The Valley of the Gods
By ClickRed
Disclaimer: Well… Naruto isn't mine. This is merely a story that is meant to be cathartic on my part, and I guess enjoyable if you like that sort of thing.
Warnings: Ah yes! Well, I should mention that this is a slash fanfiction. If that's not something you like, I don't think this is the story is for you. But, if you're willing to read it anyway and want warnings so you can skip the slashy bits, I'll probably indulge you (though, you probably should tell me). Also, this story will be plot-heavy, so if that's not quite your thing, you might not enjoy it either.
OOO
Hit! Swivel-duck. Hit! Jump-dash. Hit! Cla…
"Sensei?" A black-haired man acknowledged as he stopped his wooden staff in midstride from hitting the hanging effigy in a final blow. He turned around and held his staff in front of him in a manner which both set off his center of gravity and displayed the weapon in parallel to his vertical posture. Even in this vulnerable position, he reeked danger and could easily slip back into a more comfortable stance. "Do you require my assistance?" He spoke softly, playing the subdued child in front of his father, and blankly waited for a response as to why Kakashi interrupted his early training.
The silver-haired man smiled pleasantly, although only a fragment of his expression was caught due to the confines of his black cloth. Instead of bothering with the benevolent expression, Sasuke stared into his eyes for a clearer picture of what the man intended to reveal. Kakashi's eyes were furious, and Sasuke almost glared in response but stopped because he knew better. "I have recently been informed that I am to receive a pupil from the Lesser Village; his name is Uzumaki Naruto and he has been entrusted into my care for the time being."
"Understood sir, but how does this information pertain to me?" The black-eyed man wondered coolly with a slight frown forming. He could feel the chill of unwelcome news fluttering across his bare back and shooting up his spine like a mouse's wheel. He felt his mind momentarily escape his body and ripple around the training room with the slivery breeze. He composed himself and bit down a hastening command at his sensei and simply let the bit of news settle into a threat in the back of his mind.
"The Oracle has revealed him to be a triple spirit." Kakashi chirped benevolently. "This means you have some competition." His mouth's contorted in a turnabout of seriousness and then went lax. Sasuke's back seized up and he immediately glowered and turned his body in an offensive stance. Kakashi observed him gleefully and stepped back into a defensive stance. "You wouldn't happen to be aiming that killer intent at me, now, would you?"
"How dare you insult my intelligence?" Sasuke barked with fiery eyes. "Only a temple descendant can hold such power, and you know I am the only living heir." Kakashi mused, wanting to mention Sasuke's brother, but decided against it because he didn't aim to antagonize the boy; he aimed to inform him.
"I did not come to quarrel with you, Sasuke, nor do I presume to insult your capabilities. I only wished to tell you about the ordeal before our new guest arrived so that you weren't surprised." He stepped to the right, sidestepping the pre-movement twitch of Sasuke's arm, leaving the wooden staff hovering a breath's width away after Sasuke struck. He pushed it gently away and clicked his tongue. "The staff never really was your forte." Kakashi straightened up and turned his back to his pupil as he walked away unharmed.
Sasuke watched the man take his leave with bared teeth. If his sensei intended to anger him, he certainly accomplished his mission. The silly grin of the human puppet hanging from the ceiling caught his eye and Sasuke whipped the staff around in another strike that met its target and ripped the rags that held the head to the neck.
"Hn." Sasuke observed morosely, as little beads of sand hit the floor with the rest of his target. As the beads rolled across the floor, Sasuke felt his stomach churn nauseously. He waited in a blank trance until the puppet bled no more plaster globules and hung his weapon on the wall's hooks before leaving. He opened the wooden archway doors and escaped the confines of the room. A child, Konohomaru if Sasuke recalled correctly, headed his way. He shot him a blank glance and said, "Clean it up. That is your duty today."
The child furiously looked up at him and opened his mouth in retaliation, but was quickly silenced when Sasuke's chakra flickered to life in a misty haze. It wasn't killer intent, but it was warning enough to frighten the boy. "Yes, Uchiha-sama." He skittered away, mumbling 'bastard, just you wait until I get bigger, then we'll see who orders whom around' or something of the like.
Sasuke descended stone steps and entered into a large hall of sleeping chambers. His room was the fifth to the right, and he entered it before the first of the alternative chambers opened. He shrugged off his black bottoms and grabbed a robe to head for the baths. Sasuke decided to distance himself from the other pupils today. The raven-headed man pulled the fluffy sleeves over his arms and tied a knot. He walked over to a mirror that hung next to his raised bed, and regarded the reflection carefully. He needed to sort things out.
"Uzumaki Naruto." Sasuke watched his lips snarl as they formed the 'other's' name. He rehearsed the boy's reaction to his tone of voice, but couldn't seem to find a face that molded into the role of his adversary. He imagined him to be ghoul-like or maybe a slimy apparition, but formed nothing less than the blank face of an earthworm. He sighed and stalked away to wash the beads of sweat from his body and he hoped that he'd wash some of his tension away as well.
OOO
"Now remember Naruto; eat three meals a day, wash at least once a day, and don't aggravate the temple master." Sakura chided as she shuffled through Naruto's quarters, picking out certain clothes that she liked and wrinkled her nose at others that she didn't like as much. She wanted him to look the part of a temple student. "And don't roll your eyes at me; don't think I didn't see that!"
Naruto snorted with his hands folded at his head. "It's not like I'm suddenly going to be a different person, Sakura-chan. If they don't want me there, it's not like it's the end of the world for me. 'Sides," He grinned wolfishly. "If you need a husband, I'll be glad to give up the world and the Academy just for you." He ducked expectantly as one of his old wooden soles was thrown at his forehead. He glanced at the shoe mirthfully.
"Don't be a pain in the ass. You know I don't like you like that." She snorted and continued sorting through his shirts and chucking one hideously orange one out of the room. Naruto glanced longingly at it; it was his favorite shirt. "And don't even think about it!" Sakura snapped as the boy edged away toward the fallen garment.
"Honestly," Naruto said quietly, seriously, and lowered his voice so that the other tenants didn't eavesdrop. "I sometimes wish that the prophet made a mistake and that I'm not supposed to be this all important hero." He laughed uneasily and scratched at his head, where a headband would soon replace the visible skin. Sakura glanced at him with a small shock on her face. "I mean yeah the fame, glory, and power is good and everything but I don't know how much I'd like to study my life away." He didn't look her in the eye and instead chose to stare at his toes. They were filthy, causing him to smile. "Maybe I want to do something else."
Sakura snorted. "That's just your cold feet doing the talking. Wisdom" She harrumphed loudly with a condescending glare, "is learned by those who have the means for learning it." He silently added 'and you do not' to her wording. Naruto's face turned glum at the accusation, even though the words never came out of Sakura's mouth.
"I'm going to get something to eat." He grinned suddenly, after a seemingly long period of silence and walked out of the door before his friend could yell at him to come back. He shuffled around a well worn and torn road while slipping his hands into the pockets of his orange jumpsuit. He breathed a sigh of relief. While he loved Sakura, she was sometimes a stifling person to be around.
Naruto caught a sliver of a smell permeating through the air, and followed it. He found himself in front of Ichiraku's, despite initially lying about his objective. Naruto walked slowly to a stool, knowing that it would probably be the last time he saw the small ramen diner. He felt impending nostalgia already and began looking through the menu for the first time even though he knew it by heart. "M-miso ramen, please." The blond provided respectfully with a smile. The ramen man nodded cheerfully and headed toward the noodles. He always loved Naruto; the boy ate his weight times five.
"What's crawled up your ass and died?" A voice fluttered into his ear and Naruto's well-mannered mood shattered into an aggravated grimace. It was a gray-haired man with a mane like a lion. He was wearing obnoxious colors and sometimes carried a tiny frog in his pocket. Naruto's eye twitched and he grabbed a pair of chopsticks the ramen man had left him.
"The hell do you want, you stupid perv?" He demanded, shooting the two sticks out like twin swords. "I'm not being your alibi again, so beat it." The other man held his hands up in surrender and sat down. Naruto brought down the eating utensil, but kept a close eye on his table mate's movements.
The graying man whistled to the ramen man's daughter, signaling her to come and get his order. "Oi! Gimme some miso as well." He grinned at the girl and let his gaze slip to her thighs, to which Naruto angrily smacked him for. Jiriaya nursed his arm with a hand while mumbling off to the side, "Stupid brat. I hate kids."
"No one invited you to sit here anyway." The boy spoke, looking away, and looked back. "What are you doing here?" He thought for a minute and frowned. "I'm not giving you the ol' lady's bath schedule, not that I know it or anything." Jiraiya's eyes flashed pleasantly, probably thinking lewdly about Granny Tsunade. Naruto shivered and coughed to change the subject.
"While, entertaining, that isn't the reason I'm here. Actually, I'm going to give you the opportunity of a lifetime." Naruto's interest peaked; he didn't even notice Ayame bring his meal over. Jiraiya knew he had the boy's attention. "Come closer though, it's not really for public audience."
"I'm not lending you money either." Naruto said, but he scooted over anyway to hear the old man's comment nevertheless. Yes, Jiraiya was a perve. Yes, Jiraiya was a cheap bastard and frequently snagged Naruto's hard earned cash. Yes, he was all of those things but he was also a decent friend. When Naruto was sick, although rarely, Jiraiya would come in and affectionately leave a bowl of ramen next to the blonde's bedside. When Sakura said no for the hundredth time, Jiraiya gave him a special edition of Icha Icha Paradise; Naruto threw it away of course, but the thought was there.
"Two months from now I'm going off to the Wind Lands for some inspiration," Naruto snorted and gave him a pointed look, which Jiaraya let blow by easily, "and I thought, since you're of that age when you should see the world, that you might want to come along too." Jiaraya grinned as Naruto sat there with his jaw lax and his eyes as huge as saucers. "I take it that you feel better now, right?" He laughed throatily and took some of the boy's noodles that Ayame left as the pair began their discussion.
Naruto's brows furrowed as he began pondering the thought. He peered at the other man suspiciously. Jiaraya was anything but generous. "In the whole time I've known you, you've never looked out for anyone but yourself." Jiaraya chuckled throatily, making Naruto even more suspicious, and raised a hand to the back of his neck where he began scratching the skin nervously.
"Ha-ha! And they call you a dead-last?" Naruto visibly winced at the jeer his classmates christened him due to his glaring inability to pass exams. It wasn't like he didn't know it, it was just that he hated being reminded that they thought he was lesser revered than the earth they walked on. He hated being reminded, even more so, by a man he regarded as family, albeit extremely distant family. Jiaraya, if he saw the wound he inflicted, paid no attention to it. He smiled at Naruto and put his arm on the table. "I'm getting old," Naruto nodded, "and it's come to my attention that I have all of this wisdom to pass on, but no one to pass it to. For some reason, and bear in mind that it might have just been a drunken choice but, I thought of you."
"I'll pass this one, Jiriaya." Naruto turned to his bowl and began dragging his chopsticks around until he had a decent amount sandwiched in the middle. He picked them up and began slurping as much as he could in one go. "'Sides, I have to go to some fancy school." He distastefully recalled his circumstances: he was being forced by the Lesser Land's Red Council to train under the leadership of a man named Hatake Kakashi, who was supposedly a military genius, in exchange for his loyalty to the fire country and some gaudy tokens of their appreciation.
In Naruto's opinion, he believed he got the short end of the stick when this farce was instigated by the batty old fortune teller who couldn't see her own feet, much less the future. She spoke dementia and walked death. It made Naruto blanch. He didn't want to believe that his future was that linear in the great scheme of things or that he was destined to be a martyr to a plethora of politicians that never gave him the time of day before hand. His dream wasn't to be their next square cut faceless soldier when the village elders sent him away to fight in a war he didn't believe in.
"You sure kid?" Jiriaya asked, obviously seeing the kid's tension. "I know I might not look it, but I actually do know a lot about life. I see potential in you, and it'd be a shame if you wasted it in some pretentious school that I know you don't want to go to." Naruto smiled and pushed his bowl away.
"Can I give you an answer in a month's time?" Naruto asked in all seriousness. Maybe it'd work out and he wouldn't have a need to leave. But if he did… He couldn't just accept living in a life he didn't want, especially going back to his previous fears like if he didn't live up to that prophecy or if they did actually get the wrong person.
"Sure thing Naruto." Jiriaya proclaimed and left his empty bowl of ramen as he stood up and left. Lost in his own though, Naruto didn't even notice that the old fart didn't pay his share— when did he even eat his noodles? The boy glared at the small pit and brought out his frog coin pouch and nearly dropped it as he heard a soft "r-r-ribet".
He glared at his coin pouch, and wondered if not for the first time whether it was possessed. "R-r-ribet!" No it couldn't have been his frog but it was definitely a frog. Naruto whipped his head around to see if anyone else had heard, because it would have been rather embarrassing if he heard frogs in his head. "Ri-ribet!" Naruto looked down and sure enough, a vibrant frog stared up at him. He wondered if the garnet color meant that it was poisonous. "Ribet." It simply said while puffing out like blowfish and blinking its slimy eyes.
"Oh I see." Naruto observed the cloud-like pattern on its skin. "You must be one of the old fart's frogs. Well isn't he the spectacular bastard?" Naruto crouched down and opened up his palms for the bizarre amphibian. It bounced into them and puffed out again with its lethargic guttural sound. "I'd love to return you, but I'm not sure where the old fart went." The stupid bastard didn't even pay for himself. Naruto placed the slimy thing in his own pocket and left it in a pseudo stance with its head peaking out. He paid for both his bowl and the white-haired man's, while receiving a strange look from the shop owner. "I'll come back later tonight; this was more of a light snack." He pacified the man who took the pair of bowls away.
"Naruto!" Sakura screeched as she ran up on him and punched him in the stomach. Naruto instantly felt dead butterflies in his stomach. "That's what you get for leaving me to do all your work while you dally around the ramen stand." She glared at him.
"But I was talking to Jiriaya!" He slurred, and reflected that maybe Sakura punched him too hard. "I don't know when I'll see him again so I wanted to stay around for a while." Sakura's face softened. Dare he believe that she felt sympathetic? Yeah right…
"While the sentiment is there, you know how I feel about that man. I don't know how many times I've seen him by the bathhouses and it wasn't to bathe if you catch my drift." She felt self righteous all of the sudden and there was a glimmer of smugness in her eye as she blabbered on in her patronizing tone. "It's a good thing you won't see him again. I don't like his influence on you. You don't need it, especially now with your new life ahead of you."
"That's a little harsh." He mumbled. "I know the guy isn't Mr. Pious Extraordinaire, but he's always been there for me when it counted. There are only a handful of people I'd trust with my whole heart and he's one of them." Sakura clucked her tongue but said nothing. "And he offered to take me on as an apprentice."
"That's unexpected." She asked seriously and grabbed Naruto's arm to lead him home. "I mean wow. Are you going to take him up on it?"
"Honestly?" He asked and she nodded. "I don't know yet. I told him I'd get back to him in a month. What do you think I should do?" Sakura shrugged as if saying, don't you put this on me. "Oh, and I forgot to thank you for helping me out today. So thanks."
She smiled. "It's not a problem. Now come on, you still haven't packed your unmentionables, and I'm not touching them."
"Sakura!" Naurto whined as a few people darted inquiring eyebrows in their direction. The girl laughed and ran some ways forward. The boy pouted and ran after her.
OOO
Sasuke woke up the next day with a stagnant frown protruding distastefully from his lips. He hesitantly sat up, unconsciously shaking the lax cover from his upper body. The room's chill flickered against his skin but he gave no indication of discomfort. He looked numb. Sasuke swiveled off of his thin mattress and heaved himself up. He enjoyed the lightheadedness of his jerky movements and continued on in a dangerously convoluted haze across his cold wooden floor.
He mechanically opened the door and suddenly felt vaguely agoraphobic; his footsteps echoed louder than usual and he could feel a cold sweat slither its way down his back. Everything was swirling ultraviolet: sound, color, emotions.
"Sasuke?" Came Kakashi's benign voice from somewhere beyond Sasuke's parasitic cloud. "Are you alright? You're shaking." So he was; Sasuke consented as he briefly glanced at his arm. It was drenched. Why hadn't he noticed it before? Was his increasing sense of synethesia causing him to disregard his sense of sound?
"I'm fine." He clearly wasn't, but his empty glare dared Kakashi to challenge his claim. The man knew when to pick his battles and let the issue drop. "Why are you here sensei?" He asked calmly. "You're never early for anything." Kakashi scoffed at the light jab.
"Well," He sighed, "since you've asked, I'm going to go bake a cake." Sasuke glanced at him owlishly. He snorted and rolled his eyes. "It's true! The new Icha Icha Paradise sequel is coming out in theaters and I'm going to the midnight showing. Do you know how long the line will be?" He said it as if he knew about the experience personally.
"No." Sasuke began walking into another hallway and toward the closest bathroom. "Have fun baking your cake sensei." Sasuke's voice was saccharine and Kakashi wasn't sure if it was genuine or of he sensed a bit of sarcasm buried in the depths of Sasuke's words. At times, he thought he could understand Sasuke, but more and more those strands of familiarity were slipping. It had Kakashi worried to an extent because Kakashi was the only human interaction that Sasuke conceded to. The boy was a genius, and Kakashi thought it would be a shame if the madness inside of him finally decided to boil out.
Sasuke stepped into the small room and out of Kakashi's sight. He closed the door to the bizarre encounter with his teacher and leaned over one of the five basil sinks arranged in circle. He let the tap run for a few seconds before scooping up the clear liquid and bringing it over his eyes. The cold water bit at his skin, but other than that mild irritation Sasuke felt a lot better. He looked into the mirror and regarded himself carefully. Water drizzled down his face and hair where the water hung. His skin was pearly white in the slivers of the morning sun. His eyes were switching from black to red indecisively. All in all, he looked like wet shit.
"Dammit." He splashed some more water onto his face. This time they turned black and stayed black. Sasuke didn't know why it happened, but sometimes his eyes flickered into his sharingan mode involuntarily. He considered talking to Kakashi about it, but didn't know if he could help him since Kakashi's single sharingan eye wasn't his own. Whatever this was, it was physical or possibly even genetic. It was his curse to bear.
Sasuke straitened up and turned the water off. He silently went back to his room, changed into one of his more recreational suits and headed out of the school for some fresh air. He wasn't required to take the same classes as the other children so occasional outings were condoned by Kakashi, even encouraged to a point.
Sasuke returned around dinner time with the smell of mint in his hair and a serene yet neutral expression on his face. The other students were sitting around in various clicks and chatting among each other. Some of the females noticed him and began a collective worship, but otherwise he was left alone. He spared the room an apathetic glance before retrieving a dish of his own and sitting down at a table that was unspokenly reserved for him.
"Uchiha-san!" A girl called out to him. He vaguely recognized her as Tenten, but made no move to acknowledge her. She was followed by a boy, Hyuga Neji, whom Sasuke had known. He found it odd that Neji had an interest in friendship, being that the guy was so misanthropic, but Sasuke supposed that even miracles happened.
Sasuke nodded at the odd pair and noticed the Hyuga's hostility as he locked eyes with the boy. He knew that there was a foundation of resentment between their clans and that the boy resented him for his triple spirit, but the hatred was disproportionate. They weren't children screaming "My dad can beat your dad up!" anymore.
Tenten ignored seething person behind her and walked up to Sasuke's table. "I didn't see you in class today. Is everything okay?" She seemed concerned. Sasuke glanced at Hyuga who probably lingered around with the impression that he'd turn his friend against him- not that Sasuke would do anything so petty.
"Everything is fine, although I appreciate your concern." He said amiably, but with an apathetic expression. "I simply trained on my own for a while. The fresh air was welcoming." Tenten nodded and Sasuke took a bite of his bread.
"That's understandable." She smiled. An idea popped into her head. "By the way, do you know anything about the guy they're sending here?" She seemed disappointed with her knowledge of the guy whereas the Hyuga seemed apathetic. "He's strong right?" Tenten looked at Sasuke hopefully.
"Your guess is as good as mine." Sasuke annunciated pleasantly. "Unfortunately Uzumaki and I have never had the pleasure of meeting. However, I suspect if he has caught the attention of the Academy, he should at least be competent." Sasuke took a bite and wiped the sides of his mouth. "Although, I'm not accounting for the times when the academy approaches people based on other qualities, am I Hyuga?" Sasuke's eyes darted to Neji whose eyes grew into white splinters immediately.
"I hope that comment wasn't directed at me Uchiha-san." Neji's voice was subzero and plummeting. "I may not have three spirits, nor need them, but I can certainly fight with the best. Are you forgetting our first encounter?" Tenten gave him a look and rolled her eyes.
"Men." She snorted and walked away. The Hyuga stayed in a catlike swagger-stance. If it was supposed to intimidate Sasuke, it didn't work. In any case Sasuke wasn't one for brawls, even if it was extremely tempting. Hyuga Neji was a competent fighter; there was no doubt about that, but Sasuke wasn't in the mood for a fight. Not tonight in any case.
"My intention was not to ruffle your feathers." Sasuke commented silently as the Hyuga sat down opposite him. "I respect you, make no mistake about that, and wholeheartedly agree that you should stay at the academy." He took another bite. "This diner is delicious; have you had any?"
"I can't say that I have." The other man replied mechanically. "And don't think for a second that I haven't seen through your polite charade. I know an attack when I see one." Sasuke took another bite, but didn't break eye contact with Neji's glare. "I also know a variety of precursors for killer intent when I see them. Tenten may not have noticed it when she brought the kid up, but I certainly did. You're a genius. Don't do anything stupid." He stood up.
"Did you, now?" Sasuke smirked darkly. "And suppose I do venture off into doing something stupid, what makes you think you have the authority or the power to stop me?" He took another bite. "Are you sure you don't want any. The cook really has outdone herself tonight."
"I'm warning you Uchiha. End your vendetta against Uzumaki Naruto or you'll see exactly what I am capable of doing." Neji countered briskly. "And another thing, stay away from Tenten." Sasuke blinked. What did she have to do with any of this? Sasuke opened his mouth to comment, but Neji had already left him.
Well, Sasuke mused as he finished the last bits of his meal; it wasn't like he wasn't entitled to any animosity toward the Uzumaki kid. The guy was Sasuke's natural rival. There was no preexisting manuscript that required him to act in any particular fashion toward the boy, and therefore logically he could behave in any way he felt appropriate. This was the first time a situation with two candidates for godhood existed, and quite frankly Sasuke's ego wouldn't settle for being second.
"Well Uzumaki Naruto, it's unfortunate that you're going to be coming here." Sasuke said mostly under his breath and mostly to himself. In fact, he didn't want to say it but his lips were already forming syllables and vowels.
OOO
AN: Um, review? There's not much I can say other than that. I've put a lot of effort into this story and it would suck if I didn't get some feedback. But that's up to you.