A/N: Hey, all
A/N: Hey, all! This is my first time writing a Naruto fan fiction. My previous account was accidently deleted and my Inuyasha story lost, so I figured I would start anew with a different anime. I remembered watching Naruto a couple years back and it was a tad too "kiddish" at times for me, but then I heard the Shippuden series was out and I fell in love all over again. So, basically this is my take on that series. Hope you enjoy!
All right, cronies, listen up because I'm only going to explain this once (except the warnings).
TITLE: "The Nikun Chronicles"
ANIME: Naruto Masashi Kishimoto
Main Characters: Naruto, Sasuke, and possibly members of the Akatsuki (I haven't decided any pairings at this point).
Summary: Sasuke's time is up. With his future as Hokage on the line, Naruto must redeem his best friend, conquer his inner demon, and defeat the Akatsuki in order to rule a nation that despises him.
Time frame: After the time skip/ Naruto Shippuden series.
Warnings: Graphic violence, torture, rape, course language, sexual situations, disturbing themes (the psychoanalytical aspects of the inner mind) and BAD HUMOR.
Disclaimer: I own none of the Naruto characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto, but as long as there are fandoms, there are authors with warped minds to completely screw up any authenticity left in the series!
Chapter One:
" Assembly"
It was quiet. Dawn was always a peaceful time of tranquil sunlight and broken sleep. It was a time of hushed transactions and new goals. There was, however, no sound. No chattering birds, creaking doors, dripping water, or stifled yawns.
A shinobi sat, perched in a swaying tree overlooking the city of Konoha. The sun reflected off his golden hair and his piercing blue eyes squinted into the minimal rays. He watched as streetlights dimmed and people emerged from their homes.
He envied them. Not because of their simple lives. The ninja loved his line of work. The anticipation of the next mission caused him to fidget. He wasn't jealous of their wealth. Cramped quarters made him feel comfortable and secure, while large opulent houses seemed ridiculous with no one to fill them.
That was it. He watched as young children kissed their parents goodbye as they left for their classes, some taking less direct routes to delay the inevitable as wives waved off husbands and returned to their household chores.
Family. It was a foreign word to the shinobi. Friendships, endurance, honor; these were all concepts he lived by everyday. Family was all together different.
A younger Naruto bent down to grab Sasuke by the collar. Angry black eyes focused on him and his former friend sneered with contempt.
" You've never had a family, so how would you know the pain of losing everything? Huh?" Sasuke screamed.
Naruto was at a loss for words. He didn't know what it was like. He couldn't understand having something so close to you taken away so quickly, but as he looked down at his struggling friend, realization dawned.
" It's true I'll never know what it's like to lose a family." The words were so quiet, Sasuke stilled to hear them. The Uchiha watched as his former teammate focused on him with raw determination. " But this is one of my first bonds, and I don't want to see anything happen to it."
" Then I will break this bond."
The ninja grimaced as a sharp wind sliced through the canopy. Apprehension, he could feel it in everything around him.
Time's up.
Those words finalized his worries. The Uchiha's time was up. The three-year contract with Orochimaru was coming to an end and the serpent Sannin would soon collect.
The shinobi gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into the trunk, splitting the tree in half. " Damn it, Sasuke!"
" Naruto!" The voice flitted softly behind him.
" I'm over here!" he called shortly. Soon, two figures appeared racing through the foliage high in the forest. They landed next to Naruto and he grinned despite his attitude.
One was his pink-haired teammate, Sakura. He was so happy to be with her again. Three years tagging behind a perverted hermit whose definition of a "lady" was one who could down three shots of sake and just as quickly go down on you was enough for Naruto to appreciate the subtle gentleness that Sakura possessed.
The other warrior next to his friend was adorned with a lazy expression and leaned nonchalantly against the splintered bark. The blond was more than envious of his friend's position in the shinobi ranks, while he was (due to a grievous error) still technically a genin.
It didn't matter, though. All ready two days back home and he was making preparations to kick ass in the Chuunin exams. He'd show everyone what the class clown could do now!
" Hokage wants to see you," Shikamaru stated, breaking Naruto out of his reminiscing. " Something important, I guess."
" What does that old hag want now?" he grumbled.
" NARUTO!" Sakura roared disapprovingly, slamming her fist into the young man's head. " That's no way to talk about the Hokage, you idiot!"
" So when I become Hokage, you'll stop calling me an idiot?" he asked hopefully, rubbing his swelled cranium.
" No, because you'll still be an idiot," she shot back.
" Are you two just about done?" Shikamaru complained. " Tsunade wants to see you, now."
" Fine," Naruto sighed, preparing to leave.
" Naruto," Sakura said, quietly.
" Yah?" he asked, looking back. The haunted look in the young woman's eyes halted his movements. As soon as it had appeared, the moment was gone and the female ninja smiled.
" Never mind, you just hurry to go see the Hokage."
" Sakura, I know what's happening and believe me, I will bring him back."
Sakura forced another smile as the two men left. ' He made the promise before,' she thought, bitterly. She stopped her brooding to consider what he had just said. Naruto had plunged into that promise without thinking of the consequences. The boy had been unaware of the Uchiha's consuming hate and desire for power.
This time, Naruto knew Sasuke's ambitions and true character and had made the same promise.
" Oh, Naruto," Sakura sighed, sliding down to sit and clutch her knees to her chest. " What you can do still might not be enough."
" Are you all right?" Shikamaru asked as they arrived before the Hokage's door. The blond ninja next to him had suddenly gone quiet and the azure eyes were misted over. " Naruto!"
Naruto blinked and looked at his friend with an impish grin. " Sorry," he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. " You said something?"
The lethargic shinobi's eyes narrowed. " I usually don't make it my business, but what's up?"
Naruto's put on vanished and his serious gaze startled the Chuunin. " I know why I'm here and I don't want it to be like last time."
" Well, if you really knew why we are here, then you would know that it's not going to be like last time," he smirked. Shikamaru opened the double iron doors to reveal the crowd waiting inside the room.
Tsunade sat hunched behind her desk, her hands crossed to rest her chin upon them. The Hokage's eyes sparkled with cunning. " So good of you to come, brat."
" Sorry to keep you waiting," Naruto grinned. " I know how precious time is to old people."
The blond woman slammed her hands down, causing the wood to splinter. " MORON!"
" HAG!"
" Now, Naruto," a voice chided from the side. " You know old people get cranky easily when they haven't had their medication."
Naruto laughed when he saw his former teacher's clothed face, his single eye twinkling with amusement.
" Kakashi!" Tsunade snapped. " Any more smart ass remarks and I will have you on D rank missions for a year."
" Yes, Hokage," he said.
" I just love that cool attitude of yours!" Gai exclaimed behind the copy ninja, pumping his fists in the air. " Just what I expect from my rival!"
" Please don't do that," Kakashi groaned, rubbing his temples.
" Aw how cute," Anko gushed, while Genma snorted.
Naruto noticed the gathering of high-class ninja, wondering why they were all here. Were they all going to help him?
" Shut up, all of you," Tsunade growled. " Shizune here will pass out the region I want each team to search and I don't want any screw ups."
" Excuse me, Hokage," Genma asked, moving his toothpick to the side of his mouth. " What are we searching for?"
Time's up.
Naruto blinked as the reality surrounded him again. The Konoha leader became grim. " From recent reports, Orochimaru is on the move. I've been told he is recruiting vast numbers of rogue shinobi of all ranks into the Sound Village. Any attempt into the hideout has proven…disastrous."
" He's building an army," Kakashi surmised.
" Precisely," she nodded. " His ways have always been secretive and done with small numbers, so I have no idea what that bastard is planning, but he did allow the spies to know about the army, but nothing else. That's why we have to move now! We have to get his weapon or all is lost."
" Why is the Uchiha so important?" a voice asked disdainfully from behind. Everyone turned to see three figures walk into the chamber. The speaker was Neji, his white garb shining iridescently. His blank stare was harsh, but it softened when he saw Naruto, who waved enthusiastically. The other two were Gai's prodigy and Sakura.
The pink haired shinobi no longer grimaced when the eccentric young man was around, but Lee knew to keep his actions in check when around her. His jaw no longer sported an ugly purple bruise, but he still winced when he smiled.
" Hyuga," Tsunade said respectably. " Sasuke, as you all know, has been chosen as Orochimaru's next vessel. With this war, I believe the snake bastard will transfer into his body before it starts. With Orochimaru in possession of the Sharingan, we'll all be in deep trouble."
" Who cares about the Uchiha traitor," Neji snapped, ignoring Saskura's flinch. " Why should we risk our lives to rescue someone who doesn't give a damn about us?"
" I didn't say anything about bringing him back alive," Tsunade murmured.
" What!" Naruto shouted. " Just what are you saying?" Sakura began to cry silently while Kakashi watched his blonde teammate carefully.
" Even you're not that dense," the Hokage growled. " Hyuga is right. We've tried. Sasuke chose to betray us and that makes him a missing-nin, punishable by death. As of now, Sasuke Uchiha is the prime target in the Bingo Book. Forget about the Akatsuki and forget Orochimaru. This is a search and destroy mission and it's for him alone."
" That's not fair!" Naruto roared. " I can bring him back, I know I can!"
" You had your chance!" Tsunade shouted. Her stern face warding off any argument. " As soon as you bring me back Sasuke Uchiha's head, your training for Hokage begins."
All present were silent as Naruto stared in disbelief at the leader before him. He had waited all his life to hear those words, but now they only filled him with dread.
" How can you do this to him, Hokage?" Sakura cried. " Sasuke is one of our dearest friends. How can you make him choose like that?"
" Team One will consist of Leader Anko Mitarashi, Medic Ninja Shizune, Scout Genma, and Forces Shikamaru Nara and Gai Might," Tsunade stated, completely ignoring her protégé's outburst. " Team Two will consist of Leader Kakashi Hatake, Medic Ninja Sakura Haruno, Scout Neji Hyuga, and Forces Naruto Uzamaki and Rock Lee."
Sakura began to sob, clutching a hand to her mouth. Naruto turned to smile reassuringly to the young woman, although the crystal eyes mirrored her pain.
" It's okay, Sakura," he whispered. " He'll choose to come back this time."
" I was talking about you having to choose, idiot," she laughed through her tears.
" Oh," he replied dumbly.
" You are to convey outside Konoha Front Gates at 0600 hours. You are to go with your respective teammates and travel to the designated locations. When Orochimaru's lair is found, send word to the other team to join you. No one is to move until the others are present, is that understood?" Tsunade watched as all heads nodded in agreement. " Good. Anko?"
" Yes?" the quirky ninja looked up, puzzled.
" When both teams are gathered, you know what to do, correct?"
" Yes, Hokage!" she confirmed.
" Are we done here?" Naruto asked, his voice too quiet.
The Konoha leader glanced up to see the young man. His fists were clenched so tight, blood dribbled from creased palms, falling onto the floor. She looked closer and the Sannin swore the boy's normal cerulean eyes were tinged with red.
" Naruto," she sighed.
" We are? Good!" he spat and pushed past his friends, leaving the room.
Everyone was silent, not daring to voice his or her opinions on the matter. Their disproval irritated the blond woman and she gritted her teeth.
" Everyone get out!" she ordered. All present hastily left the teeming Sannin's temper. Her hands clutched the damaged desk as her eyes shifted to catch the shadow on the edge of her vision. " That meant you as well."
" You're playing a very dangerous game, Tsunade," the gruff voice stated in disapproval. The man climbed from the sill he was hiding against and jumped through the window to join his lifelong friend.
" I thought you were supposed to be gathering information on Akatsuki for me," she sneered.
Jiraiya shrugged. " I have, and you're not going to like what I have to say."
The Hokage raised an eyebrow as the Sannin ungraciously slumped in a chair and eyed the empty sake bottles with a sigh.
" Your war is going to happen sooner than you think. Within a couple months, I'm sure."
" Within months!" she exclaimed. " The Uchiha's time isn't up yet. He should have just over half a year."
" I'm not doubting your math skills," the toad hermit replied. " Our old friend seems to have a soft spot for the kid. He wants Sasuke to kill Itachi, and for that he's willing to wait another three years. Although, it looks like he won't have to."
" There's no way he can kill his brother yet," Tsunade asserted.
" That would be another bet lost for you," he said softly. " Otherwise, Orochimaru wouldn't be allowing the kid to fight in the war, let alone beside his brother."
" WHAT?" Tsunade bellowed.
Jiraiya winced, covering his ears. " Please, I have one ruptured eardrum from Naruto already."
" What the hell do you mean?" she said, quivering with frustration.
" Apparently Orochimaru and Akatsuki have joined forces." Jiraiya raised his hands in defense when he saw the woman's expression. " Don't ask me how it happened because I have no idea."
" Those idiots had better hurry up with that mission," she whispered hoarsely. " They had so little time to begin with it as it is."
The toad Sannin regarded the fifth Hokage. She looked considerably strained and despite the genjutsu, she looked older today. " Tsunade, why did you choose the boy?"
She glanced at the man before her. " Because he's the only one I trust for the job after I'm gone. Plus, he's the only one who can destroy the threat."
" It'll kill him too."
" What?" she demanded.
" Those two are so close, I doubt Naruto could truly kill his best friend."
" He will if he wants to take my place," she said stiffly.
" That's not what will kill him though," Jiraiya continued, worry lined his face. Tsunade knew what her friend was speaking off. The memory of those burning eyes haunting her.
" Kyuubi," she whispered.
Jiraiya nodded. " Don't you feel his shift in chakra? Something's happening to the seal and it's going to effect that boy terribly. I don't know how to help him. The Fourth's seal has so many locks and set off's that I wouldn't know where to begin. The mission will destroy Naruto if he loses control and Kyuubi senses it."
Tsunade did not answer, but stared out the window to the village below, convincing herself that what she was doing was the best for the people she protected.
Naruto sat beside the windowsill of his disheveled apartment. The usual chaotic mess was now gray with disuse, a thin film of dust covering every item. The Kyuubi vessel sighed, breathing in the musty air while idly drawing a misshapen smiley face in the dust.
" I can't do it," he said hoarsely. " I can't kill him."
' Then he'll kill you.'
" He won't. He's still Sasuke, I know I can bring him around." Naruto repeated the words like a chant.
A hollow laugh echoed in his mind.
' You are a complete fool. The Sharingan has always been a whirlpool, consuming the holder down into a pit with an insatiable lust for power.'
" You're wrong," Naruto grated, ignoring the fact he had now been transported into the deep recesses of his being. He now stood before the ominous gates, a pair of crimson eyes and a monstrous grin leering at him from the depths.
" Sasuke isn't like that," he hissed, opening his eyes and glared at the demon. " He's not a monster like you."
Another laugh escaped the encaged fox.
' I do not crave power. I am power.'
" You are annoying," the young man answered snidely. He suddenly heard a subtle hissing, like the crackling of burning paper. He looked over to see the honored seal was the source of the sound. Ignoring the danger of being so close to the cage doors, Naruto touched the Forth Hokage's ward watching in horror as the bottom of the seal was slowly disintegrating like grains of sand. The progression was extremely slow, but it still surmounted fear in the ninja.
Kyuubi watched his vessel with malicious glee.
' Now what could this possibly mean?'
Naruto whirled, glaring balefully at the demon. " You know damn well what this means! What are you up to, you stupid fox?"
' Don't speak to me like that, you insolent brat!'
The volume of the demon's voice caused the gates to rattle and clumps of rock tumbled to the ground.
Naruto closed his eyes frantically, willing himself to leave. As he fled, Kyuubi's voice hissed with suppressed rage.
' The next moon signals the beginning of my freedom.'
Naruto came to, a thin sheen of sweat covering his body. His cerulean eyes glancing worriedly into the night sky. The moon shone full and bright, nestled in a sheet of stars.
" I have a month," he whispered to himself.
The same iridescent orb was being regarded by a pair of deep obsidian eyes. The young man stood languidly against a solemn tree, although there was an air of trained readiness about him.
" Sasuke-kun," a silky voice whispered from the shadows.
The sharp eyes flashed to crimson at the sound of Orochimaru's voice. The Uchiha learned long ago the snake man required the full attention of the Sharingan now that Sasuke had matured. He cursed himself silently for letting his guard down, even for a moment.
" What would you like, Orochimaru?" he asked politely, carefully hiding his contempt for the Sannin.
" Don't be rude," the pale man sneered lewdly.
" I wasn't," Sasuke replied, without turning to acknowledge the other's presence. He knew this annoyed Orochimaru greatly and the Uchiha reveled in the irritation rolling off his teacher.
" Face me when I speak to you," the snake master hissed angrily. Sasuke suddenly felt the long wet tongue wrapping around his waist and he suppressed an instantaneous shudder.
Orochimaru, however, felt the slight tensing in his protégé and smirked. " Or do I have to remind you of your place?" he asked, sliding his third arm to the waist of the Uchiha's pants. The Sannin winced when his tongue was deftly sliced with a kunai.
" You will do no such thing," Sasuke growled, cruelly sliding the weapon further along the slick muscle before pulling it out.
" Your brother will be here in a matter of days," he commented innocently, recoiling his tongue. " He's occupied with the Kyuubi vessel. He shouldn't be too long."
' Naruto.' Sasuke's pupils dilated.
Orochimaru smiled, witnessing the tensing in the young man's features. " Remember our deal, Uchiha. You are not to touch Itachi-"
" Until your signal. I know," Sasuke finished irritably.
" Good boy," he grinned. The Sound leader silently drew close behind his soon-to-be vessel, whispering into the blue-black hair. " You play the humble slave in front of my enemies and I'll give you anything you want."
Sasuke's blood red eyes narrowed with wry amusement. " Such as my freedom?"
Orochimaru chuckled darkly and vanished into the night.
The Uchiha heir was no fool. He knew the Sannin held no intention of letting him go, just as Sasuke held no intention to be taken by him. Orochimaru had trained him with bridled caution, instructing Sasuke with powerful techniques he himself could counter, in case his next container decided to leave.
Sasuke smiled cruelly. However, the snake shinobi had made one vital error. In his haste to make the Uchiha pine for attention, Orochimaru had left Sasuke alone to wonder the vacant winding hallways.
On one of his many ventures, the young teen has stumbled across Orochimaru's personal library. There, he had spent numerous hours studying and applying all he had read. Not only did he master many ninjutsu and genjutsu, but also he had read about the technique of creating or personalizing attacks. The Chidori, for example, had become something else entirely.
The most vital information had been discovered the day Sasuke's unauthorized reading ended. The young boy had noticed a thin, leather-bound book that stood out from the others. When Sasuke undid the binding he was surprised to find his family's crest imprinted on the cover. The Uchiha watched as if an unseen hand turned the pages, his eyes drifting over the blurred text. The fluttering pages stopped and Sasuke stared down at the words below in disbelief,
Mangekyo Sharingan.
Too late the doors opened and light flooded the room.
" What are you doing in here?" Kabuto sneered at the still figure. " This is a restricted area. Get out!"
Too late. Sasuke knew the secret. Sasuke knew Itachi had lied.
The Uchiha heir snapped back to attention, smirking and glancing at the moon once more.
" See you soon, Naruto."
A/N: Well that's the first chapter for you. Like I said, I haven't really decided on pairings yet. So far poor Naruto's all alone. I really, really tried not to make Orochimaru creepy…but that guy is the freakiest thing ever. I like him, but there's something seriously wrong with him.
Well let me know what you think. This is basically my take on the Naruto Shippuden series.