Fox Spirit: Rebirth
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Life is all about giving and taking. When Naruto suffers a fatal injury that leaves with in limbo, the midpoint of life and death, he receives a special gift but loses something he requires to be a normal shinobi: his vision, and the ability to mould Chakra. How will he continue on with his journey of life? How will he overcome death? He shall be the one who is in-between. The one who is reborn as Kodama, the Fox Spirit. AU, M for language and explicit violence. Tentatively no pairings.
A/N: Hello fellow people. This is my first attempt of a story, so please do leave any tips and pointers for me. I will do my best to reply all of the reviews. Please enjoy the first chapter of FS: R. This story features my own explanation and logic on the applications and mechanics of Chakra and Justu. It may be confusing but I will do my best to explain clearly. Feel free to drop me any questions.
D.C
P.S. I have a tendency to use Japanese words for techniques/names. Do correct me if I make any mistakes. Thank you. Onwards with the story!
Chapter 1: Rebirth
"KILL THE DEMON!"
Naruto was flung head-first into a nearby fruit stall. The wooden stands creaked and exploded into splinters as Naruto flew through it. Trickles of blood can be seen coming out from his head and mouth. He shakily turned over on his belly and scrambled to stand. A sickening crunch rang out as a broken wooden stand smashed down the boy's back. Naruto felt all the air went out of his lungs as he crumpled back onto the dusty ground. Was this the end? He glanced up into the merciless eyes of his assaulter. The ruthless man was not alone. He was being cheered on by a massive crowd of civilians.
"Not so tough now huh, bastard. Want to know how my wife died? She was stabbed through her eyes, LIKE THIS!"
The crazed man snapped the wooden stand into two with his bare hands, and drove them into Naruto's eyes. He screamed as his world exploded into a myriad of pain, torment and utter darkness. The cheers got louder and the man kicked Naruto in the face, flopping him backwards to the ground hard. The man gave a disgusting smirk and plucked out both the wooden 'spikes' from Naruto's now-empty eye socket.
"And then, she was blasted away by your bloody paws!"
The man grabbed Naruto up by his bloodied collar and drove him head first into the ground, twice.
"BEFORE DROWNING IN THE RIVER!"
And as the crazed man was so bent on re-enacting the death of his wife, he threw Naruto into the large fish tank beside the fruit stall. The crowded started laughing at the blonde kid's certain death. Nobody who is blind, broken and drowning, not to mention just a mere five year old, can escape death right?
Right?
"Right? My child? You want all these to end right?"
Naruto blinked into the darkness. The voice was soothing. It promised an escape from all these pain and suffering. It promised to not hurt him. It promised to end him. Should he accept it? He stretched his hands out blindly, waving left and right as he tried moving his legs. Well at least he did not feel any pain now. But where exactly was Naruto? He wandered for what seemed like hours, aimlessly and blindly, before he heard the same voice again.
"Child, why do you defy my voice? Come, let us end your agony."
The voice was firmer this time, as though it was daring Naruto, daring him to leave. Naruto felt a new fear in him. He did not want to die. Not yet. Not now. Naruto let out a wordless shout of panic and leapt at the direction of the voice, with the intention to barrel through it. He wanted to live.
"I WANT TO LIVE!" Naruto shouted mid-air.
"Hn. And live you shall, kit."
A pale, gnarled hand with long sharp fingernails was blasted away from a shockwave of power that burst out from the half-dead boy. He was just so close away! The owner of the hand hissed in anger and floated back in a flutter of his cloak. This boy is the first human to ever escape from his clutches. From Death's clutches.
Interesting.
Death pointed his scythe at Naruto.
"Life is all about giving and taking. But I am Death and I don't do gifts. However, your tenacity to live is actually stronger than my intention to capture your soul. Very well mortal, I will grant you the Tamashi no Me, the Eyes of the Soul. Use it well to live on, for the next time you enter my realm.. you will not leave," Death ended with a promise.
A pair of light blue fireballs, similar to a pair will-o-wisps, floated down to Naruto and hovered in front of his eyes for a few seconds. They then suddenly jerked forward and implanted themselves into the empty eye sockets. Naruto screamed as he experience a whole new level of pain. His voice grew hoarser and hoarser until his scream was a raspy groan of helplessness. His bright blonde, spiky hair lost all their life and slicked down like a mop, an ashen white mop. His skin also turned fairer, though not to the point where it was deathly white. His whiskers marks also elongated and started to curl upwards, towards his new eyes. Death then ripped a part of his jet-black cloak off and bound them tightly over Naruto's eyes.
"Now, begone mortal!"
The crowd of disgusting civilians cheered as they saw the boy turned motionless after a few seconds of wild thrashing. The 'killer' was tossed in the air as though he was some sort of champion. The cheers lasted for another full five seconds before the fish tank exploded outwards, killing the few who were standing too close to it.
"The demon isn't killable! RUN!"
The crowd started to push and jostle each other as they tried to run away from the new risen child. They all ran away like the cowards they are, leaving the sprawled form of the celebrated 'killer' on the ground. He looked at Naruto in fear as he desperately tried to scrambled backwards on his hands and behinds. Naruto was emitting a thick aura of blood red Chakra and his wounds were rapidly closing up. His torn clothes fluttered off his body as he rise magnificently in a single motion. Loud hisses can now be heard as the last of Naruto's wounds closed up. The 'killer' was so scared that he pissed himself as he crawled behind an overturned cart.
"I see you. I see your tainted soul. You cannot run.." Naruto began as he slowly turned his head of silky white hair to face the hiding man, "and you cannot hide!"
A blood curdling scream was heard for a second time in the same night, though this time is sounded older, and much more in fear. A mere couple of seconds later, an enormous wave of Chakra burst out and made a giant crater in the marketplace.
Naruto woke up in the woods hours later. His head was all woozy and he could not recall a single thing. He tried to sit up and shake away the darkness, but failed miserably on the latter. Muttering a soft curse, the young blonde child stood up shakily and took a step straight.. into a tree. Naruto felt the pain welling up in his nose and spreading down to his neck and beyond. Damn! Why didn't he see that tree? Wait.. Why didn't he see?
"Damn, I'm blind."
Naruto promptly went unconscious again, this time from shock.
Footnotes: I hope I did an acceptable job. I am actually on a roll now and I do not want to break my streak of inspiration. That is just plain ridiculous as a writer. However I will not be continuing the chapter as I do not want to break the flow of the story. I guess my first present to any of my readers is two chapters straight off the bat? Is that even considered as a present? Also, just to be sure, when Naruto woke up to decimate the man, it was the Kyuubi who was in control because Naruto is passed out from the pain.
Till the next page loads,
D.C