Path Of War-Chapter 358: You Promised

In the Leaf Village, William made his way to the Jōnin Station.

He was greeted with familiar nods and waves from the guards and staff. Everyone knew him well enough, and most welcomed him warmly as per usal. How could they not when his performance as a shinobi exceeded all of their expectations?

Today, he had a good feeling. His assignment was simple but exciting: he was in charge of watching Naruto for the day.

Seeing his cousin outside of the house was rare these days, especially after Naruto's suspension.

Interestingly, no outside visits were allowed and absolutely no hanging out with friends. Not because of the suspension itself, but because Minato and Kushina had grounded Naruto for a whole year.

William thought that was overly harsh. He'd argued with them and tried to convince them to ease up, but despite being a part of the family, they were firm.

After all, they were Naruto's parents, and he was their son. William knew they cared, but he hadn't expected them to be this strict.

He remembered the day he first met Minato and Kushina. The excitement had been overwhelming.

He'd grown up reading seldom stories about how this world would be like had Minato and Kushina survived. Yet he had never read one where they were revived.

Nonetheless, he knew their reputation well and always wanted to meet them. When they finally did, William was more thrilled than any of the players. That was because he was the only other Uzumaki, and because he was Naruto's long-lost cousin, that made him part of Kushina's clan.

In a way, he considered himself her nephew.

But ever since Naruto's suspension, things had changed. William couldn't spend much time with Naruto outside the house. No training, no secret lessons—just brief moments during the night at home, and that was it.

Today, though, he was finally going to see Naruto outside and maybe do some secret training. That thought made him excited.

'I hope no one finds out,' he thought.

As much as he wanted to hang out with Naruto, he had a problem: he didn't even know where the boy was. Apparently, Kakashi was the last person with him. Yet that Jōnin hadn't finalized his reports to inform the next watcher where Naruto was.

"Dang it, Kakashi-sensei!" he whispered. "Wait, I know what to do!"

William looked around the busy station as if he was checking if anyone was watching him. When he was satisfied that no one was paying attention, he performed a quick hand sign.

What many didn't know about William was that he secretly harboured a large fragment of the Nine-Tails' chakra inside him, technically making him a pseudo-Jinchūriki.

Naruto had shared it with him in secret, a gift that William had been trying to perfect ever since. It was just too hard for him because of how massive Tailed Beast chakra was—it was difficult to control on top of his already wellspring of reserves.

Thanks to all his training, he was at least able to pick up on an ability that allowed him to sense Naruto's presence if the latter was close by. This form of sensing was more like Tailed Beast Telepathy, in which those with Tailed Beast chakra could feel out another Jinchūriki.

"Okay, got it!" William softly declared before taking off running.

He raced through the village until he arrived at a rocky terrain. It didn't take long before he spotted Naruto sitting alone on the edge of a large outcrop. Naruto was just staring at the horizon as if lost in thought.

William slowed down, then approached carefully. Hearing his footsteps, Naruto turned his head, and his face lit up.

"Hey, cuz!" he called out, waving. "Since you're here, does that mean you're my babysitter for today?!"

William grinned widely, relieved that Naruto was in good spirits. "Do you gotta call it that? Haha!"

"Yeah, since I can't go anywhere without someone watching me from somewhere."

"Well, I'm in charge today," William enthusiastically said. "So, what do you want to do?"

The boy exclaimed that there was something incredibly cool he wanted to show William. But to do that, they had to get away from the Anbu they knew was spying on them from afar.

"I know just what to do!" William announced. "Multi-shadow clone jutsu!"

A huge puff cloud appeared. But when it ceased, both Naruto and William were still chatting as if nothing had happened.

Elsewhere, another Naruto and William—the real ones—sat down together in a quieter, rocky area. William's little trick was enough to keep anyone from following them.

With the coast clear for miles, they both looked out over the landscape and felt the calm of the moment.

William broke the silence first. "Why'd Kakashi-sensei just leave before I came? I mean, I might not have known where you were."

"You could have just asked Alice," Naruto countered. "She's probably listening to us now."

"I doubt it," William replied. "I think she's training with lord Hiruzen these days."

Naruto shrugged and said, "Not like it matters if I'm left alone for five minutes anyway. Everyone knows I won't do something stupid like leave the village again. Besides, they know I know they're watching me. And I can honestly handle myself."

William agreed, but he looked concerned. "Still feels weird not being able to train together."

"Haha. Yeah, but I've gotten used to being grounded. Who knows? Maybe my parents might lighten up for my good behaviour."

"Got that right. So, what did you want to show me?"

Before explaining that, the two boys talked for a while due to how long it's been since they've been outside together. They shared stories and plans, as well as any updated news on Jiraiya's whereabouts.

Naruto himself was relaxed, and William felt the tension from the past days ease away.

"Before I show you that thing," Naruto softly said, "you're not gonna be like the others and stop me from using chakra, are you?"

"Heck no!"

Naruto's face lit up. "Really? You mean it?"

In a firm voice, William answered, "Totally! I'd never lie to my cousin. And if anything happens while I'm here, I'll take full responsibility."

Naruto's eyes widened with excitement as he asked again, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure, cuz! You're making me anxious now."

Naruto grinned mischievously before finally saying, "Okay then. Just stand back a little to get a good look."

William watched as Naruto leapt back to get a good distance. Suddenly, Naruto bit his thumb, and the entire atmosphere shifted. With one smack on the ground, a large summoning cloud exploded outward.

Before it could clear, a fiery tail unfurled—more than one, in fact. It didn't take long for William to see the enormous, sleeping form of the entire Nine-Tails in their midst. This wasn't the chakra form of Nine-Tails, but the whole, furry creature with flesh.

"Whoa," William whispered, unable to look away.

From above the beast's head, Naruto took pride in his accomplishment and hollered, "See? I told you it'd be cool."

William's excitement was evident as he stared at the massive form of Nine-Tails. He had obviously seen the beast more than once, but never outside of Naruto's seal.

It was sleeping, yet he could feel the overwhelming presence of its chakra. Honestly, he was more relieved that no one else was around to see this.

Still, part of him couldn't help but worry—what if Minato or Jada sensed this and appeared out of nowhere? The last thing he wanted was to get caught in a situation like this.

But Naruto's voice broke through his thoughts: "You don't have to worry! It was mom's idea to teach me this while you were out on missions."

William blinked in surprise since Naruto was supposed to be suspended. To think Kushina would be the one to also break the no-chakra rule. But this was inevitable, considering she was the previous Jinchūriki before him.

The thought made William glad, so he yelled, "That means Kurama's like your Tailed Beast companion now!"

While that new term seemed subjective, the Nine-Tails had indeed officially become Naruto's second personal summon—his first still being toads.

William couldn't have been more proud of his cousin. Despite all that the boy's been through, he still managed to find room to take the spotlight with his tenacious efforts.

Then an idea came to William, so he yelled, "How long until your punishment lasts again?! I'd really like for us to go and visit Killer B soon!"

Naruto got excited at that. He knew full well who B was, another Jinchūriki that shared similar experiences. Yet before he could answer, the Nine-Tails suddenly stirred. Its enormous eyes snapped open, and the chakra around it caused the ground to vibrate.

The beast's gaze settled on William, and a crooked grin appeared as it said, "It's you again..."

William felt a shiver run down his spine but kept his composure.

"Good to see you again, too, Kurama," he calmly said.

He knew the beast liked hearing its name, as most Tailed Beasts do. Yet this beast did not like it when William called it by name. That was because inside William was the beast's chakra.

"I shared my chakra with you out of pity," it sneered. "But seeing how you're using it... makes me want to take it back."

William tilted his head, unfazed as he asked, "Can you even do that?"

The beast chuckled darkly, "If I eat you whole, I can."

That was a clear threat—a challenge, even. Yet William's confidence didn't fall. He had learned to control his own chakra, and he knew the Nine-Tails' ego was as large as his power. Still, Naruto's calm voice snapped everyone's attention back.

"You promised you'd behave whenever I summoned you," he firmly said.

The beast scoffed, looking upward where Naruto was. It was about to get up, but before it could, chakra chains erupted from the ground and wrapped around the beast like a collar to keep it in place.

The last thing the boy wanted was for his companion to lift its head for the village to see.

"Kurama! You promised!" Naruto repeated.

With a dismissive shrug, the beast sank back into Naruto's seal, leaving behind a massive puff cloud. The chains vanished with it, and Naruto landed safely on the rocky outcrop where William was.

"You still haven't gotten full control over Kurama yet?" William asked.

"Not yet. I think he still refuses to believe I'm the guy old man Hagoromo talked about. It's like he doesn't want to believe it."

William frowned before scratching the back of his head.

"I don't get it," he said. "The two of you should have been more than friends by now."

"It's alright," Naruto smiled. "What we have now is more than I can ask for. And besides, he's not gonna stop me from trying to get strong enough to protect everyone—especially those I care about. And that includes you, cuz."

William felt a warmth spread through him. "That means a lot, Naruto. I'll help you however I can."

The wind gently ruffled their hair as the two friends sat silently for a moment.

Perhaps there were stronger enemies out there. But with Naruto still bearing hope and with his friends still by his side, there wasn't really anything to worry about. At least nothing that they couldn't see.

"You still haven't given up on Sasuke, right?" William asked.

"Not even close!" Naruto announced with a fist up. "Him and I have a special bond. And like you told me, he's just lost, is all. I'll bring him back no matter what!"

"And I'll be there to help," William declared, reflecting his surety.

As their scene became quiet, William was certain of one thing: Naruto's journey was nowhere close to ending, and he would be there every step of the way.