Naruto: The Last Harbinger of Storm

Naruto: The Last Harbinger of Storm

Chapter 81: The Past Collides With The Seeds Of The Future.

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Author's Note:

Hey everyone! 😊 This chapter is a 3.5k-word deep dive! I felt Tsunade's character, being Naruto's wife, deserved more focus and depth, so I made this chapter more of a filler. 🌀💛 Tsunade's issues with Konoha will play an important role in the upcoming decisions and shape the political landscape significantly. 🏛️⚡

The mysterious figures introduced here will become pivotal in the coming chapters—they're not just background players! 🎭🔥

The coronation arc is next, filled with political drama, council intrigue, and surprises! 🎉👑 It will span 3–4 chapters, serving as a grand finale for Book One of Naruto: The Last Harbinger of Storm. 📖✨

Once that's complete, we'll dive into Book Two, which will explore the ramifications of Naruto's reign, evolving alliances, and new threats on the horizon. 🌌⚔️

Thank you, as always, for your love, support, and insights! 💕 Let me know your thoughts on this chapter—your feedback truly fuels my creativity and keeps this story alive! 🙏🖊️

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Join ThirdFireTriden on Pa(tre)(on) the link is in description or type my name in google search with pat (tre) on remove the space and bracket!

NTLHOS:Chapter 81: The Past Collides With The Seeds Of The Future. IS OUT!

NTLHOS: Chapter 82: The Great Board Takes ShapeIS OUT!

NTLHOS: Chapter 83: I Don't Know!

NTLHOS: Chapter 84: The Coronation Begins IS OUT!

NTLHOS: Chapter 85: Epilogue IS OUT! (Conclusion of Volume one of the NTLHOS)

NTLHOS-2: Chapter 1: A New Era. IS OUT!

NTLHOS-2: Chapter 2: Dark Coulds. IS OUT!

NTLHOS-2: Chapter 3 – A monster from the past. IS OUT!

 NTLHOS-2: Chapter 4 – Drums and Gongs of War.

 NTLHOS-2: Chapter 5 – First Wave. IS OUT.

 NTLHOS-2: Chapter 6 – Price of Freedom.

NTLHOS-2: Chapter 7 – Crimson Storm. 

NTLHOS-2: Chapter 8 – Retaliation.

NTLHOS BOOK 2: Chapter 9 – The Gathering Woods In The Pyre. IS OUT!!!!!!!( New)

NTLHOS BOOK 2: Chapter 10 – We Forgive, But We Never Forget. IS OUT!!!!!!!! (NEW)

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"The past is never dead. It's not even past."

– William Faulkner

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Happy Reading

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Last time on NTLHOS:

Naruto neared the old mossy steps of the Chinamaki Shrine, feeling that familiar heat in his chest. The world around them was changing—old heroes crumbled, new threats rose. But Tsunade had chosen him, and he had chosen her. Not as a saint or a savior, but as a human being, raw and real. They'd face what came next in their own way, side by side, letters and deals and skin and laughter all woven together into something new neither of them had dared to imagine before especially him who grew up an orphan.

Now he had no time to reminisce. He had a lot to do, and he was sure Tsunade would be busy with the hospital she had been building over the past years and the other duties he had relegated to her since his concentration could not be shifted from here. Tsunade was with him from the start, a silent partner, so she knew everything and how to handle things his way.

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Now:

Tsunade stood at the edge of the construction site where her new hospital neared completion. Bright scaffolding shimmered in the afternoon light, and workers moved, placing stone blocks, polishing wooden frames, and weaving sealing scripts into wards of healing. She had been at this project for years, managing it in the background, long before anyone thought Uzushiogakure could rise again. Now, with Naruto preparing to ascend as Lord—no, Emperor, she supposed—these walls would soon serve as one cornerstone of a new era.

She brushed a bit of dust from her sleeve, lost in thought. Her past weighed on her, born a princess of Konoha, spoiled by a grandfather who dwarfed legends, she had known a world where the Senju name was worth entire armies. She had watched that world crumble. Over time, the Senju clan had bled and shrank until there were barely any left. Hashirama, her grandfather, had created something magnificent—a system of villages to end the endless wars. But that system failed their clan. It failed Uzu when the whirlpool nation cried out for help, no rescue came. It failed the Senju clan's last children, twisting loyalties and leaving them isolated.

"Milady," an assistant called from behind. She turned to face a middle-aged man holding a clipboard, "The roof beams on the west wing are in place, just as you requested. We should finish by next week." This was one of the new hospital they were building apart from the min hospital.

"Good," Tsunade said, forcing a brief smile. "Make sure the insulation seals are correct. I don't want moisture spoiling our medical supplies."

He bowed and departed, leaving her again to her recollections. Once, she had been so entangled with Konoha's fate that her clan's suffering felt like a personal betrayal. Tsunade's connection to Uzushiogakure was not well known not even to her sensei. 

Tsunade's connection to Uzushiogakure was a truth buried beneath layers of misconception. Many think her ties to the Land of Whirlpools ended with her grandmother, but they would be wrong. Like many Senju children of the main line, Tsunade had been fostered in Uzushiogakure for security. When her mother was pregnant with her, she was transported to Uzushio in secret. Tsunade was born there, and her formative years were spent among the whirling tides, surrounded by red-haired Uzumaki and the hum of their unique chakra.

And when she heard Uzushio was in siege, Tsunade had been prepared to take the remaining Senju and march to Uzushiogakure's defense. But her younger brother, Nawaki, barely a man yet burdened with the role of clan head, stayed their hands. He was full of the Sensei's teachings—loyalty to Konoha above all else, even family, even justice. Sensei had assured Nawaki that the situation in Uzushiogakure was nothing more than a skirmish, not worthy of dividing Konoha's forces.

But the invasion came, swift and brutal, and Uzushio burned.

Her grandmother Mito's tears at Uzu's downfall still haunted her dreams. Nawaki—her little brother—manipulated by skewed teachings, eventually taking his own life in shame and regret. The official records claimed he died a hero for the village. Lies upon lies. That was the day she stopped seeing Konoha as a home and more as a failed experiment of her grandfther.

Tsunade buried her brother and with him, the last of her faith in Konoha.

She left. They tried to stop her, tried to chain her down with false sweet words and even seduction missions—assigning an ANBU agent named Dawn to get close to her. Poor fool. She saw through it. When Dawn got too handsy, she made sure he never touched anyone else again. She caved his head and sent his severed head back to Sarutobi Hiruzen with a note: "You taught him this? Try harder next time." She was done pretending loyalty. She took Shizune due to guilt, an orphan from that debacle, under her wing. They traveled, gambled, and drank to numb old pains.

But years later, fate twisted again. The moment that changed everything was when an Uchiha of all people —Shisui Uchiha —met her on the borders. He begged her to save a critically injured shinobi. She refused at first, mindful of the cover she kept, the legendary medic who now pretended fear of blood. But Shisui whispered a name, Uzumaki. She froze. An Uzumaki child lay dying. The memory of Kushina, Mito, old stories of the whirlpool nation's proud red-haired clan flooded her mind. She followed Shisui to a field hospital, found a boy who looked at a glimpse like the old Grace. She literally dragged dim from the jaw of death. It shattered her carefully created facade of being too haunted by blood. She had to vanish quickly afterward, before word spread.

Sometime later, a letter reached her. From Kushina's son the boy she saved. He thanked her. That first letter was oddly earnest, clumsy but warm. She replied. They wrote often. He asked advice on politics. She guided him through the lanes of high society. She slowly entrusted him with Senju finances. He discovered embezzlers in the Senju businesses and with her permission, cleaned house. It was strange: after decades of mistrust, she found herself trusting a young boy she barely knew. Yet, he felt like family. Over months and years, she once again learned to trust.

They met in secret occasionally, whenever Shizune's missions brought her near. They gambled—he was annoyingly good at it—drank, exchanged news. She tested him with hints of her past, and he never pried cruelly. He never ridiculed her grief or her anger. He listened. Gradually, the confident mask she wore for the world cracked. In private, she allowed herself to be vulnerable again.

She teased him, he flirted back, and soon they abandoned pretense. In a dim rented room upstairs, Tsunade let go of her reservations. She laughed as she discovered that for all his cunning and skill, Naruto could be delightfully unsure at times. She guided him, showed a side of herself no one knew existed.

 Finally, Tsunade, voice quiet, asked him if he resented her for this unexpected intimacy. He did not. He assured her it was real, not some drunken stance. She confessed to having feelings, and his gentle acceptance stunned her. He was so young, way to young for her. She had half expected him to recoil in horror at the age gap and all her baggage. Instead, he accepted, giving her reason to believe love was still possible. Even though she was in her 50s her biologically she was still in her prime due to abnormal vitality but mentally she was her real age with jaded view of the world.

"I'm heading to the east wing now," a voice cut through her memory. It was the same assistant from before. Tsunade blinked, returning to the present. She nodded curtly, letting the man go. Her mind drifted back to Naruto's dreams, his mad proposal of forging a new empire. "Emperor," he had said after the Fire Daimyo banished him, barely sober, or so she thought. He wanted to create a power rivalling the Five Great Nations, something unseen since the Sage of Six Paths. She almost dismissed it as drunken rambling. The next morning, he insisted he was serious. She tried to be the voice of reason. Was he risking everyone's lives for a fantasy? Wouldn't it be more practical to pressure the Fire Daimyo into accepting him back? Yet he looked at her with those eyes, and she understood he was done bending to old systems. He intended to rewrite the rules of the games.

In that moment, against all logic, she agreed. Perhaps it was love, or loyalty, or maybe some deep part of her recognized the spark that changed the world once before—like her grandfather did. "Let's do it then," she said. It sounded crazy even to her own ears. And now, seeing all they'd accomplished—Uzu reborn, vast territories united, an economy set to rival any daimyo—she realized just how far that mad act of faith had taken them. Angain an Uzumaki and senju like her grandparents were reshaping the world.

A soft rustle caught her ear. She turned to see her new assistant approaching—an eager young woman from the Rinha Clan, carrying a stack of scrolls tucked under her arm. The girl bowed lightly. "Tsunade-sama, I have the updated inventory for the medicinal herbs. Everything is on schedule."

Tsunade forced a small grin. "Good, good. Make sure to maintain quality control. We can't afford spoiled herbs in this climate."

Nahiko Rinha her new assistant hesitated. "Tsunade-sama, I—" She paused, choosing words carefully. "Are you content here, I heard you had an apprentice who you considered a daughter?"

Tsunade studied her assistant's face, her thoughts drifting to Shizune. She remembered not fully trusting her at first, knowing her loyalty lay with Konoha above all else. Tsunade had personally told Shizune about her uncle, but time changes many things. Placing a hand on her assistant's shoulder, she said, "Content? That might be too simple a word. I've made peace with certain choices. Naruto is forging something new, something daring. I've decided to stand beside him—not because I'm naive, but because he represents a chance to correct old wrongs, to build a world that doesn't sacrifice the founders of a new order on the altar of the so-called greater good. No Senju should ever have to bear the pain of seeing their entire family wiped out."

She paused, her gaze softening. "And about Shizune—yes, I treated her like my daughter, but there's nothing binding her here. I won't make her choose this village because of the choices I've made. She is free to follow her own path, to choose her village of birth. Ironically, I've chosen mine—the land where I was born."

What remained unsaid by Tsunade was the truth she rarely admitted, even to herself—that she could never bring herself to fully trust anyone except Naruto. While she loved Shizune like a daughter, that love was tempered by caution of her sensei. She had never entrusted Shizune with the Slug Contract, nor taught her the higher-level signature jutsus she herself mastered. The Senju hiden techniques had also remained firmly out of reach. It wasn't a lack of affection, but a barrier Tsunade couldn't lower.

She nodded slowly. "Then I'm… I mean we are with you, Tsunade-sama. Whatever comes."

Footsteps echoed again, this time from one of Naruto's aides—Lord Kammado. He bowed respectfully, "Lady Tsunade, the final reinforcement seals for the northern wall of the village require your approval."

Tsunade nodded. "Lead the way." As they walked, Kammado hesitated, then quietly said, "The Prince speaks highly, you know. Calls you a cornerstone of what we're building."

Tsunade gave a small, genuine smile, though she also had the distinct urge to smack Naruto for dumping the entire running of the village on her shoulders while he ran off to who knows where. "If my soon to be husband thinks I'm going to take it easy on him just because he flatters me, he's dead wrong. We're both in this for the long haul. I'll keep him honest, and he'll keep me believing in the impossible."

Kammado grinned softly as he delivered the prince's carefully crafted words, designed to alleviate Tsunade's stress with a touch of flattery—and she knew it. Still, the sincerity in Kammado's tone wasn't lost on her. He had heard it straight from the prince himself: if there was anyone equally worthy of sharing the credit for all they had achieved, it was Princess Tsunade. During the year when the prince had gone incognito, communicating only once a month, it had been Lady Tsunade who held everything together and laid the groundwork for their success. She had shouldered the lion's share of the work, focusing on the internal aspects of construction and business while the prince ventured outward to expand their influence. It was only because Lady Tsunade managed what they already had, skillfully handling the prince's ever-growing ideas and demands, that his external ventures could succeed. 

"I think that's exactly what he's counting on," Kammado added with a knowing smile.

They entered a small chamber where a sealing master awaited further instructions. Tsunade examined the intricate array, her sharp eyes catching minute details. With deft precision, she adjusted a few runes to optimize the design, then authorized its placement with a nod of approval. Nearby, Lady Mitrusha, well into her 110s, was diligently reorganizing the components, seamlessly adapting to the changes Tsunade had made.

She thought of Nawaki, Mito, and Hashirama. What would they think? Perhaps they'd be proud she still fought for something better than stale rotten will of fire. Perhaps they'd smile at Naruto's audacity. Her grandfather, the idealist, might even laugh and say, "Go for it, child. Surprise them all." In any case, she would honor her lineage, not languishing in old grudges.

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Heavy rain drummed against the straw hats of the eight hooded figures as they made their way through the muddy forest trail. Water pooled in the dips of their cloaks, and now and then a faint mutter passed among them as they carefully avoided exposing their faces. The Land of Bears was known for its relentless weather at this time of the year, and tonight was no exception.

Suddenly, at the bend of a branch overhead, space twisted in a ripple of distortion. The figures stopped. A masked man emerged from the warping space, dropping down softly onto the branch. He wore a spiral-patterned mask with a single eyehole, and the rain didn't seem to bother him.

One of the hooded figures stepped forward, voice low. "You again," he said, his tone sharp with anger. "We warned you last time—approach us again and we'll kill you where you stand."

The masked intruder tilted his head slightly, as if amused. "You did try," he said. "Used that clever fuinjutsu of yours to nullify my space-time technique, truly dangerous. You nearly caught me off guard. I was impressed."

A second hooded figure said, "Then why return, Uchiha? We gave you our answer, we have no interest in your 'organization.' Only a fool attempts to combine all the bijū into one vessel."

The masked man chuckled softly. He stood before them now, unperturbed. "I'm not here to recruit you," he said. "Your disdain for Akatsuki's plans is well noted. I merely have news. In seven days, Lord Naruto Uzumaki will ascend as the supreme leader and ruler of Uzushiogakure. They're calling it a coronation—a ceremony to name him the emparor of the revived Uzumaki principalities. He will take the title 'Grace of the Uzumaki Clan.' Or should I say… he will be your beloved Grace?"

The reaction was immediate. Three of the hooded figures jerked their arms, and chains of gleaming metal shot out from beneath their robes, whistling through the downpour. They struck at the tree where the masked man had perched moments ago, exploding its trunk into splinters. But the masked man had already phased through the attack, reappearing a few steps closer to them, unscathed.

"Temper, temper," he said lightly.

The largest figure stepped forward, fists trembling beneath his loose sleeves. Rain poured over the brim of his straw hat, hiding his face but not the anger roughening his voice. "Don't pour salt on old wounds, Uchiha," he growled. "We know about the coronation. It's no secret. For us, it's a deep shame that a descendant of that man will claim lordship over our clan. We won't challenge him. After all, we never managed to open the barriers—but he did. That alone grants him the right to ascend."

Another figure spat on the ground. "He's no 'beloved grace' to us," the man snarled. "He's a reminder of failures piled on failures. After all the weak blood of Ashina Uzumaki runs through his vein. Did you come here to gloat?"

The masked intruder raised his hands, palms out in a gesture of mock surrender. "Gloat? Hardly. I'm just curious, you see. The world is shifting, and I find it intriguing how old loyalties and ancient prides are stirring up. Once upon a time, your clan was feared. Ashina Uzumaki is many things, Even I will not dare to call him weak."

"Leave," the first figure said coldly. His voice carried an edge. "We gave our answer before. We will not join your cause, and we will not listen to your twisted commentary on ours. And Ashina Uzumaki may be strong individually but as leader he is a failure."

Silence fell, save for the steady beat of rain and distant thunder. The masked man's single visible eye narrowed thoughtfully. "As you wish," he said. "Consider this a friendly reminder, the world is changing. Naruto Uzumaki will seize a throne no one thought could exist. You may resent him, curse his name, deny your lineage—but you cannot ignore what he's about to become. What this will mean for Uzumaki clan"

Another chain slid forward, not attacking this time, but tense, as if warning him to step back. "You have no idea what we bear," a quieter figure said, voice hollow. "The shame, the regrets, the promises once made. You come here to provoke us. Instead, leave us be. We owe you nothing."

The masked man's laugh was short and hollow. "Very well, fair enough," he said. "Before I go, I'll give you a piece of information you may not know. Naruto Uzumaki is awakening things that led to your clan's downfall in the first place—he's reactivating the Fourteen Shrines."

At that, all eight figures stiffened. One of them hissed, "Impossible. None bar that old fossi- Ashina Uzumaki himself could even hope to awaken one, let alone all fourteen."

The masked man shrugged, voice cold. "I'm not lying. In seven days from now, he'll take the final step to awaken them before the Five Elemental Grand Monks, other spiritual leaders, and the daimyo themselves."

The hooded figures clenched their fists as one, tension crackling in the rain-soaked air. Their leader spoke, voice tight with anger, "What are your terms?"

Beneath his mask, the intruder smirked with a satisfaction they could practically feel, though they could not see it. They discussed the terms and the hooded figure vanished.

For a long moment, the eight hooded figures stood in the rain, chains still gleaming, hearts still pounding with anger and regret. One of them knelt by the shattered remains of the tree, tracing a fingertip along the splintered bark.

"He taunts us," said one figure, voice low. "He wants us to lash out."

"But we will not," said another, "because our war is with ourselves and our past, not him."

The largest figure sighed, pulling his hood tighter. "In seven days, the descendant of Ashina—this Uzumaki Naruto—will ascend, and the entire world will watch. Our shame, the old names we carry, might demand that we act, especially now that the boy dares to revive those entities that nearly destroyed our clan. Those beings are as treacherous as any devils. But what should we do? Should we let him rule in peace, knowing he is starting a new cycle and serving these treacherous forces, or should we put an end to this madness?"

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To be continued: Stay tuned for the next chapter of NTLHOS.

Join ThirdFireTriden on Pa(tre)(on) the link is in description or type my name in google search with pat (tre) on remove the space and bracket!

NTLHOS:Chapter 81: The Past Collides With The Seeds Of The Future. IS OUT!

NTLHOS: Chapter 82: The Great Board Takes ShapeIS OUT!

NTLHOS: Chapter 83: I Don't Know!

NTLHOS: Chapter 84: The Coronation Begins IS OUT!

NTLHOS: Chapter 85: Epilogue IS OUT! (Conclusion of Volume one of the NTLHOS)

NTLHOS-2: Chapter 1: A New Era. IS OUT!

NTLHOS-2: Chapter 2: Dark Coulds. IS OUT!

NTLHOS-2: Chapter 3 – A monster from the past. IS OUT!

 NTLHOS-2: Chapter 4 – Drums and Gongs of War.

 NTLHOS-2: Chapter 5 – First Wave. IS OUT.

 NTLHOS-2: Chapter 6 – Price of Freedom.

NTLHOS-2: Chapter 7 – Crimson Storm. 

NTLHOS-2: Chapter 8 – Retaliation.

NTLHOS BOOK 2: Chapter 9 – The Gathering Woods In The Pyre. IS OUT!!!!!!!( New)

NTLHOS BOOK 2: Chapter 10 – We Forgive, But We Never Forget. IS OUT!!!!!!!! (NEW)

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