"Waking from the Ashes"
By Quick-n-Popular
Disclaimer: Naruto and Devil May Cry are not mine but this story is.
Author's Note: There will be vast differences between this and the canon plot. "Naruto" will not be having the same mannerisms from the characters of DMC nor will he wield firearms. However, the others will remain. This first chapter's a test run, really. I'm eager to see if the premise of this story is appreciated and that there's enough attention to make it into a series.
It's up to you, dear readers. Good? Bad? Continue or dismiss entirely?
Enjoy.
Summary: Reborn with the powers long since dormant from his previous life, a boy decideds to set out on a journey to discover himself and, in the process, makes friends, enemies, and causes the whole shinobi world to pause in wonder. Let's Rock!
Chapter One: Rebirth
"Is he dead?"
Two men garbed in Anbu cloaks and masks stood in the clearing of the forest west of Konoha leading close to the borderline and verging on Wind Country. Nightfall had come hours earlier and the stars twinkled in the moonlight. One might consider the environment in the late hour peaceful, however, if the stars' luminescence had fallen upon the earth, it would have been revealed to be the exact opposite. The ground, shrubs, and trees were heavily scorched. Some of the earth had been raised as well, making it look alien to its surrounding. Another item out of place, which held the men's interest, was that of a figure sprawled out on the ground, its limbs contorted in odd angles like that of a marionette that had its strings cut. This figure was the size of a child one that was still smoldering as nothing on the surface lay un-scorched. The boy was in the middle of a crater, the area itself blackened by whatever malevolent jutsu had been used on the poor being. The boy was still and looked as though hell itself had spat him out from its very depths. Again, there was no movement or sound from the boy and one of the two men crouched down and placed two gloved fingers against the charred figure's neck.
The masked Anbu got back to his feet and came out of the crater, turning to his associate, nodding.
The other sighed, "The Sandaime will be out for blood tomorrow. Unfortunately, there was nothing here to point out who attacked the demon-child."
Suddenly, the eyes of the said child snapped open and they moved around in their sockets at a frantic pace before settling to look above at the two men above the crater's edge. However, neither of the two noticed this.
"It's for the best, really. Sure he looks like a kid but what he had inside him still haunts all of us to this day. A lot of broken people will be able to move on, now. Hokage-sama should have listened to the council to either cast him out or have him sealed up in a room somewhere instead of roaming free and reminding everyone what they lost. No matter how hard Hokage-sama wished for it, that boy would have always been looked at as the Kyuubi or the boy holding the Kyuubi."
The boy's eyes became bright and seemed to jumble about in an effort to cry.
The other Anbu sighed, "Yeah, but you have to admit, we really pissed on the Yondaime's grave because of this. Both him and the Sandaime wanted this boy to be something great."
The other man sighed in turn, "People can never forget, though. However…" He then turned towards the still figure on the ground, still unaware of it being conscious and listening to their every word.
"We can do something fitting for the boy, at least. Something I doubt anyone else in the village would be willing to do for him now." The masked man got onto one knee and performed various hand signs before shouting something and then slamming an open palm against the ground besides the boy. A large mound of earth leapt from the ground and landed on the opposite side of the pit that was made. He then grabbed the charred form of the boy and rolled it into the pit till it hit the ground with a thud. He then got up and turned to his partner.
"You know as well as I that even though he's dead now, there'll still be those adamant enough to break into his grave should he be laid to rest in Konoha and will continue to have unrest, our Hokage as well."
The other sighed and nodded. He then went into his own hand signs and landed on a particular one before exhaling a vast amount of fire at the figure below. This was much stronger than whatever jutsu had befallen upon the poor boy before as incinerated him faster, hotter, and in little time there was nothing left but a pile of ash lying at the bottom of the pit. The other Anbu performed a similar hand sign like the one he performed before and the risen earth that had once been separated from the pit they had made now came back and laid to rest on top.
Both men continued to look at the earth before the earth user of the group turned and proceeded back to the village of Konoha to report on their failure to find the boy and that there were signs of fighting but nothing could be found otherwise. He turned his head towards his partner, "We'd better get going, Itachi-san."
Itachi nodded and followed in stride with his partner before looking back and uttering a farewell to the departed.
"Goodbye, Uzumaki Naruto. May you find peace in Kami-sama's arms that was forbidden to you from the village you were born into."
At first there was screaming and panic, and then there was fear, finally bright colors of unimaginable pain before there was blissfulness of darkness. Pain came back, as well as fear, and then there was darkness once more but it soon erupted into a blaze of golden and crimson light, dancing as if the wind was pushing their flames all around. Soon a color came into inferno that of a strange amethyst hue which soon enshrouded all other colors. The color soon bubbled and then dissipated into scenery of forestry and droplets of splashing water all around…
Right on the borderline between Fire and Wind Country, a small nude figure lay curled with their eyes fluttering open and closed. He had a mop of white hair on his head, spiky, and with bangs that veiled his azure eyes. He felt weak for some reason, he wanted to move yet found the ability far from his reach. His brain registered the condition of his body as he tried to feel out through his limbs in an effort to move them. Slowly he was granted movement as he used the small yet to be developed muscles in his thin frame to be able to at least sit himself up right. In this atrophied state, it was a staggering process but he finally managed to get himself into a sitting position, his legs still remained unresponsive. The boy looked around at his surroundings through the strands of his bangs in curiosity. He tried his best to find anything familiar in his new environment but had yet to come up with anything. He closed his eyes and tried to find any source of memory that was inside. However, he soon regretted it as the deeper he tried to recall something he was soon hit with a flurry of imagery. People garbed in shinobi out fits with headbands with leaf symbols, were attacking him ruthlessly. He could ascertain a small terrified voice calling out for mercy and reprieve but it came onto the deaf ears of those maliciously assaulting him. The images changed but the scenarios remained the same. The last however, left him speechless as he found himself being chased by a large mob behind him out of the surroundings of the village into the forest where twelve men circled around him. He looked in terror around at them, these men, their eyes ablaze with red, spinning, eyes. Soon there was an eruption of fire all around him and the pain was insurmountable. The white haired boy fell to the wet ground clutching it, panting in overwhelmed terror at what he saw. Then, the last vestige of memories came at him of opening his eyes and seeing two men standing ahead of him talking about him. Listening to their conversation he finally understood what the previous memories were all about but then he vividly felt the same pain wash over him like the last time only more excruciating. Then…then there was nothing.
Pushing his hands shakily against the ground he righted himself up once more and looked towards the clouded, rain-filled, sky. Slivers of the clouds parted to show the starlight behind them. The boy closed his eyes and then let out a tired sigh.
"So…. I was killed, then." He said softly.
"But then reborn."
He looked around to where the voice, no, more like snarl; had come from. He soon was able to turn his shoulders to where he could glimpse behind him. Two objects, a few feet away from him lay buried in the earth. One, a crimson halberd ablaze in some unholy fire, two vulpine-like tails seemed to sprout out beneath the blade where it was connected with a long obsidian staff. The other, a sheathed katana, black and glossy in the scarce light; a yellow sash tied around the handle lay limp to its side and yet looked completely dry despite its wet surroundings. He looked at both weapons but his eyes soon settled on the halberd.
"You can speak." He stated.
"Hmm…surprising, in your previous life you were very unobservant and naïve yet now I can sense some growing awareness and astuteness from my former container."
The boy's face should no change as he gazed at the weapon with half-lidded eyes.
"You are, or were, the Kyuubi, yes?"
A dark chuckle resonated in his mind before a reply was made.
"I was. Now, seeing as how you've been reborn, and that some dormant genes inside yourself have came to life to manifest you into your true form; my role in existence has changed from prisoner to servant. I am Kyuubi, your Devil Arm."
After the name 'devil arm' was uttered, the boy closed his eyes once more as he felt a new slew of information was now being processed in his brain along with visuals of certain people and events. When it all ended, he opened his eyes and slowly made his way to standing up onto his own two feet. He then turned and walked towards Kyuubi in its halberd form and pulled it out of the ground. The weapon in all was taller than he was, but that would change in the future, he supposed. He gave it a few experimental diagonal swipes before twirling it expertly above his head and moving in various combinations of footwork and body rhythm. He soon ended it and truck Kyuubi back into the earth and went towards the katana.
"You're name is Yamato, isn't it?" He asked as he pulled the blade, sheathe and all, out of the ground and held it in front of him. No voice called back but certain feelings were felt and they rose and fell to almost feel as if it were a new kind of speech pattern. The boy nodded and then unsheathed the blade and performed something similar with it that he did with Kyuubi. When he had finished he re-sheathed the blade and held it in his left hand as he walked over to Kyuubi and by some form of chakra had it shrink itself to where it could be held on his back by chakra that he felt swarming inside himself.
"So, what now, Naruto Uzumaki, ex-keeper of the nine-tailed demon fox?" Kyuubi asked, mirthfully.
The boy closed his eyes and shook his head.
"Naruto Uzumaki is dead. His village killed him and I shall not take his name with me. Though...I can't really escape it either as he's very much apart of me. I'll carry the name Uzumaki but with it, Sparda, as I'm two sides of the same coin." His eyes then gazed to the horizon as his small body walked forward, the halbred and the carried in each of his hands. "I will never forget my past life. I'll search for a new name and a purpose in this ugly yet beautiful world." With those words he walked out from the grounds and into world.
To be continued…
Reviews are appreciated as I can hear the opinions. Please review as it'll help me in knowing if this is a go or a bust.
Q-n-P