A
Naruto
Fan fiction
Chapter 01
Enter: the Sons of The Paper Shikigami!
A slow wind breezing through the thick forest, trees lazily swaying, leaves rustling. Then a branch snaps, followed with a loud thud. A woman stands on a nearby branch, sneering.
"I told you not to follow me Kuro! Find your own branch next time, your making me look bad!"
"I'm sorry brother; I just wanted us to succeed together." Kuro stands up shyly, brushing himself off. The woman laughs and Kuro stands perfectly still out of fear, "I think she found us Xentall!" Xentall stands up quickly and takes out a kunai.
"Back to back Kuro, don't let her flank us!" Xentall orders, Kuro also taking out a kunai and pressing his back up against his brother's, "If you hadn't followed me on that branch we would've had more time to come up with a plan of attack!" They slowly do a three-sixty, scanning their surroundings.
"You boys are so clumsy. You need to practice on your balance." Xentall throws his kunai in the direction he thinks the voice is. The woman looks down to see the kunai imbedded into the branch between her feet, "Nice reflexes, but you missed." Paper spears fly out of the tree and Xentall grabs the shirt collar of Kuro and jumps to the side, throwing him on the ground as he lands.
"Thank you for that. I wasn't paying attention" Kuro says, standing up slowly.
"Well start paying attention; I won't be saving you every time you zone out!"
"I wasn't zoning out, they came from my blind spot! I didn't see them!"
"Learn to use your other senses!" More spears fly out and they jump in different directions. The woman then appears behind Xentall and swings a large paper spear downward. He unsheathes a short sword from the back of his hip and blocks the blow. He holds it there, forcing all of his weight upward.
"It looks like we're at a stalemate, Xen." The woman says, gripping the paper spear with both hands and forcing it downward. Xentall falls to one knee and glares the woman in the eyes.
"That's what you think!" Kuro then jumps in the air and does hand seals.
"Paper Style: Sheering Rain no Jutsu!" Kuro then holds out his left arm and it turns to paper. Then the sheets of paper fly at the woman. She disconnects with Xentall and jumps to the side, making the paper hit the ground with force; creating a small crater. Xentall jumps in the other direction, doing hands seals while still holding his sword.
"Dark Release: Shadow Blade Jutsu!" Xentall holds out his sword as black lighting engulfs the blade. He starts to pant as Kuro appears next to him, the paper sheets slowly forming his arm again. Xentall runs at the woman, wielding his sword. Kuro does more hand seals and aims both of his arms at the women.
"Paper Style: Origami Prison no Jutsu!" Both of his arms and shoulders turn to hundreds of sheets of paper and fly at her. She tries to jump but a paper clone of Kuro holds her in place. The paper then grabs on to both her arms and legs and form chains connecting to the nearby trees. Xentall lets out a scream as he swings his sword at her. She stares at him intensely and then a paper clone jumps in front of him, taking the blow for her. The black lightning engulfs the clone as Xentall splits it down the middle. The woman looks at him with a smirk as the lightning dissipates and Xentall's breathing gets heavier.
"That took a lot of chakra didn't it Xen?" She breaks free from her prison and kicks Xentall in the chest, sending him flying back towards Kuro.
"You weren't really going to kill her were you?" He asks as he helps Xentall up.
"Of course I wouldn't, but I kept swinging because I knew she'd block it somehow!" Xentall says, yanking his arm out of Kuro's grasp. Xentall's breathing starts to slow but then his legs start to shake, "That last jutsu took a lot of chakra. I barely have enough to perform one more Shadow Blade." The woman slowly starts to free herself from Kuro's Origami Prison and Kuro starts to freak out.
"She's breaking free, what do we do Xen?" Kuro asks, his voice trembling.
"We fight! I may not have much chakra left but I still got my sword. And you've barely used up your chakra, keep throwing Ninjutsus at her!" The woman then breaks free and sprints at them. Kuro takes a step back and starts to cry.
"I don't want to die!" He says, blocking his face with his arms. Xentall raises his sword and runs at her. She grabs his wrist, making him drop the sword. She then lifts him off the ground and spins him on his side. She then let's go, does a three-sixty and kicks him in the stomach, sending him flying at a tree. Kuro screams in fear as the woman runs at him. He closes his eyes and waits for the hit.
He waits for what seems like forever then opens his eyes and sees the woman standing there, aiming a kunai at his face.
"I just killed you, Kuro. You have to learn to defend yourself; don't run away from a fight, you'll just-
"End up tired. I know, sorry mother." Kuro says, putting his head down in shame as he wipes his tears away. The woman then walks towards Xentall who's slowly getting up from the ground.
"And you young man, you need to learn your limits." Xentall looks at her with distain.
"A good ninja has no limits! They keep fighting until they win or die!" He stands up and leans against the tree, "And we would've won if cry baby over there would just do something other than stand in the background and wet his pants!"
"That was one time and you know it Xen!"
"So what if it was one time? You still did it!"
"At least I'm not trying to actually kill our mother!"
"If you don't have the guts to at least try and kill her then how are you going to actually kill someone if your life depends on it? You're nothing but a big cry baby and a coward!" Xentall yells. Kuro looks down slightly, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Stop it, the both of you! We're done training for the day. Let's head home and get some rest for tomorrow." She yells, grabbing Xentall by the hand and walking him by Kuro. She reaches a hand out to him and he takes it sheepishly.
The three of them walk through the woods in silence, listening to the music of nature. Xentall starts to lag behind but still holding onto his mother's hand as his left leg starts to hurt badly.
"Are you o.k. Xen?" Kuro asks, looking over his shoulder.
"No, I think my leg is broken because I actually got hit during training today!"
"She would've hit me too!"
"No, because she knows you're weak and that you would cry! You cry about everything, even that time when a leaf fell on your head!"
"I told you, I thought it was a spider!"
"Anyone with a brain would've known it was a leaf!"
"Oh yeah well at least I use my brain instead of just charging into battle!" Their mother than slams her foot on the ground, making the earth shake slightly. Xentall and Kuro close their mouths with wide eyes and bodies filled to the brim with fear. She glares at them both for a second and then continues walking, pulling them along. They continue to walk in silence and Xentall looks at the sky through the cracks of the trees, his long, blue hair lazily flowing in the wind. His clothes worn out and torn from consistent use. He looks himself over to find any blood. His black jacket looks like it always does, his white shirt still has that hole on the bottom left but it looks a little bigger. His black pants hang over his ankles and his sandals still look brand new.
"What do you boys want for dinner?"
"I don't care." Xentall says with a sigh. Kuro then speaks up; explaining what he wants and Xentall looks him over for any sign of blood. His red hair is short in the back and long in the front, covering his left eye. His dark blue, long sleeved shirt has no imperfections in it. His white shorts are still torn and he was wraps going from the tips of his shins to his ankles. His mother laughs. They're obviously talking about something else other than food.
"Do you like the sound of that Xen?" She looks down at him with a soft, warm smile and Xentall can't help but smile back.
"Yeah, I don't mind." Of course Xentall didn't know what they were talking about but he wasn't concerned with what they were going to eat. He looks up at his mother and examines her face. Her blue hair isn't in a bun like it usually is. It's down like Xentall's only straighter. She still has her origami flower pinned to her hair. She never takes it off unless she's going to bed. Her clothes always look new. She's wearing the standard dark green flak jacket that all Jōnin wear. Under that is a black, long-sleeved shirt and gloves with a metal cover on the top of the hand. She's wearing Black shorts and thigh-high sandals that are dark blue.
They arrive at a very large and thick tree. Their mother puts a hand on it and paper sheets start to move away, creating an entrance. Xentall and Kuro run inside and jump onto the couch that's in the middle of the large room. Their mother steps inside; the paper sheets forming together to cover up the hole.
"Hey mom, why do we have to live in the forest? Why can't we just live in a village?" Kuro asks, hanging off the side of the couch. Xentall sighs in frustration.
"Why do you always ask that? You already know the answer!"
"Then why don't you tell me?" Kuro yells, getting in Xentall's face and crossing his arms.
"Because we're not welcome in most villages you big dummy!"
"Mom told you to stop calling me that!" Kuro tackles Xentall to the ground and starts to swing his fists but Xentall pushes him off and sits on his chest, pinning his arms above his head. Kuro starts to cry and their mother snatches Xentall by the back of his shirt collar and lifts him up.
"What have I told you two about fighting inside?" She yells, her voice slightly echoing through the hallow tree. Xentall drops his head in shame and Kuro wipes his tears.
"Sorry mother." Kuro says as he dusts himself off. Their mother nods at Kuro and he walks off to his bed. She glares at Xentall who still has his head down.
"I'm sorry too mother." She nods and lets him go. He sighs and walks to the other side of the tree where his bed is. He lays down and faces the wall. Their mother sighs and goes to the kitchen and starts cooking their dinner.
A couple of hours pass and they're all sitting at the dinner table eating ramen with chicken rice. Xentall is eating silently while his mother and Kuro are talking.
"So mom, I saw the cutest white rabbit today during training. Do you think we can find it and keep it as a pet?" Kuro asks while scooping up some of his chicken rice with his chopsticks.
"How about this; if you see it again and you're able to catch without hurting it, you can keep it?" Kuro raises his arms and cheers with food in his mouth. Xentall sighs as he finishes his ramen and starts to eat his rice.
"Xen, sweetie is something wrong?" Xentall puts his chopsticks down and swallows.
"I agree with Kuro for once. Why can't we live in a village? The Village Hidden in The Leaf is just a couple of miles from here."
"Xen, we just can't live in a village, especially in the Hidden Leaf Village."
"But why can't we? Kuro and I can enter their Ninja Academy and learn from more than one ninja."
"Xen we-
"I'm tired of living in a tree made of paper in the middle of a forest!"
"Xen if you would-
"What is wrong with living in a village-?
"Xen, that is ENOUGH!" Their mother slams her hand on the table, the impact is loud and it echoes through the tree. Xentall slouches in his seat, putting his head down and Kuro cowers a little, tears welling up in his eyes. She sighs and rubs her forehead, "Xen, we can't live in the villages because I did terrible things in the past that they still hold me accountable for.
"You mean when you were in the Akatsuki?" Kuro asks, leaning forward in curiosity. Their mother glances at a closet with a clear cover that has all the head bands and rings of all the Akatsuki members, including her own. She sighs and looks back at Xentall.
"I did terrible things. The Hidden Leaf Village is still recovering from what we did." Xentall sighs and leans his chin on his elbow up on the table.
"You mean you and father? Why don't you ever talk about him? Don't you think we're old enough now to know what he did?" Their mother stands up quickly and Kuro cowers again. Only this time tears well up in her eyes.
"Not today Xen, I'm not in the mood." She walks to the other side of the tree where there is a separate room. She walks through the opening and shuts the door. Kuro glares at Xentall and he has his head down.
"Nice going Xen, you upset mom again!" He takes the dishes to the sink and starts cleaning them. Xentall stands up and walks back to his bed. He lays down and stares at the wall. Kuro turns off the sink and walks to his bed and lays down, "Good night Xen."
"Good night Kuro." Xentall yawns as he pulls the covers over himself.
Xentall Slowly opens his eyes and sits up stretching. He looks around but it's a bit foggy. He squints to see better but the fog just intensifies. He stands up and when he takes a deep breath through his nose he smells smoke. He runs into his mother's room and she's still sound asleep.
"Mother, I smell smoke!" She slowly sits up. She yawns and opens her eyes, "Mom, get up, I think the tree is on fire!" Her eyes widen and she puts on her flak jacket and runs out of her room. The whole tree is filled with smoke and it's starting to get really hot. Xentall is by Kuro's bed waking him up and helping him put his sandals on.
"Xentall and Kuro pack your things!" Their mother commands. She grabs a small bag and breaks the glass cabinet where the headbands and rings of the Akatsuki are. She stuffs them in her bag and swings it over her shoulder. She looks back and sees Xentall sheathing his short-sword and Kuro putting on his backpack, "Let's go!" They all run out and Xentall looks back to see that the top is engulfed with fire.
"Who could've done this?" Xentall asks as they jump through the trees. Their mother remains quite and then she's blasted away. Xentall and Kuro land on a branch and watch in horror as their mother falls to the ground, "Mother!"
"Mom are you o.k.?" Kuro yells as tears roll down his cheeks. Then six men appear around her laughing. She slowly starts to get up but one kicks her back down.
"Well boys, I told you it was her. The infamous Paper Shikigami of the Akatsuki. Konan Yutaka." They all laugh as she looks up in the tree and sees her sons hiding.
"Who are you?" She asks as she tries to get up.
"We're concerned citizens of the Hidden Leaf." He lifts his foot from her back and she instantly jumps and does hand seals.
"Shikigami Dance!" Her entire body turns to thousands of sheets of paper and they swirl around them.
"Looks like we have a fight on our hands, boys!" The man yells as he takes out a kunai, "Hotake, you know what to do!" A taller but skinnier man laughs and does hand seals.
"Toad Style: Oil Sludge Jutsu!" The man spits tons of oil all around the swirling paper twister and it starts to slow down. Xentall unsheathes his short-sword and starts to do hand seals. The paper twister stops and Konan appears out of the twister, only showing her bust. She's panting and is covered in oil.
"How did you know?" She asks, trying to form her arms so she can defend herself.
"A little birdy told me." The man says, walking up to her and aiming his kunai at her, "There is a big bounty on your head Konan. And it doesn't matter if you're turned in dead or alive. And I'd rather have a corpse then a fighting prisoner." He punches her in the nose and she grunts. She lifts her head slowly and her nose is bleeding profusely. The man grabs a fist full of her hair and drags her out of the paper twister, throwing her onto the ground. They all start to laugh and Kuro covers his mouth and cries.
"Kuro, do your Origami Prison Jutsu!" Xentall commands as he is still doing hand seals.
"What are you doing?" Kuro asks with a shaky voice. Xentall doesn't answer and Kuro looks back down at the men who are still laughing. They start to kick and punch Konan and Xentall jumps out of the tree.
"Dark Release: Shadow Blade Jutsu!" The men look up and Xentall's blade is engulfed with black lightning. He swings his blade down and makes contact with the tall and skinny man's shoulder. Xentall lets out a scream as he swings down and cuts him in half, from his left shoulder, to his right hip. The lightning intensifies and strikes another man, sending him flying towards a tree and as he hits it he explodes. The men jump back from Konan, taking out kunais.
"Xen, what were you thinking?" Xentall looks down to see his mother broken on the ground and blood coming out of her mouth as well as most of her body. Xentall knees down, sticking his sword into the ground to support him, "Runaway while you can son!" She yells, choking on her own blood. Kuro then jumps out of the trees and starts to do hand seals.
"Not this time!" The man yells and he throws his kunai at Kuro. It hits him in the shoulder and he stops in midair and falls to the ground.
"Kuro!" Konan yells, holding out her hand, "My baby boy, no!" Xentall looks over his shoulder to see what happened but he's then punched in the back of the head and he goes flying a couple of feet and rolls to a stop. The man who threw the kunai places a foot on Xentall's head and laughs.
"What was your plan after you killed two of my men? Kill the rest of us? You two are nothing but small children." Two men appear behind Kuro and one grabs his head and lifts it up to face Xentall, "So I'm going to make you watch tough guy." Xentall tries to stand up but the man just grabs his hair and lifts his head up to make him face Kuro.
"Xen, I'm scared." Kuro says as tears roll down his cheeks like two waterfalls. One of the men behind him takes out a kunai and places it over Kuro's throat.
"NO!" Konan yells from behind them. Xentall can hear her crying and just stares at Kuro. Kuro starts to cry hysterically and all the men laugh.
"Let him go!" Xentall yells. He throws the man off of him and throws his short-sword at the man holding the kunai on Kuro's throat. It hits him in the head and the other three men stand there in awe. Xentall holds his right eye in pain and screams loudly. Kuro does the same only he's holding his left eye. Konan lays there in silence as her sons scream in pain. Xentall falls to his knees and one of the men slowly walks towards him.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" He yells as he hits the side of Xentall's head. Xentall looks up and the man gasps, "What the hell is wrong with your eye?" The man yells. Xentall's right eye is bleeding and ripples slowly form around his pupil. The man looks behind his back and sees Kuro's left eye is bleeding and also has the ripples, "They have the Rinnegan!" The man yells as he jumps back next to his comrades.
"That's impossible-
"I saw it!" The man yells. Xentall slowly stands up and limps over to Kuro who is shaking and still crying.
"Kuro, are you o.k.?" He knees down and Kuro slowly looks up. Xentall's eyes widen as he sees his brother's left eye does have the Rinnegan.
"Xen, your eye, it has the Rinnegan." Kuro reaches out to touch it but Xentall stops him.
"So does yours." They both look towards their mother who isn't moving anymore, "Mom?" Xentall and Kuro run towards their mother but their stopped but a kunai that lands in front of them.
"Just because you two have the Rinnegan doesn't change a thing!" The man yells as he does hand seals, "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" The man spits a ball of fire towards them and Xentall jumps in front of Kuro and holds his arms out to block his brother. The fire ball then stops and Xentall starts to feel rejuvenated. The fire ball gets smaller and smaller until it completely dissipates. The men stand there; one of them looks completely terrified.
"That's one of the Six Paths! Ninjutsu won't do a thing against them!" One of the men yells as he backs up.
"Kuro go check on mom, I'll deal with them." Xentall says in a stone cold voice. Kuro nods and runs towards Konan.
"Stop him!" A really tall and buff man runs at Kuro but Xentall intercepts him and jumps up to meet his level then grabs his neck. He slams the man down into the ground and straightens back up. Kuro slides to Konan's side and shakes her; trying to wake her up.
"None of you are touching them ever again!" Xentall runs at them doing hand seals, "You'll never touch anyone else ever again!" He jumps up and his hand is engulfed in black fire, "Dark Release: Chakra Leech Jutsu!" He flies down and grabs another man by the head and the black flames engulf him. He starts to look old and weak until he looks really skinny and you can see all of his bones. Then Xentall disconnects his grip and the man falls to the ground face first.
"Just because you have the Rinnegan doesn't mean you're stronger than me boy!" He runs at Xentall holding his kunai and swings. Xentall grabs his wrist and holds it tightly until he feels it snap. The man grunts in pain and swings his other fist. He hits Xentall on the side of the head, "I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to kill your brother and then your mother!" Xentall starts to laugh and the man looks at him confused.
"You're going to kill me?" His laugh gets loud and more maniacal, "YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME?" Xentall grabs him by the neck and throws him at a tree, "YOU'RE NOT KILLING ANYONE EVER AGAIN! IF ANYONE IS GETTING KILLED IT'LL BE YOU!" Xentall laughs even louder and Kuro stares at him with wide eyes trembling lips. Konan starts to wake up and Kuro cradles her.
Xentall does hand seals and his hand is engulfed in black fire again. He runs at the man and grabs his face. The man starts to struggle but as he gets skinnier his movements start to slow down. After a couple of seconds he stops moving and Xentall lets go.
"Xen, she's awake." Kuro says with a shaky tone. Xentall limps over to Konan and falls to his knees on the opposite side of her. She places a hand on Xentall's cheek and smiles.
"You're so strong. I'm proud of you." Xentall says nothing and she places her other hand on Kuro's cheek, "And you, looks like you stopped crying. You were so brave back there." Her arms then go limp and she passes out again.
"We have to get her help." Kuro says, swinging one of her arms around his shoulder, "Help me." Xentall lifts her other arm around his shoulder and they start to walk.
"Where are we going to go Kuro?"
"We're going to the Hidden Leaf Village." They jump to a nearby branch and start to jump towards the village.