Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
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The Lone Hunter
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Chapter One
Standing on an a cliff, he looked out over the forests of his home country, his black armored and sleeveless high-collar trench coat billowing lightly in the stiff breeze, the thick leather material keeping it from moving much. Raising his right arm slightly, his faithful and loyal companion landed silently on his wrist, giving a shrill cry in greeting before flapping its wings in mild agitation and shrieking again, only in warning and anger.
"Easy, Bloodwing." The figure cooed quietly to the pure crimson hawk as he brushed a couple of the bird's feathers back with the back of his left index finger. "They're friends."
A moment later, four figures landed behind him. He knew all four, but three of them didn't recognize him. No surprise, he had changed much in the past nine years. His hair was bone white and stopped just short of being chin-length, his skin was rather pale despite his constant being outside in the sun, his face was hidden by a metal full-face mask he wore at all times, he had grown to stand at 6'6" in height and well muscled despite his short lanky statue as when he was younger, and his personal attire was far different than all those years ago.
His arms, from the knuckle up, were covered in thick black leather armor with numerous straps, his left arm covered up to just above his elbow while his entire right arm was covered up to his shoulder and covered a small portion of his chest and back beneath his trench coat. He was also wearing black pants with armored knee-pads over his knees and thick black leather greaves wrapped around his shins, his feet adorned with black steel-toe combat boots. Slung across his back was a broad sword while a crossbow and a quiver of bolts hung from the back of his belt at his left hip, a small number of various grenades strapped to his chest with two throwing knives sheathed on his chest. He also had a couple more grenades attached to his left hip and daggers strapped to his thighs with seven-inch long blades.
"Are you sure this is the guy the Hokage sent us to find? He doesn't look like a ninja." Kiba quietly asked Team 7's former sensei in disbelief. Shino smacked him on the back of his head while Hinata wanted nothing more than to disappear, intimidated by the man's presence and aura...and she was only looking at his back.
"Shut up, Kiba." Sasuke hissed at the 18 year old Inuzuka, knowing the man before them was not to be trifled with. Kakashi gave Kiba a momentary glare before he took a couple steps forward and bowed deeply at the waist. "Greetings, Karyuudo-sama. We were sent by the Godaime Hokage to-"
"Bring me back to the village. I know. She's been trying to get me to come back for a couple years. Obviously, her attempts haven't been successful." The figure known as Karyuudo, Hunter, finished for Kakashi as he turned around, raising a circular object with his left hand. It was a silver ring set into a circular piece of black metal with what looked like a blood red lance laid over it.
"Return, Bloodwing." He whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear as the hawk shrieked once again in acknowledgement and turned into scarlet energy that then shot into the object in his left hand, which he then clipped to his belt. "What are the new terms for my return?"
"She said she'll agree to your previous terms of return so long as you become a shinobi of Konoha for a minimum of five years. You'll answer only to the Hokage himself and act independent of the authority of others, unless personally ordered otherwise by the Hokage." Kakashi answered as he stood straight again, but didn't look at his face out of respect and honor, having been warned by the Godaime about the Hunter's odd sense of politeness and hair trigger mood swings.
"..." The man was silent for a moment as he thought over everything in his mind. With a sigh, he nodded. "Alright. I'll return to Konoha."
"Thank you, sir. We'll escort you there, if that pleases you." Kakashi offered politely. Karyuudo let out a quiet chuckle as he walked past them.
"Yes, that pleases me so." He answered while checking to make sure his equipment and armor was all properly secured before leaping into the trees, Team 7 and 8 following close behind him.
Taking a deep breath as he set foot in Konoha, Karyuudo had a small nostalgic moment, remembering the familiar scents and sounds of when he was a child. Then the memories of his past came flooding back, forcing him to squash them down and continue walking. As Team 7/8 continued to escort him to the Hokage's office in the Fire Tower, he took notice of the uneasy looks he was getting from the civilians and looks of appraisal and slight respect from the shinobi, making him smirk slightly behind his scarred dull silver mask.
He then glanced at Hinata. She had grown into quite a beautiful woman since he last saw her. Her students had also grown since they last met. Hinata shied away slightly upon noticing his gaze turning to her, Karyuudo frowned slightly and extended his left hand to her in a friendly manner.
"Do not be frightened by me, Hyuuga Hinata. I do not mean harm to your person." He assured the girl, who hesitantly took his hand and blushed faintly when he bowed slightly at the waist without stopping in his stride, releasing her hand afterward. He then turned his glance towards Shino, who gave him a slight nod in acknowledgement and greeting, answered similarly by Karyuudo. Kiba, however...
Raising an eyebrow curiously at Kiba's unusual animosity towards him, Karyuudo figured it must be the stench of blood from his clothes. He was a hunter, after all, but of man and beast; otherworldly or not. He then turned his eyes on Sakura, Sasuke, and Sai. He was pleased to see that Sasuke had returned to Konoha and had a stronger aura of power about him than he appeared.
He then took notice of the matching silver rings on Sasuke's and Sakura's hands, internally laughing at the fact the two were married. Sai seemed rather cold and socially awkward, but that happened when you're a former member of the Root ANBU.
He dismissed such thoughts as they were admitted into the Hokage's office without a moment's wait, the elderly Hokage smiling warmly as she stood up and approached Karyuudo.
"Ah, Akumu no Karyuudo, the Hunter of Nightmares. That's what you go by now-a-days, right?" The Godaime questioned as the two shook hands. Karyuudo chuckled lightly as he pulled Tsunade into a hug.
"It's good to see you too, Baa-chan. Has little Ragnarok been giving you any trouble these past few years since I last saw him?" The masked man asked as he sat down in front of the desk, Tsunade doing the same in her office chair. The Godaime gave him a knowing look with a cocked eye brow.
"He isn't little no more. It seems since you last came here that he's been experimenting with his chakra reserves. Any clue as to how such thoughts came into being in his head?" Tsunade asked sarcastically, both knowing where it came from. Karyuudo laughed again before pausing and looking at the emblem clipped to his belt as it shook a tad violently for an inanimate object.
"Ok, Ok. I'll let you out." Karyuudo grumbled as he removed the emblem, Bloodwing phasing out of the piece of metal and perching on his shoulder. "Sorry, he's been cooped up the past couple days from the journey; I don't usually keep him locked up whenever I travel."
"That's quite alright. I remember when he was the size of a pigeon the last time I saw him." Tsunade noted nostalgically before noticing Team 8 was still present. "Oh, I'm sorry. Team 8, you're dismissed for the day. Kakashi, Team 7, can you stay behind, please?"
"Of course, Hokage-sama." Kakashi answered as Team 8 left. Once the door was closed, he gave the older woman a curious look as did the other members of Team 7. "What is it you need, Hokage-sama?"
"Karyuudo, if you'll please..." Tsunade asked of the hunter, who sighed softly and stood up, facing Team 7 as he slowly removed his mask, revealing his piercing blue eyes with black slit pupils, three jagged black lines scarring both of his cheeks, and the points of his sharp fangs as they poked out from behind his lips.
"Hello, Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai, I presume. I'm sorry for deceiving you, but-"
SLAP!
"..." 'Karyuudo' remained silent as he kept his head turned away, his cheek bright red from the slap and a look of apathy on his face. He had been expecting it since Team 7 and 8 found him two days ago. Sakura, hand still raised from slapping him, glared at the hunter with both pain and joy in her emerald eyes. Bloodwing shrieked softly as it perched itself on the back of the chair its master had been sitting in moments ago, ruffling its feathers as it picked at something under its wing with its beak.
"You...You bastard!" She spat venomously as her shoulder shook in anger. "You leave without so much as a good-bye or explanation and all you have to say is you're sorry? You killed my parents, for crying out loud!"
"...Well, what would you have me do? Kill myself?" He quietly spat in returned as he fully turned from his old team, who stared at him in shock and hurt. He then looked down at his left hand, whispering. "...Not that I actually could..."
"Naruto...I..." Sakura said softly as she reached for Naruto's arm, intending to console him, but he gently batted her hand away and put his mask back on.
"Don't. Just...Don't." He snapped coldly as he held out his left hand to Bloodwing, who jumped up on his wrist. Moving Bloodwing to his right shoulder, Naruto faced the Godaime. "I'll stop by later tonight so we can iron out the details of my return. If you need me before then, you know where I'll be."
"Of-" Naruto left the office before Tsunade could utter the first word, sighing out the second. "-course..."
"..." Sakura remained silent as she watched Naruto walk away, biting her bottom lip in worry as her eyes grew a little misty. Once she lost sight of Naruto, she closed the office door and sat down in a chair, her face buried in her hands. "...God, I'm such a bitch..."
"Pardon my crudeness, but you fucked up. Big time." Kakashi admonished his former female student. Tsunade sighed as she pulled out her sake, looking as if she were older than she really was. "You know the reason why he killed them. He had no choice, but to kill them; they were beyond all help at that point."
"...I know..." She whispered, but Sasuke slammed his fist against the wall, making her jump.
"No, you don't know! That night, he became one of them! I'm surprised he's still sane after that night!" The Uchiha clan head snarled at his fiance angrily. "It's the whole reason why he left! Why he does what he does! He couldn't bear staying here, remembering that night every damn waking moment of his life! He feels responsible for what happened to them and guilty for killing them! In front of you, no less!"
Sakura was now openly crying into her hands as her team mates and former sensei left the office. After a few moments of silence, Sakura wiped her tears away and wordlessly left the office, deciding to head home and think about what she said to her old friend.
Slashing another tree in half, Naruto slowly stood up straight and flipped his sword into a normal forward grip before sheathing it, still a little upset by Kurenai's behavior yesterday. He then spun around with his crossbow in his hands, firing off three bolts in rapid succession, nailing the center of the target with only half a centimeter between the three silver-tipped bolts. Reloading in a blur of movement, he swung the crossbow in a horizontal arc as he pulled the trigger, hitting three more targets dead on from a hundred meters away.
Reloading the crossbow again, Naruto spun around and aimed it straight at his watcher, the tips level with their eyes, which were no more than four inches away from the pointed ends of the bolts.
"Kamizuki." Naruto growled out as he sent a clone to retrieve the used bolts while holstering his crossbow. Silver wasn't cheap and blessed silver was even harder to come across. Izumo, who hadn't even flinched when the crossbow was aimed at him, leveled a frosty glare at Naruto.
"What are you doing here, monster?" Izumo asked quietly, referring to Naruto's mixed blood. Scoffing at the man's question, Naruto took the bolts from his clone and slipped them back into the quiver.
"You know why I'm here. The Godaime called me back and he finally agreed to my original terms. Besides..." Naruto tapped the black metal Konoha hitai-ate wrapped around his left bicep. "I'm a member of Konoha's military now, meaning you can't touch me."
"Oh, yeah?" Izumo asked arrogantly as he shoved Naruto's shoulder. "I just did."
"Don't start with that bullshit now, Izumo." Naruto growled as his nails lengthened in two-inch long black claws. "You know you won't win."
"Alright, you two! Knock it off!" Gai barked as he landed between the pair, pushing them farther apart until they were arm's length from the spandex-clad jounin. "I don't feel like putting an order in for a coffin for either of you today or any other day, so just cool it! The both of you!"
"Heh. That's exactly what that abomination should be in right now." Izumo mumbled under his breath as Gai led him away from the masked hunter before turning to face said hunter with a look of anger apparent on his face. "A MOTHER-FUCKING COFFIN!"
"You want to go, Izumo? You want to go, bitch?" Naruto growled as he tossed his mask and removed his armored trench coat, revealing the skin-tight black muscle shirt he wore underneath it that clung to the diamond-hard chiseled muscles of his torso like a second skin. He raised his clawed hands up, goading Izumo to come at him. "Come on, mutha-fucka! Come on! Let's go!"
"Let me at that sonuva bitch!" Izumo snarled as he struggled to get out of Gai's hold on his arms. At that moment, Ibiki, Anko, Kakashi, and Asuma appeared in the clearing.
"What the-? Not again." Ibiki groaned in annoyance as he and Kakashi attempted to run interference between the two. Asuma, who didn't know what was going on, looked at Anko, who had her arms crossed over her chest with a look of sheer irritation.
"What's going on? What's with those two?" The Sarutobi inquired curiously, getting an incredulous look from Anko.
"You don't know?" Asuma shook his head negatively in reply, making the purple haired woman sigh in further annoyance. "The guy in black over there is Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto, the son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. He's also half werewolf and half vampire."
"Wait, what?" Asuma asked in shock, his cigarette falling from his lips. "What the hell do you mean half werewolf and half vampire? Those things don't exist."
"Yeah, they do. Almost no one knows they do because of people like Naruto, hunters of the Crimson Lance organization that keep the supernatural and otherworldly beings at bay, never to be seen or heard of by the world's populace." Anko explained as she picked up Asuma's dropped cigarette and took a drag on it herself before handing back to the shocked wind-user. "To explain the animosity between those two, Izumo's father was a vampire hunter as was their entire clan long ago and was being taught his father's trade before the man committed suicide. Izumo believes he was really killed by a vampire, not because he committed seppuku, seeing as there was very little blood in the man's body and no more than a pint of blood on his clothes and floor from supposedly gutting himself."
"Oh..." Asuma whispered softly as he dragged on his cigarette, watching as Ibiki was clocked in the face by Izumo as said recently promoted jounin tried getting at Naruto, who was still standing where he was and still antagonizing the vampire hunter while Kakashi tried to calm the dual-breed hunter down. "So Izumo hates Naruto because he's part vampire? Then how come he's able to be out in the sun light? His werewolf side?"
"No. It's natural for him. Vampire is really just a generalized term for them. There are actually two kinds of vampires; the mindless beasts, Vhampyres, you've heard about in stories and then there's the hyper intelligent Vampier, which is what Naruto is. The biggest difference between a Vhampyre and Vampier outside of appearance is the fact a Vampier can walk in the sun light and a Vhampyre would burn to death if they stepped outside during the day." Anko rolled her eyes when Kakashi finally got free before being sent back into Gai and Ibiki a moment later when Naruto punched the jounin across the face. "A Vhampyre, as i said, is mindless and always blood thirsty, draining anything they come across of blood. Vampiers, again, are hyper intelligent and know how to feed properly, only drinking what they need before leaving the victim alive. And no, that isn't what turns people into Vampiers or Vhampyres."
"Then what does?" Asuma asked.
"The exchange of blood and it doesn't have to be on purpose; it can be on accident. Say you were cut on the back of your hand and you slit the throat of a Vhampyre and their blood got into the wound. Within thirty-six hours, you would gradually become a Vhampyre. The same goes for Vampiers, but the transformation is much quicker and much more painful." The woman answered. "As for his werewolf blood, he was born with it. His mother, Kushina, was a werewolf while Minato, his father, was a normal human. The only reason he can touch silver is because of both halves of his blood acting in symbiosis, covering each other's weaknesses."
"I see, now. I think." Asuma replied uncertainly as he scratched his neck, watching as Kakashi was kicked in the chest by Naruto. That was when Anko decided to intervene. "Stay here."
"Um...Alright." Asuma agreed, not very willing to get hit by Naruto if Kakashi's severe coughing fit was any sign after he got kicked, his lungs fully depleted of oxygen. Plus, it seemed his ribs were cracked if the jounin's constant wincing and clutching at his chest were any indication as he tried to breath.
"Damn it, Naruto! Calm the fuck down!" Anko snapped at Naruto as she got up in front of him and snatched his collar, pulling him down so they were looking straight into each other's eyes. She didn't need to worry about Naruto hurting her; he never hit a woman that wasn't a Vhampyre/Vampier unless she was an enemy and intentionally meant to harm and/or kill him or a comrade.
"Then get that murderer out of here!" Naruto snarled as he pointed at Izumo, who only grew even angrier at being called a 'murderer'. Finally, a team of ANBU arrived on the scene and restrained Izumo before instantly removing him from the area, knowing exactly who- and what- Naruto and Izumo were and how to deal with their common bouts of brawling and/or attempted murder of one another.
"I never should have come back to this fucking shit-hole." Naruto growled to himself as he put his trench coat back on, snatching his mask from Anko's hand and putting it back on as well.
"Then why stay?" Anko asked seriously. She held no ill-will towards Naruto, but she knew things would be much better off without him being in the village. Naruto sneered at her as he closed his trench coat, tightening the straps.
"I made a pact with the Old Bat years ago before I left that if she needed me, I'll be there for her so long as the reason in good enough." Naruto snarled as he made sure everything was still properly secured on his person. "Tsunade's been trying to get me back in Konoha for years, but could never propose a good enough deal for me to even consider returning. However, he's agreed to my original terms and that's a different story for me."
"Oh? And just what are these 'terms' you're talking about?"
"Total immunity from the laws of Konoha; undisputable free-roam traveling rights that let me go wherever I want, whenever I want; unrestrained access to all records and files in Konoha of any and all divisions; access to the entire village; several other things." Naruto listed casually as he and Anko started walking together through the training ground as the others left.
"Why would you need such things?" She inquired.
"You know my occupation. I'm an honest hunter. Say an ANBU Black Ops member became a vampire or werewolf, but I didn't know who they were exactly, how am I to hunt them down and end their life if I don't have access to the proper records?" Naruto asked rhetorically as he drew one of his daggers and started flipping it in his right hand idly. "Without those records, I'm at a dead end with a killer on the loose. I would then have to revert to old-school tactics and that could take days, maybe weeks to figure out their identity and then I would have to track them down before I got to killing them."
"...Do you hate what you are?" Anko asked softly as she stopped him and looked straight into his eyes through his mask. Naruto scoffed at her question.
"Of course. I loathe myself for being even remotely related to the vile blood-suckers and skin-walkers of this world." Naruto replied gruffly as he continued walking. That is, until Anko forced him to turn around and punched him in the face, throwing him on his back from the chakra-enforced hit. Her knuckles were bleeding slightly, but she ignored it.
"Don't you ever, ever hate yourself, Naruto." Anko growled coldly. "I used to hate myself for simply being Orochimaru's apprentice years ago, but I was always miserable because of it. It's ironic, really. You were the one to bring me out of my self-loathing back then and here I am, reciprocating the act with you."
Naruto stayed silent as he laid there, staring up at the cloudless blue sky, listening to Anko's words. She was right; he had been the one to have a similar conversation with her about this very topic almost three years before he became a Vampier, a year before he found out he was a werewolf from his mother's blood.
"You called Izumo a murderer earlier. Why?" Anko asked forcefully, but didn't wait for an answer. "It's because you still respect yourself and others in the same position as you; turned against their will and killing their own kind to keep everyone safe. It's because people like yourself get killed by rogue hunters like Izumo simply because of what they are, not what they do."
Naruto, again, remained quiet and kept staring at the sky, finding peace within himself as he finally let go of his self-loathing. Anko sighed as she leaned down and put a piece of paper in his left hand before starting to walk away.
"Go see them, Naruto. They miss you." Was all Anko said before disappearing into the trees as she left the training ground. Looking at what she had put in his hand, he found it to be an address. Smiling sadly as he sat up and sheathed his dagger, Naruto pocketed the paper and decided to hold off on it for now. He still needed to smooth things over with Team 7- Sakura especially- before he went to see them.
Approaching the apartment Sakura lived in- having not moved in with Sasuke officialy- two days later during the evening, Naruto hesitated in knocking and contemplated just leaving, but knew he would probably never gather up the courage to do this again. Knocking lightly, he waited for her to open the door. When she did, Sakura was in a mildly poor state; her eyes were red and puffy from crying, wearing only a pair of red pajama pants and a white tank top, her hair a tad mussed up from the usual neat appearance she normally had.
"H-Hey, Naruto." She greeted faintly as she stepped aside and let him in.
"Hi, Sakura-chan." Naruto greeted in response as he entered her residence and removed his boots and weapons, leaving them at the door. Sitting on the couch, Naruto sat quietly and a little nervously while Sakura sat across from him on the love seat on the other side of the glass coffee table. "I...Um...I'm here to apologize."
"About what? I'm the one that should be apologizing." She responded cynically, upset with herself for still blaming Naruto for her parents' deaths.
"For everything. For my behavior the other morning, for not saying good-bye all those years ago. Everything." Naruto sighed as he removed his mask and set it down on the table, revealing the dark circles under his blood shot eyes and unusually pale skin even for him. Sakura gave him a worried look, remembering when he first became a Vampier.
"You haven't fed recently, have you?" Sakura asked softly as she moved to sit beside him. Naruto, almost ashamed, looked down at the ground and away from her a little. Sighing softly, Sakura held her left forearm up to Naruto's mouth. "Drink. You need it."
"...I'm fine." Naruto whispered as he gently pushed Sakura's arm away, only to get smacked upside the head with her other hand and her left arm pushed back in front of his face.
"Feed. Now." Sakura said more forcefully with a mild glare. "Don't make me force feed you because I will."
Sighing softly, Naruto reluctantly gave in and slowly pulled down the collar of his trench coat, biting down on her forearm and drinking slowly. After a couple minutes, he slowly let go, licking the bite mark clean before it healed up instantly thanks to the unique healing qualities of his saliva. Sakura, a little tired, smiled as Naruto looked healthier than before and leaned against him comfortingly.
"...Thank you." Naruto whispered as he slowly wrapped his arm around the woman and held her close to him. The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Sakura laid her head in his lap, relaxing.
"Naruto-kun?" She asked softly without looking at him. "Do you...still love me? Even though I acted like a bitch the other day?"
"Do you really need to ask, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked with a small smile, gently stroking Sakura's hair back. "You're family."
They went silent again as Sakura closed her eyes and relaxed completely. As the sun dipped below the horizon, she sat up a little and leaned against Naruto, resting her head against his chest and shoulder.
"Naruto-kun?" She asked again, a little hopeful.
"Hm?" Naruto hummed in response, his eyes closed as well as he buried his nose in Sakura's hair and breathed in her scent, relaxed as well.
"Could you stay here tonight? I don't want to be alone." Sakura asked him, cuddling closer as Naruto held her tighter.
"Of course, Sakura-chan." Naruto whispered softly.
"Thank you." Sakura answered before yawning tiredly. Naruto smiled softly before picking her up bridal style and carried her to bed, despite her meager protests. When Naruto turned to leave the room, Sakura grabbed his wrist and stopped him. "Don't go. Please?"
"Alright." Naruto smiled softly and removed his armor and trench coat, leaving them on top of her dresser before climbing into bed beside her, holding her close as she snuggled up against him, using his chest for a pillow.
"Don't get any ideas, baka. You're just warm." Sakura grumbled softly. She was asleep seconds after, making Naruto smile a little more.
"Good night, Sakura-chan." He whispered softly as he kissed the top of her head and held her closer, closing his eyes as well for some rest.
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