Monster
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Monster. They are the properties of their respective author.
Summary: 'And I saw a beast rising out of the sea,with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.' Revelation 13. Now Naruto could see how it related to this diabolical entity that was farther from Men than it was from Monsters.
Author's note: I won't bore you with a long pointless note but I'd like for you to know that it is an AU, so some of the things you will see here may make little sense, but it will be explained as the story progresses. I ask only that you have a little faith in me.
Tenma's story will be entwined with Naruto's in a, I hope, believable way.
Now, without further ado, here's the story:
Chapter 1: Prologue
Uzumaki Naruto washed his hands methodically. Another tiresome day of work was over.
As he watched the blood-tinted water drain down the sink, he thought of the life he had taken. What was the meaning of a human life? Is it the wealth one possesses? The capabilities of that man? The influence he exerts? The number of his familial bonds?
The water, forming a reddish whirlpool trickled slowly downward, as if taunting him, as if saying: 'Do you see how hard it is to get rid of the blood on your hands?' A whirlpool, like his namesake; 'Uzumaki'. A whirlpool of carnage and mindless destruction.
A bitter smile came to him as he watched the blood that had splattered on his face after his latest assassination mission. He scrubbed it diligently, watching as his hands became soiled with the red substance.
It was not his blood. He could 'brag' about being one of the few who could get out of this type of missions unscathed. Brag about being able to kill more efficiently than his peers. It was a wonder how his comrade, Uchiha Itachi, had managed to keep a level head with all the pressures coming from his family and trauma from their line of work.
Suddenly, a white hot rage took hold of him. Why?! Why did things had to be this way! How unfair was it that men had to kill each other to bring income to a degenerating economy? Why did children have to be enrolled in a system that promoted killing and established the shinobi business as laudable?
He punched the mirror in front of him, watching with a detached sense of fascination as some of the broken shards fell from the frame. His reflection became distorted. It looked as if it was not Uzumaki Naruto but an ersatz; a monster standing in its place.
A strangled sob escaped him. It was not because of the pain. He had dealt with much worse and it would soon heal anyway. He retracted his appendage whose skin was already in the process of mending.
He gripped the white porcelain sink so much that his knuckles turned white. No more. He would abide by this injustice one second longer. He would dedicate his life to healing rather than destroying.
For the first time ever, Uzumaki Naruto went back on his promise of being the best shinobi ever. He would instead concentrate all his efforts into being the best medic of the land.
"Uzumaki-sensei, this chakra-infection thesis is simply marvelous! The effects of long-term chakra exhaustion on the organism has been a long-standing subject of debate amongst the scientific community. However I do wonder, how did this revolutionary idea come to you?"
"Otoro-sensei, I thank you for the compliment but I must say that I didn't start from scratch." Naruto rubbed the back of his head bashfully, "The work of Tsunade of the Sannin is simply marvelous in its simplicity. Its efficiency in diagnosing the symptoms of chakra exhaustion helped giving me a head start." Naruto laughed.
"Well, in this case how do you explain-"
"Ah I am sorry, but duty calls." Naruto cut off Otoro's question as he felt a chakra surge coming from Operating Room #14.
A little embarrassed, Otoro-sensei watched with veiled jealousy as the brilliant doctor Uzumaki Naruto went to work, expertly avoiding patients and doctors wanting to speak to him.
"That's really Uzumaki-sensei, all work and no game…" One of Otoro's colleagues said, laughing.
"It's no wonder he doesn't have a girlfriend. With such a mindset, it's not surprising he's not popular with the ladies." Was Otoro's acerbic reply.
"Are you kidding me? It is a rumor but I heard that last night…"
Naruto put on a pair of white latex gloves and entered the Operating Room.
"What's the condition of the patient?" He asked a nurse as he walked to the table briskly.
"Stationary. There seems to be no wounds on his body."
Naruto nodded, "Mental damages?"
The nurse's nodded, "Yes sir, he seems to suffer from some form of mental trauma. He is currently under a medically induced coma to prevent further damage."
"Very well, get a Yamanaka asap. We'll try to delve into his mind to see how far the damage has spread."
The nurse nodded and rushed off to fetch Yamanaka Inoichi, as he was the most apt to deal with cases such as this.
Naruto suddenly felt sleepy. It was true that he did not sleep very much at night and often worked far more than any normal human being should be capable of doing, but it felt unnatural.
'Genjutsu!' He thought it alarm, but it was too late. The medical staff had already fallen asleep.
He grabbed a scalpel lying near the table and threw it at the corner of the room.
"Scaary. You nearly punctured my heart. Shouldn't doctors be more considerate?" A youthful voice asked mockingly. A figure clad with a black cloak with red clouds materialized in front of the stuck scalpel. Hiding his face was an orange mask with a spiral. Only a red eye with spinning black Tomoe could be seen.
"I can end your life painlessly if that's what you're asking. This sector is for authorized personnel only. Yield or be silenced forever." Naruto growled.
Even though Naruto had vowed not to use violence ever again, the being in front of him reeked of evil intentions. He could not let him approach his patient. He would not let him approach Uchiha Sasuke.
His trained eyes followed the masked individual's quick movements across the room, clashing his kunai with one of his chakra scalpel.
Tobi's eye narrowed. This was not going according to plan at all. He should already have kidnapped the Uchiha scion and have been out of the Fire Country eons ago.
It became slanted as the blond pest managed to counter everyone of his strike efficiently and brutally retaliated, even though he cast Genjutsu after Genjutsu at him. The nurse would soon come back with Yamanaka Inoichi and from there everything would go down the drain.
"Very well." Tobi said resignedly, dropping his weapon.
Naruto didn't lower his guard however; if anything his posture became more rigid.
"If I can't have Uchiha Sasuke-kun then…" He held his hands high above him, in an 'I give up' pose.
"Nobody can have him! Kamui!"
Time and space warped around the prone Uchiha.
"No!" Naruto shouted.
His figure became distorted as Tobi's Kamui did its nefarious deed.
And both Naruto and Sasuke disappeared as Naruto used his own body to cover Uchiha Sasuke.
"No!" Tobi bellowed as he watched Naruto disappear with Sasuke.
He hadn't intended for the blond to disappear with Sasuke. It changed the parameters of his Kamui so much that even he was not sure where they would end up. Damn this blond bastard! The same as his accursed father!
Now only Kami knew what was going to happen to the scions of the Sage of the Six Paths.
Prologue End.