Hello, everyone! Azores here with another story.
This is Halo-Naruto: The Fire Within, the follow-up story to the Halo-Naruto: Prologue (If you haven't read it, I recommend you do so you have an understanding of what's going on.) and the 'main story' so to say, which will follow around Naruto and Gang as they make their way in this new change world of Shinobi.
So, before we get into this story, I need to give some context as to what's going, since I know some of you reading this is going, "But Azores, you haven't even finished the Prologue. Why are you working on the main story?' Well, to put it simply, I started working on the overall storyboard for the Halo-Naruto story a few months back, and to give some insight on how it would look I started writing the first chapter out, sort of a prototype chapter. Next thing I know, I was just on a roll that wouldn't stop, and before long, I found myself with 5 chapters done and a 6th one partially done by the time I'd stop a couple weeks later. (Wish I had motivation like that all the time!)
I had them read and reviewed by a couple buddies of mine, Goldspark1 being one (you might have seen them in the reviews section of my stories, always love reading Gold's reviews!) and another of which I'm friends with on Discord, and they both thought it was pretty well done, giving me insight and suggestions on parts they thought could be better. But for a couple of months, they were just sitting there doing nothing in my Fanfic Document Manager, and I was starting to be bothered by it. At the same time though, I didn't want to upload them because I wasn't even remotely done with the Prologue. But with the rate my chapters are uploaded, it would have been a long time before they would be released. (I fell victim early on to the old 'upload every story that pops up into my head', so now I have a half dozen stories I'm trying to do.)
So, after some time deliberating and debating, I decided to leave the decision up to the masses. I went on Amino, to the Books & Writing and the Fan Fiction Aminos that I'm subscribed to and left the decisions up to them and to the viewers on FF via a poll, and they largely supported posting the story. So, now here we are with a story.
Currently, I have 5 chapters done and ready, with a 6th one that is partially done. The finished chapters will be released ever other day starting today, since I want to wait for people to finish reading each chapter and give me feedback before I upload the next one. The 6th chapter will be released at a later date when it is finished. One last thing I want to add is that these will be the only six chapters up for some time, as I have no plans on writing any more until I progress some more with the Halo-Naruto Prologue. (Preferably after I get 5 more chapters uploaded, but nothing is absolutely certain.)
For the first Arc, this will largely be a story following Naruto and Dekar 'Nythrus as Naruto begins his Journey to becoming a Shinobi, while at the same time learning to cope with the past and Dekar attempts to mentor the son of his deceased friend and attempt to make up for the mistakes of his past. The Naruto of this story is fairly different from the one of the original series. There's still bits and pieces of the old Naruto we know and love, but at the same time, he's now vastly different due to a different upbringing and childhood.
When writing this Arc, I had a lot of inspiration from games and movies such as God of War and Logan. I wanted to have a go at a more somber story than the ones I've told in the past (Though it won't always be like this, there will be good and bad mixed together.), so you might see some similarity from games and movies of similar styles.
Leave a review to let me know what you thought about the story, and I hope you enjoy!
I don't own Halo or Naruto.
Bold-My Own Words
"Bold"-Demon Speaking
'Bold'-Demon/Dark Thoughts
Bold & Italic-Locations, Time & Calendar
Normal-Narrative
"Normal"-Person Speaking
'Normal'-Thoughts
"Italic"-Foreign Language
'Italic'-Radio Chatter
/Italic\-AI/Computer typing
Shinsei Seasons:
Spring: April 25 - August 4
Summer: August 5 - October 11
Fall: October 12 -January 6
Winter: January 7 - April 24
Note: The mapping of the Elemental Nations in this Fic is based on 'Elemental Nations Political Map' by xShadowRebirthx on Deviantart. (There's a geography map version, too.)
!WARNING!
This story contains content not suited for younger readers, such as Violence, Blood and Gore, Language, and Explicit Sexual Content. This Chapter's Rating will be placed at T-Rated. Future Chapters may, and most likely will switch back and forth between the T and M ratings.
Regardless, Reader Discretion for this Chapter is advised.
-Every journey, no matter how far, begins with a single step.
Eric Walters
-Hatred and fear blind us. We no longer see each other. We only see the face of a monster, and that gives us the courage to destroy each other.
Thich Nhat Hanh
-Just because a person smiles all the time, doesn't mean their life is perfect. That smile is a symbol of hope and strength.
Unknown
Arc 1
Episode 1
-The Journey Begins-
1049 AM
October 22, 2563
Fire Country
Hidden Leaf Village
Shinobi Academy
It was the last day of school before the fall break started. For the next ten weeks, roughly, the academy students would be off from the Shinobi Academy, allowed to spend time with their families until the Academy resumed teaching on January 2nd. Then it was back to the 6-day school weeks, with only Sundays off. Many of the students couldn't wait to get out of school and spend the next three months off from the grueling studies and homework that came with learning how to become a Shinobi. For three months, they could be kids, enjoy life, and spend time with their friends and family. Then, they would spend the last four months of their time at the academy prepping for the Genin Exam in May, which, should they pass will, make them official Genin of the Hidden Leaf Village. But for one boy, however, this day held a much more somber meaning. It was a day that only reminded him of a nightmare he had to live out in his dreams for the past four years.
For Uzumaki Naruto, 12-year-old Konoha Shinobi Academy Student, he just wanted the day to be over with and forgotten. For the past five years, all he wanted to do was forget this day.
But he never would. This day would haunt him for as long as he lived. But he couldn't show anyone that. Not here. Not in this village. He couldn't show any sign of weakness, any sign of sadness. All that would happen is the villagers would take advantage of it. The ones that hated him, anyway, which was 'only' about 90-95% of the entire village. The Terrans living here got along with him just fine, but most of them either didn't live in the village permanently or had moved here after the war.
After the Kyuubi Attack. The one they all seem to think is his fault. That he is the Kyuubi.
He tried to focus on the class subject, Shensei history, as best as he could, but his mind continued to drift and wander. Distractions came too easily, now, and his grades and performance had suffered as a result. Somedays he could barely get through the class, and that said nothing of the classes involving weapons training. It was even worse on the days the nightmares happened.
Not that he cared anymore. No one else did.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 'Stop it. That's not true.'
'You know it is...' A malicious voice echoed in his mind. He shook his head slightly, trying to regain his composure. No one could see him like this. No one. Was it hot in here or was it just him? His mouth was so dry. 'You are alone... A freak...'
'Stop it!' His chest felt like it was tightening up. His clothes were constricting him. He couldn't breathe.
'They will know, soon enough... Then you will have no one... As you should...'
"Pst. Naruto."
He snapped his head to his left, towards his classmate. Yamanaka Ino. Probably one of the few people he could call a friend. Her parents were friendly with him, too. She had her long platinum hair down today, rather than having it up in a ponytail like she usually did. She was wearing a teal-colored long sleeve shirt and dark blue pants, which hugged her figure. (Which was pretty well developed considering she was 12.) Her light blue eyes stared at him in concern and confusion. She didn't know. She could never know.
'She will know... And leave you like everything else... You deserve to be alone...'
Despite the thoughts and anxiety building up within him, Naruto managed a small smile and whispered, "Yeah, Ino. What's up?"
"You look a little pale and just... out of it. Are you okay?" she whispered, not wanting Iruka-sensei to overhear them.
"Yeah, sorry. Just spaced out for a moment." He lied, hoping she would buy it. She stared at him for a moment, her eyes narrowing. Thankfully, her attention was taken off him when Umino Iruka began speaking up again.
"Alright now, class. For our last subject of the day, we are going to go over the Great War, otherwise known as the Shensei Great War, and its effects on the Elemental Nations and the Hidden Villages. Now, we'll start with something easy. Who can tell me when the Great War started and officially ended?"
A hand quickly shot up on the other side of the room. "Yes, Sakura-chan."
12-year-old Haruno Sakura stood up, her long pink hair swaying as she did, and spoke, "February 14, 2551, sensei. The war officially ended on May 3, 2555, though the Aquarii Conflict wouldn't end until October 16 and resistance groups continued to fight until the end of the year. Also, the Dominion often call the opening attack as the Saint Valentine's Day Offensive since it was done on one of the Terran holidays."
"Very good, Sakura-chan. You may be seated. Now, the Great War-"
Naruto's attention on the subject, despite loving to learn about the Great War, was completely taken away the moment he laid eyes on her. The light red dress she was wearing suited her. Sakura was one of the few distractions he didn't mind. Her long pink hair, her soft, fair skin, and those bright emerald-colored eyes of hers. As far as he was concerned, she was the most beautiful girl in the world.
'She will never love you... No one does...'
He grunted, his eyes narrowing as he took in a deep breath. 'Ignore the voice. It's not real. It's not you.'
Though, he solemnly had to agree somewhat. The chances of Sakura reciprocating his feelings were slim to none. Like Ino and many of the girls in his class, she only had eyes for one guy. Much to his and every other guys' irritation. And that bastard was-
"NARUTO!"
He jumped in his seat as he snapped his head forward to his teacher. Iruka-sensei had been calling his name, and he hadn't heard. That was bad on his part, made even worse because Iruka was maybe one of the only teachers in the academy that seemed to tolerate him. Now, he was standing there, hands on his hips and glaring at him. It felt like the entire class was now looking at him. "Nice of you to finally pay attention. Care to answer the question?"
He sheepishly lowered his head and quietly replied, "I'm sorry Sensei. Could you please repeat the question?"
Iruka narrowed his eyes, "Next time. Pay. Attention. How are you expecting to become a shinobi if you can't even pay attention to a simple history lesson?" He could hear most of the class giggled and snickered at him. He didn't like being the center of attention. That usually led to... bad things.
Ultimately, Iruka sighed and continued, "Now, as I was asking, can you tell me one of the main reasons why the war was fought?"
Afternoon...
1631 PM
Class finally ended, and the students were allowed to go home. Naruto made his way out of the academy grounds, making sure his backpack was secured and hoping to sneak away before anyone notices him. Fall had come to Konoha, with the weather cooling and the leaves turning their autumn colors. Soon enough, every tree would all have red, orange, and amber leaves on their branches, then lose them entirely when winter came. A cool breeze blew past him, but his hoodie, light brown in coloring, blocked most of it out. His blonde hair, wild, spiky and unkempt, swayed slightly in the breeze. His cerulean-colored eyes looked around at the people going about their lives. Occasionally, he'd see someone glaring at him when they recognized him, but he did his best to ignore it.
He caught a glimpse of pink hair on the other side of the ground, which caught his attention. There she was again. Sakura was walking at a brisk pace, her pink hair flowing gently behind her as she did. Where was she- oh. Him. Of course, it was him. Sure enough, she was walking up to the most desired boy in the school. The one nearly every girl in school wished to date, marry, and all that garbage.
Uchiha Sasuke. The 'Last Uchiha.' 12 years old. Pitch black hair, with fair skin, and onyx-colored eyes. Wearing his typical attire, with the Uchiha Clan symbol proudly on display on the back of his hoodie. His clan had been tragically murdered, wiped out might be a better description, by his older brother Itachi before he went rogue. It had made him into a quiet and reserved individual, rarely ever speaking and if so, never more than a couple of sentences. And after going through such a traumatic experience and being the only heir left of the Clan, that was loyal anyway, the entire village pitied him, treating him damn near like royalty, and every girl wanted to marry him.
Naruto already knew what was about to happen next, having witnessed it a hundred times from a hundred different girls trying to talk to the guy.
"Hello, Sasuke-kun." Sakura greeted, a light blush appearing on her cheeks as she spoke to her crush, "How are you, today?"
"Hn." Came the typical response, not even bothering to look at her. That irked Naruto to no end. The jerk could at least say hello back or something. He understood the guy was withdrawn, 'But for Kami's sake, at least tell her you're not interested or something.'
Either way, it didn't deter Sakura, who pressed on, "So, I-I was wondering if you would maybe like to walk back together?"
"No." The response was quick and cold.
This deflated the girl's resolve somewhat, but she still tried again, "Come on, Sasuke-kun. Surely you don't want to walk-"
"Tch. You're annoying." And with that, Sasuke quickly walked away, leaving Sakura dejected and hurt as he walked off without even batting an eye at her.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the whole event. It infuriated him to no end seeing the amount of love and affection that was thrown Sasuke's way, the number of girls who were always boldly professing their love for him. And yet, despite all of that, what does he do? Doesn't even bat an eye to it. Sasuke has the whole village eating out of his hand, might as well be royalty as far as the council and the villagers were concerned, and yet he doesn't do anything with it or even seem to acknowledge it most of the time. He just stayed closed up or shuts down any girls who try to ask him out.
Don't get Naruto wrong, now. He understood and sympathized with the guy, knowing first hand just what he went through, but Naruto just couldn't understand how somebody with that much love and affection being thrown at him could sit there and cast it all aside. It's like he didn't want it. Like he just wanted to alone, brooding and miserable. Why? Why would you want to mope and be miserable? Why not take advantage of everything being handed to you? All that love and adoration?
Why couldn't he have that kind of love and adoration?
'Because you're a freak... Unloved and unwanted...'
He shook his head, clearing his head and steadying his breath. He looked back to see Sakura slowly walking home, clearly downtrodden and upset. He frowned. Naruto always hated seeing her upset. But what could he possibly do? Should he try talking to her? He had always wanted to, maybe this was the opening he needed. He sighed at that thought. But what the hell would he even say? What could he say? It wasn't like he was close to her. They weren't even friends, to that regard. How could he possibly get Sakura to look at him like she did Sasuke when he didn't even know what he could do to talk to her, let alone comfort her?
'You don't even exist to her...'
He sighed, glancing down. Naruto knew he couldn't do anything to help her. As usual. He turned around to leave, with nothing else left here for him to do. He had managed to lose Ino after she stopped to use the restroom, so hopefully, he could go and make one last stop before tonight without having to confront her about what happened in class today.
"Hey, you." Damn. So much for that.
He turned back around to see Ino standing there, looking at him. She knew something was up. Naruto gave her a small smile and a wave, hoping to convince her everything was fine.
Through encouragement and insistence by her mother, Ino had at first been reluctant to interact with Naruto as a kid. He had something of a reputation with the adults, (What exactly, she didn't know, nobody would say.) which lead to many of kids keeping their distance from him. But not her mother. Mom had always seemed to think very highly of Naruto and was very affectionate towards him. Through her mother's insistence, the two came to realize they had a lot in common, such as a fondness for flowering. And soon enough, they had become... well, maybe not best friends, but friends definitely.
"Hey, Ino. What's up?" He asked as they started walking.
"Come on. Out with it."
Naruto knew what she was asking about, but tried to throw her off with a joke.
"Sorry, I don't know where Sasuke takes his baths."
That earned a gawk and a blush from the platinum blonde, "T-that's not what I meant, smartass!" Despite how he was feeling right now, he couldn't help but let out a chuckle, which only had Ino glaring at him. "Jerk. Maybe I should go talk with 'Sakura-Chan.'" she fired back, adding the 'chan' at the end that Naruto liked to use so affectionately. Now it was his turn to gawk and blush, "P-please don't. That's the last thing I need." Ino smirked and stuck her tongue out at him. He let out a groan, "Kami, if anything, she'd probably think you're just trying to get her to stop chasing Sasuke."
"Hmph, doesn't sound bad. Seems like a win-win to me." He heard her mutter. She then turned her head to and spoke, "Seriously, though. What happened back in class? You looked like you were about to faint. Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine, Ino. Really. It's just been a rough day, that's all." He tried to dodge her questioning, hoping she would drop it altogether.
'You're anything but fine... You're a freak...'
She stared at him for what seemed like an eternity, before finally sighing, "You know mom worries about you. Especially on... today."
'Monster...'
"I don't wanna talk about it." He sharply replied, knowing where this was going. "Don't worry. I told you, I'm fine."
'Demon...'
"You sure don't look it. Did you even get any sleep last night?" Ino asked him, crossing her arms, "Mom worries about you, and I hate when she does because she always turns into a nervous wreck when she does. And it's even worse on today."
'You got them all killed...'
"She doesn't need to worry about me! She's not my mother!" He finally snapped, loudly. He just wanted her to drop it. Leave him be.
"Then you should tell her that!" Ino snapped back.
Things got quiet between the two after that. For several moments, neither one said anything as they walked down the street. Ino was looking away from him, fuming at Naruto's seemingly lack of care over her mom worrying about him, and Naruto was too busy battling the demons in his head trying to calm down and not have a mental breakdown. After several moments, Naruto finally regained control of his emotions and looked over at Ino. She wasn't looking at him. He frowned, looking away out of shame, before quietly speaking, "I-I'm sorry, Ino-chan. I... I know I'm not okay. I have a lot going on right now. And whenever it comes around to talking about... abou-" He stopped for a moment, refusing to let himself get choked up, swallowing before he continued, "I just hate talking about it. I just want this day to be over and forgotten."
Ino glanced over at him, her features softening as she let out a breath, "Will you at least come over and tell her hi? It's been a while since you came over and you know how much she loves having you visit."
He looked over to her, noting the concerned look on her face. He nodded softly as the two made their way towards the Yamanaka Compound.
Approx. 30 minutes later...
Yamanaka Compound
Yamanaka Flower Shop
The Yamanaka Clan had never been a large clan like that of the Hyuugas or the Uchihas, and it showed in their compound. The last time they ever had more than 100 members were nearly 50 years ago. Nowadays, thanks in part to the war and the overall decline in the Hidden Villages in the post-war years, the clan had maybe 40 or 50 members. Despite their smaller size, they still held considerable influence in both the Village and its Shinobi Council thanks to their mind-walking Kekkei Genkai. Their Clan Compound showed this, even if it was more modest than that of the Hyuugas' or Uchiha's estates. Rising three stories at its highest, though the majority of it was only two, the compound was a sandy gold color, with the roof being a light brown. Roses, Tulips, Sakurasou, and many other flowers from all over the planet and galaxy could be seen decorating the walls of the compound in many beautiful patterns. There were only two entrances to the Compound, one being the main entrance itself and the other one being through the Flower Shop that the clan operated.
Naruto had always thought that their compound was rather beautiful, but noticed a couple of bullet holes remained in the upper section of the building's wall. Reminders from the war, when the Hidden Sound had raided the Hidden Village in their attempt to destroy it during the Iron League's Keishi Offensive. (Or were they from when the Kyuubi attacked?)
"So, did those Lotus flowers ever come in?" Naruto asked.
The platinum blonde smiled and nodded, "Mhm. And we got some narcissus from Water Country a couple of days ago. Still, I think the crate of silver woodland poppies we got from Gilrose were prettier. We sold out of them quicker than we could replace them."
"Yeah. Wish I could have grabbed a couple."
"How's your little garden doing?"
He shrugged, "It's doing okay. Seen better days but it's surviving at least. I think this summer was a little harsh to it. I don't know if it's going to survive winter."
"Ugh. Tell me about it. This summer was horrible. So hot and mushy. And I didn't even get a chance to go to the pool. And the weather guys are saying some sort of... I don't remember, something to do with a change in the atmosphere or climate was going to make this coming winter pretty cold." Ino replied.
"Wonderful," Naruto grimly remarked.
The two walked inside the flower shop. It wasn't busy, as most of the customers had already done their shopping earlier. They walked up to towards the counter, where they could hear a television reporting the news, as a news reporter spoke, 'Representatives from Keishi have announced that Fire Country and other members of the Coalition would renew and revise their trade agreements with Wind, Snow, and Water Country. Though none of these nations are a part of the Coalition, they have maintained strong economic and military ties, especially in the post-war years since the end of the Great War. Chief of Economics Ishino Fusakane commented that the renewing and revising of the trade agreements was for increasing prosperity and relations between the Elemental Nations and that he was looking forward to seeing the negotiations through.'
They then heard the sound of gunfire and explosions come out from the TV as the reporter continued, 'Fighting in the former Rice Country Capital of Narakita has now entered its 6th day as Hidden Sound Insurgents continue to battle Dominion Troops inside the city. Now, airstrikes and the sounds of firefights are almost constant throughout the city. According to unofficial reports and civilians from inside the city, the Insurgents have managed to seize several blocks and neighborhoods within the capital, but are now being pushed back by fierce counterattacks from the Dominion forces. While it's still rather unclear as to just what Orochimaru, the leader of the Hidden Sound Insurgency, was hoping to achieve with this attack, but according to Dominion sources, the casualties have reached into the 10s of thousands, in both soldiers and civilians as Sound Insurgents continue to kill indiscriminately. Many civilians are afraid to even leave their homes, due to the number of IEDs, suicide bombers, and even civilian hostages being used by the Hidden Sound. The Rice Occupational Force Commander, Lieutenant General Gale Conway, was quoted saying-'
"Hey, mom," Ino spoke up as the two reached the counter. Behind the bar, watching the news, was an older woman with blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She looked like an older, grown-up version of Ino, just with darker blonder hair and darker blue eyes that had pupils. She was wearing brown pants and a simple white shirt with a blue apron wrapped around it. Upon hearing Ino, Yamanaka Nozomi turned to face the two, a smile on her face as she started to speak but then noticed Naruto was there, too.
She smiled as she walked around the counter and wrapped Naruto up in a hug, "Hi, Naruto! How are you? It's been a while since I've gotten to see you!"
Naruto weakly hugged her back, smiling softly, "H-Hi, Nozomi-chan. Sorry I haven't visited in a while. I've just... been busy."
Nozomi broke the hug to look at him, a hint of concern on her face as she studied him. But she smiled regardless, "Well, it's okay. You're here now." She stood up and walked back over to the counter, turning the volume on the TV down. "So, how's school going?"
"Good," He lied. Ino gave him a knowing look.
"Really? You aren't having any problems?" Nozomi asked concerned.
"Nope. None." Naruto quickly answered, "Everything's been going fine." He noticed Ino giving him a look and quickly shot one back. He didn't want her to say anything about today. He didn't like worrying Nozomi. This was nothing to fret over, so she didn't need to know about it.
'Liar...'
"Well, okay..." Nozomi seemed to concede, before looking over to her daughter, "What about you, sweetie? Did anything interesting happen today?"
Ino gave her mom a look, clearing wanting to tell her about what happened with Naruto, but he gave her a pleading look, desperate for her not to say anything. After a couple of seconds, Ino conceded, "No, not much mom. Just the usual boring study sessions and history lessons."
"Hm, well make sure you two pay attention in class. Those 'boring' sessions and lessons are more helpful than you think. Kami, the last thing I want is for either of you to be thrown into something as horrible as that war." Nozomi said as she glanced at the TV, still talking about the fighting happening in Rice Country. "For some people, that war still hasn't ended." She quickly changed the subject, "Enough about that, though."
"Well, this has been fun and all, but I'm going to take a bath, now." Ino chimed in, giving Naruto a poke on the head, "Later, dork."
"Later, bimbo." He replied, sticking his tongue out at her as she walked behind the counter and out the back door to the clan compound. Leaving Naruto alone with her mother, who merely smiled at him.
"W-well, it was good seeing you, Nozomi-chan. I'm gonna buy some flowers, then head out-"
"Naruto."
He stopped where he was when he saw the Yamanaka Matriarch looking at him with her arms crossed. A concerned look was on her face. "Do you honestly think, after all the years I've known you, that I can't tell when something's bothering you, or when you're upset." He fidgetted uncomfortably under her gaze, trying not to look her in the eyes.
"I-I don't know what you-"
With a sigh, Nozomi calmly walked over and knelt down in front of him, holding his hands in her own. "Look at me." He didn't do it immediately, so she calmly repeated herself. After the second time, he finally looked her in the eyes. "I know you don't like to talk about what happened. I know that you're having nightmares and trouble getting through the day. That you feel trapped and helpless. And I know you like to pretend that nothing is wrong just so I'm not getting worried about you. But you can't keep this all bottled up inside you, sweetie. You need to come to terms with it. Otherwise, you're never going to start healing. You're a strong young man, I know you are. You just need to start believing it." She smiled softly, wrapping him up in a hug once more as she spoke again, "No matter what, our door is always open to you. If you ever want to talk or get something off your chest, or simply stop by. Okay?"
Naruto didn't say anything, merely nodding when she finished. Nozomi and her family had been among the handful that had ever treated him decently. She had always acted like a mother towards him, always asking him how he was doing, if he was eating right, getting enough sleep, etc. Even when he had been in the orphanage, she would stop by and spend some time with him. He always had kinda hoped she would adopt him, but it never happened.
He didn't have the courage to ask her why she never did if she cared about him so much. Maybe he was afraid of the answer he'd receive.
'It's all a ruse... They don't really love you...'
"Thank you, Nozomi-chan." He quietly said. "I... I'd like to buy some flowers, please."
Smiling softly, Nozomi stood up and walked over to one of the flower sections, "The usual or something different."
"The usual."
After a couple of minutes, Nozomi came back with three bouquets of flowers, each one filled red, roses and white camellias, with violet statice wrapped around their sides. She handed them down to the boy, who nodded and took them from her. Naruto started to fish out his wallet, readying to pay, but Nozomi shook her head. "Don't worry about it, sweetie."
"I-no, it's fine. I don't mind paying-"
"And I told you it's fine. On the house." She smiled. Naruto was hesitant, but ultimately conceded and muttered a 'thank you.' Naruto turned to leave as he heard say, "Bye, Naruto. Take care. And remember, if you need anything, we're always here for you." He turned around and gave her a soft smile, waving as he walked out the door. He didn't have the heart to tell her that it would be quiet sometime before she saw him again, if ever. What he was about to embark on, was extremely risky, to say the least.
But first, one last stop.
Konoha Cemetery/War Memorial
The cemetery built in the eastern part of the village was a relatively new addition to the Hidden Leaf, as per standard operating procedure, shinobi didn't receive burials. Instead, they were cremated to prevent any possibility of a rival nation digging the body up and extracting secrets. Even a corpse can provide useful intel. But the ordinary civilian, the soldiers that hadn't been shinobis, weren't bound to this rule. If desired by the family, they could receive a proper burial. A great many that died in the war were buried here, reminders of a time when some brave, determined souls gave everything to defend their home. Some civilians were buried here, too, but most of the graves here belonged to soldiers that had died during the Great War. In the center of the cemetery, several large memorial plaques were built that listed all the Shinobi who died in the line of duty. But Naruto wasn't here for any of those.
He walked a ways back, past the Shinobi memorial plaques, where many of the civilians were buried. Most of the villagers didn't like to come here, so usually, it was pretty devoid of people. After navigating a few rows that he's walked pass numerous time in the past, he finally came to a stop on three particular tombstones. There was a small angel on each of them, almost as if they were watching over the graves of the deceased. He always liked the idea of a guardian angel. Something watching over you even in your darkest times, protecting you.
Maybe his own mother was watching over him. Or perhaps it was all just another lie.
His heart was caught in his throat as he quietly walked up to them, his breath unsteady as his eyes read out the three names on the tombstones.
-Harrison Rossburg-
Dominion Ambassador 2552-2559
Loving Father and Husband
April 2, 2516 - October 22, 2559
-Juliana Rossburg-
Wonderful Mother and Wife
September 9, 2519 - October 22, 2559
-Riley Rossburg-
Beloved Daughter and Sister
May 14, 2552 - October 22, 2559
Begin Song- 'Never Forget (Midnight Version)' from Halo 4 OST Vol. 2
He stared at the tombstones for what felt like an eternity, a violent swirling vortex of emotions swelling inside him as he looked at them. Anger. Rage. Despair. Sadness. Guilt. Loneliness. Helplessness. Here lied an entire family. Good, innocent people. Why were they all dead?
Because they had dared to show him compassion. Adopting him when no one else wanted him. Gave him a loving home, a loving family, the things he had always longed for as a child. And how were they repaid with such compassion? They were murdered in cold blood. Victims of a sick group of murderers who had been trying to kill him. In a way, they succeeded. He felt empty, hollow on most days. The worst part of it all was that they had gotten away with it. To this day, no murderer has been identified, even though they continue to harass and torment him. They haven't been able to often, mostly thanks to him. His protector.
He swallowed a lump in his throat, his breathing heavy, as he quietly knelt down and placed the first bouquet of flowers on the first tombstone. Harrison, a soft-spoken man who despite being busy with his work, always tried to make time for the family. He had been supportive of him joining the academy, believing that every man should at least know how to defend himself and his family.
'It's your fault...'
He laid the next one down, his eyes starting to burn up. Juliana. A kind-hearted woman who always encouraged him and set an example on how to be a decent human being, rarely ever getting mad at him. She introduced him to the idea of angels and guardian angels. She had never been comfortable with him becoming a shinobi student, instead wanting him to be something that didn't require him to fight and kill but had supported him regardless.
She had been the motherly figure he had always wanted growing up.
'They're dead because of you...'
Naruto could feel something wet streaming down the sides of his face, not that he bothered trying to fight them anymore. His breathing felt short and suffocating, his hands shaking slightly as he came to the last grave. The one that tormented him the most.
Riley. His little sister.
'You got them killed...'
Stop it.
'A monster like you deserve to be alone...'
Stop it!
'YOU KILLED THEM! YOU KILLED HER!'
The last bouquet fell out of his hands as he dropped to his knees, grasping his head as he gasped out, a sob escaping him as his mind relived the horrid memories of that night. Juliana slumped over the table with a knife in her chest. Him, a sword in his gut pinning him against the wall, blood pooling around him. The kitsune-masked killer glaring at him. Riley... Riley, held up by her hair, looking at him with horrified, tear-filled eyes as she pleaded for her 'big brother' to save her. Just before the kunai slit her thro-
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry!" he cried out, unable to control himself anymore. Tears flowed freely down his face as he sobbed quietly, repeatedly apologizing as he tried to control himself. But the tears, the anguish inside him, refused to stop. For several minutes, he laid there before his step-sister's grave, weeping softly and muttering apologizes to his deceased family.
(Song fades out at 02:10)
Behind him, a towering figure could be seen standing over him. The 8-foot tall being was concealed in a massive black cloak that hid his massive frame from view, which blew gently in the wind. The only thing visible through the hood was the being's Amber-colored eyes. Aside from the movement of his cloak, the man was motionless, quietly watching over the young boy as he grieved. He would let him have his moment to mourn. But not too long. They needed to move soon if they were to leave undetected. He was good at masking his presence, but eventually, someone would notice him here.
After a couple more minutes of silence, he decided the boy had grieved enough. The boy couldn't be allowed to just wallow in grief, or he would never fully heal and grow into the warrior he needed to be. Even with the massive level of peace being experienced following the Great War, this world was still unmerciful to the weak and helpless. There were still many criminal elements that plagued this planet's countryside and less populated areas.
Slowly, he walked up to the boy, kneeling down and placing a massive four-clawed hand on the boy's shoulder. "Naruto. It is time to go." A deep, growling voice commanded, removing his hand from the boy's shoulder as he rose. Though he understood the boy's pain and torment, they simply couldn't stay any longer. Someone of his infamy and reputation simply couldn't afford sentimentalism anymore. And what a reputation he had. He was one of the most feared warriors on the entire planet. A legendary swordsman that for nearly a whole human century had hunted and slain some of the worst villains this world had produced, becoming an infamous legend feared across the Elemental Nations.
He was a Sangheili warrior. A former Arbiter of the Covenant, and once an ally and vaunted friend of the old Uzumaki Clan, back when there was one. The Reaper, himself. Dekar 'Nythrus.
Dekar watched quietly as Naruto slowed his breathing, wiped his face a couple times, before slowly rising to his feet. He sniffled a few times, before taking deep breaths to calm down. He looked up to his mentor and protector, eyes red and puffy but cleared of tears.
"Do you have everything you need packed?"
Naruto nodded.
"And you have told no one of what we are doing?"
"Yes, sensei," Naruto nodded.
"Good. Then we will depart."
"What, now?"
"Of course. With the ANBU Squads changing their shifts at this time, it will give us a perfect opportunity to leave with minimal chance of discovery." Dekar answered, before starting to walk away, "Come, child. We are wasting time." Blunt and to the point like usual. That was how his mentor was. Dekar didn't waste time mincing words or droning on. That was apparently how the Sangheili were as a people. Naruto trotted off behind him, tightening the straps on his backpack as he came up behind the towering individual. He gave one last look at the tombstones, whispering a small 'Goodbye', before turning away and following his mentor. A few moments later, they both shushined away.
Later
1811 PM
Konoha Wall
Eastern Wall
The sun was now setting on the Hidden Leaf, an orange haze in the skies as night began to approach. Naruto and Dekar were standing next to the massive Konoha Wall. The 100-foot structure had served in older times as the main line of defense for the village should it come under attack. During the war, it hadn't done well as a deterrent. Though it had been repaired for historical sakes, there were still parts of the wall that bore the scars of the war. Bullet holes, chunks that were blown out from explosions or jutsus dotted the wall's structure. Most of the holes or collapsed sections had been repaired, save for one small one that no one knew about. This one had been covered up by vegetation on the inside, and the forest covered the hole from outside, making it nearly impossible to spot. Dekar had only discovered it himself just last year, which meant that in all likelihood no one else knew of it either.
Their way out of the village was secure, and the forest would help cover their movement from any recon teams. The two stood in front of the hole. It was relatively 5 and a half feet in height and just wide enough for the Sangheili Warrior to fit through.
"Come. Let us move before night sets in." Dekar commanded.
"You don't want to move around in the dark?"
"Normally, I have no problem with it, but many predators hunt at night. Better we set up camp somewhere safe and wait until morning before moving again." So in other words, Dekar's concerned about Naruto, who wasn't used to moving around at night, getting lost and being attacked. He could understand that, even if it seemed a little overprotective.
"Take one last look at your home, child. It will be the last we see of it for some time."
(Resume Song 'Never Forget (Midnight Version)' at 02:10 mark.)
Naruto turned back and took one last look at the village he called home, taking in all the features of the town. He eyed the Hokage Monument, the faces of each Hokage to have served the village carved into the side of the mountain. He thought of everyone inside the village that he cared about. Jiji, the Third Hokage. He hoped that Jiji would forgive him if he ever found out. The Yamanaka Family. Hopefully, Nozomi wouldn't be too mad if she found out what he was doing. Ayame and her father Teuchi, who worked the Ichiraku Ramen store and had always been kind to him growing up. Iruka-Sensei. Sakura.
"Ready?"
(02:45 mark in song.)
With a deep breath, he turned around, nodding to his mentor, and for the first time in his life, set foot outside the village he had called home.
Dekar followed behind him, and the two made their way through the woods, careful to not make too much noise as they did. Naruto tried to take in the sight of these massive trees around him but didn't have the luxury to stop and admire when Dekar was pushing on ahead at a brisk pace, his long legs forcing Naruto to jog slightly just to keep up. They would not stop until night fell.
'Never Forget (Midnight Version) Song time: 03:22-03:30
-Title Drop-
Azores presents:
HALO-NARUTO:
THE FIRE WITHIN
The pair continued to trek through the woods, looking to put at least a few miles between them and the Hidden Leaf before night completely fell. In the morning, they would shushin a good part of the distance to the Mifune River, which they would sail down to cover most of their journey and conserve their strength. When they reached the end of the tributary river Hanzo, they would travel the remaining distance by a combination of trekking and shushining. With any luck, their trek would take at most a week, at best some 4-5 days. Then, Dekar could spend the next two months to train Naruto uninterrupted.
And with any luck, some time away from this village would allow Naruto's fragile mind to begin healing and come to terms with the murder of his adoptive family. Only then could he truly become a warrior. This fragile state of Naruto's mind had been detrimental to his training over the years he had been mentoring him, and the Sangheili Warrior was at a loss at what to do with him. He was a swordsman, not a mind healer. The Yamanaka's have been helpful, but they cannot remove depression or trauma.
He wished the Kushina was still amongst the living. She could have helped him in ways only a mother could know how. The boy knew of her, it was the first thing he had told when they first met, but she had died when Naruto was barely over a year old. He knew the boy wishes he had the chance to know his mother.
Died... Murdered was a better word. 'Damn the Akatsuki.' His eyes narrowed in barely contained fury, but he quickly cooled his emotions. This was not the time to lose himself in the past.
The two had made good ground by the time night fell. If Dekar had to guess, they had made some 10 miles in the span of a couple of hours. He had forbad Naruto from using his datapad, as the device would give away his location if he had it on. With night here, he allowed himself to remove his hood, revealing his alien head for the world to see. Few had ever seen it and lived, but enough had for rumors to spread that he was, in fact, an alien. (To the humans, anyway.)
He turned to check on the boy again and noticed he had slowed some, looking down at a photo in his hands. A grim look was on his face. Dekar clicked his mandibles at this, knowing what the child was looking at. He stopped, turning to face the boy. Naruto must have noticed, because he stopped too, looking up to him expectingly.
"Do not ever forget why you are out here on this journey. Our purpose for leaving the village." The Sangheili said, his voice soft as he placed a finger on the picture Naruto was holding and tapped on it.
(04:08 mark in song.)
Naruto nodded softly as he looked down at the picture. The picture was one of the few physical copies he had of his step-family. It was a picture of him and Riley, ages 7 and 6 respectively. Her shoulder-length brown hair, her caramel-colored eyes, and a soft smile adorning her face as she had her arms wrapped around Naruto in a bear hug while he was grinning like a fool. He smiled softly at the memory, giving the picture a small kiss before putting it away.
Looking back up at his mentor, he asked him, "So you've never told me where exactly we were going, sensei, even weeks back when you first told me we were leaving. Why?"
"Forgive me, but it was better to wait and make sure no one overheard, lest someone happened to be spying on us in the village." His mentor explained as the two continued through the woods.
"Okay... Fair, enough. So... where are we going?"
(Song ends.)
Dekar looked up at the full moon that was slowly rising. It illuminated the forest around them in its glow, giving them enough light to see around them. They may be able to go a little further before making camp. But, yes, it was time to let Naruto know where they were going. With a soft snort escaping him, Dekar answered his young protegee and ward.
"We are going home, child. Our destination is the ancestral home of the Uzumaki. Uzushiogakure."
2119 PM
UNDISCLOSED D.I.S. LOCATION
COMMUNICATION SERVER
/...\
/Standby...\
/...\
/Standby...\
/...\
/Connection Established!\
D-1: 'Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for convening on such short notice.'
D-7: "Delta-1. I'm going to go ahead and assume that this isn't a social call."
D-1: 'I'm afraid not, Delta-7. You know what this is about. This news couldn't wait.'
D-7: 'Not at all. I agree this couldn't wait.
D-11: 'Is the UEG making moves against us, again? We've dealt with ONI in the past, but those were at best mere nuisances.'
D-1: 'No, Delta-11. I'm afraid it's much worse this time. Unidentified slipspace whispers have been detected in the following systems.'
/Brandenburg System\
/Umbara System\
/Montagna D'argento System\
/Gemini Beta System\
/Yōsai System\
D-1: 'Each system where the whispers were detected were investigated thoroughly by patrols, but nothing was found. Those of us whose systems are affected and myself have concluded the worst.'
D-3: 'Dear God, don't tell me that after all these years, they're finally moving against us?!'
D-18: 'We don't know for certain it's them. It could be more Kig-Yar pirates. They've tried this before.'
D-3: 'Infiltrating 5 separate systems?! For what purpose?! They know how seriously we take our defenses! You know damn well it's not-'
D-7: 'ENOUGH! It's not the Kig-Yar. We've already reached a unanimous conclusion. The Enclave are making their move. Rho 'Buratamee's planning to attack us.'
D-10: 'Is there any idea as to when?'
D-1: 'As of now, no. We're not convinced these are invasion fleets. The number of whispers detected in each system was never larger than six.'
D-29: 'Infiltrators. A reconnaissance force to probe our defenses and see just how strong we are.'
D-14: 'This is what we concluded. The affected systems have already informed the local governments and had them quietly raise the local military assets' alert status, just in case.'
D-6: 'Do we know what exactly the Enclave are looking for in these systems?'
D-7: 'What else do you think a bunch of religious fanatics who worship dead aliens is looking for?'
D-1: 'Enough, 7. More than likely, 'Barutamee is looking for Forerunner artifacts. He's probably found a few luminaries that pointed him to these five planets in particular.'
D-7: 'That's the part that's really been irking me. We've been pretty thorough in our searches of Forerunner Artifacts and Relics over the years, making sure we knew if any were on a particular planet or moon. Especially Yōsai, considering it's already... 'weird' status. And to my knowledge, there ain't any Forerunner Relics in the Yōsai or Umbara Systems.'
D-1: 'Well, 'Barutamee seems to think otherwise, and regardless of whether or not there are any actual relics, we're going to make sure that he doesn't get whatever he's after. I'll be informing the President of what's happened and encourage her to begin raising the DEFCON level to 3. HIGHCOM will be quietly transferring Ships and assets to the systems at risk of attack. We know the enemy is coming this time, gentlemen. Let's make sure the Enclave get a warm welcome.'
/Connection Terminated.\
And that's it for this first chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed it. Leave a review and let me know what you thought. See you next time!
-Azores