Peacemaker
Brand new project. Let's see how this goes.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, coz of I did I'd bring Sasuke back and hook Naruto up with Hinata.
Prologue
After six long years of fighting the Fourth Great War, Madara had won and took control over the land, and his reign of tyranny began. The battle was long and hard fought, years of war cries and large scaled deaths still echoing over the land.
The use of a mystical energy called Chakra was banded from use. This was used greatly during the war for attacking, defending and even healing. This art was called Ninjutsu and was closely linked to the art of illusion called Genjutsu, which too was banned. To keep this rule in check, Madara killed anyone who could use this form of energy or imprisoned them on an isolated island until death. Only very few escaped this imprisonment which the tyrant called the purge. No one knew his motives, but the forbidden energy was soon lost with only a few mastering it.
Thirty years later...
With Madara seizingpower, a great darkness fell upon the nation. Fear struck the hearts of every civilian. The imperial soldiers used their authority to control the citizens and with none being brave enough to stand up, fearing punishment… The Nation fell into a greater darkness. Yet this wasn't the only problem. Poverty was the new normal. Not having enough to eat, was the standard of living. And living to see another day was classed as living. This was thought to be the deepest part of oblivion which the nation could plunge to…But they were wrong… So wrong…
They say that in the darkest of nights, stars shine the brightest. It was thesaying that a great scholar known as Hashirama Senju gripped on to, like the fate of the world depended on it. During a soundless night this man had a dream which later filled the hearts of many with hope. He travelled to the village of Kameo, were there was said to be an oracle of some sort. With that in mind he headed in to the village to find out exactly what his dream meant.
After getting directions from the people of the village of Kameo, he came upon an ancient shrine covered in a slimy green substance. The scholar could just make out, that the shrine was made from;wood, unlike modern day shrines which were made of stone. This clearly stated that the shrine must have been here for at least a century, maybe even longer.
A rusted iron bell hung from the roof of the deck. With no one else in sight and no instructions on how to get the oracle's attention, the scholar lightly tapped the bell with his knuckles. The hollow sound of screeching bells pierced the silence of the shrine. The man stood there, expecting something to happen, but nothing did. He waited another minute and then turned to leave as the bell stopped ringing and silence enveloped the shrine again.
Another sound pierced the silence but instead of it being the sound of screeching bells… it was a squeaking sound of the shrine doors opening. The scholar immediately turned around, startled by the noise. This was followed by a light green mist of smoke which slithered out of the Shrine. Startled, Hashirama took a step back as the mist slithered towards him, accompanied by a strong smell of decay and rust.
"H-hello? I-is a-anyone there?" The man called out, stuttering in fear at the sudden movement. No answer. He tried again.
"I-I'm here to see the Oracle!" The man yelled out, hoping to grab someone's attention. He was answered by an echo of his voice. Just like before, as he was about to leave something grabbed his attention. A hand made from the sick green mist had formed, beckoning the scholar to enter the shrine. He froze in his sandals. His mind was racing, wondering how this was happening. Deciding that it was merely a trick, he decided to turn and leave. Yet again, something grabbed his attention, stopping him from leaving.
"Son of Senju, I command thee to enter thy shrine…" A horse voice whispered, quietly echoing off the walls of the shrine. The Senju was terrified, yet for some reason, he knew he should obey. With a gulp, Hashirama Senju descended into the darkness of the shrine.
After a few paces, an orb of a bright blue colour appeared in front of him, glowing eerily, lighting up the room. The orb wasn't a solid form, but a spiral of blue mist which seemed to be trapped in an invisible barrier. The scholar just stared at the orb, not daring to move… not daring to speak…
"Child of Senju, I ask why thee come to this shrine of knowledge?" The voice said in the same tone as before. Every word echoed through the shrine. The scholar now assumed that the voice came from a female but in fear of upsetting the oracle, he did not make a comment.
"Y-yes O-oracle" The Senju replied. Now, shadowy fingers moved across the orb of blue mist, blocking parts of the glow as it travelled around it. A wrinkled old lady came into view, with white orbs were her eyes should be, sitting cross legged on the ground in tattered crimson robes.
Suddenly a purple coloured mist erupted from the orb and slithered its way towards the young man. It stopped about a meter away from the child of Senju, and started forming images. Hasihirama's throat turned dry as he watched the image take form.
The image, which the purple mist formed was an image from the scholars dream. It showed six shadowed figures standing in a line. Though these won't just any figures; they had the basic human figure along with some animalistic traits.
"Six children of man; four sons; two daughters shall form together in hope to change the world…"
The oracle began, her white pebbles of eyes blasting off beams of pure white light at the orb. The mist blew away only for more to come from the orb in the same manner but this time in blood red mist, forming another image.
This time it showed images of six shadowy animal figures. The scholar couldn't really work out what they were, but could tell that they were animals of some sort. They all stood in a line side by side just like the humans in the previous image.
"…With the strengths of six creatures of nature…" The red mist dissolved, only to be followed by a bright yellow mist. Six different tattoos which looked like heads of animals came into focus.
"…The peacemakers shall bear a mark of their animalistic affinity, making them known to man…"
Like before, the mist faded, followed by white. This image showed the six shadowy figures again, but the silhouettes had extra parts which looked like animal body parts but unlike the first mist image, animal and human were in equal ratio with each other, standing side by side with a giant globe above them.
"…The fate of the world lies on-top of their shoulders."
With that, the oracle's eyes stopped glowing and the mist began to fade. A blinding white light flashed, the scholar immediately turned away, covering his eyes with his arm. A few second went by before the Senju opened his eyes. He blinked a few times. He looked around noticing that he was now in front of the temple with the temple doors shut.
"Was that… real?" he asked out loud. It seemed so real yet he was standing outside the temple like nothing happened. He then heard an owl's hooting and looked up to notice that the sky was a dark blue colour, filled with the twinkles of the stars and the brightness of the glowing moon. This just confirmed his visit with the oracle. His eyes than brighten up with hope, and he headed back to spread the word.
Eventually people started believing him, just gripping on that little hope and eventually… Madara got hold of the news as well…
Chapter 1:
A hundred years later…
A young man of blonde hair and blue eyes, no older than 18 deflected an incoming strike with his wooden sword. Sensei and student clashed as they pushed away from each other, preparing for another siege of assaults.
The student's sensei was an old man with the strength of a wild bear. Grizzly white hair fell down his back, all the way to the ground. He sprang forward, striking at his student with blinding speed.
The young man merely blocked the strike. His sensei noticed, and with a grin, began to pick up his speed, attacking fast and faster. The young man had no choice but to match the older man's speed, and soon, he was blocking on pure instinct alone. Tiring of being on defence, he pushed, stepping forward to start his barrage of strikes. The white haired man grinned at his student, for he saw that it was coming to a point were his student would eventually over power him and defeat him, but that wouldn't be today.
They locked swords again, but this time the elder pushed forwards and kicked his student in the gut, making him gasp in surprise. The blond was now not only unbalanced by the push but also was winded, making him vulnerable to any incoming strikes. His sensei now gave him a palm strike to the chest, forcing his student to fly back on to the blades of grass. His sword clattered to the ground and in that second, he felt something prick his throat. His blue eyes met a grinning man's.
"Hmmm… You've improved a lot since our last spar." The man started on a serious note but then broke out into a goofy grin. He then went in what looked like a squat position but with his legs as far as apart as possible and rolled his head.
"But still not good enough to beat the man known as the red samurai, the greatest samurai and writer of all the time! Who is said to have killed a thousand of imperials without a scratch! The one the only Jiraiya!" He exclaimed, pointing his right palm at the young blond.
The blond just rolled his eyes at his grandpa's antics. Unfortunately he had gotten used to his antics which frightened the young warrior, since it either meant that he was losing his sanity or the fact that the world is turning upside down.
"Whatever." His student said, causing the old man to fall over in bewilderment. Grabbing his training sword, the young blond got up and headed to the broken down house.
Jiraiya stood there with a grin on his face as he watched his grandchild head into the house. He then heard a loud rustling sound in the bush behind him. Even without turning around he knew who it was.
"Kitsune…" Jiraiya said with a grim expression on his face. He turned around to see a small orange fox, reaching no taller than his knees, standing on all fours. It looked like another fox but it had blood red eyes and a scar going across his white fur of his belly.
"You can't keep him from his duty Jiraiya." The fox said in a deep growl Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. The fox never called him by his name, referring to him as human every time they'd speak.
"It's time isn't it?" Jiraiya asked. The fox nodded with sympathy in his eyes.
"I'm going to test him tonight and after that…" The fox didn't finish. Leaving the rest unsaid, the crimson eyed kitsune turned around and slipped away silently. The old man just nodded and headed back into the house. He had a lot to do with a lot on his mind…
After an hour's trek, the blond haired boy now stood on a dirt pathway, at the entrance to a rundown old village called Hagnie. He looked around. Children ran around in tattered rags, playing ball together. Broken down stone buildings were scattered through the village, as well as newer, sturdier ones. The streets were littered with the poor as the imperial soldiers in their shiny red armour talked amongst themselves, strolling along the streets like they owned them.
He walked into the village, keeping his eyes open for a tavern. Knowing his grandpa, he probably just sent him to get a bottle of sake but to his surprise, he was sent to retrieve a gift from a blacksmiths'. After about five minutes of walking he came across another run down building, but this one had a lot of noise coming from it. Hoping it was a tavern he opened the door and walked in.
He now stood in a dimly lighted room with dirty wooden tables and chairs. People sat in groups talking, while some sat individually, but all were drinking some sort of alcoholic beverage. Trying not to draw attention, the young blond headed straight up to bar. Little did he know that he was being watched by a pair of pearl white eyes.
He sat down on the dirty stool, watching a cockroach skitter across the bar top. Disgusted, he wondered how his grandpa could stand this filth. Trying to ignore it, he pulled out twenty-five Ryo from his pocket and set it on the table in front of the bartender.
"Cherry sake." Naruto said. The bartender nodded and grabbed a shot glass, tipping some sake into it. He handed the shot glass to the blond and placed the sake bottle next to the glass. Naruto nodded his thanks, taking the shot glass as he turned around to find someone who fit the description his grandpa had given him. He drowned his shot, the warm liquid burning his throat, giving off the cherry taste. He himself wasn't one to drink but it had been a while since he last drank, and it also made sure no one questioned his appearance in the bar.
With his drink in hand, Naruto slowly turned around; trying not to raise any suspicion. Now having a better view of bar, he raised his glass for another drink, though this was mostly for show. As his lips touched the rim of the glass he closed his left eye and used his right to look around that side of the bar. A few occupied booths aligned the wall along with a few circular tables. Finishing the shot, Naruto grabbed the bottle and poured more in the cup but this time a lot less. Pulling the glass to the lips he tilted it more slowly, almost looking as if he was savouring every last drop. His right eye now focused on every male individually. Not finding anyone fitting the description, he started to turn around to the bar but his motion ceased.
His pure blue eyes had stumbled upon a girl dressed in a cream coloured kimono with dark red lining. Her kunoichi styled pants were a crimson red scattered with white sakura petals. She had a white obi tied around her waist breaking into a ribbon around her back. Black boots adorned her feet, although mostly covered by her pants. Her midnight black hair was loose, running down the middle of her back while her forehead was covered by her fringe. He was breathless and couldn't help but stare at the black haired beauty. Ocean blue clashed pearl white. Naruto immediately turned away, embarrassed that he was caught staring. Pouring himself another drink, he went back to looking for a man who fit the description Jiraiya had given him, but not before taking another glance at the girl.
He drowned another cup of sake before pouring himself another. Flushing slightly, he went back to looking for the man Jiraiya sent him to find. After a minute, he spotted a giant, bald man with a scar over his right eye who sat alone in the far corner of the tavern. A big bald man with a scar going across his eye, you can't miss him. Naruto compered him to the description. Looking around one last time, he finished his shot and headed to the table were the man sat.
"Are you Izu?" Naruto asked standing across from where the man sat. He was drinking his sake as he eyed the blond boy in front of him.
"Who asks?" His voice was gruff and sharp as steel. He turned towards Naruto, placing his glass onto the table. Confirming that he was the right guy, Naruto spoke.
"Naruto," he answered.
"Oh, you must be Jiraiya's errand boy." The man said, pouring himself another glass, his eyes never leaving the boy. Naruto stood there, feeling uncomfortable as the elder man drank another shot, still keeping his eyes on him like he was inspecting gum stuck under his sandal. Having enough of just being stared at, Naruto spoke.
"I was told that you have something for Jiraiya?" Naruto asked uncertainly. The man poured himself some more sake. After drinking that shot the man nodded and stood up.
"Follow me." He ordered, voice gruff. With no more words, the giant of a man walked towards the exit. Naruto, not really trusting the guy, followed him, keeping a few paces behind him. Even though he knew his grandpa was loved around these parts, he had made a fair share of enemies as well.
Varies weapons hung on the wall, supported by iron nails. Naruto stared in awe at all of it. He had never seen so many weapons all in one place. There was everything, from bows to swords, to things chained blades and tantos of many designs. A bell chimed, notifying Naruto that the blacksmith had returned. He turned around to see the blacksmith now behind the counter. In his arms he held a white fabric which looked as if it was wrapped around some sort of thick and long object. He then placed the items on the counter where he started unwrapping it.
Naruto watched in curiosity as the blacksmith unwrapped the item hidden in the white fabric. The scarred man than shook the fabric in the air, and Naruto realizes it was more than just fabric to be used as a wrapper. What the scarred man now held was an ice white trench coat with a vibrant blue flame design at the bottom. He handed it to Naruto who accepted it.
"Jiraiya ordered it for you…" The black smith started but Naruto wasn't fully listening as he stared at the white coat.
He took off his shoulder bag and placed it on the ground. After slipping on the coat, he walked to the full length mirror on the other side of the room. The white trench coat fell down to his shin, the flames reached up to the bottom of his knees. The coat had two pockets on each side of it and had two slits going from the bottom all the way up to his waist. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the coat had no zips or buttons, but he didn't mind; he preferred it open anyways. Reaching back, he felt a soft piece fabric at the back of his neck and saw a hoodie.
At that moment he was pretty amazed with his grandpa. It wasn't tight but not baggy either, in other words, just right. He didn't know how his grandpa got the measurements but loved it anyway. Then he wondered why a blacksmiths would sell this sort of clothing and decided to ask.
"This was made by one of my friends who makes clothing, but since he lives in a faraway village, Jiraiya asked if I could have it here for collection. Since we're friends, I thought, why not? From what the maker of the coat said, it should be comfortable in every season. Not only that, but I also had to make it so the katana's sheath could be held by the coat." The blacksmith explained, causing Naruto to raise an eyebrow. The blacksmith lifted up a Katana strapped in midnight black sheathe and pulled it out, handing it to the wide eyed blond. 'My own sword…' Naruto thought as he held it in both hands.
It was a head shorter than himself with the width of an inch. The hilt was wrapped in an extremely comfortable fabric even though it felt hard as a brick, making it good for long use. The blade itself was slightly curved, narrowing into a point right at the end. The back of the blade was dull just like any other katana. Naruto remembered asking his grandpa why katanas had one side which was dull. Jiraiya had ruffled his hair and told him that all life is precious and should only be taken when there is no other choice.
Naruto moved trance-like to the centre of the room where there was just about enough space to swing around the weapon. He now held it in one hand trying to find its centre of balance before swinging it experimentally, he then switched to both hands and did the same. He noticed that the katana was perfectly balanced in his hands and the hilt felt as if it was made for his hands only. He then picked up the sheath which was on the counter and looked at it. It was made out a metallic material. Now holding it in his he noticed that a quarter away from where the katana enters, was a black thick piece of string which attached itself to the sheath like a handle.
Naruto sheathed his blade, noticing that it slid in perfectly. Tugging at the hilt of the sword, he saw that it didn't slide out, so on it with a little more force than before. Something clicked, allowing it to slide out. Satisfied that it would stayed in place, he then clicked it in the sheath were the katana rested, till it would be needed.
Naruto started fiddling with his clothes to find a place to tie the sheath but since he was no samurai and didn't even own a sword in the first place, he didn't have any sort of clothing for this purpose. Naruto then remembered the blacksmith had said something about making the sword fit the coat. With a chuckle, the blacksmith answered his unasked question; it was almost like he'd been reading Naruto's mind.
"There's a little bit at the back of your cloak where it's supposed to go." He explained before he walked around the counter so he could take it from Naruto and show him. He felt a bit of tugging on the clothes for a minute before it stopped.
"There!" The weapons maker said before walking back behind the counter. The blond now felt as if he had something clinging to him lightly on his back and knowing it was the katana, Naruto reached over his left shoulder with his right hand to draw the sword. It had no resistance apart from the little click needed to unclip it from the sheath before pulling it out. Grinning at the ease of it he again clicked it in place.
Naruto, not having anymore business at the shop, turned to leave when the blacksmith called out, making him turn around, wondering what he wanted.
"You are going to have to come back tomorrow since I haven't finished all the equipment your grandfather ordered." The scarred man said.
"Cool." And with that, Naruto left the shop, wondering what the other stuff could be.
A young boy, no older than six was playing ball with a group of children around his age. He had his chocolate coloured hair spiked up in way a mountain is formed. Dressed in the most dirtiest and ripped clothes out of all of them, he ran along trying to intercept the ball. The ball bounced of his chest and landed on the ground. He watched as his opponent came at him trying to retrieve it. He ran head on with the ball dribbling in between his legs. Just as his opponent made the slide tackle he flicked it over his opposition's legs, following the ball into the air. He landed just as the ball did.
"Konohamaru! Pass the ball!" His teammate shouted.
He looked to his right to notice the caller running alongside him. Looking up, he noticed that it was just him and the goalie. 'I can do this' he thought. He quickly repositioned himself, aiming his shot carefully. With a huge grin, he ran a little more up and pulled his leg back to smash the ball. Not noticing the ditch in the ground, he stumbled just as his foot collided with the ball.
He regained his balance, looking up to see where the ball went hoping it at least went into the goal. His blood ran cold with fear as he saw the direction the ball was heading. The sound of leather hitting something hard was followed by someone falling to the ground, accompanied by the sound of the ball bouncing on the several times. Everything was as silent as death itself.
The blond was now standing outside a bathhouse wondering if he should go in. He knew if he went in, he would probably have to stay the night in the village, but if he did stay in the bathhouse he could sooth his stiff muscles from his training session earlier on. 'Argg, why does making decisions have to be so hard!' He screamed mentally. Suddenly, he realized that the people around him had fallen silent, and turned around to notice that everyone was staring in one direction. He saw a boy standing there, staring at the fuming guard on the floor.
The solider got up steaming with anger as he stormed over to the children who stood there in fear.
"Which fucker hit me with the ball?!" He screamed at the children, making some of them. A boy with spiky brown hair raised his hand slowly.
"M-m-me-e-e s-si-ir." The boy stuttered in fear.
"Such disrespect shown to a man of law!" He spat at the boy. "I shan't let such disrespect to go unpunished." The sergeant stated, pulling out his katana from his sheathe.
"No, don't kill him! He's just a little boy!" A woman jumped in front of the boy, throwing her arms to the side, shielding the boy.
"Out of the way hag!" The sergeant ordered throwing her to the ground. He then swung down his sword ready to slice down on the child. The boy closed his eyes awaiting the strike which was going to end his life.
Without thinking, Naruto dashed in the way of the blade with his katana drawn. The sound of metal clashing with metal ran through the silent village.
Konohamaru didn't know what was happening and opened his eyes to find out what was going on. He saw a man with what looked like a white cloak, blocking the strike meant for him with a long sword. 'So cool…' he thought, eyes widening.
The general registered what happed and pushed away from the blond man, scurrying back to a safe distance from the man in the white cloak.
"How dare you defy the orders of the imperials solider, stand aside and let me finish with the boy!" The general demanded. The blond scoffed.
"No way, you're going to harm an innocent boy." Naruto replied, tightening his grip on the sword.
"I'll tell you what, put your toy down and stand aside and let us deal with the boy and you can go off to play." The sergeant said. Naruto took a glance at the soldiers behind the sergeant. There were about five of them without the general, who would without a doubt attack him if given the order. He then turned slightly to see the boy behind him whose eyes were wide in admiration. 'Fuck it...' Naruto thought. He lowered his sword.
"Yeah it wouldn't be fair but I'll tell you what…" Naruto started. The young boy's eyes fell to the ground at the thought of the man leaving him to the imperial. And after seeing what the imperials could do, he knew his punishment would be beaten to death and that was if they felt merciful. The young boy trembled at the thought, blinking hard to try to prevent the tears from falling.
"I'll let you lot walk away from this, if you promise to leave the boy alone."
The young boy's heart soared with happiness. His smile would have blinded the solders if they saw it.
'This guy's so cool…' He thought again.
The general's anger boiled. 'Who was this arrogant bastard?' His soldiers tensed gripping their weapons, awaiting their leaders command.
"At ease, let me handle the cocky bastard!" The general commanded showing his soldiers the back of his hand.
"This coming from someone who harms little boys?" Naruto retorted, rolling his eyes. When the general began to snarl, he smirked; he's gotten the reaction he'd hoped for
"Die!" The general yelled, running at the blond man with his sword drawn. The blond lifted up his sword, awaiting the general in a battle stance.
The crowed just watched in awe, no one daring to speak as they watched the fight before them. Both the villagers and the soldiers thought one thing. 'Someone's going to die tonight'. But not all thought this.
A pair of pearl white eyes watched from high above. She was crouched on a roof as the battle commenced. 'Should I jump in?' she thought.
"No, I want to see what he's got" A soft voice said to her telepathically.
"Yeah, good idea…"
Naruto saw the lady on the floor and remembered the kid behind him. "Kid, grab the lady and get out of here." Naruto ordered.
"S-sure." The kid said in a shaky voice. He ran to the lady helping her up and pulled her into the crowd. At this point the general swung at the blond who deflected it with his sword and pushed him back. Now that they were out of danger, he urged his attacker on.
The general swung down at the blond again who swiftly avoided the strike with a side step to the left, whacking him on the back of the neck with the back of his katana. The general fell to the dirt.
"Do they give anyone the rank of general now days?" Naruto wondered out loud, enraging the general even more.
"You will pay for that, blonde!" The general snarled, jumping back on his feet and charging at the boy with more rage than before.
Naruto just kept on avoiding his attack by ducking, side stepping or jumping back.
"Come on! I'm getting bored hear here." Naruto whined mockingly, ducking another strike before thrusting his fist into the general's face, knocking him backwards to the ground. Blood dripped to the ground from the mouth; his lips were now spilt. The crowd of villagers gasped, while the pearl eyed girl smirked. His soldiers rushed to his side, swords drawn.
"Are you done yet, 'cuz you're boring me to death?" Naruto said, giving a fake yawn. The general, seething with anger, gave the order which his soldiers were longing for.
"Kill that bastard!" He screamed. With that, the soldiers graciously complied, giving them a chance to release all that anger the blond brewed up.
Two of them ran up to the blond at the same time, one from the left and one from the right. Naruto watched them run up to him and sighed. He dashed at them with lightning speed, and before they knew it, the two soldiers lay unconscious on the ground. The blond turned around to face the other three soldiers and the general whose eyes were wide in shock. The blond smirked at them.
"You like what you see?" The blond warrior gestured to himself, breaking the general out of his shock.
"What are you three gaping at, kill him!" The general spat. The three of them looked at the blond and approached with caution.
"Well, it looks like you lot are getting smarter." Naruto commented as they surrounded him. He kept his eyes moving from the two in his sight and used his other senses for the one behind him. Seconds ticked by and none of them moved. The crowd was silent, almost like they were trying to help out the blond hero.
Just as the attack commenced, a puff was heard by the blonde's feet and a sudden burst of white erupted, covering the battle field. The people in the blast radius started scattering away from the smoke, screaming out for their loved ones. Wondering the cause course of this, he grabbed his hood and covered his mouth, trying to prevent the gas from getting into his lungs. Naruto looked around for an exit, only to find white smoke. He stood there, bracing himself for the worst as he turned his head viciously, scouting for a way out. Suddenly something soft yet firm embraced his hand, pulling him in an unfamiliar direction. His training taught him to pull away, yet not sensing any hostility, he allowed his navigator to guide him across the clouded grounds.
After what felt like a lifetime, they got out of the smoky field, and as the colours slowly filled his vision again. Naruto focused in on his anonymous rescuer as he was pulled through the shambles of the town. His eyes were struck with fluttering strands of midnight black. 'Could it be the girl from the tarvan?' Naruto thought as the tug was now slightly more forceful, compelling him to start running along with his mysterious saviour. As they turned a sharp corner, his eyes widened as he took his first real glance at his saviours face. 'It was the girl from before!' Naruto just gazed at her as she pulled him along before stopping suddenly, causing Naruto to bump into her.
"Sorry." Naruto said. As she turned around greeting Naruto with a smile her pearl eyes clashed with his azure ones.
"No worries." The girl said in a soft voice. Naruto was about ask her name but she shushed him and pushed him against the wall which was followed up by her index finger being placed against his lips, inclining him to be quite.
Naruto watched as he she walked by a grey wall and peeked around the corner, causing him to wonder who this girl was. His eyes followed her graceful movements as she moved around the area checking for something. Wondering where he was, he glanced around noticing that he was in some sort of clearing covered by some rundown buildings. He knew this place was poor but to have half broken down buildings silent as the night was just not right. Feeling a soft tap on his shoulder his eyes went back to the raven haired girl.
Hinata gave the blond a smile. Her ears twitched un-noticeably as she heard the heavy footsteps and yells of the imperial guards close in. Noticing that the boy was about to speak, she pressed her index finger to his lips again, notifying him to stay silent.
"Where did they go?!"
"I think they went this way!" Both sets of eyes went to the grey wall, watching as the imperial soldiers ran by from the opening they entered through. As the sounds of the footsteps gradually died down, the raven haired girl removed her finger from the blonde's lips and took a step back.
Now getting a better look, her sharp eyes roamed against his features. His hair was an untamed pure blond which flew in all direction. His eyes which she seemed to be getting extremely found of were a crystal blue. Her eyes crossed the hilt of the blade he wielded causing her thoughts to run back to the battle earlier. She had to ask.
"Are you part of the resistance?" The girl questioned.
"W-what?" Naruto asked, not quite getting what she said and cursed himself because of it. This just caused the girl to giggle slightly before repeating her question. Naruto laughed, now hearing the question.
"No, no. I'm just an errand boy for my no good grandpa." The blond replied. The girl just raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced but left it at that. Naruto did always wonder why his grandpa taught him how to fight or wield a sword but he just thought it was so he could protect himself during deliveries.
"Thanks for the save by the way." Naruto said "The names Naruto, what's your's?" He said sticking out his hand. The girl looked down at his hand before looking back up to him with a smile and placed her small hands in his.
"My names Hinata, It's a pleasure to meet you." Hinata said.
"No Hinata, the pleasures all mine." The little contact made Naruto feel a small shock but not a painful one. Not understanding what it was he took it as a static shock.
Hinata looked up at the warm sky.
"I sense the foxes' presence." A soft voice said in her head. Hinata's eyes widened slightly.
"Will he choose his partner?"Hinata asked her in her mind. It was the exact question she'd asked on many occasions.
"I'm not too sure cub, but I think he is, as he hasn't fled yet." The voice responded. "Be sure to meet me in the forest south east forest from your location."
"Will do."With that, Hinata's attention went back to the blond who was waving franticly in her face.
"Hinata! Hello! Are you alright?" The blond shouted in a whisper, careful not to give away their location. She smiled slightly at his thoughtfulness before replying.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought."
"No problem." He said, grinning and rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand. Hinata then realised that she had to go. She felt kind of upset at leaving this blond man that she only met but there was little which she could do.
"Um… I have to be somewhere right now…" Hinata whispered in a small voice, almost hoping that he couldn't hear. She looked up to him to notice a sad expression on his face. Her heart dropped slightly at the sight. She didn't know why she felt upset at the thought of leaving this man. A man she only just met. Yet she did.
"I guess this is bye then." Naruto said slowly. Hinata nodded before running into the alleyway. Hoping he would see her again, Naruto made his way back home.
After two hours of tossing and turning in bed, Naruto gave up on sleep. He just couldn't get the girl he'd met, Hinata, out of his head. He'd only just met her, but it felt as if there was some sort of connection with her. A feeling of closeness, like they weren't supposed to be separated Naruto laughed at the thought. Never had he felt anything like this before but it felt really important.
Stumbling to the bathroom, Naruto reached the sink and turned on the tap, splashing water in his face.
"What's wrong with me?" Naruto wondered, asking his reflection. Suddenly, a loud crunching sound tore through the night; it was coming from outside the window. Naruto immediately spun round, racing to the window, spooked by the sudden sound. He opened the window and looked outside into the darkness
A harsh wind blew past Naruto as he opened the window, forcing him to shield his face. In the chilly wind, his hair swayed with the currents as he peered outside. The sky was dark with clouds, blocking out the little light that shone from the moon. Everything was almost pitch black but Naruto could just make out rough outlines of objects. As the wind rustled through the leaves of the forest, Naruto looked around for the cause of the large crunching sound. He noticed the trees of the forest swaying oddly, shadows creating patterns across the ground. The sky was dark with clouds, blocking out the little light the moon provided. Just as he thought the sound was his imagination, he heard it again, but this time it was much louder than before. Concentrating hard, he narrowed his eyes and focused on the area where he thought the sound was coming from.
"Come on, I know you're out there!" Naruto yelled out to the something or someone lurking in the darkness. He heard more snapping of twigs. 'That's it, if you aren't coming out I'm coming for you.' Naruto thought, determined to find whatever was out there. Closing the window, he headed back into his bedroom to throw on some clothes, determination and excitement shining in his vibrant blue eyes.
Outside, in the midst of the night, a large creature dashed through the forest, jumping nimbly going to accomplish. As it sped through the forest, its ears picked up every sound around it, sharp eyes peering through the night. It picked up his pace; a speed honed for fighting and hunting. This creature was truly a thing of nightmares.
Lighting struck parts of the forest; followed closely by its partner; thunder. The beast jumped away just as lighting struck the ground, revealing a silhouetted four legged shape, emitting aura of a dark crimson. It's eyes were white with a crimson red iris in a shape of a slit.
"I'm coming for you boy!" The creature growled voice low and demonic. The beast dashed off, faster than before, paws landing powerfully yet lightly on to the solid earth, leaving deep footprints where they set foot.
Naruto sprinted back to his room. He didn't know what was lurking around in the darkness but whatever it was; it gave off a bad vibe. He remembered one of his grandpas teaching's - one of the useful ones. Most of them were useless apart from the one time when he was twelve and grandpa thought that it may be a good idea to teach him about sex education… which would have been useful if he taught him more than just guessing a women's bust size at a single glance.
'Always be prepared for the unknown' was one of his grandpa's favourite sayings. And whatever was prowling in the darkness definitely counted unknown. With that in mind he walked quickly to his wooden bed in the corner of his room. Grabbing a pair of white cargo pants, and pulling on an orange top, he was about to leave. Then, realizing that it was cold outside, he walked over to his new trench coat and put it for extra warmth. Thinking he had everything, he hurried to the door and just as he was about to exit, the room brightened up with a white flash followed closely by a large booming sound. Startled, Naruto jumped, screaming.
"Waaahh!" Multi coloured spots flickered across his vision, caused by the intense light.
"Stupid lighting storm." Naruto cursed under his breath. Blinking out the final spots, his attention was caught by an object leaning against the wall in front of him - his katana. Not knowing what was out there, he grabbed it and tied it to his trench coat like the blacksmith from earlier did. After checking that it wouldn't fall out, he slipped outside.
The blond stood outside, trench coat fluttering furiously in the harsh winds. It was hard to make out what he saw - lighting clouds blocked out the little light the moon managed to provide. But his eyes soon adjusted to the darkness, allowing him to just make out objects by their outlines.
Naruto could see the lighting flashing up in the dark storm clouds, the sound of thunder booming after every flash of lighting. Then, he heard the sound which had prompted him outside in the first place. The sound of twigs snapping like crackling lighting. It became louder and louder as the seconds went by, yet he didn't know what direction it came from, due to the whistling of the winds and booming of the thunder.
He closed his eyes, trying to pinpoint the exact direction in which the sound came from. As the rest of the world slowly slipped away, Naruto focused all his attention onto the sounds around him. Underneath the whistling wind and the booming thunder there was something else, faint and barely there. But he could just about hear it, only he couldn't make out what it was. Brows furrowing, forehead creasing, he concentrated harder. Footsteps… Fast… Four legged… 'Lighting fast footsteps belonging to a four legged creature of some sort.' Naruto concluded in his mind. Yet he couldn't tell exactly what it was.
Naruto continued listening to the footsteps, trying to recognise what sort of creature they belonged to. It was so loud now that it was almost… his eyes widened. Lighting flashed, brightening the area around him, and in that flash of light, he saw a large shadow sprint towards him. A large fox came into view, canines bared. The fox gave off a crimson aura which followed his movements like a ghostly cloak. Above them, the thunder clouds cleared, giving way to moonlight.
On instinct alone, Naruto bent backwards at the waist, attempting to avoid the large fox flying at him. As the beast flew over him, their eyes met briefly, blood red eyes clashing with his ocean blue ones. Just as the fox's back legs went past Naruto's head, he shot up and jumped away from the fox, doing a one-eighty turn in the in the process. Upon landing on his feet, Naruto instantly fell into a battle stance.
The fox gave off a demonic growl as it skidded to a stop. "And hello to you to." Naruto muttered, still in shock by its appearance. He knew he shouldn't but he just couldn't help but feel excited. He didn't know how but he felt a small burning sensation on his right breast of his chest. But it didn't hurt, instead he felt as if he had just placed the last jigsaw piece in a difficult puzzle. He felt complete.
With a demonic growl the fox beast lashed at Naruto again. Pumping with adrenaline, Naruto made another close escape from the fox's clutches as he dived out the way, rolling into a crouched position, still on edge. Naruto watched as the demon fox dashed back into the forest from where it first jumped at him, its ghostly coat of crimson behind it
"Follow my lead boy!" The demonic sounding voice growled from the direction in which the demonic fox fled. Naruto blinked. 'What the…" Naruto thought. Naruto's mind stopped working and that burning sensation was much stronger. Without a seconds thought, Naruto allowed his adrenaline to take control and sprinted after the fox.
In the darkening sky above, clouds crackled with electrical energy, lightning flashing out every so often. It's an old piece of knowledge that says when a lighting storm occurred, trees were to be avoided at all costs. That was the exact opposite of what a certain midnight black haired girl was doing. Oh no, she was doing something much worse. She stood on top of a high branch, keeping watch. She did not know who the fox would choose as a child of destiny but was certainly going to find out. According to her partner, Lilly the white panther, the fox would have been testing his partner at a clearing in this forest; the clearing which she was watching over, yet she still saw no signs of movement. Another wave of strong wind rushed through the trees, shaking the branches, but she stood her ground and kept her watch.
"Be careful up there kit, I don't want you to fall and hurt yourself." A soft voice warned telepathically. The voice belonged to her partner. She saw her more as her own kit other than a human partner and always acted like a mother towards her.
"Don't worry Lilly, you know I'm always careful. You should have more faith in my abilities." The girl replied in the same method, while looking out for any signs of the Kitsune and his partner. A few moments went by before Lilly broke the silence.
"Hinata, stay on alert, I sense that the fox is close by and I smell another human sent in the air." Lilly stated. Hinata nodded and concentrated harder. Excitement coursed through her: it looked like all there the time spent searching had finally paid off.
A few painfully silent minutes went by. Hinata focused harder. She heard something. It was faint and light at first but as the seconds went by it became louder and louder. Lighting fast footsteps were heard. The Kitsune was about a few minutes away from her at this rate and underneath that sound was something much lighter: more footsteps, but these sounded much lighter and somewhat slower. Hinata was getting excited by the second, she was finally going to meet another one, another child of the prophecy. She was going to meet another peacemaker.
Another minute went by and she sensed someone coming up behind her. Smiling, she turned to greet them, for she knew who the person was. Standing on a branch from another tree a meter away from hers, was a panther. This panther would have looked like any other panther if it wasn't for its fur going into a faint red by its ears and its tail. This was her animal partner Lilly.
"Lilly, I didn't know you were going to come!" Hinata said, surprised by the panther's appearance but happy nonetheless. But Lilly did not look at her when she replied, instead, watching the trees opposite from their location.
"I am going to have to see the people we are going to be with." She replied, jumping on the branch besides her partner. "Now we must be quiet or I fear that the fox will not be too pleased about us interrupting his selecting ritual." Lilly stated before sitting down on the branch. Hinata nodded, crouching down. . If being on the run has taught her anything, it was that you always had to be on alert. They both watched in silence as something shot out the bush.
The lighting storm went on and so did the pursuit. Naruto chased the demonic fox, not believing how he went from talking to himself in the mirror to chasing a talking demonic fox in a matter of minutes. As the pursuit went on, he wondered if he was just imagining the whole scenario, but it seemed far too real for it to be his imagination. Did that mean the fox really did talk or was that a fragment of imagination? No. It couldn't have been. And why was there a burning sensation on in his chest? How was he able to keep up with a creature of such speed? So many questions went through his mind as the chase continued, but there was one question that stood out from the rest. Why did he feel a need to chase the demonic fox? Was it because he felt as if he wouldn't feel complete without it? He didn't know but one thing he did know. He wanted to find out.
He was running fast and by fast he meant faster than he ever run and the wildest thing was, he didn't slow down one bit. The burning feeling in his chest was now not just burning, it was scorching, urging him to go on. His breathing was getting slightly ragged as he kept on running. His legs felt as if there were going to fall off. Yet, he kept on running. He looked up noticing the ghostly crimsoned coat of the fox was glowing. It was like a beacon, guiding a boat through the darkness for him.
Naruto could no longer go on. It had felt like he was running for a life time but in reality it was only twenty minutes but that was at full power with no stops. It shouldn't been possible but he'd just did it. Naruto stood, hunched over, gasping for breath. The burning feeling inside his chest slowly subsided. All his energy was literally gone as he fell down to one knee. His legs felt like jelly and an extremely heavily jelly to be precise. 'Why the hell did I follow that stupid fox anyway?' Naruto mentally questioned, still trying to catch his breath. Now that his adrenalin was gone, he was thinking more logically. The first thing he thought about was the demonic fox. That thing was humongous and definitely not the size of a normal fox. And what was up with the red aura of his. Then, a sudden thought hit him.
"Did that fox talk?" Naruto asked out loud in-between gasps of air. He knew it couldn't have been possible but then again it did command him to follow him. Naruto mentally smacked himself. 'Why did he have to be such an idiot?' He thought. He was thinking about which teen age boy followed a creature looking like a demon anyway. Then, he looked down at his chest, wondering why his chest felt as if it was burning. Slightly pulling down this top, he stretched it so he could see the right of his chest. The only issue was, it was too dark to see anything. He traced his fingers where he had felt his skin burn but he couldn't feel anything. It was almost as if nothing happened.
"Come on you puny human. Don't tell me that's all that you can run?" A demonic voice growled. Naruto's eyes widened at the voice, recognising it instantly. It was the voice which the fox used to get him to chase him but then he thought about it. It couldn't have been the fox as it would have been far off by now. The blond looked around, trying to find out who was speaking.
The wind burst into a whistle behind him causing Naruto to jump up in to a painfully weak fighting stance. His legs feeling like jelly but he was not going to go down without a fight.
"Where are you?!" Naruto yelled out, coughing slightly as he wasn't fully recovered from all the running. Another burst of whistling wind was heard but this time it was from his left. Naruto spun around, hoping to catch whoever it was when he heard another burst of wind, followed by a growled 'Over here' from behind him. Naruto spun around again, his legs were screaming at him to stop but he wouldn't listen, he wanted to know who it was. Just as he turned around, another burst of the wind's whistling was heard. By this point, Naruto was getting very frustrated.
"Could you stop fucking doing that and show yourself?!" Naruto screamed out, letting out some of his frustration.
All he saw was a blur of red accompanied by that annoying whistling sound, and there it stood. The gigantic red eyed fox with its ghostly crimson aura. Large fangs poked out of its closed mouth and blood red slits of eyes stared into the bond's very soul. It may have looked menacing, but Naruto wasn't afraid. He didn't understand why, but he just wasn't afraid. Then he felt it. That familiar burning sensation on his right of his chest; under his nipple of his rock hard breast. Just as it came, Naruto felt strength return back to his legs, making his fighting stance stronger. His senses felt much sharper and his mind calmer. He felt stronger than ever before. Was it the burning feeling? And why did it come back? Was it the fox? These were the questions going through his head as he stared the fox down.
"You looking for me twerp?" It growled, its growl demonic just like every other time Naruto heard it. Naruto sent a glare at the fox, noticing that it was smirking. He was getting more and more annoyed with the stupid fox. How dare he call him a twerp and smirking at him too? But Naruto forgot that when his mind just registered the fact that he was talking to a fox; a ginormous, demonic fox!
"You can speak?!" Naruto yelled. The fox gave him a look which either meant you look like dinner or did you seriously just ask me that? Naruto hoped it wasn't the first one.
"I don't know human, maybe based on the fact that you followed me into the forest on your weak human legs or the fact that you're holding up a conversation with me, definitely doesn't show that I can speak?" The fox growled, with a tint of sarcasm. Naruto felt really dumb at the moment and grumbling something along the lines of 'You don't need to be sarcastic.'
"Follow me, we're almost there." The fox growled before heading in the direction he was before. The fox looked back noticing that the boy did not even move from his spot.
"What are you waiting for boy? Come on!" The fox said, before dashing off and jumping over some bushes. With new found strength, Naruto dashed after the fox and proceeded into the bush in dolphin dive. He converted into a roll through the bush before landing in a crouched position on the ground.
Naruto stood up, noticing that the fox was standing on all fours with his eyes trained in him like he was trying to decipher every move he made. Naruto was getting pretty annoyed now. Sure he felt excited about meeting a demonic, talking fox but he was getting annoyed at the fact that he was following the fox with very little answers.
"Ok fluffy, I followed you here in the middle of the night after hearing you crawl around my house. I want answers. What do you want with me? And just what the hell are you?" Naruto demanded, staring the fox in his crimson slits. The fox gave a low growl, clearly not liking Naruto's nick name.
"You will do well not to get on my nerves boy. I am one of the chosen six." The fox replied in his usual demonic voice.
'One of the chosen six?' Naruto repeated mentally. He had no idea what the fox was talking about. For some unnatural reason the burning feeling in his chest increased sharply, causing the blond to wince slightly and move his hand to his chest. Just as his hand made contact with the fabric, blurry grey and black image shot in his mind, almost like an old memory. It showed a small black fox looking creature with a grey aura surrounding it. And behind it stood a tall man in black with a grey cloak fluttering in the wind. His hair, looked un-tamed, was a shade of light grey. He looked as if he was staring off in a completely different direction from the fox. If Naruto didn't know any better, he would've thought the man in the picture looked like him and the fox must have represented the fox standing before him.
Something large shot out into the air. Hinata and Lilly watched as it landed and started running across the field towards them. Hinata's eyes widen as she recognised the fox in its battle form. The fox was still heading towards them and Hinata and her partner prepared to jump away so they wouldn't get noticed but it skidded to a halt while turning to face the direction it just came from.
"Why is the fox in its battle form?" Hinata asked confused. She only knew it was a battle form from past battles and training exercises with her animal partner. It was the form which the animals took on mainly for battle purposes as it took a lot of their energy.
Lilly kept her eyes still trained on the fox and answered, "I am not too sure kit but I assume it may have something with the test for the choosing ritual he may do." At Lilly's words, Hinata remembered her own test. Her test did not involve her partner in her battle form but in the form in which she was in. It was a battle of wits lasting two weeks and it was difficult. Whoever the foxes chosen partner was must have been very powerful for the fox to test him in his battle state.
A moment later another form dived out from the bush Hinata focused on the form as it rolled into a crouched position before standing up. There was too much darkness for her to see what the person looked like but she could tell that it was a male. Almost as if answering her wish, lighting struck a spot in the centre of the two brightening up the area around it and allowing her to see the boy more clearly. She gasped. It was the boy from before.
*** End of chapter 1 ***
An: Those of you who have reached this are awesome, and those of you who loved it and want more are even awesome! This is just the start of a long story and if this goes really well all my time will be focused on this story thus meaning ill either leave my other stories on hiatus or take it off the site till I finish off this fic.
The chapters will all be like 10K+ each (WITHOUT THE AUTHORS NOTE) unless there is a reason for it. Romance is not really a strong point and I'm new to the whole creating battling scenes thing so they may not be that great. I'm looking for a beta reader if any of you are interested to help me out with these.
My chapters will be about 1-3 months apart depending on how much free time I have. It could be longer but most of them should be in that time period. I have written the story bored out up to chapter 30 and there's still a lot more.
I have my A-levels for the next two years making it hell and then I plan on q gap year. So within the next two years I estimate at least 12 updates. I know it don't sound like a lot but keep in mind that each chapter is at least 10k each.
I do have high hopes for this fic and hope you enjoy every bit of the fic.
I'd like to give a special thanks to my beta reader who has helped me greatly in my spelling and my grammar as I truly suck at it.
Please feel free to leave a review about your thoughts and feelings in a review as acknowledgment to our hard work and feel free to criticize the work as it is the only way for improvement.
Nothing more to say so
Shadowknight1998 signing out.
PEACE OUT