Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Final Fantasy.
This is my first attempt at Naruto fanfiction. If I make any mistakes regarding honorifics or character names, jutsu, places, etc, please let me know and I will fix it. Enjoy.
Naruto: Rise of the Espers
Chapter I
The End is the Beginning
Some things are older than time. Some things reach back into the Nether, the void in which all the universe was created. Some things have always been and always will be…
The Kyuubi No Yoko (Nine-Tailed Fox) was not from the Nether, but was too old for counting. Kyuubi was a Biju, a force of nature. It was said that force from one of her tails could cause hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis.
Men believed the Biju to be pure chakra in physical form. For generations, men tried to find ways to harness, to tame, the power of the Biju and turn them into weapons. One man found a way...
There was a tall mountain range that ran in between the Land of Fire and the Land of Sound. The mountains ended at a river that served as the border between the two nations.
On the Sound side of the river stood the former head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Madara. His long black hair hung in large spikes over his face. He wore red plate armor over his chest and shoulders, a black shirt with long sleeves underneath, and shinobi pants. Open toed sandals covered his feet. A curved katana hung from his belt.
On the Fire side stood Senju Hashirama, head of the Senju clan and the Shodai Hokage of Konoha. Like Madara, he was dressed in red plate armor, shinobi pants, and open toed sandals. Unlike Madara, he wore a Konoha hitai-ite on his forehead.
"This has been a long time coming Madara!" he shouted across the river. "It's time you paid for your betrayal!"
"You arrogant Senju," growled Madara. His head was hung low against his chest, hiding his face. "You still hold yourself higher than the rest of us. But in thirty seconds, you'll be begging for my forgiveness," laughed Madara. He picked his head up and Hashirama let out an involuntary gasp when he saw Madara's eyes.
A black ring with three circular holes in it swirled around his pupils. It was different from the normal Sharingan Hashirama had seen before.
"Impressed by my Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?" cooed Madara, brushing his long hair out of his face so Hashirama could see them better. "I have held it back for a long time. You see, when I first developed the Mangekyo, I over used it and went blind. I was cast into a world of never ending darkness. But after my brother was kind enough to"— Madara paused to search for the right word—"donate his eyes, I combined the two Sharingan to unlock powers you can only dream of. And the darkness never came again."
"Well, do you have anything else in your bag of tricks?" taunted Hashirama as he settled into his favorite taijustu stance. "You never could beat me before. Nothing you can do now can change that."
Madara gave the Shodai Hokage a sinister grin. "I beg to differ. Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Kyuubi No Yoko (Summoning Jutsu: Nine Tailed Fox)!"
An enormous cloud of smoke burst above the valley and Hashirama grew frighteningly pale as Kyuubi landed in front of Madara. The demon fox was gigantic; it would have stood high above the Hokage Tower in Konoha. Its red-orange fur bristled and its red eyes burned with unfathomable rage.
Hashirama felt his knees tremble at the awesome sight. "How...how is this possible?"
"Behold the full power of my Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan!" Madara shouted over Kyuubi's heavy growls. "I have full control of the most powerful Biju in existence! And into the Kyuubi I have poured all my malice and hatred. You have no chance of defeating us both."
Kyuubi slammed all nine tails into the ground, destroying a large part of the river bank. The river swelled and churned from the onslaught of chakra pouring off the Biju.
"This is going to be interesting," muttered Hashirama as he looked down at the devastation. He made a series of handseals and leapt into battle…
MANY YEARS LATER
The battle between Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama had gone down in legend. The valley between Fire Country and Sound Country was renamed the Valley of the End. The mountains on either side of the river were shaped into statues of Madara and Hashirama by the finest artists and Doton Shinobi.
Two shinobi boys waited on either side of the river, standing on the statues' heads. Uchiha Sasuke stood upon the head of his predecessor's statue, his body twisted by the evil chakra of the Ten no Juin (Cursed Seal of Heaven). His once normal skin had turned a dark grey. His black hair had grown longer, though it somehow had kept its style, and turned bright white. The Konoha hitai-ite around his forehead hung on by a thread. His fingernails were ragged claws and a star shaped black mark appeared along his nose. A pair of wings flapped on his back. The wings had no feathers, but were made of dark colored flesh. The pinions looked like a pair of gigantic hands with thin skin stretching in-between the fingers. Dozens of smaller, vestigial-looking fingers sprung out from here and there on the wings like elongated scales. It was a gruesome and powerful sight.
Across the river Sasuke's former teammate Uzumaki Naruto stood on Senju Hashirama's head. Dressed in his trademark orange clothes and Konoha hitai-ite, the blonde was surrounded by a whirlwind of red chakra. His nails and canine teeth were elongated into claws and fangs. His normally blue eyes were a savage red; his pupils were thin slits of blackness. The red chakra swirling around him slowed and settled over Naruto like a cloak. A pair of fox-like ears formed from chakra as well as a single bushy tail.
"This is the perfect setting, isn't it Naruto?" asked Sasuke. His voice was different from before. It was deeper and something buried in his voice hissed from behind his teeth. "The perfect place for our battle to end."
Naruto couldn't produce words amidst his feral rage. He let out a savage growl in answer.
"Dobe beast," smirked Sasuke. His hands flashed through the Ox, Rabbit, and Monkey handseals. An enormous amount of cursed chakra flooded into Sasuke's left arm and gathered in his palm. Bolts of black lightning danced across his fingertips. The sound of a thousand birds taking flight filled the valley.
Across the river, Naruto held out his clawed hand. Chakra gathered in his palm, condensing and swirling it into an. It burst into a self-sustaining ball of pure chakra force. The ball glowed blue in its center with a purple tint around its edges. The fox cloak swirled around the ball, strengthening it and making it even larger.
Naruto and Sasuke ran atop their statues and leapt into the air. Sasuke's fleshy wings flapped up and down, propelling him faster through the air. Small flecks of Naruto's fox cloak fell from his tail, leaving a blood red trail of chakra behind him as he flew over the river. Both boys thrust their attacks ahead of them and cried out the names of their attacks.
"CHIDORI!"
"RASENGAN!"
The two attacks slammed into each other and created a shockwave of conflicting chakra. The wave of chakra surrounded the two boys, each side fighting for dominance. The surrounding ball of chakra expanded, tearing into the statues and parting the river.
-X-
Hatake Kakashi leapt from tree to tree, following his Ninken Pakkun. It had been easy for Pakkun to find the trial Shikramaru's team had taken through the forest. Many sections of the forest had been destroyed by the battles against the Sound Four. He stopped on a tree branch when he felt an explosion of chakra more powerful than anything he had felt since Kyuubi No Yoko attacked Konoha. It paralyzed him with fear and he nearly fell from the tree branch.
"That chakra, it's…it's impossible!" Kakashi gasped.
"What—what was that?" asked Pakkun. His normally smooth and soft fur (he did shampoo it with Minty Rain Forest Mist Shampoo with extra body after all) stood up on end, the tips shaking from fear.
"I don't know Pakkun," Kakashi admitted, "but it's the most terrible chakra I've ever felt. We must hurry."
-X-
The chakra sphere slammed into the bottom of the waterfall between the two statues, it destroyed the riverbed and stopped the waterfall.
Naruto and Sasuke struggled to connect their attacks; Naruto's Demon Fox Rasengan was growing dangerously close to Sasuke's forehead while Sasuke's Flapping Chidori inched towards Naruto's chest.
Naruto pushed the Demon Fox Rasengan in his right hand harder, inching closer to Sasuke.
I can't give up, he thought. I promised Sakura I'd bring you back Sasuke and I never go back on my word. That's my nindo, believe it!"
The Demon Fox Rasengan reached Sasuke's hitai-ite and left a deep gash in the Konoha leaf symbol. At the same time, the black lightning dancing from Sasuke's talons lanced into Naruto's chest. Naruto gagged as blood burst from his mouth and he felt the unbridled power that came with using Kyuubi's chakra leaving him.
The chakra sphere that surrounded them burst in a blast of white light. The light spread throughout the entire valley, it masked Naruto and Sasuke in its iridescence.
When the light faded, Naruto lay on his back, his feral characteristics and fox cloak gone. Blood seeped from his chest as cursed chakra continued to lick at the wound. His breathing was forced and shallow; his skin dangerously pale.
Sasuke stood over him. His cursed seal had receded, stripping him of his wings and enhancements. He looked haggard and drained, but was otherwise uninjured. His dirty and torn clothes and the jagged scratch cutting through his Konoha hitai-ite were the only clues that he was ever in a fight. The ruined hitai-ite's blue band let out a loud rip as the cloth tore and the hitai-ite fell off Sasuke's head and landed on the ground beside Naruto.
Rain began to fall over the Valley of the End. Sasuke lifted his face and let the rain wash over him. It was peaceful, if only for a moment. A powerful spasm of pain, starting from his cursed seal, shot down his left arm. The pain forced Sasuke down to one knee and a series of hacking coughs burned his throat and chest. Blood spat from his mouth and mixed with the rain on the ground.
"That looked like it hurt," a voice said behind Sasuke. Sasuke whirled around as fast as he could and winced as a fresh spasm of pain tore apart his body.
"I wouldn't move around so much," Kabuto said with a friendly smile. "Your body isn't used to handling the power of a Level II Cursed Seal. At a glance, I'd say you'll die from internal bleeding within a few hours if we don't return to Oto immediately. Come along now," he said and helped Sasuke to his feet.
With a gesture, Kabuto and Sasuke flickered away, the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Jutsu) leaving a tinkering of musical notes in their wake.
-X-
"Goddamn rain," Kakashi cursed as he leapt off the last of the trees and landed in front of the large mountain chain just outside the Valley of the End. "Have you lost their scent?"
"It's alright!" Pakkun shouted over the rain. "I still have it…" he sniffed the air and smiled as well as a pug can smile. "They're here!" The pair jumped and ran along the mountainside until they reached the statue of Uchiha Madara. Kakashi stopped to survey the damage. Huge chunks of rock had been blasted away, defacing both statues. Pakkun ran ahead as Kakashi searched the tops of the statues.
"Down here," the pug yelled from the river bed beneath the statues. Kakashi whirled around and jumped from the statues. He landed easily on the riverbed and felt his heart sink. Naruto was lying on the wet ground, bloody and beaten. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.
"Am I too late?" wondered Kakashi as he knelt down beside Naruto. He immediately recognized the effects of his only original jutsu, the Chidori. If I hadn't taught him that… he wondered and hung his head. Pakkun ran around Naruto's head and sniffed the discarded, broken hitai-ite on the ground. "Sasuke's," he reported. "And I smell that snake lackey Kabuto too."
Kakashi reached over and grabbed the hitai-ite. He slipped it into one of the pockets on his Jonin vest before picking up Naruto bridal style. He looked down at Pakkun. "Can you find any trace of Sasuke's trail?"
The small pug shook his head. "The rain washed away any scent or tracks. Besides, saving Naruto is more important than following Sasuke, isn't it?"
"Hmm, oh yes," Kakashi answered, staring off into the distance. "We'd better get back. Naruto needs a medic-nin and soon." He carefully shifted Naruto onto his back and ran out of the valley.
Kakashi and Pakkun ran through the forest, leaping from tree branches where they could, racing across the ground when they had to. Kakashi did his best to keep the trip as smooth as possible for Naruto, afraid that any unnecessary bumping of jostling would aggravate the wound on Naruto's chest.
"Kakashi-san!" shouted a voice from deeper inside the forest. A moment later, three, white robed medic-nin burst into sight in front and on either side of Kakashi.
"What is Uzumaki Naruto's condition?" the one in front asked.
"Where is Uchiha Sasuke?" the medic to the right demanded.
"Naruto has been badly injured," said Kakashi calmly. "He needs to get to the hospital immediately."
"I have specific orders from the Council to make sure that Uchiha Sasuke was not injured during his retrieval. Now, where is Sasuke?" the medic to the right demanded again.
"He's gone!" snapped Kakashi. "Sasuke has gone to join Orochimaru and, because of him, Naruto is dying. Report that to the Council."
The medic-nin grumbled under his breath, but made no further comment towards Kakashi, save for the wrathful look he shot at Naruto.
"Kakashi-sensei…" whispered a voice in Kakashi's ear. Even Naruto's voice sounded weak and drained.
"Don't talk Naruto," Kakashi whispered back. "Just rest. We'll be home soon." Kakashi increased his speed through the forest. The medic-nin had a hard time keeping up with him.
"What is the situation with the other Genin?" Kakashi asked.
"The other Genin have already been recovered and are heading for hospital as we speak."
"Their injuries?"
"Team leader Nara Shikamaru has a minor injury," reported the medic to the left. "Inuzuka Kiba has a deep wound, but there is no danger to his life. His Ninken Akumaru suffered severe wounds to his legs."
"Hyuuga Neji and Akimichi Choji are in critical condition," the medic in front reported gravely. "For the moment, their situation is uncertain."
-X-
The Konoha Hospital was a marvelous sight. Combining medical jutsu with modern medical science, it was the most famous hospital in all the Elemental Countries. And it was run by the greatest medic-nin to have ever existed. She was known by many names: the Slug Princess, the Legendary Sucker, and Sannin. Her real name was Tsunade and she was the Godaime Hokage of Konoha.
Tsunade ran frantically down the halls of her hospital, her long blonde hair waving in the air behind her. She skidded around a corner and caught the edge of the wall with her elbow. The blow destroyed a large section of the wall, but Tsunade hardly registered the feeling at all.
She quickly reached her destination and slammed open the door to Naruto's operating room. Jiraiya, Shizune, and Kakashi were inside.
"Report!" shouted Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade!" exclaimed the surprised Shizune. "I thought you were finding a way to reverse the effects of the three colored pills on Akimichi Choji!"
"That's done. Nara Shikaku provided me with the Nara pharmaceutical manual. The effects of the three colored pills were well researched and I was able to make an antidote in no time. Choji is already beginning to recover."
"Excellent," cheered Shizune.
"How's Naruto?" asked Tsunade, reaching the boy's bedside.
"The wound isn't healing properly. It's resisting all my medical jutsu."
Tsunade looked at the wound closely. The hole in Naruto's chest was slowly expanding and deepening. She could smell the odor of decaying flesh surrounding the wound and she thought she caught a glimpse of a black flame of chakra eating away at Naruto's flesh.
"Shizune, I need you to go and supervise the healing of Hyuuga Neji. They are using the child's hair as a medium to accelerate the cell growth on his chest."
Shizune nodded and rushed out of the room. Tsunade locked the door behind her and put a sound suppression seal on the room before turning back to Jiraiya and Kakashi.
"What caused this wound?" she asked, although she already had a good idea.
"A Chidori," replied Kakashi. "Sasuke activated his Cursed Seal to a second level and used it to increase the power of his Chidori."
Tsunade glared at Kakashi as he confirmed her suspicions. The amount of killing intent that poured off her paralyzed Kakashi to the spot. "Where is Sasuke?" she asked in a low, threatening voice.
"He was gone by the time I got there," Kakashi gulped. "The rain washed away his trail."
"So you taught an emotionally unstable Genin an A-rank assassination jutsu, blew off the S-class mission I assigned you earlier today, come back with Naruto on death's door, and without the Uchiha," Tsunade growled. Jiraiya slunk back into the corner of the hospital room, knowing all too well what was going to happen next.
"Lady Tsunade, I'm sorr…"
Before the words could leave Kakashi's mouth, Tsunade's chakra enhanced fist smashed into his stomach. Kakashi doubled over, a spurt of blood and spit spilling into his mask. He looked up just in time to see Tsunade's fist, glowing with chakra, fly through the air. The uppercut connected square with Kakashi's chin and sent the Copy Cat ninja crashing into the wall behind him. The wall cracked and split from the impact and Kakashi slumped onto the ground unconscious and broken. Tsunade let out a content sigh and turned back towards Naruto.
"Was that really necessary?" asked Jiraiya, stepping to the other side of Naruto's bed.
"No, but it made me feel better," replied Tsunade. "The fact that Hiruzen-sensei allowed Kakashi to teach Sasuke that technique always bothered me."
"Kakashi thought teaching the technique to Sasuke would satisfy the boy's lust for power."
"Good call," muttered Tsunade as she performed a quick diagnostic jutsu over Naruto. "Sasuke's cursed chakra is corrosive. It's eating away at Naruto's flesh faster than he can regenerate."
Jiraiya quickly, but gently, brushed Tsunade's hands aside and inspected the seal on Naruto's stomach. "Something's wrong with the seal. It's shrinking."
"What do you mean, shrinking?"
"I mean, its shrinking. It's getting smaller," said Jiraiya as he moved out of the way so she could look.
"Do you think the cursed chakra could be affecting Naruto's "tenant" as well?" Tsunade asked worriedly.
"I'm not sure," admitted Jiraiya. "Minato designed the seal to hold the Kyuubi forever. He made it so that the Kyuubi could never escape, even if something should happen to Naruto."
"So if the seal is shrinking…"
"Then the seal senses Naruto is dying and is preparing to destroy the Kyuubi once and for all," Jiraiya replied gravely.
Emotional pain flashed across Tsunade's face and was quickly replaced by a stony look of determination. "He is not going to die. I will not lose another loved one like this!" Her hands glowed pale green as she held them over Naruto's chest. The blood loss began to slow as Tsunade's Shosen No Jutsu (Mystical Palm Technique) took effect.
"Damn, this is worst than I thought," she grunted with effort. "The cursed chakra left in the wound is fighting me!"
Jiraiya moved to lend his support when the door buckled and burst open. Hyuuga Hinata fell into the room, her hands glowing pale blue from using Juken strikes on the door. Yamanaka Ino, Tenten, Nara Shikamaru, Aburame Shino, and Haruno Sakura stood in the doorway for a moment before stepping inside. Tenten helped Hinata up as she entered.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Jiraiya as he quickly moved to cut off the Genin. "You can't be in here right now!"
"How's Naruto?" asked Shikamaru. "And what happened to Kakashi-sensei?"
"Kakashi's fine," lied Jiraiya. "He's just tired from the mission. Lady Tsunade is just taking care of Naruto's minor injuries."
Hinata peeked around Jiraiya to look at Naruto. She could see Tsunade's glowing hands hovering over Naruto's chest…Hinata paled and let out a shaky whimper when she saw the gaping wound on Naruto's chest.
"Get out of my way," shouted Sakura, elbowing past Ino and Shino and Jiraiya. "Where's Sasuke?"
Jiraiya and Tsunade stood silent, their heads looking everywhere but at Sakura.
"Where is he?" shouted Sakura. She was still upset that Shikamaru hadn't included her in the mission and was ready to take it out on the first person who got in her way.
"Sakura…" came a hushed whisper from the hospital bed. Naruto's eyes fluttered open and he struggled to lift his head up off the pillow.
"Naruto, don't move!" shouted Tsunade.
"Sakura...I'm sorry…I couldn't bring Sasuke back," whispered Naruto. He opened one eye and smiled as big as he could. "I made a promise…and I always keep my word."
Sakura fell back, her anger replaced by emptiness. "Sasuke-kun…you let him go?"
Naruto tried to sit up and defend his actions when an intense wave of pain shot through his chest. "Gaaaaaahhhh!" he cried and fell back on the hospital bed. Tsunade grabbed onto his shoulders in an effort to hold him down.
"Jiraiya!" she shouted. "Get them outta here!"
"But Lady Tsunade…" Ino started to interject, but was interrupted by another scream of pain from Naruto.
"NOW!" shouted Tsunade. Jiraiya shivered and quickly hurried the young ninja out of the hospital room.
-X-
Not able to think of anywhere else to go where they would be alone; Jiraiya took the Genin and single Chunin to Tsunade's office in the Hokage Tower. He stood beside her desk and watched his young charges.
Shikamaru leaned against a window and stared at his bandaged finger instead of watching clouds like he usually did. He avoided looking anyone else in the eye; Jiraiya assumed he was blaming himself for what happened to Naruto.
Hinata had started crying when Jiraiya forced them out of the hospital and hadn't stopped. She sat in a corner, hugging her knees to her chest. Tenten sat beside her, a comforting arm around Hinata's shoulders. She tried everything to get her friend to stop crying, but nothing worked. In the end, Tenten just held her and did her best to comfort the Hyuuga heiress.
Ino sat in a chair near the desk, unsure of what to do. Her Kekkei Genkai made her very empathic and she was having a hard time coping with the amount of sorrow and fear surrounding her.
Shino stood motionless by the door, stoic and unflinching as always.
Sakura paced back and forth in front of the desk, her hands hovered near her mouth as if she was going to bite her nails in anxiety. Watching her pace was giving Jiraiya a headache and he was having a hard time deciding who it was she was concerned for: Naruto or Sasuke? He decided he didn't want to know the truth.
"Will you stop that pacing?" he said calmly. "You're acting like a silly child. This is the life of a Shinobi. You all knew the risk involved when you joined the Academy." He walked over and smiled at Hinata. "Just keep in mind that the greatest medic-nin history has ever known is giving her all to save Naruto."
Hinata looked up at the Toad Sannin, her porcelain face puffy and red from weeping. He smiled warmly at her and she managed to return a tiny smile.
The door opened and Tsunade entered her office. Her skin was pale and her hair and robes were disheveled. Dried blood clung to her slightly shaking hands.
"Is Naruto-kun alright?" Hinata asked, her voice filled with a small shred of hope. Tsunade hung her head and shuffled her feet before answering.
"He's gone," she muttered. "Naruto's dead."
Hinata's smile split and her face cracked into fresh tears. She howled and buried her face into Tenten's shoulder. Tenten rubbed her friends back and did the best to hold back her own tears.
Shikamaru swore under his breath and slammed his fist into the wall, cracking the plaster and his knuckles. He swore again and shook his hand. He looked over at Shino and could have sworn he saw a single tear roll down the insect user's cheek.
Ino slumped in her chair, her emotional barriers falling beneath the waves of sadness she felt. Beside her, Sakura stopped pacing and wrapped her arms around her body.
My team, my whole team is gone, she thought. What am I supposed to do now?
Tsunade shuffled over to her desk, unable to look anyone in the eye. She slumped down in the chair behind her desk. "I tried every medical technique and jutsu I know. Nothing worked. Maybe if I had been there when it happened…"
"Maybes won't change anything," Jiraiya said somberly and he placed a hand on Tsunade's shoulder. "You did everything you could for Naruto."
Tsunade placed her hand on top of Jiraiya's and gave it a soft squeeze. Then, silently, she reached into her desk drawer and removed a very large bottle of expensive sake, followed by 8 glasses. She spread out the glasses in a row and poured a generous amount of sake into each one. Jiraiya handed them one to everyone.
"Um, Lady Tsunade, aren't we too young for this?" asked Ino as she hesitantly took her glass.
"Shut up and take the drink," Tsunade said softly and she raised her glass. "To Naruto," she toasted.
"To Naruto," repeated the others and together they threw back their drinks. The young Shinobi had different reactions to the alcohol: Shikamaru enjoyed it and finally understood why his father drank so often, Hinata was too numb to really notice anything, Ino nearly threw up, Tenten felt a warm, invincible flush spread all over her body, and Sakura felt fuzzy numbness in her fingertips.
Tsunade reached for the bottle and began to refill her glass when a wave of killer intent caused her to pause.
"Don't you dare!" shouted Hinata, her sadness replaced with sudden fury. Byakugan activated, she shoved past Tenten and Ino and darted at Tsunade in a blur of speed. With a perfect Juken strike, Hinata shattered the bottle of sake in Tsunade's hand, spattering alcohol all over her face and robes.
I barely saw her attack coming, thought Tsunade, astonished. How much have you been holding back Hinata?
"You will not crawl into a bottle, you sad excuse for a Hokage!" Hinata yelled and grabbed the front of Tsunade's robes. "Not while Neji-kun, Kiba-kun, Lee-san, Choji-san, and Gaara-san still need your help in the hospital! Stop being so selfish and help the people of the village like a Hokage is supposed to!"
Hinata raised her hand to strike at Tsunade again. Jiraiya, taken back like everyone else by Hinata's burst of anger, shook his head clear and darted behind her. His fingers danced across a series of pressure points on the back of Hinata's neck. The fury in Hinata's eyes dulled and her Byakugan faded as she went limp and fell forward onto Tsunade's desk. Ino and Tenten immediately jumped forward and caught her before she hit the desk. They fell backwards and Hinata slipped from their grasp. She landed rear first on the floor and let out a loud snore.
"Sorry, Lady Tsunade," apologized Ino as she helped Tenten pick the sleeping Hinata up. "Hinata didn't mean it; she's just upset about Naruto. We all are."
"She meant every word," Tsunade said quietly. "And she was right. Ino, Tenten, take Hinata back to the Hyuuga Compound and stay with her until she wakes up and is feeling better. The rest of you are on dismissed and are on leave until Naruto's funeral." The young ninja nodded before filing out of the office, Ino and Tenten carrying Hinata.
"Are you alright, Tsunade-hime?" asked Jiraiya.
"No, not even close," Tsunade replied. "But like Hinata said, Hokage's don't have the time or luxury for trivial things like mourning a hyper-active, gaki little brother." Tsunade wiped her face with her hands, brushing away he tears. When she dropped her hands, her face was all business.
"Jiraiya, I need you to pull every resource, every spy in your network, every favor someone owes you, and find Sasuke. We can't let Orochimaru get his scaly hands on the Sharingan. And I want to crush that traitor's eyes myself," ordered Tsunade with a snarl, raising a clenched fist. Jiraiya shuddered from the incredible amount of killer intent coming from her.
"I'll, ah, get right on it," he said. "What are you doing to do?"
"Head back to the hospital, check on Neji and Choji."
"I'll come with you. I want to check Minato's seal now that Naruto is…" he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. Tsunade nodded and together they walked, arm in arm, out of the office and Hokage Tower.
The walk to Konoha hospital wasn't a far one, but for Tsunade and Jiraiya, it seemed like miles. They walked silently; they had enough on their minds that they didn't need to waste time speaking about it out loud. At the hospital entrance, the two former teammates separated with a nod of graciousness and headed for separate areas of the hospital. Tsunade went upwards towards the intensive care units, while Jiraiya headed downstairs towards the morgue.
-X-
Naruto's Mindscape
Typically, the landscape surrounding Kyuubi was disgusting. The dank and dark sewer was hardly an acceptable place to exist, even by prison standards. She thought it was a godforsaken pit. But now the sewer was collapsing and falling to pieces. Chunks of stone fell from the ceiling and walls. Rusty water burst from the leaky pipes and slowly filled the room. The seal on the cage door began to glow an ominous red and the golden cage itself began to shrink. The collapsing sewer and cage could only mean Naruto was dead or dying and it scared Kyuubi.
She stared at the glowing seal and reached out to grab the piece of paper. The seal burned her paw and the cage shrank more. She slammed all nine tails onto the floor and flooded the cage with demonic chakra, hoping to kickstart Naruto's healing abilities. But nothing noticeable happened and the cage began to close in tighter.
Kyuubi huddled into the back of the cage, possible scenarios of what might happen when it collapsed completely. She shivered in fear from the prospect of facing the Shinigami or sheer nothingness.
"C'mon kit!" snarled the Kyuubi. "You've healed from worse hurts than this. Snap out of it!"
For all her shouting and snarling, Kyuubi got no response. The cage shrank more and touched one of her tails. The red fur burned and she let out a painful yip.
"I won't let you drag me to hell with you brat," she growled in desperation and focused her mind and body. "KEIMON…KAI!"
Kyuubi opened the Sixth Gate, the Gate of View, and engulfed the cage with chakra. The red chakra poured off her body like a storm and fought against the shrinking cage. The collapsing cage slowed, but didn't stop.
"You're going to live through this whether you want to or not kit," snarled Kyuubi. "KYOMON…KAI!"
The Seventh Gate, the Gate of Wonder, burst open like a ruptured dam. It opened in an explosion, starting from inside Naruto's deceased body and traveling outwards until its echoes were felt throughout each Elemental Nation and even far, far beyond…
The chakra pushed the cage back to its original size and then continued to expand outward. It slammed into the door of the cage and blew it off its hinges. The giant door fell to one side, the Yondaime's seal still intact and in place on it.
The demonic chakra flowed out of the mindscape and into Naruto's body, igniting his cells and boiling his blood. It traveled through Naruto's veins, burning away the residue of Sasuke's cured chakra, and instantly cauterized the Chidori wound. Once the wound was sealed, it only took a few seconds to heal. The chakra jumped across his neural synapses, heightening his senses and mental capacity. It entered his internal organs and bones, strengthening them and restarting his heart.
Kyuubi collapsed on the cage floor, completely drained of chakra. She had never felt so weak, so helpless before. "Damn, I may have over done it a bit," she muttered. She tried to crawl towards the destroyed door of her cage, but only made it a few inches before her entire body convulsed in pain and she collapsed.
Kyuubi grit her fangy teeth and tried to crawl again. Her right rear leg buckled beneath her and broke with a loud, wet snap. Kyuubi let out a howl of pain and fell forward, knocking her head against the wall of the cage. She landed on the floor hard and lay still. Darkness crept along the edges of her vision as unconsciousness slowly claimed her.
"So close," she whispered, staring at the unhinged door. Her once powerful and feral voice was now nothing but a painful whimper. "So close…" were her last words before the darkness took hold.
-X-
Jiraiya stumbled down the stairs leading to the morgue. He landed at the bottom of the stairs, breathing hard, his pulse racing in his chest.
"That chakra…" he gasped as he struggled to his feet. "Kami help us."
Jiraiya ran as fast as he could towards the morgue. When he reached it, he kicked the door off its hinges and rushed into the chilled room. He stood in the doorway, clouds of his breath forming in the cold, and stared at an empty table.
"Kami help us all."
-X-
The Nether
A cadre of group of six figures sat in shadow. Each wore a long, blood red cloak that covered the details of their faces and figures.
"Where you able to trace the source of that chakra spike?" the smallest figure asked.
"Yes," replied a tired, elderly voice. "The source was located in Konoha, but faded away quickly."
"Are you sure this is a wise choice of action?" said a cold voice. "The boy has been through so much already."
"The boy is stronger than you think," whispered a edged voice.
"There is no one else with the ability to survive the trials," replied the little one.
"If he can survive the trials," growled a rough voice. "No one else could in a thousand years, right big guy?" It looked up at the largest figure and laughed. The figure stood heads above the others, its cloak strained at the seams to cover its massive shoulders.
"What makes you think Uzumaki can help us, Ryu-uou?" asked the large one slowly.
The small figure pulled back his hood to reveal a young boy with cerulean blue eyes. "There is no one else," the boy said sadly. "Uzumaki Naruto is our last hope."
Author's Notes:
Not bad for a first attempt/first chapter. And of course I ended it in a cliffhanger, or double cliffhanger, I'm not really sure. Those who have read my work before know this is pretty typical for me.
A golden monkey for who can guess the six cloaked figures correctly.
I hope people like this. I had a fun time writing it and already started on the next chapter. So don't disappoint me and leave me some reviews please.
Nataku's Wrath