29.12.2011

Disclaimer: All Naruto characters belongs to Kishimoto Masashi

Warnings: Death


Summary: Naruto the demon fox meets his enemy in battleground. But there is more to them than just a rivalry and hatred. One-shot.


Demon and Ninja

[Over 2000 years earlier in forests of Hi no Kuni, time before Konoha was created]

Dark shadow stood still silently alone nearby the edge of bubbling spring, giving towards whirling water a thoughtful glance. Kneeling in edge of spring he reached his hand out towards the water but pulled his hand back suddenly. He stood up, and one more time he gazed the spring. Then he turned his back to it and walked gracefully away, merging into the shadows around him.

Just moments later he arrived to giant, a gnarly tree. He touched silently its rough bark slowly and turned then his eyes towards upper parts of tree. He saw huge gnarly branches which were like created to be used for lurking. He tensed his body slightly before jumping easily one of lower branches gracefully like a cat. He leaped from branch to branch until he reached the one he liked. Then he took relaxed position, merging into shadows once again. He closed his eyes and listened silently a sounds of the nature and surroundings.

He was a warrior, but not a normal warrior. He was a demon, son of fox demons from two different demon clans. He looked mistakenly much like a human, but he wasn't one. He was very much a like a beast, who didn't trust anyone else than himself and his family.

His ears twitched as he heard already from distance group of people coming. He knew that those people were carrying very treasured jutsu scroll, and he wanted to have it for himself. He wasn't usually so selfish, but that scroll was important to him, and contained very important jutsu that was priceless to him.

He lazily turned his head to way where noises were coming from and cracked his left eye lazily open. He noticed that group was formed from some hired ninjas. He silently snorted, but then his nose picked up familiar scent of blood and cinnamon. He opened his eyes to slits and scanned the scene carefully. His mortal enemy was amongst them, and might be quite tricky to defeat this time. He frowned a bit. This got a bit more complicated than he had expected.

He got ready to attack and took crouching pose closing his eyes, listening noises that got closer. His ears moved and twitched restlessly. He got more alert and his body tensed slightly. When men were straight under him, he cracked his eyes completely open and soundlessly dropped down, killing instantly two men without any effort.

"It's him, Naruto! Don't kill but incarcerate him!" familiar voice of woman shouted.

Naruto lithely turned evading katana's sharp blade. "Soft as always", he said softly chuckling and dashed suddenly towards woman. "You will die too early, if you don't take this seriously."

He moved gracefully evading and attacking, so lithely that it seemed more likely dancing than a fighting. He easily killed many men and wounded as many he killed. He had cornered his mortal enemy near against giant tree's trunk, and wounded her mortally.

Naruto managed to grab jutsu scroll he had come to seek and hid it inside his armor quickly. "I got what I came to seek. Unfortunately to you, Izuna... You will die from injury I gave you", he whispered to woman, genuinely sad about it.

"Naruto...", woman called Izuna, Naruto's mortal enemy, said with faint voice. She lifted her sword with her fading strength toward demon, pushed him against giant tree and pierced his chest with katana. "I may die now... but I will be reborn, and I will be there for you next time... someday..." she gasped with faint voice.

Naruto screamed as cold katana's blade pierced his chest, right above his heart. He started to cough blood and tried to grab katana to pull it out, but he felt his strength fading and vision starting to get hazy.

"... Izuna", he said reaching his hands towards the woman, who had slumped down against the katana and him. His hands were stained with his own blood, but he still gently touched the woman on the face, stroking gently her cheek, she was so close to him. "... Izuna... I... hate you... but yet I... love...", he whispered faintly to woman, before his hand fell powerless to his side, and his head slumped against woman. His vision darkened and eyes closed slowly and final words he heard before complete silence, were faintly whispered words.

"I may die now, but we will meet again in future, I promise it to you, my beloved and hated enemy and friend. Wait for me... In future..."

Only living man of their team now came to help their leader and left the katana in demon's chest. "It will be his seal... until the day... we will meet again", Izuna said, gasping air and did handseals for jutsu. "Ate-sha Mugen no Yume [Endless Dream of Destined Person]!", she whispered and pain tore her chest. She let out small scream, and started to cough blood. She collapsed to ground, gasping painfully air and holding her chest.

"Lady Izuna... The scroll..."

"He managed... to get it... and hid it well... It is his now...", Izuna said, her voice turning very faint and barely audible. "Leave this ... place... We are... in territory... of fox demons..." Her breathing was laboured and broken, she was nearly dead, but still she managed to reach her hand out toward demon, tears streaming from her dark eyes. "... Naruto... Wait for me... until... We meet... again..." After that her hand fell down to the ground and her eyes closed, heart stopped and breathing stilled.

She finally fell in sleep she wouldn't wake anymore, ever.


This one-shot was originally written to very different story, not into fan fiction but one of my own fantasy novels. This was heavily edited from original form. This was also years ago, written when I was merely 17 and edited in date mentioned above. Inspiration came from Inuyasha manga I had started to read just back then. This has been lying around in my PC, so I just thought, 'Why not? Perhaps someone will like it.' At least when I showed its original draft for my sister, she said it was pretty good... Well... *feels awkward*

Regards, Stillnight