~1~
Origins
The woman screamed as the boulder descended to crush her. However just before it could flatten here there was a flash of light and the two halves of the now cut boulder landed on either side of her. Looking up the woman saw a man placing a large sliver sword on his back as a tan cloak covered his body and hid it from view. His head though was left completely exposed showing the spiky blond hair. "Are you alright?" The teen asked as he turned around to reveal bright blue eyes and three whisker marks on his cheek. Over his right eye was also a scar that went down from his forehead and over the eye to his chin, crossing over the whisker markings on that cheek.
"I'm fine now. Thank you." The woman told him as he extended a hand to help her up. "Um… who are you? Are you from one of the resistances?" She asked as he gave her a gentle smile and shook his head.
"I'm nobody important and neither am I a part of any resistance. I'm just a traveler trying to right what's been made wrong." He answered before looking off to their right as a large flash of red light lit up the sky. "You may want to leave ma'am. Things are about to get rather dangerous here." The woman shakily nodded her head before quickly hugging the blond teen and placing a kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you, my hero." She whispered before running off as the blond sighed and ran towards the light.
"I'm no hero."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
"Yes! Run! Flee! Humanities time is at an end! The rule of the nine is at hand!"
"Yo! Armored asshole with the axe! Leave them alone!" A voice shouted as the man turned around only to be incased in a clear glacial blue ice. With a growl he used his immense strength to shatter the ice and pick up the large metal battle axe next to him and rested it over his right shoulder.
"So it is you! The one Kurama scarred before being distracted by the one eyed Konoha trash. The former vessel turned avenger." The man taunted as the blond tightened his grip on his sword.
"I'm not an avenger. That's my old classmate. I'm just trying to right everything I've wronged!"
"Wrong? What's wrong about this? Humanity flees in terror from the might of the nine as it should be while we conquer the world to bring about father's last wish through force. Is it wrong to want to do a father proud?"
"When it's like this through bloodshed? Yes! That's why I'll stop you. All of you!" The teen shouted as his sword began to glow. "It's my fault to begin with. That's why it's my burden to fix it. I'm the only one who can…" He whispered to himself before charging the man and swinging his blade down as the armored man brought down his axe.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
"Not going to help?"
"Kokuo has always been too strong and zealous for his own good. The fact he has fallen is of no consequence to our plans."
"Oh really? He may have been more muscle than brain, especially considering his vessel, but he was still a brother."
"True, and he will be avenged as well. I was merely stating that our plans are not hindered by his death."
"I see."
"Rather, I am more interested in just who did the deed. It looks like that blasted boy is back. And he seems to have learned how to wield the blade that saved his life and ripped him from my control."
"You mean…"
"That's right. Naruto is back, sister dear. And he's coming for us."
"Well, nii-san, if it's anything like five years ago then he won't be able to hold a candle to you."
"Perhaps. But I believe this may be the challenge I had been wanting these past few years. So let him come. I will crush him and that damned blade when he falls before my power. And then, just before I kill him I will show him… I will show him, the greatest Nightmare!"
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
(Six Years Earlier)
"Alright! I managed to get the scroll! Now I just need to learn a single jutsu to show Mizuki-sensei and then I can be a ninja!" A young twelve year old boy cheered. Said boy had spiky blond hair and bright blue eyes. He was wearing a bright orange tracksuit with blue on the shoulders and a red spiral at the center of his back. Over his forehead were green goggles while on his feet were blue shinobi sandals. The boy was holding onto a large rolled up scroll as he sat down in a clearing among the trees as he got ready to do what he came for. Unrolling the scroll across the ground the boy looked it over for a jutsu to learn. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)? Aw man! Why does everything have to be a damn Bunshin (Clone) around here? Screw that! What else is there in this thing?" He shouted to himself as he unraveled more of the scroll to find a better technique.
This was Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha, unknowing of the fact he was jinchuriki to the Kyuubi no Yoko and son to the Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze. Twelve years ago on the day he was born the mighty demon attacked the village of Konohagakure no Sato and laid waste to much of its forces. Through the usage of a self-sacrificial technique his father managed seal the beast away inside of the newborn Naruto for the good of the village. His mother, Kushina Uzumaki, also died that night protecting him from the beast and helping her husband seal Kyuubi within him for the good of the village as well as his survival. Hiruzen Sarutobi had come across the dead parents and jinchuriki baby and took him back to the village where the old man had retaken the Hokage seat as he was the Sandaime.
To protect Naruto from his fathers' enemies the man gave Naruto his mother's surname instead of his fathers and hid his true lineage from everyone, even the boy himself. However news spread about the boys' jinchuriki status before he could issue any kind of decree about it. The civilians of the village couldn't see the difference between the boy and the demon he contained and called for his death, a few shinobi joining their cries. The rest of the shinobi forces though knew the difference between boy and demon so they knew Naruto was just that, a boy. However the pain and fear from the demon's attack left them bitter and angry, wanting to somehow make Kyuubi pay for what it had done. So they turned a blind eye to the hatred most of the village was heaping onto the newborn. Hiruzen had instantly decreed that none of the younger generation were to be told about the true fate of the Kyuubi and that harming Naruto was forbidden, both punishable by death if they were broken.
As such while he was never physically harmed the boy grew up under mental and emotional torment. Mocked, ignored, despised and looked down upon for twelve years of his life. Naruto never knew why he was treated that way and the only person to show him kindness was the Sandaime. Whenever Naruto would ask the old man why he was hated Hiruzen would say he didn't know but needed to forgive them and never lash out. Over time Naruto began to be able to tell he was lying about why but let it go because he didn't want to anger the only person who was nice to him. Eventually Naruto even came to the idea that if he became Hokage like Hiruzen was then the village would love and respect him like they did the old man.
So Naruto joined the Shinobi Academy and trained to be a ninja. There he met ridicule and scorn from the teaching staff and other students as he struggled with everything they were taught and the instructors occasionally sabotaged his learning as they didn't want Naruto to be strong. The only person who actually tried to help him was one instructor named Iruka Umino. However Iruka couldn't be there all the time and so the blond still struggled. When the time came to take the test to become a genin, the lowest ranking in the shinobi forces, Naruto failed and Iruka couldn't pass him. Iruka's assistant Mizuki though, a secret hater of Naruto, took the chance as a way for him to achieve his own goals and told Naruto a lie. A lie about a secret test to become a ninja that the boy could use to override his recent failure and gain his entry into the village's forces.
The test was to sneak into he Hokage's mansion and steal a certain scroll filled with forbidden and ancient jutsu and then take it to a secret location and learn one technique from it. If he could do that by midnight then Mizuki would pass Naruto and allow him to become a genin. Hence the blond had obeyed his sensei and stolen the scroll before rushing into the woods to learn a jutsu from it. Which is where the hero of this tale currently lies. "Bunshin Daibakuha (Great Clone Explosion)? Cool but I can't use a clone jutsu." Naruto muttered as he continued to poor over the techniques. Many required the user know a pre-existing jutsu or their elemental affinity and Naruto had neither so he kept searching. Eventually though he stopped as he reached the final listing. It wasn't a jutsu actually but a warning and a storage seal.
"Here lies the largest fragment of the cursed sword Soul Edge, taker of souls and giver of madness. The full blade was taken from it's previous wielder by Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, the founders of Konoha , and broken into pieces that were then scattered to the world in order to bring about piece and stop the clan-era murderer known only as the Azure Knight. The fragment Konoha retained held great power and could still be used as a weapon as Soul Edge changes form for its wielder. However due to the cursed blade's lust for blood and corrupting of whoever held it, nobody could use the blade and thus the Shodai decreed it was to be sealed away." Naruto read off as he looked at the seal before frowning. "A cursed sword? What kind of joke is that? I bet I could use it." He muttered before an idea came to him and he grinned.
"Yeah! That's what I'll do! All these jutsu would take to long so I'll just show that I can use this super sword without any problem and then they'll have to let me be a ninja! Maybe I'll even get to keep the sword too!" He cried as he bit his thumb to draw a bit of blood and ran it over the seal before pushing in a bit of chakra to release it. There was a burst of white smoke that quickly turned red before dispersing and revealing a red sword lying on the scroll in front of him. The blade was a large double edged blade as tall as he was that looked to be extremely heavy. The blade itself was tapered to a point and a deep rustic red while the blade guard looked like a large flaring of veined wings with a closed red gem at the center of them. The handle extended out and was wrapped in red leather while it ended in a dark red metal spike. The most notable thing though in Naruto's eyes was that the blade was covered in cracks and even had a couple holes chipped into it while the edge was somewhat dulled and ragged.
(Imagine Soul Edge from Soul Calibur 4 when used by Nightmare. The incomplete version with a couple changes obviously)
"This is the supposedly cursed sword?" Naruto remarked incredulously. "Really? This busted up piece of junk?" He muttered as he used his foot to push it off the scroll before picking the parchment back up and looking it over again. "Man forget that. I need to find a jutsu. I'm almost out of time." He commented to himself before someone landed on a tree branch at the edge of the clearing.
"Naruto!" He shouted making the boy look up to see Iruka. The man had brown hair pulled into a spiky ponytail at the back of his head while a large scar ran horizontally across his nose. He wore a long sleeved blue shirt and blue pants with a green cargo vest on that had the same red spiral on the back as Naruto's jacket. On his feet were shinobi sandals like the blond had while strapped to his leg was a blue pouch filled with kunai and shuriken. Around his forehead was a blue headband with a metal plate, a spiral leaf etched into the metal; the defining item that marked a person as a shinobi of Konoha. "Naruto, what the hell were you thinking? Stealing the forbidden scroll like that?" Iruka asked as Naruto squinted his eyes in confusion.
"What're you talking about? This is the extra test Mizuki-sensei told me about." He asked in return before his eyes widened. "Oh wait! If you're here does that mean my times up? But I haven't learned a jutsu yet!"
"Extra test?" Iruka questioned to himself before his senses told him something was off and he jumped down to push Naruto out of the way of the shuriken that would've impaled him. Getting back up the two looked to see Mizuki grinning down at them. Mizuki wore the same uniform as Iruka only his headband was a bandanna that held down his short white hair instead. Also strapped to his back were two large oversized shuriken. "Mizuki!" Instantly everything fell into place for the scarred chunin. Naruto stealing the scroll and then claiming it was an extra test was just a lie told to him by his assistant so that he wouldn't be blamed for the scrolls disappearance.
"Why hello Iruka. Fancy meeting you here." He quipped before looking down at the blond. "Alright Naruto, hand over the scroll." He ordered while Iruka stepped between the chunin and blond.
"Don't do it Naruto! Mizuki's been lying to you!" He shouted as Naruto was scared and backed up before bumping into the cracked blade he had left on the ground. His attention was drawn back up as Mizuki began to chuckle before it turned into full blown laughter.
"I've been lying to him? Well what about you? Or the village? Everyone's been lying to that brat!" Mizuki shouted before grinning. "Hey Naruto, ya wanna hear the truth? Like the real reason everyone in the village hates you?" He asked as the blond looked up with an obvious desperate face as Iruka's eyes widened.
"Why? What's the reason?" The blond cried while Iruka held a hand out while focusing on Mizuki.
"Don't do it Mizuki! It's forbidden!" He shouted, making Naruto flinch and stare at Iruka in shock. Iruka knew why he was hated too? And it was a forbidden reason at that? Just what was being kept from him?
"Hey Naruto, remember the story of how the Yondaime killed the Kyuubi? Well it's a lie. Yondaime-sama didn't actually kill the demon." Mizuki started as Naruto listened to every word, paying more attention now than he ever had in school. "Turns out the demon was too great for even our greatest shinobi to defeat so he instead sealed the Kyuubi into a newborn baby. Do you understand Naruto? You were that baby! You are the Kyuubi no Yoko!" Mizuki shouted while pointing directly at the blond. Naruto was extremely shocked and even had tears in his eyes as everything fell into place for him. The boy dropped the scroll as his arms fell to his sides, his right hand landing on the handle to the blade next to him.
"Damn you Mizuki!" Iruka shouted as he leapt at the man while Mizuki scowled and pulled one of his large shuriken off his back to fight off his fellow chunin. Meanwhile Naruto's mind had almost entirely shut down at the revelation that he had a demon within him.
Do you want vengeance?
The boy had no idea how the words popped into his head. They didn't have a voice to go along with them or anything, they just popped into his head. He glanced up to see Iruka and Mizuki still fighting so it was obvious they didn't 'hear' the strange words. "Who…"
Would you like to make this village pay for their treatment of you? You are not the demon within and yet you are the one who suffered.
"Who's there?" Naruto asked, ignored by the battling chunin before he felt a small tug on his hand from the sword he was currently touching. "The sword…?"
Take hold of me and with my power they will never hate you again. They will never ignore you again. Through me you will be known throughout the world. Humanity will hail your name as a fighter without equal! As a warrior unstoppable! All you must do is grasp me in your hands and use me!
Naruto was staring at the blade in shock before looking to see Mizuki slam Iruka against a tree and carve a gash into his chest with his large shuriken. The scarred chunin cried out in pain and collapsed as the fresh wound began to bleed. Seeing the younger of the only two people to ever be nice to him be harmed so badly Naruto made his decision and grabbed the blade next to him in both hands. However the second he did the gem on the blade opened up to reveal a yellowish red eye with a slit pupil. Naruto let out a cry of pain as the sword glowed a bright red and energy began to spark from the blade into his arms and then his entire body.
Finally! Your soul is mine human!
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
"What's happening? Where am I?" Naruto asked as he looked around. He was suddenly in a large sewer with cracked walls and leaky pipes hanging on the ceiling. A low level of water was around his feet as all the pipes glowed a very faint blue save for one that glowed a bright red. "The last thing I remember is… that sword! I picked it up and it started burning me!" Naruto shouted before he heard footsteps walking along in the water. Looking to the side down one of the tunnels the footsteps grew louder before a figure walked out. The figure looked like a skeleton bathed in flames wearing bronze armor over it, save for a helmet as the skull was left bare. In it's hands was the very sword Naruto had grasped, a sword it raised with one arm and pointed at the blond boy.
(Think Inferno from number 2 now)
Finally! Your soul is mine human!
It's mouth moved in a parody of speech but no sound came out yet instinctively Naruto instantly knew the words the figure had spoken. Naruto took a step back in fear as the skull grinned and it flipped the blade in its hand and stabbed it down into the floor of the sewer. Naruto gasped in pain for a second and clutched his chest as red energy began to spread from the blade and into the floor. The energy gathered for a second before it spread, changing the sewer into a burning field.
"Kit run!" A loud voice rang out through the halls and Naruto didn't waste anytime obeying it as he ran down the hall and away from the spreading energy. "Follow my voice kit. I can help you!" The voice cried so again Naruto obeyed, not knowing what was going on but feeling that this new voice was likely his only shot at surviving whatever was happening. Turning down a hall Naruto noticed that only the red pipes remained on the ceiling and were all leading to the source of the voice. Mentally wondering why the blond kept charging until he came to a large open room. Behind him was the simple tunnel he had come from while in front of him was a large cage that was easily multiple stories high. Naruto noticed though that its lock was covered by a paper with the kanji for seal on it before a pair of glowing red eyes opened from within the darkness of the cage. "Kit, get over here!"
"Who are you?" Naruto shouted as the eyes moved closed to the cage and came into the light showing they belonged to a large nine tailed fox with dark orange fur and black lips. "You're the Kyuubi!" He shouted as the fox rolled its eyes and nodded before gesturing with its strangely humanlike hands for him to come closer to the cage.
"Yes but if you don't want to die then get over here before Soul Edge destroys you!" It shouted as Naruto glanced behind him to see the energy traveling down the tunnel. The blond let out a shout of fear and ran towards the cage as Kyuubi slipped a clawed finger between the bars and Naruto climbed on top of it. The fox then lifted Naruto up while keeping him on the outer edge of the cage while the energy ran through the room and changed it to more of the burning landscape the fiery figure had made. Gently the fox set Naruto back down while pulling its claw back behind the bars as the cage and shifted to an actual locked cage instead of just being a barred off part of the room since the room no longer existed. "There, had you been touching the ground as it changed you would've vanished with the old mindscape."
"Thanks…" Naruto muttered as he looked up to the fox and was about to ask why it was helping him before seeing that its gaze was focused behind Naruto. Hearing footsteps the blond whirled around to see the burning skeleton walking up with the sword in hand once more. "You! Who and what are you!"
I am Soul Edge! The ultimate blade and devourer of souls!
"Naruto, that skeleton is merely a representation of the blade. It's the sword that is the real power behind this change." Kyuubi explained as the figure pointed the blade up at the fox itself.
You! One of the pieces to the source! What is the meaning of your soul being within the humans'?
"I was sealed here by the boy's father after being torn from his mother." Kyuubi explained making the boy spin back around and gape at the fox. Sealed by his father? Torn from his mother? The fox was sealed by the Yondaime though so that meant his father was the greatest hero Konoha ever knew since the Shodai! And the demon knew his mother too because she apparently held him as well! Before he could ask though the fox continued. "Still, it is a surprise to see you Soul Edge. Last I heard of you was about you being shattered and having your old host killed by the two men that would later fight over me."
What are you getting at Nine?
"What I'm getting at is that you are only a literal fragment of your former power whereas mine is still strong."
Lies! Nine is only half of itself.
"True, but my half is still stronger than your current." The fox shot back as the skeleton lowered the blade and its fire raged for a moment while Naruto decided to cut in.
"Wait a minute! What the hell is going on? Where am I? What happened after I grabbed that sword?" He shouted as the skeleton raised the sword again but Kyuubi growled to make it stop and lower it down again.
"It's quite simple Naruto. This is supposed to be your mindscape, a mental representation of your soul and state of mind while this area here is meant to be my prison within you. After you took hold of Soul Edge the blade began to feed its power into you to take control, hence the skeleton over there with a copy of the sword. It used its power to warp your soul and mindscape more to its liking and I am literally the only reason you still remain and weren't swept away in the blades madness and power." The fox told him before narrowing its eyes on the blond. "Now shut up or I will let Soul Edge do as it pleases with you." It threatened as Naruto nodded.
Why do you stop me Nine? You know what I wish! The humans' pure heart and soul will only get in my way and be put to much better use as simply a meal.
"I stopped you because if you did that then I would die as well. My soul is tied to his due to the seal." Kyuubi explained before grinning. "However I have a deal for you Soul Edge." The skeleton tilted its head to the side to show it was listening so Kyuubi held out a claw through the cage. "Use your power to make me the master of this vessel and I will give you all the souls and carnage you desire. You cannot kill the boy without killing me and you know my power would be better used with you. However you also know you can't simply kill me to take my power as I am currently stronger than you. So instead allow me control, and I will make sure you get exactly what you want." The fox offered as Naruto paled and the skeleton nodded.
"Hey wait! You can't do that!"
The deal is acceptable. You will switch places with the human and feed me souls!
The skeleton then jumped up before Naruto could say anymore and stabbed the blade into Kyuubi's claw as everything began to bleed red for the blond. Naruto shielded his eyes from the growing bright red glow before it vanished and he opened them again. When he did he noticed both Kyuubi and Soul Edge were gone though the area still looked like a burning field. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and was about to start walking around to try and find and exit when black chains burst out of the ground and lashed at him. "What's going on?!" Naruto shouted as he dodged one only for another to sprout from the ground behind him and grab his leg. The blond let out a shout of surprise and terror as the rest of the chains descended on him and wrapped him up before holding him upright in the air with his arms spread apart and his feet together. "What's happening?" He whispered before laughter rang out.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Finally! Freedom from that accursed cage! And now I even have the mighty Soul Edge within my grasp!"
"Kyuubi?" Naruto called out as a figure materialized on the ground in front of him out of red energy. Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he could tell instantly something was wrong as the figure was a cruel parody of him. His copy still had spiky blond hair only now there were streaks of red going through it in random places while the whisker marks were thickened to deep and jagged black lines on his cheeks. The figures' eyes were also different from his own as they were red with vertically slit pupils. Strangely the sclera of his right eye was pure black while his left was still the natural white. As Naruto dropped his eyes down to the figures' body he let out a gasp. The figure wore the same clothes as him and only seemed to be about five inches taller than he normally was but it was the arm that got his attention. Its right arm had bulged and surged into a monstrosity that had torn off the sleeve to his jacket. From the right shoulder extended red spikes with black tips as the arm itself seemed to be covered in black scaled plates that shined red when the light reflected off them. And then came the hand itself. Calling it a hand was an insult to the term as it was more of a claw than anything. It was now a three fingered claw covered in the same black scales only with red clawed nails tipping each finger. Extending off the back of the wrist was a large plate that covered the forearm while at the center of the plate was the same yellowish red eye that had been on Soul Edge. The last thing Naruto saw was that in the figures deformed arm was the actual blade itself. "Wha… what are you?"
"Oh what's wrong Naruto? Don't you recognize me?"
"K-Kyuubi?" He stuttered out as he grinned and nodded in response.
"Exactly. If you're wondering about my new look then let me explain. Soul Edge can only be used by human hosts, so I had to fashion a new body using yours as my base. Hence why I look like you to an extent. However using my own power and a bit of Soul Edge's, I made a few changes for myself into what you see before you. These changes have even happened to your real body outside this place in the real world."
"What?! But you can't!"
"I can and have human." The demon cut in with a sadistic smirk. "You see, you're in no position to argue. In fact, you aren't even in any position to do anything. You aren't even in control anymore boy! It's only because of the seal binding us that I let you live. I'm even going to be kind enough to let you watch everything that happens outside as I use your body for the goals of myself and Soul Edge!" The demon let out a laugh before floating up in front of Naruto and grabbing his head by the hair with his still human hand and pulling his face so close to his own that Naruto could see himself reflected in the demons eyes. As well as the madness and blood lust Soul Edge had given him. "You should be proud Naruto. I'm going to fulfill Soul Edge's offer for you. Nobody will ever ignore you again, because if they do then I will kill them. And you'll be known as the strongest to ever live because I'm going to kill anyone that gets in my way until there's nobody left stronger than me." He whispered as Naruto's eyes began to water from the pain and despair settling in. "In fact, you're going to bring peace to the world! How does that sound? I'll bring about peace for you humans. Doesn't that sound nice?"
"H-how?" The boy whispered as Kyuubi pulled back and gestured to the sword.
"By killing everyone that won't obey my rule of course." He admitted as Naruto struggled against the chains holding him and tried to break free but Kyuubi just laughed and snapped his fingers as the chains glowed red and Naruto began to scream as they burned him. "Uh uh uh Naruto. You aren't going anywhere! Your body is mine now. I am the one in control while you are the one who will be locked up from within! Now if you'll excuse me, I have a sword to feed and a world to conquer." He cheered before vanishing in a flash of red light.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Mizuki had frozen when Naruto screamed and turned to see the blond holding the sword while getting shocked and burned by the red energy flowing into him from the blade. The energy quickly covered him from view as a pillar of spiraling red and black energy erupted from the blade. "What the hell is the demon doing?!" The chunin shouted as he shielded his eyes and Iruka kept his focus on the pillar. Naruto was hurting because of it somehow so he had to help him. With the large gash on his chest though he was having a hard time just staying conscious. Finally the light died down to a dull glow as they looked to see a black silhouette within it. The figure stood up straight before the glow faded away and they saw what had happened to the boy.
"N-Naruto…"
"You really are a demon!" Mizuki shouted in fear before tossing the shuriken at him to kill him. Red eyes tracked the giant metal star as it neared him before ducking out of the way without moving his feet and using his still human hand to catch it by the hole in its center. Iruka's eyes went wide in shock as Mizuki gaped at how the 'dead last' had caught his attack with ease. Shaking himself free of the shock the chunin grabbed the second star and through it at the boy as well. The demonic looking boy sneered in disdain at the incoming shuriken and swung the blade in his deformed right arm so fast that a trail of red followed and the two halves of Mizuki's shuriken dropped to the ground. "Holy shit!"
"What's the matter human? You seemed so arrogant before…" Naruto's voice taunted, though it was deeper and contained a barely restrained blood lust that both of the older males could identify. "You know… I see something wrong with this picture." He commented as he spun the shuriken in his hand and grinned. "You aren't screaming yet!" He shouted as he tossed the projectile at Mizuki far faster than the man had thrown it at him. The man couldn't even react before the spinning weapon was embedded in a tree behind him and his left arm dropped to the ground. Mizuki glanced down at his severed limb, numb to the pain he should be feeling as he dropped to his knees and the demonic boy started walking forward. "I still don't hear screaming. Seems I haven't done enough yet."
"D-d-d-demon!" Mizuki stuttered out as the red streaked blond grinned.
"But of course. You are the one who told him of his former prisoner aren't you? You know, I should thank you! You're little outburst and then attack on the scarred one gave him the push to grab the sword and from there I have now taken control!" Iruka's eyes' were wide next to the pair as he realized what that meant. This was no longer Naruto but the Kyuubi. Somehow the sword had switched the prisoner with the warden and changed Naruto's body in the process. "I know the perfect reward for you Mizuki." Kyuubi commented as he raised the sword up with his demonic arm. "You can be the first soul taken by the newest wielder of Soul Edge!" He cheered before stabbing the blade down straight through Mizuki's chest. The man screamed in pain and terror as the blade glowed red and devoured his soul as the screaming stopped. "Ah now there was my scream…"
"G-give Naruto his b-body back." Iruka stuttered out as Kyuubi pulled the blade out of the soulless corpse of Mizuki and he turned to the bleeding and scarred chunin against the tree next to him. "You have to g-give it b-back K-Kyuubi."
"Now why should I do that? I'm finally free and I have the strongest blade in creation in my hands. Why would I give both of those up for the little human?" The demon asked as Iruka stared up at him in defiance.
"B-because otherwise a-all his work t-trying to g-get the v-villagers to acknowledge him w-will be r-ruined." Kyuubi nodded his head in agreement as he lifted up Soul Edge to rest it upon his shoulder.
"True. However let me ask you another question; why should I care human?" He asked as Iruka scowled and Kyuubi grinned. "Oh don't be like that, he's still okay in here. I can't get rid of him or the seal will kill me as well." The fox admitted before tapping his head. "In fact he can see and hear everything right now because I'm feeling generous. I can hear his screams for me to leave you alone and let him have his body back even." The fox admitted before pointing his sword at the chunin's chest. "You were one of only two to care for him in this entire village." The demon mused as Iruka struggled to stand while leaning heavily against the tree.
"That's because I c-could see the difference… the difference b-between him and y-you Kyuubi." The man admitted as he stood breathing heavily against the tree. The demon nodded his head as he pulled the sword back to stab it forward.
"I know. And that is why you'll have the honor of hearing my true name before you die. I am the Kyuubi no Yoko, strongest of the biju! And my name is Kurama!" He shouted before driving the blade through Iruka's chest and into the tree behind him. The chunin coughed up blood and could feel the immense pain from the blade devouring his soul but he refused to scream his pain. Instead he gave a sad regretful smile.
"I'm s-sorry Naruto. M-maybe if I h-helped you m-more, this n-never w-would've happened…" He gasped out as the life left him and Kurama pulled the sword out of him and looked at him as his body collapsed to the ground.
"If you had, I'm quite sure you're right." The demon muttered before narrowing his eyes. "Time to leave the village before its forces come here and capture me." He muttered before glancing at the scroll on the ground and grinning. "But maybe Soul Edge isn't my only prize today." Kurama placed the blade on his back as it stuck there by chakra and he knelt down and rolled the scroll up before taking to the trees and running for parts unknown.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
'How could this have happened?' Hiruzen cried out mentally as he had watched the entire scene from his office with his crystal ball. He knew instantly that Naruto was likely lost forever as Kurama would never let him go. He also knew that with Soul Edge and his own demonic power that stopping the demon would be an ANBU level task. The man quickly snapped his fingers as a masked shinobi dropped down in front of him from seemingly nothing. "I want a contingent to follow and watch Naruto, or rather the Kyuubi, now! However under no circumstances are they to engage. I will devise a way to get Naruto to regain control first before our men capture him and bring him back to the village. For now, they simply follow him. Also, alert the council for a meeting now!" The Hokage ordered as the ANBU vanished again to follow his orders.
'I have to take raise an alarm on Naruto but make sure he is to be captured and not killed or everything Minato and Kushina died for will be gone forever!' The man thought as he headed to the council chambers and waited. The chamber was a simple large room with three tables set in a U around the room facing its entrance. The Hokage took his place at the head table while to his right would be the shinobi clan heads while to his left would be the civilian leaders, mostly merchants and bankers the people elected to the spots so that the Hokage would know the wants of the common people. The only people that would sit at the head table with Sarutobi himself would be his three advisors.
The council was an idea of the Niidaime Hokage for peacetime situations to help the people feel more involved in the village without ruining the Hokage's rule. During a wartime situation the council was disbanded while the Hokage was given absolute authority but as they were currently at peace the council was in effect. First was obviously the Hokage, followed by his current advisors, of which he or she could have three a most. Then came the leaders of the various shinobi clans that were within the village and finally came the elected officials of the civilians. The council had no true power save what the Hokage allowed it, which was the general day-to-day matters of the village while he oversaw the important matters though he did receive a report of everything for the day to make sure they didn't try overstepping their boundaries. The council was mostly a place for people, shinobi or civilian alike, to offer their own input for the Hokage to consider in a public forum or for the leader to issue out decrees or warnings as required. The only true power of the council was that the Hokage couldn't go to war without their assent, a balance to hold back anybody that attempted to abuse the Hokage position to take vengeance on another village or conquer the world.
The first to arrive were Sarutobi's old teammates, Koharu and Homura before the others started filling into their seats as needed. The last to show up was an old civilian man and once he sat down Hiruzen stood to call the meeting to order. "Thank you all for coming. I have no doubt you are wondering why I called you here at this late hour so I'll skip straight to the point. Something extremely dangerous has come up involving Naruto Uzumaki and the Kyuubi." Instantly their were scowls and even a couple looks of hatred on the faces of almost everyone in the room, mostly from the civilian side of the council but a couple among the shinobi side as well. "Earlier today was the graduation exam for the Academy students to become genin in our forces. Naruto failed but was then approached by Mizuki, the chunin assistant in his class. Mizuki lied to Naruto and told him he could become a genin if he stole the forbidden scroll from my office, a task I admit he performed perfectly." Sarutobi admitted, silently liking how much skill Naruto really had though hating the reason for him to show it. "After stealing the scroll Naruto ran into the woods on the outskirts of the village to try and learn a jutsu from it to 'pass' the fake test Mizuki told him of. Instead what young Naruto found was far, far worse."
"What happened Hokage-sama?" Inoichi Yamanaka asked. "For this meeting to be called something catastrophic had to have happened. I'm guessing it has something to do with that large and dark chakra spike most of the sensors in the village, myself included, felt around half an hour ago?" The man asked as Sarutobi nodded.
"Yes it does. You see, Naruto opened the scroll completely and found an old containment seal holding a very dangerous and very powerful weapon that was sealed away by the Shodai and Madara Uchiha. This weapon is a blade known as Soul Edge." The Hokage admitted as a couple of the older or more informed clan heads on the shinobi side of the council let out a gasp in shock. "You see, back when Konoha first formed and Hashirama-sama had just been made Hokage, things were in an uproar among the world. The very first shinobi village had been formed from the alliance of two of the strongest clans the world has ever seen. More clans were rushing to join together and mimic Konoha by making their own villages while a few instead came to join our village and help form it into what it has become today. However amidst all of that chaos in the world was one warrior that attacked indiscriminately. He was only known as the Azure Knight due to his heavy blue armor while he carried a glowing red blade of great and vile power. The Azure Knight rampaged throughout the lands killing simply because he could until he came to Hi no Kuni. Hashirama-sama and Madara went out to challenge this Knight and keep him from harming their newly formed home. It was a long fought battle but in the end our founders prevailed in not only defeating the Azure Knight but in shattering his blade. They took the largest fragment, which was most of the blade itself, to hopefully use for Konoha's benefit while scattering the rest of the shards to the four corners of the world. The last words the Azure Knight was reported of ever saying was thank you for freeing him."
"This history lesson is wonderful Hokage-sama but what does this have to do with the boy?" Homura cut in so Sarutobi nodded.
"My apologies, but I feel you all must understand the full magnitude of this blade before I get to that. Now, having the large, though admittedly cracked and broken blade, the Shodai sought to let swordsman of the village attempt to wield its great power for Konoha. However he hit a snag when the blades' true nature came into play. Anybody who held the blade went mad, killing anyone they could screaming about feeding human souls to Soul Edge, which we came to know is the blade itself. Some searching was done through records and it was discovered that Soul Edge is a blade that dates back to the time of the Rikudou Sennin. The blade is a cursed, living sword that desires only one thing; death. It devours the souls of those it kills and will taint and twist the soul of its wielder to its liking. The men who tried to use the blade were never the same again and most had to be killed because of the insanity they were left with. As such the Shodai decreed it was to be sealed up, never to be seen or used again. The man sealed the blade in what would later become the forbidden scroll as countless dangerous kinjutsu were added to it over time alongside the blade's sealed prison." Sarutobi finished before sighing. "When Naruto opened the scroll he went over it before finding the seal and releasing the sword, either not noticing or ignoring the warning about it. Iruka found and confronted him before both were attacked by Mizuki. The man then revealed Naruto's jinchuriki status to the boy before Iruka began to fend him off. Young Naruto, whether in a moment of anger and betrayal or desire to protect Iruka, grabbed the sword which is when it tried to gain control over him. That was the chakra spike Inoichi-san mentioned as the blade fought against Naruto to gain control of him while the boy struggled to stay himself. However, Kyuubi intervened."
"What do you mean? Is the demon free and the boy dead?" Shikaku Nara asked and Hiruzen shook his head.
"No, though that would be more merciful." He told them before sighing again and telling them the truth. "Kyuubi apparently took Soul Edge's attempt at control and made it his own, taking over Naruto's body and even forcing grotesque changes on it to suit his liking. The Kyuubi now controls Naruto's body and has taken Soul Edge as its own. The demon then killed both Mizuki and then Iruka before grabbing the forbidden scroll and fleeing the village. I have ANBU on its tail now with orders to not engage as of yet as the full power of Soul Edge is unknown and it may be possible to save Naruto and return him to normal as well."
Instantly shouting broke out in the room over what to do about Naruto. Most of the civilian side was unsurprisingly calling for the boy's death. The shinobi side, his capture. Hiruzen listened to their shouting for a few seconds before flaring his chakra to get their attention focused on him. "ENOUGH! All of you are going to quiet down so that we may discuss this rationally." He ordered so they did.
"I say the demon must be killed before it can return to harm Konoha!" An old civilian said, many of his fellow non-shinobi nodding their agreement.
"I feel capturing the Kyuubi again would be most prudent. The might of the strongest biju is one Konoha requires to keep itself safe." Shibi Aburame calmly stated. "Hokage-sama believes it may be possible to rescue young Uzumaki-san from the fate the blade and demon have forced onto him and as such it should be attempted. If it fails then the sword can be destroyed while Kyuubi may be torn from Uzumaki and sealed into a new host."
"But in that case Naruto would die. I may not really like the kid but I don't want him dead either." Tsume Inuzuka chimed in. "Stupid pranks and annoying orange clothes aside he is a pretty loyal kid and I'd rather not have to have him killed for any reason."
"Neither would I Tsume-san. I was merely stating what I feel should be done should it prove impossible to return Uzumaki-san to normal after capturing him, which is logically the first obstacle." Shibi clarified as Shikaku yawned and shook his head.
"Troublesome but Shibi's right. First we have to capture the kid and then try to both break the swords hold on him and then put him back in control and shove Kyuubi back into the seal. However we don't know how the demon used Soul Edge to gain control in the first place. Fixing Naruto could be as simple as taking Soul Edge away from him to downright impossible because the change may be permanent. There's also no saying how the kid will be if we even do get him back after it all as well. He could bounce back as if nothing happened, become a killing machine like the previous holders of that sword apparently did or just breakdown altogether into a hollow shell of a person. If it turns out Naruto can't be freed or that he's scarred and twisted beyond repair after he is then Shibi's offer is really the only one Konoha can reasonably take. Hate the demon all you want, but Konoha needs its power to scare off the other villages from sending their own jinchuriki to crush us." The Nara explained in full as the council was mostly nodding their agreement as they began to see that Shibi's original idea was best. Sarutobi sighed and reluctantly nodded his own head as well.
"Those were among my own thoughts as well. I will alert Jiraiya as he is our greatest seal master and have him begin researching ways to return Naruto to normal as well as get his spy network to keep an eye on the possessed boy. No move will be made to capture him though until a we have a viable idea of his skills and power as well as a way to try and fix him first though as it will lure Kyuubi into a false sense of security if we do not pursue it right away." The man ordered as the council nodded. "Good, then this meeting is adjourned."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Deep in an underground shrine a light blue sword began to glow as it rested among the unlit candles and ceremonial statues that filled the room. Its twin, counterpart, sibling, whatever one wished to refer to Soul Edge in comparison to it had awakened. It could feel the dark energies already beginning to taint the land. Now it too needed a vessel, someone to wield it against the cursed blade. Soul Edge could only be truly destroyed by it after all, just as it could only be truly vanquished by that dark blade. Glowing brighter the blue sword began to call out to any who could hear it. Soul Edge was free and needed to be stopped.
And only Soul Calibur could successfully do it.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Author's Notes
The latest in my 'random thoughts turned into full-blown plot' stories. I had been playing Soul Calibur recently when suddenly the idea of Naruto with Calibur fighting a human-like Kyuubi with Edge popped into my head. I let the little mental scene play out a bit before thinking of other Naruto characters that could pass as Soul Calibur fighters if they were given a weapon and came up with a few so I thought why not a story to go with it and bang, out pops Redemption. Obviously, Naruto is currently being possessed by Kyuubi who will be playing out 'Nightmare' though with a twist, he won't be an indiscriminate killer looking for strong souls to consume. He'll do that on the side but he'll have an actual goal here. Eventually Soul Calibur will come in and much like Siegfried broke away from Nightmare to gain the spirit sword and attack what he used to be, Naruto will be freed and become his own person again and try to kill Kurama with Soul Calibur. That won't happen for a while though so Naruto won't be seen much these first few chapters as Kurama has control and won't be giving it up.
From the opening you can see a teenage Naruto going up against another jinchuriki that's possessed by its biju and helping Kurama in his world domination so I'll say it here first, all the biju play a very pivotal role as the bad guys. Akatsuki and Orochimaru are evil as well but in this story the biju are the final bosses.
Not every Naruto character will become a fighter like a Soul Calibur character. Like just because Naruto will fill Siegfried's role and Kurama will fill Nightmare's does not mean that the other characters will fill similar roles. Everyone will be different. I will also be having a couple Soul Calibur characters make an appearance in the fic but not for a while.
Pairings haven't even been decided yet so feel free to give suggestions of anybody with anybody, except no yaoi or yuri. I hate yaoi with a passion but at the same time I'm fair so since I'm denying one I have to deny the other with it. Besides, while I can read yuri if it's well written, I don't really care that much for it and don't feel like writing it.
Updates to this story will be slow as I'm going to focus most of my time on my others. Sorry to disappoint anybody but my other stories have far more planned for them then this does so while I'll work on this when I can, they will always be my bigger priority. Since getting a laptop I've been able to start more stories but before I would post them I'd write three or four chapters first so that I could give myself more time to make new ones to keep the story going while still putting out chapters. Not here. With this story I have most of the second half thought up and planned out but the first half isn't really planned out much. Plus I have a very important poll for this story so I can't simply write on ahead like I've been doing with other stories. (The poll will be explained below) As such, expect very slow updates with this.
And finally, in true Soul Calibur fashion, I will have guest characters from other series come in. However, who comes in is up to you readers! I want all of you to suggest any men or woman from any series around for characters to come into the battle between Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. After chapter three I will pick five of the men and five of the woman and then put a poll on my profile for you to vote in. At the end of the poll the top ranking man and the top ranking woman will be entering Redemption as guest characters. The only rules as to who you suggest are that they can't use modern or futuristic weapons. In other words no guns or lasers. Other than that though, suggest anybody you want. Even fist fighters! I'll make sure their powers and abilities (if they have any) as well as their stories fit into the Naruto world well enough without problem so just give me suggestions!
So please favorite and review!