Before we begin, I must make it clear that Tsukune will NOT be appearing in this fanfic as Naruto is, in effect, taking his part in the plot. I've read fanfics where he is included alongside Naruto and I find that his presence is awkward given the nature of Rosario+Vampire…
But don't fret, the exclusion of one character, especially one as weak as Tsukune, will not negatively impact the quality of this fic and with any sort of luck he will be out of sight and out of mind.
Now without further ado please enjoy the first installment of "Become what you Hate"
Disclaimer: I do not nor will I ever own Naruto or Rosario+Vampire. Sad Panda (T_T)
Become What You Hate
Chapter 1: Human
Floating on the surface of a knee-deep river of filth was a young blond man. His body though toned and lithe looked haggard and worn beyond the man's apparent years. Short, measured convulsions tore throughout his body as the man's muscles rippled and spasmed from some invisible pain. His face contorted in pain as the convulsions gradually lessened until all at once they stopped allowing his body to finally relax.
Slowly the man's pale blue eyes fluttered open.
Naruto awoke from his slumber, only to find himself in an all too familiar sewer. Life seemed to rekindle inside of Naruto's eyes as his body began the long process of rebooting.
The haze in his head rapidly started to clear as his mind began to resume its predisposed functions. Naruto's first cognitive thought in what seemed like an eternity raced through his brain, 'How did I end up here?'
Naruto took a quick glace at his surroundings to confirm once more that he was indeed inside his own mindscape. The last he could recall had been battling Pein in the cratered remnants of Konoha. He didn't even want to hazard a guess as to how he ended up 'inside' himself. Experience taught him, however, that whatever the reason it would not be pleasant.
Wasting no further time Naruto began his long trek to the only noteworthy place inside his mindscape, the Kyuubi's sealed cage. 'Hopefully I'll be able to goad some answers as to why I'm here from that bastard fox,' Naruto thought irritably.
As Naruto got closer and closer to the cage an eerie sense of foreboding began to pool in the pit of his gut. He had experienced this feeling every time he approached the colossal beasts humble abode but never quite on this scale. Subtle pulses of energy coursed through the water at a rhythmic pace in time with Naruto's own heartbeat.
The pipes were now bathed in an unnatural red glow as Naruto neared the source of all his problems. The air began to thicken as he turned the final corner towards the Kyuubi's sealed cage.
The sight that greeted him in the next room would be ingrained in his mind for years to come. The massive cage that had one bound the Kyuubi was no longer within the room leaving a long dark tunnel in what had at one time been the focal point of the room
"I don't understand…" Naruto whispered to himself as his eyes darted back and forth around the room trying to locate his former convict. Naruto's mind started to go into panic-mode as he began to recognize the ramifications if the Kyuubi had finally broken loose from its captivity and was now loose from the confines of his body.
"Well, well, well, I can't say that you're a sight for sore eyes Gaki," a thunderous voice spoke from the shadows of the Fox's former cage.
Naruto's panicked train of thought was instantly derailed by the introduction of an all to familiar voice, "Where are ya you Bastard Fox!"
A large ghostly manifestation of the Kyuubi emerged from the darkness. It still had the same intimidating and malicious aura that the Fox always held but somehow it felt distant. It was as though the fox wasn't physically there at all. "Hahahahaha, what's wrong KIT? You look like you've seen a fuckin' ghost..." The Kyuubi callously mocked with unrestrained hatred shining in its demonic red eyes.
Naruto's face had shock and confusion written all over it as his mind strained to come to terms with the manifestation that had appeared before him. "Kyuubi… what the hell happened to you?" Naruto asked in a perplexed tone.
The Kyuubi's mouth merely curled up into a wicked grin, "Heheh, The real question isn't what happened to me mortal but rather what happened to you…" It answered in an amused tone.
That kind of response set off a whole chain of red flags in Naruto's head. If the Kyuubi was having this much fun AND focusing on his condition rather than its own then something obviously REALLY bad had happened to him while he was out of commission. "What do you mean, 'what happened to me'! What the fuck did you do to me you Useless Pile of Shit!" Naruto screamed at the fox as he desperately tried to reel in his emotions.
"Ohhh, but its not what I did to you gaki, it's what your bastard father and your bitch of a mother did to you," the Kyuubi mocked with the utmost satisfaction.
Naruto's eyes widened momentarily before his eyes hardened once more and gave the Kyuubi an icy command. "Explain…"
The grin on Kyuubi's face widened menacingly as it prepared to continue its oration on the events that came to pass in recent days. "Well for you to really understand what's come to pass you must first understand what happened to us in recent days. As you already know, before your father 'repaired' the seal during your battle with Pein I had already made rather significant progress in slowly degrading the seal that has kept me imprisoned in your weak and feeble body."
Naruto's eyes flashed annoyance, as the Kyuubi not so subtly insulted him during his oration. "Get on with it ya bastard fox, I don't need to hear about how you've singlehandedly force-fucked every waking moment of my life thus f…."
"As I was saying," Kyuubi rudely interrupted; obviously not caring about what Naruto had to say much less the fact it had destroyed Naruto's life, "I ALMOST broke free from you after that white eyed slut died…."
"HER NAME IS HINATA!" Naruto screamed in uncontrolled rage as his cerulean eyes morphed to match the malicious crimson silted eyes of the fox.
The Kyuubi's narrowed dangerously an its grin only increased in scale when it saw Naruto giving into his anger, "That's good kit, It's high time you started to give into to your anger."
Naruto's eyes remained the same crimson shade but the pupils had transformed back into their original shape. "Stop screwing with me fox just tell me what's going on."
"If you would just shut the hell up we would already be done here and you could already be back in the world of the living," the Kyuubi said in a no longer amused tone.
"Now then, after your little whore died back in Konoha you lost control over your emotions giving me the perfect opportunity to 'take the reins' so to speak…"
Naruto's face gave a noticeable twinge of annoyance at the foxes little jibe, but didn't respond; the sooner the fox spoke his piece the better.
"When I progressed to the 8-tailed state your 'blessed' father decided to screw with matters far beyond his understanding or mortal capabilities. The only reason your father could seal me to begin with was because of the intervention of Shinigami and your bitch of a mother restraining me with her chakra chains. Without their help this time there was only one way to prevent me from escaping your body and killing you in the process."
A sudden cold chill ran up Naruto's spine as the scope of his current situation was finally starting to hit him. Whatever had occurred obviously would have a significant impact on his life and quite possibly his health.
"He somehow managed to separate my youki from my consciousness, then proceeded to drain your system of whatever chakra remained in it. After that he infused my youki into your chakra system making you in effect a new Tailed Beast. In order to accomplish this he somehow removed us from reality and in the process he changed the very course of history."
"Strictly speaking neither you nor I existed before now. Thus without me the Juubi couldn't have existed, The Sage of Six paths didn't discover chakra, and so on so forth" The Kyuubi explained in a low displeasured voice.
"As it stands you are no longer human, you maintain your psyche but your form ability and power have been drastically altered. Your powers are no longer human and your pathetic ninja techniques will no longer work either. Youki is substantially more powerful and concentrated than chakra rendering whatever understanding of chakra you once had void. In addition your body has been destroyed and rebuilt at a cellular level multiple times in order to accommodate my youki."
"Fortunately, for you, your body has had trace amounts of my Youki coursing through it almost since conception so your body was able to adapt relatively quickly to my power. If you were any run-of-the-mill jinchuriki you would have died from the transition; but now you've lost your humanity. You're now the very thing that ruined your life and the lives of so many others."
"You are The Nine Tailed Fox!" The ghost of Kyuubi finished relishing in the grim satisfaction it got from tormenting its former warden.
"So then…. If I'm now the Kyuubi then what are you?" Naruto asked.
Kyuubi's face remained locked in the same maniacal expression, "I am the manifestation of the former Kyuubi, you humans would call me a malevolent spirit, a ghost, a specter. Call me what you will but the fact remains that I'm what remains of Kyuubi's consciousness trapped within your mindscape."
"Well if that's the case then I have no reason to come back here after I'm done with you," Naruto said with growing conviction and clarity in his voice.
"Kyuubi never sought to give me anything worthwhile and all I ever needed it for was for its power when I was in a pinch." Naruto cracked a small smile at the very thought of not having to return to the desolate cesspool that was his mindscape.
"So it's a Catch-22 is it ghost? Neither of us is going to get what we wanted; in life you sought to be free of me and I always wanted to be free of you and your power. Instead you'll trapped in here cold and alone for the rest of your days while I've ironically inherited the very powers I sought to be free from."
The Kyuubi's crimson silted eyes narrowed dangerously at the boy, "You're a fool if you think that you can just toss me aside like some broken toy. You haven't the faintest idea of how to even begin to control my powers. Sooner or later you'll seek my guidance on how to control it, you need me Naruto Namikaze." Kyuubi said with newfound anger resonating through its voice. "Without me you're nothing."
Naruto gave another mirthless laugh as he stared at the scowling expression the Kyuubi, "That's where you're wrong Kyuubi…"
Naruto's face turned deathly serious and his eyes once more turned to their malevolent crimson shade, "even if you could there's no way in hell you'd help me control my powers. If anything you'd seek to sabotage my efforts just to spite me, I'm better off without you haunting my every decision and stabbing me in the back every chance you get."
Crimson met crimson as both their eyes delved into each other for one last time before they parted ways for hopefully the last time. Neither gave an inch as they silently engaged in perhaps the most intense staring down of all time. Both sets of eyes flared with immeasurable hatred and disdain trying to outlast the other's pair.
After what seemed like an eternity Naruto broke eye contact and turned his back to the Kyuubi's ghost. "Hopefully, this will be the last time that you and I speak Kyuubi… Can't say that's it's been nice knowing ya, but at the very least you get to rot in here for the rest of your days."
The world began to blur and fade as Naruto felt himself being pulled back into reality, leaving the confines of his mind for what he hoped to be the last time. He looked back and saw the Kyuubi screaming in rage for him to return but its words could reach him no longer, he was going back.
-Back in reality-
Naruto's cerulean eyes shot open instantly as his mind reunited with the body it had left behind while it was being 'remodeled' so to speak.
Tall buildings framed Naruto's vision, but aside from the sun beating above him, Naruto couldn't tell whether or not he was still in the elemental regions. His body was utterly soaked as he rested picturesquely in a puddle in a back alley somewhere.
Gradually, Naruto rose into a sitting position and then shakily lifted himself out of the freezing water. Running a hand through his drenched blond hair Naruto bent over and took a few deep-calming breaths. Naruto stared down at his hands for a long while examining them trying to confirm that they were in fact his hands.
Naruto felt as though he was a stranger in his own skin. Nothing really worked like it used to; his body somehow felt heavier, it was as though a substance more sluggish and thick than blood was now flowing through his veins. The weight didn't seem to hinder the opening and closing of his fingers but there was still an unsettling sensation that accompanied the movement.
Remembering what the Kyuubi mentioned about youki being denser than chakra he attributed these sensations to his re-engineered body and the youki now coursing through his chakra system.
It was only now that Naruto noticed his state of clothing, or lack of therein, standing buck-naked in the middle of a kind of shady alleyway.
Feeling a tad embarrassed by his lack of apparel and the fact he had to piss like a racehorse Naruto popped into a restroom conveniently located just outside of the alleyway.
When he entered the restroom Naruto noticed an older man, probably in his late forties, wearing a white shirt and tie with khaki pants with a black belt washing his hands at one of the restroom sinks. Figuring that beggar's couldn't be choosers Naruto delivered a swift chop the back of the man's neck and proceeded to take care of his business before putting on the man's clothes.
Of course, Naruto left the man's boxers untouched, he didn't swing that way, and besides it'd just be cruel to knock a guy out AND leave him naked in a public restroom… in a dark alleyway… without any money. Okay maybe it was still cruel…
The clothes weren't really Naruto's style, no orange, and obviously not sized for his muscular and nimble frame but he could deal.
Naruto stared into the mirror mounted along the wall for a few minutes examining his new physique. His hair remained in the same spiky untamed style that he always had but his once bright yellow hair had darkened and become a deep golden shade of blond. His eyes were still the same deep cerulean. The whisker marks on his face however disappeared and with them whatever semblance of baby fat his cheeks had contained.
His build hadn't been too radically altered by whatever changes his body had gone through but he did notice he had gained some noticeable definition in his torso and abs in particular.
Whistling innocently and turning his head side-to-side nonchalantly Naruto fled the premises before the latest victim of his trickery could awaken.
Feeling around in the pockets of 'his' pants Naruto withdrew a decidedly nice brown leather wallet, a few loose coins, and a flier advertizing some rinky-dink school for the 'gifted'.
Scoffing at the idea of ever returning to any sort of school Naruto swiftly shoved the flier back into 'his' pant pocket.
Naruto wandered around the streets of whatever town he was in for a couple of hours and already he was receiving curious stares of several random passerby's'. Not that he could blame them if a teenager standing at 6 ft. with deep blue eyes and golden hair walked past him he would probably stare too.
A loud growl and vibration coming from the pit of his stomach and the sight of a near by ramen stand brought Naruto out of his musings as he made a beeline directly to the source of his infatuation.
Taking a seat at the bar within the quaint roadside stand he perused the menu provided to pick out his meal.
Deciding miso was the way to go Naruto ordered a double helping with extra fishcakes. Happily lost in his own personal world of ramen-induced bliss Naruto failed to notice a man glaring sternly at him across the bar.
"Hey kid shouldn't you be in school right now?" The man asked with a cocked eyebrow.
Caught off guard by the man's question Naruto laughed sheepishly and began to scratch his cheek, "Hahaha, well I've never really been much for education mister and I'm new to the area."
The man stood up, now revealed to be wearing a navy blue uniform with a badge pinned on one of the breast pockets, withdrew a strange pair of metal bracelets from his waist and began to walk towards a still eating Naruto and attached one of them to his wrist and the other to Naruto's. "Yea, Yea, I've heard it all before punk now lets get you downtown and back to where you belong."
"Oi! Old-timer what the hell are you doing? I'm not finished eating yet!" Naruto yelled as the officer tried to move Naruto out of the bar stool he was sitting in.
"Your coming with me down to the station brat and if you don't start cooperating right quick I'ma throw your ass in jail for the night. You understand?" the officer screamed right back while struggling to prevent Naruto from taking another bite of his ramen.
Recalling what prison was like back in Konoha and how those who didn't cooperate were tortured by a certain purple haired kunoichi a cold chill ran up Naruto's spine. Thinking on his feet Naruto quickly reached into his back pocket and withdrew the flier he had stuffed in there earlier.
"Now, now, there's no need to get snippy old man," Naruto said, "I'm enrolled at this academy right here. I simply missed the bus there this morning."
Snatching the flier from Naruto's grasp the officer's eyes quickly scanned the paper to make sure it was legit. His eyes widened when he reached the end of the text on the sheet of paper.
"In that case, today must be your lucky day punk. It says here that there are hourly shuttles to and from this academy today." The officer said with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.
"Overweight, boorish, old man say what now?" Naruto deadpanned in a disappointed tone.
"Shut your mouth brat," The now reinvigorated officer screamed as he grabbed Naruto by the collar of his dress shirt, "If we hurry we can still make the 12:00 and have you to the dorms by 2:00."
"Dorms?"
"Yea the dorms, I assumed you knew seeing as you're 'enrolled' at the academy but this place says it's a boarding school." The truancy officer explained while he began to drag Naruto towards the bus station specified in the flier.
'A boarding school huh? Hmmm that doesn't sound so bad I could live with that.' Naruto thought, deciding that it'd probably be a good way to figure out where the hell he was too.
"By the way old man I forgot what's the name of this school anyway?"
"Ehh, you forgot of its name already? I can see why you're going to a school for the 'gifted'." The officer said.
In the meantime, Naruto's left eyebrow began to twitch when he saw the officer re-read the title of the flier, since he himself had forgotten the school's name. Fuckin Hypocrite…
"It's called Youkai Academy."
And cut!
So how did you like it? Please, if you got time, write a review, send me some feedback about what you liked and didn't like in the first chapter. I'm striving for the very best when it comes to quality so some constructive criticism would be appreciated.
Anyway I've eaten up enough of your time.
Peace,
-The Shamrock Sage