

I nodded, feeling a strange sense of camaraderie with her. "Yeah, I guess it can."

Kushina looked around, as if making sure no one was listening, then leaned in slightly. "You know, if you ever need help with your training, you can ask me. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, and I do need a training partner every now and then too! What do you say?"

I got taken aback by her offer. "Really? That... that would actually be great. Thanks, Kushina. I'll look forward to that!"

She nodded, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Just don't go blabbing about it to everyone. I've got a reputation to maintain."

"Wouldn't dream of it." 

Maybe having an ally like Kushina could make a big difference to my training?

As she turned to leave, I called out, "Kushina, why are you offering to help me?"

She paused, glancing back over her shoulder. "Because, Shirokumo, you and I aren't all that different when it comes to our lives in this village. I know what it's like to feel like you have to prove something to the world. You just gotta... Just... don't let it consume you, okay?"

"Yeah, I get it. I'll-"

Before I could respond, a sudden rustle in the bushes nearby caught our attention. The atmosphere shifted instantly from a light-hearted chat to high alert. Without warning, three shinobi, dressed in black and wearing the distinctive headbands of the Cloud Village, emerged from the shadows with a swift and deadly silence.

Everything happened in a blur. The lead shinobi, a tall man with a cold, calculating gaze, lunged at Kushina with lightning speed. Before she could react, his hand struck her neck with pinpoint accuracy, and she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

I barely had time to register what was happening before another shinobi rushed at me with a kunai, while the third shinobi went to scoop up Kushina's limp body, clearly intending to take her away.

Panic surged through me. These bastards wanted to kidnap her and silence me! I had to do something, but my mind was racing, and I felt utterly outmatched.

In a split second, I acted through sheer muscle memory. Without thinking, I unstrapped my weights, a maneuver I'd practiced countless times to enter combat in an instant. Unexpectedly, it could also be used like this!

With a swift motion, I flung my arms and kicked, sending the weighted bands flying at the shinobi. They didn't expect them to be so gosh darn heavy and simply tried to swat them away, only to find that the bands weighed well over a hundred kilograms, my current weights were at a hundred fifty each! The lead shinobi stumbled back as the weights struck him, and the other two were momentarily knocked away too.

It was just enough. I grabbed Kushina's limp body instead of them and started running, my heart pounding as I fled through the darkened streets of Konoha.

Why, oh, why is this my luck? How can the first genuine interaction I have with Kushina, a wholeheartedly casual conversation on the cusp of forming a friendship, be the exact moment of a damn Canon event?! This is the night she gets kidnapped, for fuck's sake! Those are Cloud Jonin back there! I'm fucking screwed! 

Thankfully, my speed without the weights has already surpassed most Genin and should even be faster than some Chunin… 

But those are fucking Jonin! 

Not a second passed, and they were already almost beside me, hot on my tail and ready to strike a killing blow to retrieve their prize, the next, soon to be host of the nine-tails!

Why did I even grab her? Minato would save her later, anyway!

Ugh! I'm too deep in this shit to falter now. They'll kill me regardless of what I do, so I might as well keep running with Kushina in tow! She's light as a feather, anyway.

Oh fuck, they reached me!

The moment before the cloud-nin stabbed me from behind, I shouted. "First Gate of Opening! Open!"

My speed surged as I darted through the tree line, using my knowledge of the terrain to my advantage as I evaded the pursuers. 

"Second Gate of Healing, Open!"

"Third Gate of Life, Open!" 

Opening three of the inner gates in succession took a toll on me, my whole body ached, but the speed was worth it. The Jonin who seemed to just be toying around with me earlier to humor me looked panicked, regretting letting the mouse have a chance to run. But even still, my underdeveloped body could only gain so much advantage from opening three gates. 

Not a few minutes later, the Jonin appeared in front of me and stopped me in my tracks. I tried to turn and run in another direction, but they surrounded me before I knew it. 

"Fucking hell…" I could only curse at this. 

Kushina would normally be fine, but given the difference from the show and reality, I couldn't risk leaving her behind anymore. There's no telling if Minato would still find her, the route we took is undoubtedly different from the original timeline and there's no telling if he'll discover her in time or not! Plus, if I abandon the nine-tails' next host, the village will prosecute me!

I might´ve screwed up big time.

One of the Cloud shinobi, his eyes glinting with cold malice, took a step forward. "Boy of the leaf. Hand over the Uzumaki girl, and I'll make sure your death is painless."

I clutched Kushina tighter, my mind racing for a way out. My body screamed in protest from the strain of opening the gates, but I couldn't afford to show any weakness. Not now.

"How about you go to hell instead?" I spat back, trying to muster every ounce of defiance I had left.

The lead shinobi's expression hardened, and he advanced, kunai in hand. "Wrong answer."

Desperation clawed at me as I watched him approach. I needed a plan, something to turn the tide in my favor. I glanced around, searching for anything that might help. The dense trees and underbrush offered some cover, but against experienced Jonin, it wouldn't be nearly enough.

Exactly, against opponents of this level, I only have one card left to pull.

They want Kushina alive, don't they? An Uzumaki!

As he dashed at me, I pulled a kunai and put it to Kushina's throat, drawing blood. This instantly caused all of them to halt their advance on me.

"What are you doing?!" 

The leading cloud Jonin's veins bulged, and a strong oppressive feeling hit me. I almost dropped the damn weapon.

"That girl is supposed to be the next nine-tails Jinchuriki! If you kill her, your village will execute you for treason!"

"Shocked as you might be, I'm an outsider here and already well hated by most." I spoke truthfully, they wouldn' be able to see a bluff in those words as there was none. "If surviving this night means I need to go into exile, I'm more than fine with it!"

They clicked their tongues, and we reached a standstill.

One of them moved forward from behind me, and I swiftly turned to show him the kunai digging closer into Kushina's flesh. 

She's gonna fucking kill me if she finds out I did this, hopefully she stays unconscious…

"You…" From the look in his eyes, I could tell he was cursing all my forefathers. 

Maybe less than a minute passed with me turning left to right and warning them to back away. It was a good way to buy time, but not much else. I really needed the Anbu to make an appearance already! Or heck, where was Minato?? 

Suddenly, the leader laughed.

"W-What's so funny?" I stuttered.

"Kid, your performance so far has been admirable. So much, in fact, that we took you too seriously." He spoke, and both I and his comrades seemed to miss his point. Before he added. "You're just a kid. You've never killed anyone before, have you? What's more, from your earlier encounter with the girl, it seems to me as though you two are friends. No matter who you might be, I can't seem to trust your bluff to kill her."

"..." I stared at him with the Kunai in my hand, holding Kushina close.

I kept staring.

Well, fuck me sideways! He's right!

With the confusion still in my favor, I grabbed a smoke bomb from my ninja tool bag and slammed it on the ground. I made two regular clones, one to act as me and one to pretend to be Kushina and sent them running in one direction while I ran with the real Kushina in another. It didn't seem to do much in terms of distraction as the two Jonin instantly killed my clone on the other side of the smokescreen while the leader attacked the real me. They were trash clones, couldn't replicate an ounce of my speed or strength and were only useful to serve as visual tricks.

Just as he lunged, I dodged, rolling on the ground together with Kushina and barely evading the strike. I kicked off the ground, propelling myself backwards while flinging shurikens in a desperate attempt to create some distance. The shurikens were easily deflected by the Cloud-nin, his eyes now filled with a predatory gleam.

I knew I was outmatched, but I couldn't give up. Not with both Kushina's and my life on the line.

With a roar, I surged forward, chakra flowing through my body as I opened the fourth gate of pain and created a small crater of flying dirt where I'd stood seconds before. My already burning skin started to exude sweat in the form of steam, and my chakra flooded out of my body like a white aura. The Jonin were still hot on my tail, regardless. I think at this stage I was still only a bit slower than them. And that was enough to screw me over. I felt the sharp sting of kunai and shuriken piercing my flesh from behind. Blood seeped from multiple wounds, my vision blurring as pain threatened to overwhelm me.

Still, I fought on and kept running through the trees. One of them tried to come at me from the side and would've likely struck me down, but left without much choice in the matter I chose to open the Fifth Gate of Limit. I could feel my body tearing apart as I did this, but it gave me the push I needed to be able to counter the cloud-nin with a solid kick to his chest that caused him to stagger.

But even the fifth gate wasn't enough. They regrouped quickly, their attacks growing more relentless.

Desperation clawed at me, but I refused to give in. I reached into my pouch and pulled out a length of steel wire that I attached shuriken to the ends of. With a quick flick of my wrists, I hooked it onto a nearby tree and launched myself around it, spinning in the air as I swung between the trees like some sort of ninja Spider-Man.

As I soared above them, flying backwards from where we came from, I couldn't help but smirk as I shouted. "Hey, have you guys ever seen Attack on Titan?"

The Jonin hesitated for a split second, their confusion evident. It was all the opening I needed. I used the momentum from the wire to propel myself forward, weaving through the forest canopy at breakneck speed. The wind whipped through my hair as I zipped between branches, the trees blurring into streaks of green and brown. I could hear the frustrated grunts of the Jonin behind me, their movements becoming more frantic as they struggled to keep up with my unorthodox escape.

I dodged and darted between the thick trunks, staying just out of their reach. The steel wire in my hands became an extension of my body, allowing me to pivot and twist midair, using every tree and branch as leverage to keep myself ahead of my pursuers. For a moment, I thought I might actually lose them.

The thrill of the chase, the rush of adrenaline—it was intoxicating.

But I was running out of both wire and shuriken, not to mention time. My arms were starting to ache, my movements slowing as fatigue set in. The Jonin, relentless and tireless, began closing the gap. I could feel their chakra signatures growing stronger, their killing intent pressing down on me like a colossal weight.

Panic surged within me, and I pushed myself harder, swinging between the trees in a desperate bid for freedom. I could see the edge of the forest in the distance, the open sky beyond it offering a glimmer of hope. If I could just make it there...

But as much as I tried to outmaneuver them, I couldn't escape the inevitable. One of the Jonin anticipated my next move, cutting me off with a flurry of kunai. I twisted in midair to avoid them, but the effort left me exposed. My back was soon riddled with steel weaponry, and I stumbled as I hit the ground, gasping for breath as blood poured from my wounds.

The lead shinobi moved in with cold, calculated precision, his eyes devoid of mercy. He drove his kunai into my side, the blade sinking deep into flesh. A choked cry escaped my lips as the pain exploded through me, my vision blurring from the agony.

Even as my strength faded, I couldn't help but think that I had come so close, only to be caught in the end.

I fell to my knees and dropped Kushina, my strength waning as the gates closed one after another. The world spun around me, but I forced myself to stand, to keep fighting. I had to buy time, any amount of time that I could. I just had to survive a little while longer.

"Come on, you sorry excuse for ninja! Is that the best the Cloud has to offer? Even a civilian trainee ninja like me is giving you a run for your money! Aren't you ashamed to call yourselves Shinobi?" 

I had to goad them, I had to make them angrier at me. I know these bastards can often be hot headed, so I'll use that against them! It's my one bet as I'm dead either way if it doesn't work! As long as I get them mad, they'll resort to torturing me to give me a slower death.

But as long as it bought me time, then it'd be worth the suffering.

With bloodshot eyes, the cloud-nin overwhelmed me, their blows faster than I could react to with just my base strength. My body was already riddled with shurikens and stabbed multiple times by kunai since earlier, and after opening the fifth gate, my muscles had ruptured completely. Now they were just toying with me, cussing me out for wasting their time as they hurled fists and kicks at me, just to abuse me, if anything else. I laid on the ground receiving the punishment. My vision faded as the pain engulfed me wholly. They probably broke every bone in my body as I quickly bled out from the stab wounds.

As darkness closed in, I heard the distant sound of approaching footsteps. The Konoha Anbu were coming, finally. The Cloud-nin exchanged hurried whispers, panic evident in their voices.

The lead Cloud shinobi, his gaze flicking nervously toward the approaching sounds of Konoha's Anbu unit, barked orders at his subordinates. "We're pulling out! Grab the Uzumaki and go!"

One of the two who was beating the crap out of me roared. "But this fucking brat!" 

The other shinobi who had been attacking me, his eyes scanning the darkened woods, muttered urgently whilst pulling him away, "We can't stay. The Anbu will catch up. Leave him, take the girl!"

They vanished into the night with Kushina, leaving me alone in the dark, the pain throbbing through my body as I lay amidst the scattered shurikens and blood. The world faded around me, but in those last moments, I could still hear the distant sounds of the Anbu closing in. Their hurried whispers reached my ears, barely audible through the haze of pain.

"Is he one of ours?"

"Yes, looks like an academy student. Poor kid's been through hell."

"That white hair… Isn't he the child of those outsiders?"

"The one Lord Third placed in the Ninja Academy?"

"Yeah, he had high hopes for this child."

"What do we do? He's mortally wounded. If he doesn't receive immediate treatment, he'll die."

"We can't waste time here. Our priority is the Uzumaki. We need to retrieve the Nine Tails' next host. We don't have another like her anymore! Someone will need to come back for him later."

Their voices grew fainter as they moved away, leaving me alone in the dark, my life bleeding out into the cold ground. The pain was overwhelming, and my body felt heavy, almost numb.

I wanted to scream, to call for help, but my voice wouldn't come. The last thing I heard before the darkness claimed me was the faint, frantic chatter of the Anbu, their footsteps receding into the distance as they pursued Kushina's kidnappers.

And then, there was only silence.