Naruto - Azure Awakening

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<<<>>>

Sunny Island, as its name suggested, was a place bathed in sunlight.

It was small, but compared to most of the shinobi world the civilians here lived relatively peaceful and happy lives. The local daimyo wasn't greedy and with the island's tiny population, he knew his subordinates personally and actually listened to their opinions.

But that peaceful, simple and slightly boring life was about to change as Kumo had discovered a rich deposit of Dragon Vein Crystals. And that meant the shinobi world now had its eyes on this once-remote, beautiful island.

The only way to reach Sunny Island was by sea, which meant Kaoru had to spend two days aboard a ship.

Tsunade's group consisted of four people - Kaoru, Shizune, Nora, and Tsunade.

At first, the journey wasn't too bad. Kaoru spent the first day talking with Nora as he was still trying to understand how her Life Force technique worked. But before he could get any useful information, he was interrupted by his own sea sickness.

Ironically, for someone who could manipulate water, Kaoru couldn't handle traveling by ship. The constant motion made his stomach twist into knots.

'I swear, I will never take a ship again,' he thought bitterly, gripping the rail and struggling to keep his breakfast where it belonged. Thankfully, the trip only lasted two days.

When they finally docked, Kaoru could have kissed the ground.

Given Tsunade's status, their group was met at the port with a warm welcome. The Konoha, Takimura, and Kumo delegations had yet to arrive, which meant they had time to enjoy the stress-free beaches, tropical fruits, and the rare luxury of relaxation.

Kaoru knew the delegations would be arriving in three days, so he fully intended to enjoy himself until then. Of course, that didn't mean slacking off as Guy had warned him that even one day of laziness would ruin his progress.

So while the beaches and fruit sounded tempting, Kaoru already knew his days would be split between training and resting. No excuses.

<<<>>>

A day before the delegations were set to arrive, Tsunade called Kaoru for a private conversation.

"Kaoru, you'll be attending the negotiations as one of my people," she said, sipping her drink as she lounged in a soft chair. "I need to know if your village struggles, can you stand by and do nothing? I'm not saying that will happen, but I need to know if you can."

Kaoru took a seat across from her.

"As long as they're not in danger, I won't interfere. Its a negotiation after all" he answered honestly. Then, after a brief pause, he added, "But may I ask a question?"

Tsunade gave him a nod, prompting him to continue.

"Why did you bring me here?" He studied her expression as he absentmindedly ran a finger along his lower lip. "At first, I thought you'd question me about the Suijingan or maybe even try to involve me in your research. But you haven't done either. Instead, it's starting to feel like you brought me here to make it publicly known that Takimura is aligned with Konoha."

Tsunade chuckled. "You're giving yourself too much credit."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow.

"You may be well-known in Konoha, but Kumo won't recognize you," she continued. "The reason I brought you here is to prove that I can be trusted by giving you this experience. If you help me, I won't remain in your debt. Lady Suiren has already given her consent, if you choose to share information and then help me, she won't hold you responsible."

Kaoru listened intently, but as she spoke, the humor in her expression faded, replaced by sorrow.

"But I don't want to trick you, pressure you, or convince you otherwise," she said. "This research is important to me. And I need your full cooperation."

Kaoru's fingers stilled.

'What kind of research is she doing?'

He racked his brain, trying to recall anything from the anime about Tsunade conducting research, but nothing came to mind. As far as he remembered, she had spent her time gambling away her life before Naruto and Jiraiya dragged her back to Konoha.

But what did stand out to him was her loyalty to her deceased lover, Dan Kato.

The only reason Kaoru even remembered Dan was because of his signature jutsu - Spirit Transformation Technique.

'Is she trying to resurrect him? Maybe she wants to modify Edo Tensei? But if that were the case, wouldn't she have just accepted Orochimaru's offer?'

The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.

Kaoru wanted to help Tsunade, but not at the cost of his own safety or training.

In nine months, he would be leaving Takimura.

He had already decided. He was going to accept the invitation Maru had given him nearly two years ago.

"Lady Tsunade, I'll gladly help. But I won't be able to stay and assist with the research. I need to continue my training, and I plan to leave for somewhere else soon."

Kaoru trusted Tsunade as much as he could based on his anime memories, but she was still Konoha's Tsunade. To those outside the village, she was the killer Sannin. Yes, she was kind in normal situations, but there was no way he would place blind trust in her.

"The information won't be useful if you don't help me," Tsunade said with a sigh before leaning forward. "Alright, let's start with the Suijingan. Then we'll talk about your involvement. What exactly can you see?" she asked with curiosity in her voice and excitement in her eyes.

Kaoru hesitated for a fraction of a second before deciding it was safe to share the basics.

"I can see water and anything that contains water," he explained. "But it burns through a lot of chakra and puts serious strain on my brain. In the case of Itachi, I noticed the water flow inside his body shifted unnaturally for a fraction of a second. That's how I knew something was off about him."

There was no harm in revealing this. What he wouldn't reveal, no matter what, was his ability to extract water from living beings.

"So you can see blood flow as well?" Tsunade asked.

Kaoru nodded, "In a way."

"Have you read all the books I brought to Takimura?"

She was fishing for something.

"Only the ones related to science, water, or the human body," he answered truthfully.

Tsunade's eyes practically lit up.

"That's perfect! Did you know that human cells can be altered? With precise chakra control and large reserves, it's theoretically possible to regenerate any injury, not instantly, but over time."

Kaoru's eyes widened, he was intrigued.

"If you learn the method," she continued, watching him closely, "you could create a spare arm for yourself. And if you ever lost one, you'd be able to reattach it. It would take a special method, but still, it would work."

Kaoru had expected something big, but this was beyond groundbreaking.

Tsunade was skipping a few steps, obviously. A concept like that couldn't be that simple, there must have been drawbacks and the cost was probably immense too. But what she was saying was truly impressive.

And then, like a puzzle clicking into place, a thought struck Kaoru.

'Is she planning to use this method to create a body for her deceased lover?'

But if her research was already this advanced, why would she need him?

'Maybe she's still stuck at the concept stage. Maybe she hasn't figured out how to make it work yet.'

Kaoru studied her expression, trying to gauge just how far along she really was.

"That's incredible, Lady Tsunade," he said carefully. "Have you really progressed the research that much?"

It was his turn to fish now.

Before Tsunade could answer, the door opened, and Shizune stepped inside.

Tsunade sighed, then stood. "We'll continue this discussion when we return to Takimura." She flashed him a bright smile. "By the way, as a thank you, I'll let you use my personal library."

Kaoru nearly jumped from his seat.

'Tsunade's personal library?'

That was bound to contain tons of jutsu.

"There are few books I need you to read, Shizune will give you a storage seal and the books. You can borrow anything you want from it" Tsunade said before leaving the room with her assistant.

Kaoru sat there for a moment, running through his fragmented memories.

'I remember that in Naruto's later stages, regrowing limbs became possible, but they weren't original limbs. They used Hashirama's cells I think. That's how Naruto got his hand back.'

He remembered one more method.

'White Zetsu was also something similar - a living mass of modified cells. But what Tsunade is suggesting is different and also a much bigger deal'

He realized that he had jumped to conclusions too quickly and let his suspicions take over as he recalled yet another detail.

'Tsunade never tried resurrecting Dan Kato for a reason.'

Dan had been a kind soul. Someone who wouldn't, or couldn't, live as a "parasite". Unless Tsunade found a method that didn't require human sacrifice, she would never go through with it.

Kaoru sighed, pushing the thoughts aside. He decided to step out and enjoy the sunset as he stood up and left the room. Tomorrow, delegations from three nations would arrive and the peaceful island would be thrown into chaos.

He strolled toward the beach, taking in the relaxed expressions of the locals. They didn't have much, but their simple lives meant less greed and fewer conflicts. The air felt lighter here, its like everything was simple.

On his way kaoru stopped by an open food stall, he grabbed a grilled fish and continued his walk. The scent of the sea mixed with the smoky aroma of roasted fish. The waves rolled onto the shore in gentle crashes and the sounds they made were oddly soothing.

Kaoru inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the salty air.

Then, a girl caught his eye.

Nora was stepping out of the water, her hair was slicked back and droplets trailed down her skin. She wore a bikini that highlighted her lean, toned body. A clear sign of her rigorous training.

But that wasn't what caught Kaoru's attention.

A large scar stretched across her waist, jagged and deep.

'Her life must have been really difficult…'

For a brief moment, he considered approaching her. But her posture, the way she averted her gaze, it was clear she was trying to avoid him.

Kaoru didn't want to push her into an uncomfortable situation.

So he simply turned and walked the other way.

<<<>>>

Everyone, even Kumo, was caught off guard when a fourth delegation arrived at the negotiations - Kirigakure had sent representatives. And leading them was none other than Mangetsu Hozuki, accompanied by a handful of diplomats.

A single thought passed through everyone's mind - 'This negotiations just got a lot more complicated.'

For once, though, Kumo welcomed the new addition. They had already noticed the way Takimura and Konoha greeted each other, and their spies in Konoha had reported multiple meetings between Hiruzen and Maki. A Takimura-Konoha alliance wasn't far-fetched.

With Kiri joining the fray, the balance shifted once again.

"Maki, we might actually have to fight here," Mei whispered as her gaze was locked onto Mangetsu. "I don't know him personally, but he's one of the Seven Swordsmen. I wouldn't be surprised if he makes a move."

"Who cares?" Maki scoffed. "If he does anything, I'll just kill him."

She grinned and cracked her knuckles.

"With Kaoru under Lady Tsunade's protection, I can go wild."

She wasn't bluffing. Thanks to Tsunade's guidance, she was on the verge of another breakthrough and she was confident she could take Mangetsu down if it came to that.

Not far from them, Jiraiya leaned toward Tsunade, eyeing the unfamiliar figure beside her.

"Tsunade, who's the kid?"

He hadn't seen the third round of the Chunin Exams. He had no idea what the Blue Needle of Takime looked like.

"This is Kaoru Takime," Tsunade said nonchalantly. Hearing a familiar name caused Jiraiya's eyes to widen. 'So, this is the kid Danzo has been rambling about'

Kaoru stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"It's an honor to meet you, Lord Hokage."

Jiraiya blinked.

He hadn't yet gotten used to the weight of the Hokage's hat on his head, but there was no denying the truth - Hiruzen had finally achieved his dream and stepped down.

**

A/N - 

So, I decided to give Tsunade a new goal, but I won't be revealing it just yet. The reason she needs Kaoru will also be explained later.

There's too much happening in the story right now, so this side plot will be delayed for the time being.

This is going to be the first negotiation for Takimura, let's see how it goes ^_^

Small Request – If you're enjoying the story, consider gifting Power Stones to help it reach more people, it would help me a lot!

**