Hey there everyone, so for those who follow me I'd like to let you know that my "Blades of Evisceration" Bleach/Godzilla crossover story was removed somehow and I couldn't access my account because somebody got in it to delete it. I lost the chapter and two others that were still being worked on and I forgot to back it up, so I'm having to start from scratch again. I have my account again though and in the meantime, am going to be doing a Naruto fanfiction while I sort stuff out with that story. I still have my notes and everything, just bear with me for the time being.
On to a different note, hello everyone my name is UltimatumJerkasuarus500, and this is a new fan idea I had while trying to take my mind off the topic above. It is just a simple Naruto idea that I came up with that I will be doing on the side while working on reposting "Blades of Evisceration". I will let you guys know that I work and will be going to college, although not now because I just got out for summer break. As far as I can see I plan on working on only the two stories mentioned, this included, anything else is just spin-offs of these two ideas or possibly a crossover if I choose to do so.
Seeing as how I have only ever posted one chapter for a single story, and that story was removed I will please like to ask for constructive criticism for my chapters as to help me advance my writing. Anything that could help is much appreciated. FLAMES WILL NOT BE LOOKED OVER!
If at any point you have a question, I will try to respond to you in time. You can leave a question in the reviews or PM me directly with your question. If you choose to PM me please specify what story your question is for, that way I can quickly answer it without having to guess which one you're referring to.
Now this story will contain some AU elements, but mostly to add onto content that was glossed over by Kishimoto, and other topics that I wish to add onto. Such topics will be introduced in this chapter, and as far as romance will go in this story I have chosen the romance and am going to stick with it. Perhaps if this pairing doesn't suite your fancy then please be reminded that this is fanfiction, I am entirely aware of who Naruto actually ended up with and am fine with that outcome, however, this story is not like cannon as such I believe that the pairing shouldn't be the same as cannon, if you get my meaning. Also, there will be no harem, so don't expect one because I don't see Naruto as the type of character who would take more than one person to be married. Also, there will be no yaoi or yuri, sorry but no. If you don't like the fact that Naruto ends up with Sakura then for my next story I will write him ending up with Hinata if that will calm you down, unless your like me and are just in it for the story.
This story will also carry some dark elements in it, many of which will lead to development with Naruto's character. I won't explain as to what will happen, however, I will say that this is technically an AU, but not to such an extreme that it is outside of Naruto's world, but rather a world with different events leading to different scenarios. Lastly this story is going to be rated M for safety, considering I have no idea how far it will go in terms of relationship levels, nor the amount of explicit content, so READER DESCREATION IS ADVISED!
(AN: A real quick note, I will have a concluding Author Notes section at the end of the chapter so check that out for a few clarifications and other assorted information.)
With that out of the way I would like to remind everyone that I do not own Naruto or any of the characters or names associated with it. I only own the names and ideas thrown into this story that are not a part of the original material.
"The optimist thinks this the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true."
- J. Robert Oppenheimer
Chapter 1: The Demon Cometh
It was one thing to train hard until exhaustion and to take an occasional break here or there, while being forced to push every limit possible, but what just transpired was far more questionable than anything else. Descending at an unquestionable speed, while also noticing the dark abyss encompassing all trace of light that could have been illuminating the expanse of the upper section of the large ravine that Naruto now found himself falling into.
"What the hell is going on!" Naruto roared as his body continued racing towards the bottom. "Why the hell did he throw me off a cliff?!" Naruto's mind was running several different thoughts far too many, which cluttered his thought process making it harder for him to concentrate.
Seeing the many sharp and jagged rock formations extending from both sides of the ravine. Naruto attempted to grab onto one of the many rock formations only for his hands to slip-off each one he tried to grab due to the moisture sticking to their surface.
Watching as his descent was reaching its end Naruto began to recall everything that Jiraiya ever told him. From the beginning basics of summoning, to the advance methods and even drawing chakra from the Kyuubi that resided within himself. As if deciding on what his next move would be Naruto began to gather himself.
Demanding chakra from the entity within himself was much easier than he first thought, the Kyuubi practically gave him the necessary amount of chakra needed to save his life, however, what Naruto didn't expect though was the amount of control that was necessary in application.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto yelled aloud with all his energy hoping to summon a large toad to save his life. At first the only thing that happened was a large puff of smoke that clouded Naruto's vision. Something wasn't right, there was no animal that he could tell within the clouded cover, instead he found that he was still descending.
The next thing that happened was that Naruto found himself inches away from the floor of the ravine, and before he could register that his jutsu failed, everything flashed before his eyes as the darkness surrounded him.
Within just mere moments Naruto could no longer feel or think. He felt weak, and above all else, he felt cold. Fleeting ever slowly into the cold embrace of death the only thing he could even think of was the regret of not accomplishing his life goal.
Unnoticeably to Naruto, a slight spark of dark ethereal flames began amassing themselves from the smoke of the summoning clouds around what was a puddle of assorted pulp, blood and broken bones tattered in orange colored cloth.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya was waiting patiently on top of the cliff waiting for Naruto to summon a toad that would save his life and for those two to emerge from the ravine. When Jiraiya noticed the sudden sound of a summoning jutsu resounding from the ravine Jiraiya could only grin as walked towards the edge to see who it was that Naruto had just summoned.
When Jiraiya looked over the edge however, there was no toad, only the darkness that covered to floor of the ravine. For a moment Jiraiya didn't register anything, within a short period of time though, as time went on Jiraiya paled at a sudden and foreboding feeling that washed over him. Scanning over the ravine, Jiraiya couldn't make out any shapes on the floor of the ravine, hoping that Naruto was reversed summon instead Jiraiya began to scale down the ravine in search of Naruto.
"He had better have been reversed summoned, otherwise I will be responsible for his death, something that I could never be left to face with!" Jiraiya panicked as he caught himself before reaching the bottom of the ravine by utilizing his hair combined with the "Needle Jizō" he could land safely at the bottom of the ravine.
Before Jiraiya could begin searching for Naruto's body a sudden sense of dread drowned Jiraiya as he scanned the area and noticed a mass of darkness seemingly illuminate the area, which both confused and startled Jiraiya. Dark ethereal flames, like that of hell itself,were visible, tearing into the rock face, melting it and all the while swirling around something at the epicenter. Deciding to test the potency of the swirling black flames Jiraiya decided to kick a decent sized rock into the vortex, only to watch it dissolve before it could even contact the flames.
'Something isn't right, there is no way that this should even manifest here.' Jiraiya thought as he narrowed his eyes in recognition. 'So, it seems that the time has come again for a new demon to walk the face of the Earth.' Standing at a decent length away Jiraiya stood waiting for the flames to seemingly dissipate. "Even though Naruto was utilizing the Kyuubi's chakra, I never would have expected him to be reversed summoned to his realm."
-Darkness-
Dark, empty, there was nothing that felt more lifeless than where Naruto was at now. He knew that he was falling downward, but for some reason he couldn't understand or seemingly comprehend. The void that was around him didn't suffocate him, and yet he found he couldn't breathe. There was no pain, and yet he didn't feel alive. 'Am I dead?' Naruto wondered as he slowly drifted further and further into the darkness.
"Interesting, once more the wheels of fate have turned and brought to me another." A dark ancient voice bellowed. From the darkness, a large hand stretched its girth until it reached Naruto, grabbing him, and pulling him into the depths of the darkness. "And once more a human full of numerous potential finds himself descending into my tutelage."
Seemingly coming to his senses, Naruto opened his eyes and found himself resting on something cold. It was firm, it was like decaying flesh. Looking closely at what he was resting on, Naruto sat up and noticed five distinct attachments to what he was on. "What the hell is this? It feels like a like rubber and smells like old milk." Naruto complained.
"And once again, fate has entrusted me with one who lacks proper etiquette." The voice resounded. Naruto stumbled in place as the surface he was residing on rose into the air. "Though, thankfully all those that have been brought to me end up changing for the better, so it is only a matter of time."
"W-Woah!" Naruto shouted out loud as he found himself rising into the air faster than he expected. As his ascension slowed Naruto was slowly aloud to loosen his grip. Once everything halted with ease Naruto opened his eyes and was met with a rather large set of eyes, five specifically. "Holy-" Naruto wasn't even able to finish before the entity before him addressed him.
"Boy, you reside before Shindame no Kami of the Kōrei-sha. Stand up and address yourself." The entity instructed. This Shindame no Kami was massive, silhouetted by a sheet of ethereal darkness, with the only distinct features being the illuminating five eyes different eyes. Two in the same place as any pair of eyes, one in the middle of the forehead, one below that, located at the center of the face, and the last at the bottom of the entity's chin. "Well boy, are you going to address yourself to me or should I leave you to the flow of the world from which I pulled you from?"
"Uhm, my name is Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha!" Naruto expressed with a slight stutter, to the entity it was revealing his initial fear of the situation. As time went on Naruto began to process something in his head. "Did you say your name is Shindame no Kami, are you some kind of god?"
"Kami is a title for beings like myself that are not bound to the laws of mortality the same way you lower beings are." The entity stated. "When addressing each other we add our status at the end of our names as to indicate our status in the "great chain"."
"I'm not following you." Naruto expressed, which gained a groan from Shindame no Kami.
"I don't expect you to ever fully grasp the order of the universe. You're far to insignificant to truly understand." Shindame no Kami replied before readjusting its gaze on Naruto, as though it was looking deep into his own soul. "Another descendant of those hungry pawns of Deidarabotchi," The entity sighed as Naruto saw it brought up its other hand to rest its head on, displaying a bored expression for Naruto to see. "Boy, what is it that you seek? Power? Domination? Godhood? What is it that your heart yearns for? Speak honestly, and clearly lest you shall be fed to the residents of Jigoku."
Unsure how to respond, Naruto was going to do his best in front this entity. "I want," Naruto hesitantly began.
"Yes, what is it that you desire most of all?" Shindame no Kami asked again waiting for the answer with great patience, one that was full of time.
"I want to become Hokage, to protect my home and-" Naruto began replying only to be caught off.
"To be acknowledged by those that hate you. A strong and selfish desire, though not as strong as the desire to protect those close to you." Shindame no Kami interrupted. "I often wish that fate would bring me more mortals that are disciplined and easier to deal with." Shifting around the entity known as Shindame no Kami straightened itself up as it brought its arm away from its face.
"Then again, I find your kind more entertaining, considering the many paths that you can walk, it's much harder to determine where it is that you'll end up, hehe." Bolstering into laughter Shindame no Kami shook the foundations of the realm they were in.
"Easy on the laughing you old fart, your shaking the whole place around us!" Naruto shouted in a panic. Suddenly the shaking stopped and the hand that held Naruto up to the entity disappeared leading Naruto to fall before being pulled up to the face of Shindame no Kami by some unknown force.
"You said you were of the Uzumaki, then that means you must be Asura's descendant. Sadly that means you cannot attain the Rinnegan, at least by bloodline standards, but then again those that are christened by me will not be wasted with such a corruptible eye."
"Uhm, I don't know what you're saying, so could you please explain what your meaning?" Naruto asked only to ignored.
"The Byakugan can become the Tenseigan, but that requires another Hyuga, ugh mortals and their removing eye fetishes." Shindame no Kami seemed to be contemplating something about the eyes of some of the most prominent clans from Konoha and then some. "He already wields Kurama so the access is possible, but then again all that is needed is that cursed woman's blood…"
"HEY, DON'T YOU IGNORE ME!" Naruto roared at the entity as he struggled in his place in the air as he attempted to kick and press his way out of the invisible grip. Readjusting his view on Naruto, Shindame no Kami brought both his hands up with two fingers, one from each hand hovering in place before Naruto's eyes.
"Listen here boy, think not of this as a gift," Shindame no Kami began gaining Naruto's attention. "once you bare these eyes your life will belong to me. There will be no salvation, no pleasure, only eternal service, should you encounter a Shinigami, they will fear whom it is you now represent, now go back to the realm of the living and spread the chaos of the Kōrei-sha like those before you!" With the sudden bold statement a terrible burning sensation filled Naruto's eyes as his body shrieked in pain. In a matter of moments everything went black as Naruto fell into a pain induced sleep. "Come back when you've grown in strength."
Outside, Jiraiya stood watch over the flames as he watched Naruto slowly begin to appear at the center of the inferno. Sitting up with his head down, Jiraiya watched as the flames slowly dissipated before being drawn into Naruto's eyes.
As the last bit of fire entered Naruto's eyes Naruto breathed to life , as in desperation he wheezed for air and clutched his sides in pain. Jiraiya, seeing this, rushed to his student's aid, comforting him. "Easy there Naruto the pain will go away in time, but for now just focus on breathing." Jiraiya instructed his young pupil.
Examining Naruto closer Jiraiya noticed that his eyes were bleeding. Bringing a cloth out from one of his pocket Jiraiya placed the cloth over Naruto's eyes as to try and deal with the bleeding. As the cloth touched the blood it began to sizzle before sparking into flames. Jiraiya began infusing his chakra into the rag causing it to cease burning and continue its purpose.
"Listen to my voice Naruto, you were chosen to wield a power that appears only once in times of turmoil." Jiraiya began. "It is a curse that you will have to live with every day, your life will never be the same, although considering your current social status it probably will remain the same in all honesty." Sweat dropping at his last remark, in all honesty Naruto would probably be met with the same hospitality as previously. "We'll end your training for now, however, with the little time we have left before the Chunin Exams I will have to teach you how to control your eyes to the very least of being able to deactivate them."
Slowly picking Naruto up Jiraiya noticed how menacing the aura around Naruto was now, and especially the sudden coldness of Naruto's body, it was like touching ice. 'His body is already entering the state of depravity, once the power is fully matured he'll be something equivalent to a demon, who seeks out retribution.' Jiraiya thought as he placed Naruto on his back and began scaling his way out of the ravine, leaving behind the cold and dark expanse left there.
Naruto, looking up at his newest teacher in life, couldn't make much sense out of what he was seeing, everything was blurry, and nothing was solid. There was no way to describe what he saw, especially since he shouldn't have been able to see due to the cloth covering his eyes.
'What's happening? Why is it that I can see?' Naruto thought before cringing in pain due to the abnormality with his eyes and the throbbing from his head. Unable to remain conscious any longer Naruto succumbed to an unconscious sleep, much to Jiraiya's strife.
Returning to their location near the river Jiraiya began planning on what he would need to teach Naruto within the next three days. Much of it would be rushed, but based on the knowledge from the previous encounter Jiraiya was hoping that it would assist Naruto.
Once back at the river Jiraiya placed Naruto down carefully and began gathering leaves and twigs to start a fire. As he finished stirring the fire Jiraiya began rotating wetting and replacing cold wet rags over Naruto's eyes in shifts and casting Naruto's orange jumpsuit jacket aside as to have access to his torso area with better ease.
'I wonder if the fox is still within Naruto, considering that those flames hunger with demonic consumption.' Jiraiya thought as he decided to check the seal around Naruto's naval, only to be surprised when he saw that it was destroyed. Quick to check if the fox was still suppressed Jiraiya began to sweat nervously as he noted that the remaining chakra of the Kyuubi was being absorbed into Naruto's chakra network. "Not even the chakra of a biju is safe, what kind of being is this Shindame no Kami?!" Jiraiya spoke aloud as he shook nervously.
-Four Days Later-
-Day of the Chunin Exams Finale-
Many people were beginning to take to their seats with anticipation at the conclusion of the Chunin Exams. Much of the crowd was gathering to see only a couple of the matches, or rather a certain individual. Sasuke Uchiha was the talk of the crowd, many great lords and noblemen were there to see the last the infamous Uchiha clan compete today. To many others, they were there for varying reasons, such as cheering on shinobi from their home village, specific young shinobi of their liking, or even other motives.
Down in the arena, Genma was looking over all the contestants that were gathered for today's matches. "Tsking" in annoyance, Genma noticed that both Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki haven't arrived yet, which for him was rather an annoyance. 'Great, the first match has Uzumaki fighting the Hyuga, and the Uchiha was to follow immediately afterwards.' Genma thought as he looked up at the Kage box and noticed that none of the Kage had arrived yet. 'Once the Kage arrive and the first match is supposed to begin I will have to disqualify Uzumaki if he isn't here.'
Looking back at the group in front of him Genma decided now was better than any time to show them the new match listing. "Alright listen up, I'm only showing you guys this once so pay attention." Genma announced to the participants of the finals. Holding up a sheet for the group to see, most of the group realized quickly that the order had changed. "As you can see the last candidate from the Land of Sound has withdrawn, meaning that there won't be an extra match, as such all other matches following the first one have been moved up."
'What the hell?! My match is third now?!' Shikamaru thought to himself as he looked in the order of the fights. First up was Naruto and Neji's fight, following that would be his and Sasuke's fight, then the chick from waterfall and Temari's fight, and finally ending with Gaara and Shino's fight . 'Just my luck, of all days, not to mention neither Naruto or Sasuke are here yet, which means my match could very well be first!'
The other contestants all looked over the paper and their opponents, while Neji and Gaara both shared a similar look, neither were particularly happy that they wouldn't be able to fight Sasuke. Neji, because once he would have to defeat Naruto and then move on and beat the last Uchiha if he was ever going to prove to the main branch how far he had surpassed them. Gaara just looked over at Shino with bored eyes, not even caring who is opponent was, he was only after fighting Sasuke, however, the girl he was set to fight afterwards didn't seem to leave him as dissatisfied as he previously presumed.
"Excuse me proctor," Shikamaru spoke up gaining Genma's attention. "I was wondering what would happen if a combatant doesn't show up for their match? Is it postponed?"
"No, if a combatant doesn't show up before the beginning of their match, then that person is automatically disqualified from the Chunin Exams, and will have to wait to participate in the next one at a different time." Genma answered. "So, your little buddies better hurry up, otherwise you'll automatically advance to the next round and have to fight Neji."
'Great, just what I was hoping wouldn't be the case.' Shikamaru groaned as he looked over at the open gate waiting to see if the two other genin from his and Shino's class would appear in time.
Time began to slowly go by as most of the crowd was now in their seats, all the while Shikamaru was getting antsy about finding out whether or not he would advance or not. Normally Shikamaru wouldn't give a damn about any activity that required effort, however, in this case he didn't want to advance due to a disqualification. Shino had reassured him that neither Naruto or Sasuke were the types to pass up such an event, but Shikamaru's nerves were still getting the better of him, mainly because he didn't want to be harassed or remembered as the guy that got a free ride to the second round of the Chunin Exam finals.
Up in the stands the rest of the Konoha genin who participated in the Chunin Exams, were sitting close together waiting for the event to begin. "What the hell, Naruto and Sasuke aren't here yet?! What, did they decide to meet up and fight each other to see who would go or not?!" Kiba retorted aloud and with great annoyance. The others of the group each had varying opinions of the matter, Sakura, for her part, was worried that her teammates weren't going to make it, but kept hoping that they would.
"Shut up Kiba! Your ranting is only getting more annoying!" Ino berated the young Inuzuka. "They'll both show up, and make it all the way to the end, just you watch!"
"Are you serious?! Shino is definitely going to make it to the end!" Kiba counted quickly. "And shouldn't you be cheering on Shikamaru, hell, from up here I'd say that he's about ready to throw in the towel, and the match hasn't even started yet!"
"Shikamaru is one thing, he's lazy, that's his nature, as for Shino, he'll just get destroyed by that chick from Waterfall and then it's game over!" Ino shouted. Both were locked in an endless banter, so neither of them took notice of Choji and a still healing Lee make their way to the group. The others were quick to greet their fellow peers and Choji let Lee take his seat before he did.
"How are doing Lee?" Sakura asked, hoping to hear some good news.
"Yosh, much better than before!" Lee sounded with pride. "Although I'm still having to use crutches I am out of the Hospital now." Much of the group paying attention was glad for their green cladded companion.
"So where is Naruto and Sasuke?" Choji asked the group, unknowingly stopping Ino and Kiba's banter. "I see Shikamaru, but the other two aren't here yet I take it?"
"They'll be here, just give them some time." Sakura assured, although slightly half-heartedly giving a clear impression that she wasn't sure herself.
"Well they better hurry, because once the Kage show up then the finals begin." Choji stated while pulling up a bag full of bags of assorted chips and other types of bagged snacks to open one of them. Looking over at the Kage box the group saw that the varying shinobi from each of the villages in attendance were there to witness such an event.
Down below Genma looked at his watch and noted that it was about time for everything to begin. Before he knew it however, a sudden gust of wind and leaves appeared, with it, Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Uchiha had arrived. Much of the crowd got excited upon seeing the two finally arriving.
"Well look at that Sasuke, you might have some fans after all." Kakashi jokingly poked at his student who ignored him and walked over to be with the other contestants.
"Late as always Kakashi, well at least you arrived before the thing started this time." Genma stated while looking down at his watch and over at the Uchiha. "Now we're only missing one combatant." This got Kakashi's attention as he curiously looked over the group of genin down in the arena. It was then that Kakashi noticed the sudden shock and confusion on Sasuke's face as he finally noticed the lack of hyperactive yelling at the two. Naruto wasn't there.
"About time you showed up Sasuke. I was beginning to worry that I would have to fight first." Shikamaru remarked, although noticed the confusion on Sasuke's face.
"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke asked Shikamaru.
"Some of us thought that you two were taken by Kakashi-sensei for training, he hasn't been seen for a couple week now." Shikamaru explained leaving Sasuke to wonder what had befallen his fellow teammate.
"Proctor, how much longer does he have until the first round begins?" Kakashi asked Genma who pocketed his watch while readjusting the long twig in his mouth.
"None." Genma answered as he and Kakashi looked up to see the Kage begin to take their places up in the Kage booth. All five Kage were in attendance, an occurrence that began several years back after a terrible incident. It was mainly out of honor rather than peace attempts, by no means were all the villages still friendly with each other, but they were willing to meet up for occasions such as the Chunin Exams, which marked the beginning of successful futures for many young genin, and was an honorable event.
With each Kage greeting each other two took a seat one each side of the Third Hokage with the Kazekage and the Tsuchikage taking direct seats next to him and the Mizukage and Raikage taking seats next to one of the two. In order, there was the Mizukage, Kazekage, Hokage, Tsuchikage, and Raikage, all sharing the same booth to oversee the event.
Once all the Kage were in position the Third Hokage stepped forward to begin the event. "Welcome everyone to the annual Chunin Exam Finale!" The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, greeted to everyone in attendance. "Today marks a special day, one in which all villages recognize, the coming of age for the young shinobi generation!" The crowd grew excited in cheers as they couldn't wait for the event to begin.
"Many shinobi from far across the land have journeyed here to partake in these exams, many seeking the opportunity to advance in their career, or perhaps seeking new challenges." The Third Hokage continued. "Today though there are only eight contestants left marking the end of the Chunin Exams!" With the announcement, the Hokage looked down at the young genin before him, although there were only seven in attendance he knew better than to presume. "Proctor I will ask that you wait five minutes for Naruto Uzumaki, I was informed by his instructor that he will be arriving late due to an issue that became apparent this past week."
"Very well, the first match shall be delayed by five minutes, until that time has passed everyone in attendance may finish getting seated and deal with any last-minute issues." Genma announced to the crowd, there were some groans of disapproval, however, the consensus was that the wait wasn't going to be long and so many just sat waiting patiently. "For now, Neji Hyuga remain down here in the arena, all the rest of you go up into the contestant booth over there."
Looking in the direction in which Genma was pointing at the remaining genin made their way up into their designated booth. With that the only people in the arena were Neji, Genma and Kakashi, who took this chance to get to the stands and near the other Konoha senseis and shinobi. With time going by all in attendance only had to wait a little longer, and during that time Neji waited with his eyes closed and arms crossed counting down the time in his head.
Five minutes was coming to an end and there was still no sign of Naruto. Many of his friends were hoping to see him walk through the open gates, or even appear rather theatrically like Kakashi and Sasuke did previously. Ultimately it appeared that wasn't going to be occurring.
With the hand striking the five-minute mark Neji smirked as he opened his eyes to see that Naruto wasn't standing before him. "Hm, it seems as though he couldn't man up and face me, what a shame, and I was hoping to put him in his place." Neji mocked as Genma just pocketed his watch once more before stopping midway.
Neji noticing the proctor's posture he began to wonder why it was that he stopped his action midway, until he felt it. Cold, encompassing, malice, like that he had never felt before. Slowly footsteps began to reverberate through the arena as a figure made its way towards it.
Coming from the open gate, a figure wearing black shinobi pants that stopped at the shin and a dark blue shirt was seen entering the arena. His arms were bandaged up to his fingers and he had bandages covering the area around his ankles and shins. A Konoha headband covered his eyes, although it could be seen that underneath it was cloth. The individual walking forward had pale blond hair and a complexion several shades lighter than what many would presume healthy.
Stopping in place directly in front of Neji, all could see the identifiable whisker marks on each of his cheeks, three on each side, and it didn't take much for them to identify this person as Naruto. "Proctor, I'm sorry for having you to delay the match, I am Naruto Uzumaki, and am ready to begin my match." Naruto apologized before turning to face the direction Neji was in. "Did you think I wouldn't show up Neji? Far from it, I never go back on my word."
Many in attendance that knew the blond were taken by surprise at the drastic change Naruto seemed to have gone through. "Is that Naruto?" Ino questioned aloud.
"What's up with the bandages, and why is it that he has his headband over his eyes, is he blind?!" Kiba thought aloud.
"If that is Naruto, then his personality must have done a one-eighty." Choji commented. As everyone looked down they noticed how torn his clothes were, they were practically ragged, as though he was just mauled by a bear, and yet standing like nothing was wrong.
"What is this?" Neji laughed mockingly towards Naruto. "With an appearance like that are you trying to play off the tough and rugged shinobi, or are you seriously going to fight me in such a state?"
"A shinobi should never base their opponents by their appearance alone," Naruto began as a cold and malicious intent that was felt earlier began to slowly return. "lest, your ignorance lead to an early grave." The warning sent chills down the spines of some in attendance as the venomous spite thrown towards Neji was evident.
"And who would send me to such an early grave? You? You look as though you have hardly the strength to move and yet you are lecturing me?" Neji pointed out at Naruto. "If anyone belongs in an early grave it's you deadlast."
"Trust me when I say that I wouldn't be there for long." Naruto replied as Neji's once visible smirk began to slowly recede into a scowl. "Now then Neji Hyuga, I will see my promise fulfilled, so ready yourself because I will not relent in slightest so long as you show resistance."
Getting a clear idea of what was to happen between the two young genin Genma cleared his throat to stop the tension for at least the moment. "Save it until I call the match to begin you two." Genma stated. Meanwhile, up in the stands many people were whispering about Naruto's appearance and the bad blood he seemed to have with Neji.
"Those idiots, they don't know a thing about the situation." Kiba mentioned to the group. "Had they been there in the Forest of Death then they would now why those two don't get along."
"But how is Naruto going to fight with his headband covering his eyes? Is he an idiot?" Ino questioned.
"I think the reason why he has it like that is the same reason he has those bandages on his arms and legs." Sakura stated gaining the others' separate attentions. "If you noticed then you could see the cloth underneath Naruto's headband, I think the reason why Naruto was late was not because of a dramatic entrance, but rather because he suffered some kind of injury while training that left him in a terrible state. Just look at his clothing and the wear on those bandages."
"If he is in such a state why would he even show up then?" Choji wondered in between chips.
"Because his heart yearns to fulfill a great promise to treasured friend." Lee interjected. "Promising that he would avenge Hinata after viewing such brutality it is quite clear that Naruto trained himself into the ground several layers deep to fulfill his word."
"You mean that phrase he keeps shouting off, something about his nindo?" Choji asked for clarity.
"Yeah, that's right, whenever Naruto makes a promise, no matter how extreme it is, he plans to fulfill it, even if he ends up having to forfeit his own life." Sakura explained. "A devotion that strives him to achieve what many would think impossible, but yet seems ever more believable once he seeks it out."
"So, then you're saying that he walked all the way here to this arena in such a state just to fulfill a promise that he made on a whim?" Kiba asked getting a nod of confirmation. "What utter bullshit! There is no way that Naruto came solely for just that reason, hell he didn't even know if he would end up fighting Neji or not until today! I bet that this whole thing is only happening because he's fighting against Neji, instead of Sasuke, you know his rival!"
"Well pent up aggression is possible considering how much those two are at each other's throats." Ino remarked acknowledging the possibility. "Plus, Naruto isn't one to hold a grudge, it's not in his nature, I mean imagine if he did." The thought however, quickly crossed each of their minds when the malice returned in full. It yearned to strike out at something, crushing it, and then successfully kill it.
The epicenter was from the arena, and for those only left to guess it wasn't hard to presume whom it was that was emanating it. Down in the arena the air around Naruto began to reverberate and shake as Naruto brought a hand up to point at Neji.
"Neji Hyuga, I hope that you're ready, because after today you will regret ever hurting one of my friends!" Naruto struck with icy venom laced in each word.
"Hmph, alright loser, let's start then and find out just who fate has chosen to win this match." Neji acknowledged before looking over at the proctor. "Are you going to keep delaying our match or are you going to start it?"
"Listen brat I could run circles around you without so much as breaking a sweat, so don't even try that with me again." Genma warned before fully pocketing his watch and looking up to see all the Kage sitting in their respected seats, before looking back down at the two genin. "Alright then with everything else out of the way, let the first match of the Chunin Exam Final Round between Neji Hyuga and Naruto Uzumaki, BEGIN!"
With that the match began, and the outcome was…
Alright that's all I got for this chapter, yeah not much in terms of reveal or anything although that comes later. Now the first thing I want everyone to know is that there is a reason as to why I chose to begin this story in an AU that has different political agendas and circumstances than the cannon, so just follow along and everything will be revealed why. Now I will post two chapters together on the same day, this way I can get the story to advance while giving you guys plenty to read while I work and write "Blades of Evisceration".
Quick note, any questions involving anything in this chapter will be addressed in the other chapter after this, seeing as what will be addressed in that one will hopefully help you guys understand a little bit better, if not feel free to ask me questions through the methods I mentioned earlier up at the top of this chapter in my first author note section for this story.
Otherwise please review and give me feedback on your thoughts and take for this story so far. I will reiterate that this story will follow a darker path than cannon, so if your fine with that then please keep reading. Thanks for giving my story a read, and I'll see everyone next chapter!
Next chapter:
A Demon's Cursed Fate...
(Also please PM or notify me of grammatical errors, some of those nasty devils seemed to have gotten pass me. It means a lot thank you!)