Eternity
The world had changed.
Gone were the days of the ninja. Man evolved, technology advanced and the only remnants of the forsaken past was curled up in the cavern he had called his home for many millennia. For centuries the giant fox of legend had slept, waiting for a time that his help would be needed again. Throughout the years he had watched the world, seeing humans change for the worst and regretting he could do nothing to stop them. Wars broke out, quickly evolving into pathetic men's ways of resolving arguments. He resented the fact he had ever been human. And so, to allow himself to not witness the atrocities being committed he slept. However his time of rest was coming to an end. Soon his cave would be breached, humans foolishly seeking his lair to tame him, and use him as another weapon to destroy others.
Waking up suddenly as a giant shock rips his mind from his dreams of the old times he immediately launches onto his feat, hackles rising. Surrounding him, in their hundreds, were many soldiers, each carrying puny weapons meant to prevent his anger. Large wires were fixed to the earth over his body, attempting to hold him down. The humans swarmed, trying to keep him in place as they administered drugs. However they all stopped as he opened his jaw, expecting a loud growl, not a deep rumbling voice.
"How humans have fallen. I am glad I no longer count myself as one of your kind. You have become so weak and pathetic, having to seek my power to win your wars."
The humans stopped, staring in shock as the fox easily pulled the wires from its body and curling up again, staring out over them with something akin to disappointment and disgust.
"You rely on your technology. Truly pathetic and I am ashamed that all by friends were ancestors to a race of failures," he laughs deeply and mutters to himself, "What would Sasuke-teme think if he saw this?"
Heaving itself onto its four legs it takes one giant step, clearing the humans gathered at its feet easily and stepping out into the sunlight for the first time in many, many years.
"Ah, fresh air." With a great sniff and flex of the legs, the great beast leapt, sending many helicopters to the side in fright before following swiftly behind him. Landing precisely, as he always does, in a small clearing, made larger when he lays down and curls round a faded blue stone, covered in moss. The humans all scramble to follow and arrive five minutes later to find him murmuring gently to the stone, having swiped the moss away carefully with one of it's nine tails.
"Each name on this stone, is that of a hero. Each one sacrificed their lives to save my home. Their names are written here to remember them."
He goes quiet, his eyes reflective as memories swarm his mind.
One brave human steps forward, the eyes of the fox instantly on him as moves towards the stone. Arriving at it he glances nervously at the beast watching him before bowing to the stone in respect and stepping closer to inspect it.
"I… can't read any of this…" he murmurs as he tries.
Instantly the great beast lowers its head to the ground, it's eyes just above those of the human.
"Hm, not surprising really. Here." With a great breath over the man, which causes him to choke slightly and the other humans to raise their weapons in concern, he looks back at the stone as understanding washes over him.
"Inoue, Tomoko?"
the fox twitches slightly, remembering the name as one who stood tall at the gates of Konoha against the combined enemy.
"Hmm. Back a bit."
The human nods and traces back over the names.
"Nara, Shikaku."
"Hmm. A brave man. Forwards slightly this time."
"Uchiha, Sasuke."
A small unidentifiable yet understandable noise comes from the fox and he realises this is the part he wants read.
'Bastard came back just in time to die.'
"Rock Lee…"
"Hyuuga, Hinata…"
"Uchiha, Itachi…"
he looks up to the great being for confirmation to continue, but, receiving non, continues reading.
"Hyuuga, Neji; Hyuuga, Hiashi; Yamanaka, Ino; Yamanaka, Inoue"
'A distraught father wanting revenge. Bless your souls.'
"Tenten; Maito, Gai; Inuzuka, Kiba; Aburame, Shino; Akimichi, Chouji; Nara, Shikamaru; Yuuhi, Kurenai; Sai; Godaime Hokage, Tsunade; Hatake, Kakashi; Sakura, Haruno, Saruto-"
"Stop. That is enough."
The man looks up in surprise at the sorrow in the demons voice, shocked even more at the tears falling freely from the demon's eyes.
"Now tell me… what is the last name on the list. My eyes are long since sharp enough to pick up details so small."
The man scans his eyes to the end.
"Namikaze, Naruto… Rokudaime Hokage and hero…
A great, deep wail emits from the mouth of the fox, as though he had waited many a year to hear those words. Another wail and another until the fox chokes, dry sobbing coming from his throat.
"They… they did put my name on the stone. I can… finally rest."
And with that his legs tremble, before lowering him to the ground where he rests his head, only a meter infront of the human who delivered the news he had waited for.
"Come here human. Let me tell you before I die."
"Die?" he asks shocked.
"yes human. I am old, old enough to have seen all my friends die before my eyes and the end of the age of ninja."
"Ninja? Like in Japan?"
the fox chuckles in amusement.
"no, no. there was a time, where a great village stood on this ground. The hidden leaf village. It was the strongest shinobi village in the entire elemental nations. In it shinobi had what was called the will of fire. They fought for their country till the very end, with every fibre of their being. What one might call the 'springtime of youth'."
Another dry chuckle flows from his mouth, followed this time by a series of dry chokes.
"It is not the same as what you called ninja in Japan recently. They are mere shadows of a ninja. The time of the ninja was millennia ago, before the arrival of dinosaurs. I saw the end of that time, when the world went quiet and I was the only one left here until life returned in what you humans believe to be the beginning. In my time, I had many great friends. The greatest of whose names you just read out from the KIA stone. However they were each taken from me, due to a war. A war that wiped out the entire world. The gods used the end of the war as a time to start again, remake the world in a way that it would last. However I was stronger than the gods by then, and I was left as a remnant of my time. Thankfully," he says with a great heave, his eyes closing, "I can now rest."
His eyes open slightly, and he sniffs the air infront of him, "What is your name, human?"
"Kōichi Tōchika."
"Hmm. I do believe you have some Hyuuga blood to you. Very well. Consider this a parting gift in return for allowing me final peace."
The human, Tōchika, finds his head suddenly full of weird hand movements and diagrams of a human body. Looking up at the fox, his eyes now pale lilac, "What was all that?"
The fox, with what could almost be described as a 'foxy grin' replies, "That is your families techniques. You live… as a Hyuuga now. And have… the powers of… a Hyuuga."
The fox closes it's eyes again, his breath becoming shallower and shallower.
"I am glad to… have seen… a remnant from the past… before I pass on. I bet… Neji'll be annoyed I saw his… ancestors."
He takes one last deep breath, "Hope you're still waiting guys."
And his breath releases as none more are taken…
"About time dobe, I thought you were going to make us wait another few centuries."
Opening his eyes Naruto's eyes widen as he finds himself surrounded by faces looking down on him.
"You're all… still waiting?" he asks in shock.
"Tch, as if we could leave you dobe."
Naruto looks into the eyes of his brother who extends a hand to Naruto as he sits up.
Smiling Naruto lifts his hand to punch it together with Sasuke's.
"Dammit teme!"
Shiagari.
A.N. this was going to be a time travel fic but I think it worked a lot better as a one shot for Naruto.
If it didn't make any sense I apologise but I was using my artist licence to its extend with this piece and hopefully you understand the meaning of it all.
Anyone recognise the human's name?