The Conduit

Foreword: Please take note that this is a heavily AU story. It starts hundreds of years before Naruto canon. I will completely rewrite the lore around the biju to fit my story. The plot will shortly catch up to canon time, where most of the characters will still exist.

Only two of the characters from canon time will be placed in the past. One of course is Naruto, and the other will become obvious very soon. So just to make that clear in this story Naruto is not the child of Minato and Kushina. The chapters prior to catching up to canon are something of an extended prologue and will be written in a very different style without the breakneck pacing the prologue will have.

Naruto may have only been six years old, but he'd spent his entire life in the temple. So he could tell something was up today. The priests and the acolytes were practically abuzz. He'd never seen them half so frantic as they were now.

Nor was Naruto able to miss the number of looks he was given as they ran past. Unable to contain his curiosity, Naruto tugged at the robes of one of the younger acolytes, as the man was trying to scurry past.

"Where's my father?" Naruto asked him when he came to a stop.

"Shouhei-sama is very busy with preparations for the ritual," the white robed man answered. "But he'll be sending for you shortly.

"What ritual?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"You mean no one has told you?" the acolyte replied in disbelief. "You've been chosen to be next Conduit. Your father will summon the Biju later today."

Naruto let out a gasp at that, not even stopping the man as he hurried off to continue his duties. He know all about the Biju from his studies. The temple he lived at worshiped them after all. Currently, they were resting in their own realm as they had been for more than five decades.

Naruto had known that they would soon be returning to the realm of men. To "guide sinful mortals along the path of righteous" if you listened to the long-winded old priests who lived in temple. Thankfully his own father wasn't nearly so bad, despite being the High Priest.

Still, Naruto had never imagined being the Conduit himself. He may be the son of the High Priest of this temple, but their were countless temples and shrines dedicated to the Biju around the world. Why had he been chosen?

That was an answer he had still not received by the time he was led to the massive chamber that the entire temple was built around. The room had no ceiling, allowing for a view a the full moon directly overhead. There was strange glowing writing all along the walls, and in the center the priests stood around chanting in a language Naruto didn't understand.

His father led him to the center of the circle, the taller blond instructing him only to be brave and agree to whatever the Biju asked of him. Before Naruto was even sure of what was happening, his vision began to fill with a white light, and the sound of the chanting faded to silence. He soon felt as if he were floating, unable to move or hear anything, with only the endless light to keep him company.

"Do you agree to become our conduit?" a voice asked almost in a whisper, yet somehow clearer than anything he'd ever heard. It seemed almost to be coming from inside his very head. Naruto tried to answer, but found he couldn't speak and almost started to panic. He tried shouting that he didn't understand what was going on, but he couldn't make any sound.

"If you agree to become our conduit your soul will be tied to ours," the voice explained, almost as if it could hear his doubts. "It will be the door we use to enter your world and the path to return to our own. When it comes time for us to rest again your soul will return to our realm. Know that this means you will never pass on to heaven."

He wouldn't go to heaven? Did that mean he'd be alone forever? Naruto was proud of being chosen as the conduit, but if that's what being chosen meant, he didn't want anything to do with it.

"You will not be alone," the voice answered, convincing Naruto that it could indeed hear his thoughts. "When it is time to return you may bring anyone who wishes to join you. Even if you bring no one, you will have the company of all the conduits who went before you and all they have brought with them."

That was a huge relief to Naruto. The thought of never seeing anyone ever again had scared him more than he wanted to admit. But his father had told him to be brave, hadn't he? Naruto wanted to make his father proud. And he was sure his father would be willing to come with him when the time came.

They could stay together and Naruto could meet all the other conduits. Maybe some of them would even be his friends. There were no other kids living in the temple, so Naruto had never really had a friend before. His mind made up, Naruto tried to tell the voice that he agreed.

Almost before he'd finished the thought, he felt some sort of energy building in his body, almost as if he was on fire from the inside. Soon the white light vanished, and Naruto again found himself in the ritual room.

It was impossible to miss the new additions, however, as the room now contained nine massive forms belonging to the Biju. Largest of all was the Kyubi, a nine-tailed fox that almost made the room the small. He could feel the energy radiating out from the Kyubi's body. It was so powerful he thought it might sweep him away.

Looking directly at him, Kyubi spoke three simple words. "It is done."

Becoming the Conduit hadn't changed Naruto's life as much as he'd expected. Of course the new powers were beyond cool. He'd discovered that every scrape and bruise he'd get would heal in seconds. Even better, he'd learned he could call up that energy he'd felt during the ritual and it would give him super strength.

He'd had a lot of fun carrying around rocks larger than he was above his head with one hand. The priests quickly put a stop to that, however, when he'd nearly given one of the old geezers a heart attack.

There was also the fact that the Nibi stayed around the temple most of the time these days. The rest of the Biju had spread across the world to do whatever it was they did. Mostly tell the leaders of the various countries what to do as far as he understood.

Everything from what crops to plant and where, to what laws to pass. They also ensured that no wars took place between any of the nations. The priests were constantly telling Naruto how the world was a much better place when the Biju were here to rule than during the decades they rested in their own realm.

Still, the novelty of Nibi and even his new powers soon wore off, and the last two years had been much like the rest of his life. His father made as much time as he could to play with Naruto, but the temple kept him very busy. That left Naruto lots of time and little to do but listen to lessons from the other priests, an activity Naruto avoided as best as he could.

All of that changed one day when Naruto heard shouting coming from the main entrance to the temple. Naturally he decided to investigate the source. It was a rare treat to have the priests worked up to the point they'd make a commotion this loud. Probably fighting over some minor religious point no one else would care about.

What he found when he arrived was no simple argument, however. He rounded the corner just in time to see a tall man in a black cloak with red clouds on it slash open the back of a fleeing priest while a similarly dressed man looked on.

"Naruto, run!" the wounded priest managed to call out before falling to the ground.

"There's the brat," the unarmed intruder pointed out. "Kill him and the demons will have to return to their own realm."

Even with the added threat from the two men, Naruto found himself rooted to the spot, unable to follow the priest's command to flee. He may very well have stood there in shock right up until they stuck a sword in him if he hadn't been grabbed roughly from behind and dragged away.

Snapped out of his stupor, Naruto saw that it was his father who had lifted him into his arms and was now running away from the black-robed men as fast as he could. Unfortunately, when their pursuers rounded the corner, it became clear that they were faster than his father.

"They're gaining on us!" he shouted in warning, but his father was too occupied with running to give any reply.

As they dashed down the hallway, the two men grew ever closer. They were hardly even slowed when one particularly brave acolyte tried to throw himself in their path. He was skewered on the larger man's sword for his effort while only seeming to buy them a second or two. It was becoming clear there was no way they could escape. But maybe they could fight them. If Naruto used the power the Biju had given them, he was sure he'd be stronger than them.

"Put me down," he told his father, struggling to free himself from the man. "I can fight them."

His father ignored his cries, instead sharply turning a corner and leaping down a flight of stairs. He hit the bottom harshly with a grunt, but continued running, despite the fact that he was now clearly in pain. They were quickly approaching one of the side exits to the temple.

They made it out the door, but the larger of the men was now only a few feet behind them, within range of the man's sword. He was clearly aware of that fact, as he was already drawing it back to swing as he followed them out the door.

Naruto made to call out a warning, but before he'd so much as opened his mouth, a large claw swept down and sliced cleanly through both men moments after they had left the temple. The Nibi stood there serenely looking down at him, the giant two tailed cat seeming unphased by what had just happened.

His father finally set him, down, kneeling on the ground and hugging him as worked to regain his breath. "Everything's going to be okay now, Naruto," he promised. "They can't hurt you anymore."

Naruto's father had left the next day to find a way to ensure Naruto was better protected from future attacks. Meanwhile, Naruto was forced to spend almost all his time in the center room of the temple, protected by the Nibi. Thankfully, it remained both uneventful and dry until his father returned.

Naruto was finally taken back inside the temple where his father escorted him into one temple's small studies and began to explain where he'd been.

"There have always been those who where opposed to the Biju," he began. "Those who feel that mankind would be better off ruling itself. That said, I'd never imagined Akatsuki would have grown so bold as to attack one of our temples. Now, as powerful as the Biju are, I don't want them to be your only line of defense. In all honestly, they're better suited to dealing with armies than assassins."

"So did you hire some guards or something?" Naruto asked.

"I did better than that," his father answered. "I went to visit a clan of powerful warriors with unquestionable loyalty to the Biju. They're so devout that during the previous reign of the Biju they were given a blessing as reward for their service. The two of us will be living with them from now on, where the whole clan will be able to protect you."

"We're moving?" Naruto cried out, caught completely off guard by that fact. Once he'd gotten past the initial shock, he was actually somewhat excited by the prospect, even if he was still a little scared. Naruto had always wanted to travel and see other places, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to leave the temple permanently.

"Yes, but don't worry, everyone from the temple will visit us as often as they can," he assured Naruto. "They don't live too far from here. Although there is one more thing I should mention."

His father looked hesitant to continue, which began to worry Naruto. He had come right out and told Naruto they were moving without so much as flinching. How shocking must this news be if he was worried about how to break it?

"Well ... you see ... I kind of made a deal," his father finally explained. "In exchange for their protection I agreed that you would ... um ... marry a member of their clan."

"M-M-Marry?" Naruto screeched barely coherently. He could could count on one hand the number of women he remembered visiting the temple, pilgrims who rarely stayed more than a couple of days. And now he was getting married?

"Not anytime soon, of course," his father assured him. "You're both far too young for that. It's just an engagement for now, so you'll have plenty of time to get to know her."

His fathers words did little to appease him. Naruto was not at all pleased with being forced into an engagement, a fact he made known very loudly for a good half hour before he finally got the yelling out of his system. This being the first chance his father had to get a word in edgewise, he informed Naruto that his fiancee was actually in the temple, having traveled back with his father to meet Naruto.

When his father was convinced he was calm enough to be polite, he went to fetch their guests. Soon a black-haired girl about his own age entered alongside a man who looked like he could have been her father. The most striking aspect about the two of them was that they both possessed almost completely white eyes. There was a circle that was a little darker in color than the outside, but other than that, they appeared featureless.

As much as Naruto truly hated being forced into a marriage, seeing other children at the temple was even rarer than seeing women. While he wasn't looking for a wife, he didn't want to ruin the chance at making a friend. So he decided to put his best foot forward.

"I'm Naruto," he said, bowing as politely as he could.

"I'm Hyuga Hanabi," the girl answered in a reserved tone, bowing her head only slightly.

"Nice to meet you, Hyugahanabi," Naruto answered, smiling warmly. Although she actually seemed upset by his greeting.

"Don't say it like that," she snapped, confusing Naruto. "Are you trying to make fun of me?"

His father chuckled at exchange. "Hyuga is Hanabi's clan name," he told Naruto before turning to address Hanabi. "Forgive him, at the temple we give up all ties to our clan in service of the Biju. Naruto just isn't used to people with two names."

"That's stupid," Hanabi exclaimed. "The clan is more important than anything. Why would you give it up?"

"It's not stupid! Take that back!" Naruto shouted angrily. Who did this girl think she was? Coming to their temple and making fun of how they did things? He wasn't about to stand for it.

"I said it's stupid because it's stupid. If you want me to take it back then make me."

If she was going to go so far as to ask him to, that Naruto was going to oblige her. Marching up to Hanabi, he reached out his arm to give her a shove. What he wasn't expecting was for her to grab his arm, twist around and flip him onto his back. While he was still stunned by her move, she twisted him onto his stomach and held his arm painfully behind his back.

Naruto's anger was well beyond the boiling point by now, and he was already reaching for the power of the Biju. With the strength it gave him, he'd easily be able to break free from her and then he'd show her a thing or two.

"Naruto, no," his father ordered firmly, although not harshly, obviously sensing what Naruto had been intending to do. "Your gift is not something to be used in petty squabbles. Especially against your future wife."

"Let him up Hanabi," the elder Hyuga ordered just as firmly.

Hanabi released him, but appeared as reluctant to do so as Naruto was to stop drawing the power of the Biju. Nor did their fathers' words stop them from glaring at each other through the entire process.

"I'm never going to marry you," he vowed to Hanabi, keeping his voice low in hopes of avoiding a scolding from his father.

"Good, because I'm not going to marry you either," she replied.

Naruto's life at the Hyuga clan compound wasn't nearly as bad as he'd feared. The only real downside was that Naruto and Hanabi remained at each other's throats as often as not. About the only thing they could ever agree on was that they were never going to marry each other. It became almost a mantra for them over the years, one they reminded each other of almost constantly.

Still, as much as she drove him crazy with her arrogance and rudeness, Naruto had to secretly admit that he was glad she was around. It was great having someone his own age to spend time with. They would explore the nooks and crannies of the complex, pretend to be famous heroes, and all sorts of other activities.

And if nearly every one of their outings devolved into a brawl? Well, that was almost the most enjoyable part of the whole experience. Being in the complex gave him plenty of practice with fighting too. He was trained in the Hyuga fighting style as much as anyone without the Byakugan could be. It turned out he had a natural talent for it.

Despite the later start in life, in just a few short years, he'd caught up to Hanabi, who was considered quite talented herself. Well, if she fought without using her Byakugan that is. But Naruto's father still forbid him from using his power in their fights, so Naruto thought it only fair she didn't use hers either. Not that his opinion stopped her when they were particularly upset with each other.

As they grew older Hanabi flowered from a girl to a very attractive young woman. It was almost a shame they couldn't stand each other. If she weren't impossible to live with sometimes she'd almost be the perfect woman. She was smart, good-looking, a skilled fighter who could always keep him on his toes, and when she wasn't being infuriating, she was actually quite fun to be with.

Then one day came when Naruto's father had practically thrown into a black kimono and dragged him outside to where he saw Hanabi dressed stunningly in a white wedding kimono. He hadn't heard so much as a peep of this being planned. Their fathers must have been craftier than he'd given them credit for.

"We're not actually going to go through with this, are we?" he asked Hanabi, finding it somehow difficult to think clearly since he'd laid eyes on her.

"Of course not," she replied with a playful smirk. "You know that I'll never marry you."

"Ah, how silly of me," Naruto responded, smiling back. "We'll just play along for a bit and then run out from the ceremony. Just imagine the looks on our fathers faces when we pull that off."

With plan in mind, he entered the building the wedding was taking place in. Once inside, the two of them listened to Naruto's father perform the ceremony, said their vows, and drank the wedding sake. Only after the wedding was over did he realize that somewhere along the line it had slipped his mind that it was supposed to be an act while they got ready to run out of the ceremony. At that point, he couldn't have cared less that he'd forgotten.

In the months that followed his wedding, Naruto was convinced that he was living in what would prove to be the happiest days of his life. He discovered he'd been wrong a little over a year later when Hanabi gave birth to their daughter, Hyuga Nanami.

He loved every moment of being a father, although Hanabi became more than a little annoyed at how energetic and happy he seemed to matter how little sleep Nanami let them get. Another benefit of his link to the Biju.

His marriage may have been saved by the fact that Nanami didn't stay a baby forever, and Hanabi was once again able to sleep undisturbed most nights. Nanami seemed to grow cuter as fast as she was growing larger.

She took after her mother more than Naruto in looks, most noticeably with the Byakugan and the black hair. Although as far as hair was concerned she inherited the spikiness of Naruto's own to a smaller degree, a fact that would torment her as she approached her teens.

Unsurprising, considering who her parents were, Nanami was highly skilled at Juken, a name the clan had recently given to the martial art they were still developing. While she was still in her teens she had surpassed many of the adult members of the clan.

During this time, they also discovered that Naruto had stopped aging. Even into his thirties he didn't looks to be a day over twenty. Discussing the matter with the Nibi had confirmed that this was normal for Conduits. Naruto wasn't complaining, even if visitors gave him strange looks when he told them Hanabi was his wife, or would no longer believe that Nanami was his daughter.

It wasn't too long beyond that when a day arrived that Naruto had long been dreading. A wandering practitioner of martial arts by the name of Ichiro had heard of the skill of the Hyuga clan and come to issue a challenge.

Nanami had accepted on behalf of the clan and promptly taken the poor fool apart, knocking him out and giving him a nasty concussion and some broken ribs. But somewhere between the fight and his recovery the two had fallen for each other, and now they were getting married.

Naruto put on the happiest face he could manage for Nanami's sake but inwardly he couldn't help but be depressed. And not just for the reasons every father hates to give away a daughter. It was more that the day he was dreading even more was drawing closer.

The Biju didn't like to stay in the human realm for much more than fifty years, which gave him less than two decades. He'd already been devastated to learn that his father didn't plan to join him when he performed his duty as the Conduit and followed the Biju to their realm.

He'd argued for some time over it, but he could understand that his father wanted to be reunited with his wife, the mother than Naruto couldn't even remember. Now Naruto feared he would have to say goodbye to his daughter on that day as well.

He had secretly harbored hopes that his daughter would never marry and would join him on his journey. Naruto supposed it was still possible she would. She might never have children of her own, or they could bring them along too.

But would it be fair to take them before they'd even had a chance to live their lives? And even if she remained childless it would mean forcing his daughter and son-in-law to choose whose parents to be separated from forever.

And seeing as going with Naruto would mean giving up their lives, he had a feeling he knew which way that decision would go. No, it was best to prepare himself for the fact he would someday be leaving his daughter behind.

If he didn't know Hanabi were going with him, the thought might have broken him, but as long as they were together, he felt they could work through anything. They would go on and find their own happiness in whatever life the realm of the Biju left them.

And he still had more than a decade of life left to spend with his family. Maybe more than two if leaned on the Biju for some extra time. Long enough to have grandchildren and see them grow, perhaps. Yes, he shouldn't spoil what time remained worrying about the future.

They had to wait less than a year for it to be apparent that their first grandchild was on the way. In fact, it was a clear that the baby could come at any time the day a man showed up at the clan compound out of breath and demanding to see the Nibi.

He told them he was from a nearby village, and the heavy rains had been causing the river to flood. They were doing everything they could to hold it back, but they were afraid it was a lost cause. He begged the Nibi to come help them before they lost all their homes and crops.

The Nibi agreed to help, and Naruto volunteered to go along, an action that didn't seem to please the man. "I appreciate the offer," the man told him, "but we don't have any time to waste, and I'm sure Nibi-sama can travel much faster than yourself."

"If that's all you're worried about, it won't be a problem," Naruto assured him, before quickly hopping up onto the back of the Nibi. "I won't slow her at all like this."

The man couldn't help gawking at Naruto's actions, but made no further efforts to stop them. At the pace the Nibi set, it was less than two hours before they arrived at the village. However, when they did they found that,while the river was much higher from the rain, it was not at risk of flooding. Nor did anyone know of a villager leaving to get help.

Naruto had a bad feeling about the whole situation and urged the Nibi to return as quickly as possible. What he saw when he arrived was even worse than he'd been dreading. The man who had shown up at the village was now sporting one of the red-clouded cloaks of Akatsuki and was holding a sword to his father's throat.

Even worse, Hanabi, Nanami, and Ichiro were all sprawled on the ground with blood clearly visible on their clothing. He saw Nanami thrashing about, but Hanabi and Ichiro were frighteningly still. The fact the a number of Hyuga men were standing warily in a circle around the lone living Akatsuki member comforted him no more than the fact that there were more more than twice as many bodies on the ground with Akatsuki cloaks than without.

"You're the only one we wanted," the man exclaimed loudly when he saw Naruto. "If you'd just stayed here like I said, we might have avoided all this."

"If you wanted me then you should have come for me, you coward!" Naruto screamed as he jumped down from the Nibi, angrier than he'd ever been in his life.

"We just wanted hostages," the man insisted. "They weren't supposed to resist. No one but you should have been harmed. Your wife though, she killed five of my friends, I had to put her down. She didn't give me any choice. Give yourself up though and I'll let your father go. You might still save your daughter too."

"Nibi-sama, do it!" his father yelled out, struggling against the man despite the blade at his throat.

"No, don't!" Naruto ordered when he realized what his father meant, but the Nibi was advancing regardless of his orders, carefully leaping about to avoid fallen bodies.

"No! You wouldn't kill him!" the man cried out in fear. "He's one of your priests!"

His words didn't slow the Nibi anymore than Naruto's had and as if in some twisted parody of his childhood memory, the Nibi's claw once again lashed out and sliced two men into pieces. Naruto's knees went weak at his father's death, but he quickly caught himself and joined the throng rushing in to see to the fallen.

He was the first to Hanabi's side, but try as he might, could find no pulse or sign of breathing. Despite the shock of that discovery leaving him so numb he could barely think, he forced himself to move over to Nanami, where he found a Hyuga woman already looking her over.

"This doesn't look good," she told Naruto. "Her wounds are beyond anything I know how to treat."

Those words seemed to sever Naruto's tenuous connection to sanity as his mind seemed to fall away into his own pit of numbness and despair. If the Nibi's words hadn't come through like a lifeline at the last moment, he wasn't sure if he would have ever broken from his stupor.

"Your wife's spirit yet lingers," the Nibi informed him. "If we act quickly I can begin process to return the biju to our world and bring her with us."

Naruto clung to the ray of hope the Nibi had just offered. Hanabi may be dead, but he could see her again in a few minutes. And Nanami was dying anyway, so he could take her with as well, right?

"What about Ichiro?" he asked, for his daughter's sake.

"I'm sorry, but he's been dead for too long," the Nibi replied.

Naruto was crushed to hear that, but still considered momentarily the possibility of taking Nanami as well. But no, Hanabi would never forgive him for separating Nanami and her husband without their consent. No more than she would look kindly on him abandoning their daughter and unborn grandchild without trying to save them he realized.

"Can you do anything to save Nanami?" he asked the Nibi.

"Perhaps one of the other biju could," Nibi answered, "but I know nothing of healing humans."

That wasn't the answer Naruto wanted to hear, but he'd nearly lost himself to despair once. He wasn't going to give up now when his daughter needed him. Maybe if he projected the energy given to him by the Biju to her body, it would heal her like it did him.

Judging from her wounds, it was clear she wouldn't survive via conventional means, and he couldn't think of any other options. With his decision made, he wasted no time drawing upon the energy as a white glow began to surround him.

Placing his hands on Nanami, he tried force it out through his hands and into her. At first nothing happened, but he kept trying and eventually he felt it begin to transfer to her. He heard a gasp from Nanami and released his power reflexively, afraid he was actually killing her after all.

Berating himself, he started again and even began to force the transfer at a faster pace when he didn't notice any change. Soon, Nanami began to glow with a fainter version of the white light that formed an aura around Naruto.

Then, to his great pleasure, he saw that cuts that Nanami had been bleeding from slowly close up until they eventually vanished. He continued to provide her with the healing energy until Nanami's eyes snapped open and she sat up with a start.

"Father!" she cried out when she saw him. "Thank goodness you're back."

As she looked around, he could see the memories of everything that happened rushing back to her by the way her emotions played across her face. "Ichiro, mother, they … they killed them," she cried out before latching onto him and sobbing into his chest.

It was almost too much to bare that he would have to leave her now as well, right after the losses she'd just faced. But he couldn't afford to delay. He was spared from having to tell Nanami his plans when the Nibi interrupted.

"It's too late," the Nibi exclaimed. "Her spirit has moved on."

"No!" Naruto shouted in disbelief, trying briefly to free himself from his daughter, but giving up in the face of her iron grip. "It can't be too late! Isn't there a trail or something? Something you can use to find her?"

"Her soul is now forever beyond the reach of my power," the Nibi answered, bowing her head as if in apology for her failure.

"Then … they're really gone?" Nanami asked looking every bit as miserable as Naruto felt. Still he had to be strong for her sake.

"I'll make them pay," he promised her. "I swear to you that I'll hunt down and kill every last member of Akatsuki."

"Good," Nanami replied, although she didn't slow her tears after that. In the face of everything that had happened, Naruto was no longer able to hold back his own emotions. So the two of them sat there crying over their shared losses and taking comfort in each other's presence. They were finally broken from their mourning when Nanami gave out a startled cry.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, worried that his healing might not have been as effective as he'd thought.

"The baby," she answered. "It's coming."

Author's Notes

Sorry to leave it on a bit of a cliffhanger. Anyway, a lot of drama in the first chapter, and there are probably people who wish I'd spent more time covering it. That said, I still spent more than I intended on this part, even forcing myself to speed through as much as possible.

I don't want people too attached to this part of the timeline, as we have hundreds of years to go before things start to resemble canon. Nevertheless, it's important to know what happened to understand Naruto's motivations once the main story starts.

Anyway, I'm probably roughly halfway through the prologue, give or take 15%. I'll have the rest out in a chapter or two, depending on how much detail I decide to go into and whether it seems better to split the remainder into two chapters.

A couple other notes. I'm also rewriting the origin of Akatsuki, along with the biju, but both will play a role in the main story as well. For those worried Naruto isn't strong enough, or that the power he gets from his role as the conduit is too lame, just be patient. Naruto hasn't had much need for power yet. He might possibly be more motivated to pursue it starting in the next chapter.

Anyway I'd be happy to hear from anyone who stumbled onto this story and persevered to the end. Did you lose a bet or was just plain stubborn insistence to finish what you start?