Goddess of Sun and Demon of the Akatsuki
The beaming sun cascaded down upon the world of the Shinobi. A day like many others; except this one was different for the Demon of the Akatsuki. He approached the meeting place upon a bridge, the bridge dividing the two countries of the Shinobi. The bell upon his hat tinkled faintly as he glanced around. The way he paid attention to his surroundings was unusual, to say the least. His left eye was covered with a bandage, leaving only his right eye to do the seeing. Across his forehead lies the plate showing the Konoha, disfigured with a line crossing through it. His bodily features were hidden by his traditional Akatsuki robes, hiding anything that he might be carrying.
"Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto said to his companion stood beside him. Orochimaru was holding an object, but did not lessen the unease which he felt.
"Kabuto, I have said before. We are going to meet only one of the Akatsuki. One whom they call… the Demon of the Akatsuki." Orochimaru spoke with a confident smirk.
"Then how can we trust him?" Kabuto asked edgily.
"I have a little something which he asked for…" Orochimaru chuckled in a manner that could only be described as creepy.
Kabuto of course could not truly trust the Akatsuki – but this man had contacted Orochimaru directly in order to get his hands on the object which he holds.
Kabuto scanned the area, alert. Both he and Orochima heard the tinkle of bells approaching from the forest on the other side of the bridge. Kabuto instantly prepared a Jutsu in case of an attack from the cloaked Akatsuki.
Daichi approached the bridge and looked around in a relaxed manner before taking his first steps onto it.
"Are you really this afraid, Kabuto…?" Daichi asked, his voice inhuman.
Kabuto's expression remained unchanged.
"You are here on business with Lord Orochimaru. Have you been followed?" He asked.
"If any have followed… It would be just and unfortunate loss for the Akatsuki." Daichi replied, coming to a halt a short distance from them. Orochimaru's eyes focused on Daichi's covered right eye.
"So this is the Demon of the Akatsuki. How interesting. You don't look so special…" Orochimaru began. Daichi instantly produced Kunai in his hand, and before Kabuto could react, it slammed into the ground inches from their feet.
He is fast… Kabuto thought, as chakra began to show up over his hand. Orochimaru remained calm and smiled.
"Has something upset you, Demon?" He mocked, clearly to test Daichi's patience.
"If I was, I can assure you… Neither of you would be breathing." Daichi's eye drilled into Orochimaru, removing his hat slowly, revealing his jet black hair.
"Well, what do you know? Something has clearly changed from when I last saw you, Daichi. Not just losing your eye, but your hair colour too?" Orochimaru said curiously.
"I assume you brought what I asked for?" Daichi asked, placing his hat back upon his head. Was showing his hair colour a warning?
"You mean this summoning contract?" Orochimaru smirked, pulling out a scroll, motioning to Kabuto that everything was under control.
"The Wolf summoning contract…" Daichi reached his hand out, surprising Kabuto with his claw-like nails.
Just as Orochimaru was about to give the scroll, he withdrew. Daichi raised his eye to meet Orochimaru's as if to ask; what are you playing at?
"I would rather see my side of the deal too." Orochimaru grinned cunningly. Silently, Daichi reached inside his cloak, revealing a scroll.
"The data about the village…" Daichi holds the scroll in one hand, the other beckoning for the summoning contract. For a moment there was no movement, their eyes locked. Kabuto was tense, ready should Daichi try to attack.
Orochimaru took the scroll and checked it.
"My my, you are useful at collecting information after all!" He said gleefully, passing the summoning contract to Daichi.
"This meeting never happened." Daichi spoke with a soft snarl, turning away and tucking the contract into his cloak after briefly checking it.
"I have heard much about you… Yet there is no confirmed count of how many you have killed." Orochimaru's words halted Daichi in his tracks. Kabuto quickly readied his Jutsu as the Demon turned his head slightly with a chuckle.
"You should fear me. Not even your precious student Uchiha Sasuke could defeat me. He is a weakling compared to the power I possess." Daichi turned to face them.
"You are so over-confident; you badly underestimate my Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru sneered, Kabuto readying his attack.
"Easy there, Kabuto. We don't want to fight the legendary Demon yet." He cautioned, the pair of them watching as Daichi slowly lifted the bandage covering his eye. Kabuto's eyes went wide as he saw that the eye was more Demon Fox than human, and clearly surprised Orochimaru too.
That eye…Kabuto thought. It was so creepy looking.
"So that is the eye of Kyuubi…" Orochimaru said slowly as Daichi grinned evilly.
"I hate to disappoint you, but it is not the complete Demon eye yet." Daichi said as he turned and began to walk away.
"Makes me wonder if I will one day see your true power… Kyuubi." Orochimaru smirked. Daichi turned his head again for a moment, so that they could get a good look of the eye. "You just called me Kyuubi… A nice choice" He chuckled before darting away, disappearing into the forest.
"Orochimaru-sama. It seems he didn't notice your plan." Kabuto said, relaxing slightly.
"Of course. He was too full of himself to see that the summoning contract was… remade by me. Yet having the names on it was not even tricky. He still has the same weakness, the same one he had back in the days I saw him in Konoha."
"You think he will be killed?" Kabuto smirked.
"More than likely. Not even a Demon of the Akatsuki could defeat the one he will summon with that contract, even with his power." Orochimaru said as the pair left the bridge.
Back at an Akatsuki hideout, located nearby the Land of the River, Deidrara walked close to Kisame.
"Kisame-sama…" he began.
"What is it?" Kisame turned his attention to him, who took a seat nearby.
"Why didn't you and Itachi go after our latest recruit?" Deidara asked. He was obviously aware that Itachi had at least noticed Daichi leave early that morning.
"Pain asked me to allow our recruit to let off some steam. However demon-like he is, he really should watch his own back. His way of letting it out causes much death and destruction. If you get in his way... He will not hesitate to kill those he considers a threat" Kisame spoke with his usual smirk.
"His ways of killing sounds quite artistic, yet still deadly. No wonder he was in the Bingo Book and marked as one of the most wanted ninjas of this world." Deidara said, remembering a line that the Akatsuki always said: "True art is an explosion".
"Perhaps that is why he finds your explosions more entertaining than just burning things. Yet, he has interesting habits." Kisame added whist watching Sasori preparing his puppet.
"Where is he, anyway?" Asked Sasori.
Quite unexpectedly, a holographic-like figure of Pain materialised.
"Deidara, Sasori. Take care of the mission at this moment. Kisami, Itachi, I need you to be ready should I request you two to go to another of our hideouts. Are we clear?" Pain spoke with a calm but distinctly threatening demeanor. Sasori was ready in an instant.
"Deidara, you know I hate to wait, so let's get going with the next part of the plan." Said Sasori, causing Deidara to get up in a huff. They left the hideout quickly and quietly together.
At another hideout, Daichi was busy lighting some candles, taking a seat in the middle of the room, filled with scrolls and other items expected in a hideout. The contract lay before him, under his careful scrutiny. He thoroughly knew every part about summoning a fox, but what would happen if he tried to summon a wolf? His usual target of summoning Nine Tails was no longer possible, thanks to that brat Naruto Uzumaki whom became the Nine Tails Jinchuuriki.
"You are so reckless when it comes to trusting one like Orochimaru. I have told you often that the only one you can truly trust is me." A demonic voice rolled through Daichi's head, as he slowly undertook a meditation position.
Awakening in his mind, he heard the sounds of water dripping, the room he arrived in sewer-like. Before him was a cage, locked by a text seal. Behind the bars glowered the blood red gaze of the Demon Fox.
"Me? Reckless? I simply asked for a favor, don't you see that it could be the key to-" Daichi was cut off when the entity growled.
"Silence! You should know that you were taking a huge risk by leaving the Akatsuki hideout. If I was not here to check that anyone was following, it would have been far more dangerous!" Kurama roared. Daichi held his ground, looking up at the Demon Fox.
"And that is why I asked for your help. You are the only one I can trust, Kurama sama." Daichi said before letting himself into the cage, the cage that was holding back the Demon Fox from being in total control.
"You must be either stupid or courageous to dare to walk into my cage… When you know how I could force you to open this seal and all." Kurama grinned evilly as he watched his Jinchuuriki walk in. There was a moment of silence as Daichi gently rested his hand onto Kuramas chest. He raised an eye ridge slowly, as Daichi began petting him as one might do to a pet.
"As expected, he trusts me so much that he does whatever it takes to remain on my good side. Had to believe that he once hated me…" Kurama thought to himself, his eyes never leaving his Jinchuuriki. It was such a long time since their first meeting, on the night Uzumaki Naruto was born.
Back in the real world, Daichi carefully unrolled the scroll, checking every detail and the names. All of them seemed completely unknown to him. Yet still he knew that all the names in the contract were just ones who were able to summon a wolf to the battlefield. He studied the hand marks he needed to do. They were only slightly different from the ones he did usually.
"This is as easy as summoning a fox…" He thought, drawing his Kunai and cutting his thumb, writing his name in the empty box on the contract in his own blood. As he was alone, he quickly made hand marks for summoning a fox.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Daichi slapped his hand onto the floor. Appearing with a cloud of smoke, a small fox materialized before him. This fox had a more natural orangey-brown coloured fur, with a tuft of white on its tail tip. Its size showed that it was not even adult yet.
"What reason do you summon me, Kyuubi?" Asked the fox. Almost all the foxes he summoned called him by Kyuubi or Kurama due to the fact that he was the Nine Tails Jinchuuriki.
"I need you to go outside and ensure that there are no unwanted visitors near to this hideout, understand?" Giving the fox a soft pat with a smile. The fox ran from the hideout instantly, as Daichi rolled the contract and placed it away into his cloak. A few minutes later, the fox returned.
"I did not smell or hear anyone. I can assure you that there is no one around." Reported the fox.
"Excellent. You can go now. Arigato." Daichi said, and the fox disappeared. He rose to his feet and headed outside, where darkness had already begun to fall.
"This place will do just fine." He said, walking to a small open area surrounded by trees, the setting sun illuminating it. Using the thumb that he cut earlier, he quickly made the required hand marks and slapped the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!" He yelled, and the marks formed on the ground. A large cloud of smoke formed, and Daichi stepped back quickly to see what he had summoned. As he only had one eye for seeing, he kept up his guard, higher than that of other ninjas. Suddenly a blast wave rushed out, catching him off guard and forcing him to the ground.
"Did you accidentally use my chakra during the summoning?" Daichi heard Kurama talk to him but ignored him. Through the smokehe saw the faint form of a wolf.
"Urgh… Where are we?" He heard a male voice through the thinning smoke.
As the smoke faded away, it revealed the form of a white wolf with crimson markings across its body. It's tail was shaped like a brush and some sort of divine instrument was floating above its back. Next to the shining wolf was a small being that Daichi assumed to be a bug, yet it seemed to be much more than just that.
"You had better keep your guard up. I don't trust Orochimaru one single bit. He has all the reason to try and kill you, as you are in the Akatsuki." Kurama started as Daichi stepped back into the shadows, keeping his distance.
"Ammy, are you okay?" He heard the bug speak to the wolf that rose to its feet.
"Yeah… I think so. Though… Where are we?" Amaterasu looked around, spotting the man shrouded in a black and red cloak, his eye covered with a bandage and the strange forehead protector with the crossed out symbol.
"Huh? Who is that?" Issun asked. Amaterasu made ready, watchful for the figures movements.
"I do not know what you are, bug, but I think this wolf here is far more unique from what I usually expect." Daichi spoke, his eye focused on the wolf, his hands hidden and gripping his Kunai weapon.
"Hey! Who are you calling bug?! And this here is not any old wolf!" Issun shouted, and Ammy released a low warning growl, becoming aware that this man was bad news. His very presence brought back flashbacks of her own enemies.
"Issun… I sense a lot of evil coming from him…" Amaterasu spoke.
"What do you think? Should I do the jutsu?" Daichi asked Kurama through his thoughts, whom just growled quietly for a moment.
"Keep your guard up and do what I've taught you to do." Kurama just replied, and Daichi agreed.
"Who are you?! Where are we and why did you call the Goddess of the Sun Amaterasu here?" Issun demanded while Amaterasu kept her guard up. Daichi raised an eyebrow at the mention of 'Goddess of the Sun'.
"To answer your questions… Where are you? You are in the world of Shinobi… To be exact, in the country of Fire. Why are you two here? I was merely attempting to summon a powerful ally for myself." He said slowly. Amaterasu growled in warning.
"Powerful ally? For what? You think I would ever help a demon like you?" She scoffed. Daichi's expression became dark.
"What did you just call me…?" He asked dangerously.
"Ammy, I don't like this... I've got a feeling we just made him angrier. You think he could be-" Issun began but Amaterasu stopped him, fearlessly interrupting his sentence.
I called you a Demon! You remind me of the eight-headed demon named Orochi! Your very aura reminds me of him... Are you his reincarnation?!" She demanded as the feeling grew stronger. Daichi listened quietly, thinking; "Who was this Orochi? Eight headed demon?"
"I have no idea who this Orochi is. And watch your mouth… Amaterasu, wasn't it?" He said carefully, trying to maintain his cool. He has to try and make the wolf not see him as an enemy. Yet, his reply confused Issun.
"You don't know Orochi? You don't know of the monster that covered all of Nippon in darkness before Amaterasu defeated him?" Issun said incredulously.
"If you aren't Orochi, then who are you?! Why did you summon me?!" Amaterasu said warningly, hinting that she was considering attacking.
"Like I said, I summoned you here to ask for help. In the world of the Shinobi, the summoned animals always provide help for the ninja whom summoned them. And to answer who I am…" He began to slowly lift the bandage covering his eye.
"Ammy, I think… He somehow called us from the world of Nippon to this one… But his expression, his very looks all make me think he has similar plans to Orochi." Issun whispered to Amaterasu whom nodded in agreement.
"If he has really done this, then it means we have to find a way back to our own world." She said quietly, before the pair of them stared at Daichi as he revealed his eye.
"They call me… the Demon of the Akatsuki." Daichi said dramatically, looking at them. His left eye had the appearance of that of a demon fox, yet still retained some of its human features.
"The demon of the Akatsuki?" Issun sounded worried as Amaterasu readied for an attack.
"With an eye like that, it tells me you are a demon indeed. Yet you still haven't told me your name!" She said as Daichi looked at them, placing the bandage carefully into a small bag hidden in his cloak.
"Daichi Katosawa. The one carrying the Spirit of the Demon Fox within me." He said.
"You say demon fox spirit? You are some sort of container the demon has created and this Akatsuki is a group of ones like you?" Issun asked.
"Akatsuki… Is a group of strong Shinobi, yet I am the only one who has a demon part inside his body. Basically that means not even your friend Amaterasau could defeat me. But, like I said before, I summoned her here to ask for help." Daichi said confidently.
"You, demon, ask for help?" She scoffed.
"I shall only say this once, so pay attention... I will NEVER help you with your plans! You underestimate my power if you believe it is easy to defeat me! Saying you can't be defeated are big words!" Amaterasu growled, and Issun cheered.
"Take that, demon! She will never help!" Issun mocked, only to have Daichi laugh at them
"If you refuse to help me… Then you are against me! And I kill anyone who is against me…" He smirked, and hit his hands together.
"Demon art! Tailed Beast Transformation!" He shouted, and before Amaterasu or Issun could say a word, they observed as Daichi placed a hand covered in strange symbols on his stomach. He slowly twisted his hand anti-clockwise and carefully moved his hand away.
"…What was that you just did?" Issun asked uneasily and hid behind Amaterasu, whom growled angrily.
"Just watch, and enjoy the show!" Daichi laughed as blood orange chakra surrounded him. His skin peeled off, revealing a glowing red and black mixed surface beneath.
"Ammy…" Issun whined as the sight of a man changing form into that of something more fox-like.
"Issun, whatever happens, be ready. I am going to use the brush to attack him." She said and prepared to fight. Daichi slowly raised his head, to stare at them with eyes glowing pure white. A deep inhuman growl comes from deep within his chest. He unleashed a roar that could be heard from afar, and his appearance had completely changed from that of a human to that of a demon fox with four tails.
"Do you like me now?" He sniggered.
"Say hello to four tailed demon fox! And goodbye to your worthless lives!" Daichi then leaped forwards. Amaterasu reacted quickly and dodged, narrowly avoiding the paw which slammed into the ground. Quickly with the brush she thought the most logical thing would be that if she defeated a demon before, surely the same way would take down this demon too.
"Sunrise… That's got to work" She thought and generated a very bright light, blinding the four tailed demon fox who was just about to attack.
"Argh! My eyes!" Daichi cursed in his mind as he tried to get used to the light, blundering around blindly.
"Ammy, you got him blind!" Issun told Amaterasu, who instantly attacked, using her brush yet again. A bolt of lightning struck Daichi directly, catching him by surprise, unleashing a roar. For the dark Bijuu, the amounts of chakra needed to prevent injury were much higher than he expected.
"You give up yet?" Amaterasu asked as she walked near to Daichi, positioning the light better.
"I won't… Ever!" Daichi began. Suddenly he heard a command from the demon fox not to fight back.
"Let her win." Kurama commanded.
"What?! Why? I can still fight back!" Daichi insisted.
"Another blow like that and you will be the one who gets killed. Be wise and let her win. This will be seen as training, and improve your skills over controlling my power… Do you understand?" Kurama said seriously.
"I ask again… Will you give up, demon?" Amaterasu said. Daichi growled for a moment, and then slowly the glowing red and black receded inside of him as the jutsu became undone.
"Wow! Ammy, you just made him give up!" Issun couldn't quite believe it. He was so sure that the demon fox would be far more difficult to defeat.
"You win, Amaterasu. But only because your lightning and sunlight are too much for any Shinobi to bear." He lied a bit as she held him to the ground, growling.
"Now, the key so I can leave this world, demon." She demanded.
"There is a key… But I left the scroll at my hideout. I can help you… If you let me take you there." Daichi said. Amaterasu looked deep into Daichi's eyes as he spoke.
"If you try to trick me, I promise to make your life a living hell." She growled, letting him up. Daichi glared at her before walking to the hideout.
"Follow me." He motioned them to come.
"Impressive, this lair is pretty big." Issun thought as he looked around the hideout Daichi led them through. Amaterasu of course was keeping her guard up. How could she trust a man who had proven that he had a powerful demon within him? Yet, she noticed that when he was trying to say he will help, there was something he was trying to hide. Perhaps after all, this Shinobi had heart too.
"Where is the key?" She asked, as Daichi led them into the room filled with scrolls. He took the one he was using earlier and unrolled it on the floor.
"Here." Daichi showed them the contract. Amaterasu and Issun looked at it and all the symbols on it.
"It shows the handmarks of how to undo the jutsu. However I recommend that you do not try these yourself. They are meant for ones trained to summon animals" Daichi explained, showing them his name as the latest addition to the contract.
"I don't understand a thing of what you just said." Issun commented and Amaterasu yawned bored. She only wanted to get out of here.
"So you know how to send us home with this?"
"Yes. But before that, I think I owe you an explanation." Daichi began.
"You really are a strange person. Your attitude and mood change like the wind" Amaterasu said curiously. Daichi just smiled.
"I have been the Jinchuuriki, or host of the Dark Nine Tailed Fox. Many Shinobi in this world have the desire to use these Bijuu as weapons in a war, so one night I sealed the dark side of the fox inside me. I decided I would use it to create a better world for the Bijuu." Dauchi began to explain the very beginnings of the tailed beasts and everything. Amaterasu yawned, laying down in boredom.
"Uh… I hate to interrupt your story, but Ammy here is not really the best to listen to many stories." Issun interrupted politely. Daichi saw how Amaterasu was on the verge of falling asleep.
"I can see. But fear not, I promise I won't summon you two back here. I will destroy the scroll after sending you two back to your home world. Though I admit; I would gladly want you to stay for longer and I will tell you everything about this world" He said enthusiastically as Amaterasu got up.
"I think we would rather go back to our own world and all." She said, and Daichi began to do the hand marks.
"In case we meet again, I promise to give a much better first impression. Goddess of the Sun… Summoning justsu, release!" Daichi shouted as he undid the jutsu. A glow surrounded Amaterasu and Issun.
"Until the next time we meet…" He said as they faded away.
"You did a good job. Now she is back in her home world." Kurama said as Daichi made a small fire, tossing the contract scroll in.
"I still don't get it… Why did you want me to let her win?" Daichi asked.
"You were fighting the reincarnation of the Goddess of the Sun, little kit." Kurama replied.
"You say that… she really was a Goddess? But I thought they never showed to mortals." Daichi said, relaxing near the fire. Kurama chuckled.
"I will explain everything to you later. Right now, I would rather sleep than use more of my chakra. Keep up your guard and prepare for more training tomorrow." Kurama said.
"Yes, Nii-chan. I will just enjoy the warmth of the fire." Daichi replied. He found himself staring into the fire, thoughts running through his head. They mystery of the wolf he had summoned. Where did Amaterasu really come from? Who was this Orochi she talked of? Would he meet her again? For certain, it had meen an interesting experience, though a dangerous one. He had a lot of training left to master the Demon Fox power...
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Writer: Taranth King of Darkness
Editor: Blaze Flamewing