Bottom of Form
Yo! Fenrir7139 here, comin' at ya' with the first chapter of my new story, Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gaikai! Enjoy!
Disclaimer
This will act as a blanket disclaimer for the entirety of this work. I, Fenrir7139, do not own any of the characters of, or anything associated with, the Naruto or Devil May Cry franchises. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, and Devil May Cry is the property of Capcom. I also claim no ownership of any other franchise or copyrighted work that is mentioned, quoted, or included in this work. I receive no financial gains from this work, and hereby state that this story is not to be printed for any type of profit. This story will contain sexual content, meaning anyone under the age of eighteen, or the age of majority in his/her country/province, or does not approve of such content, should not read this story. If he/her continues to read this story, I claim no responsibility, as I have placed this disclaimer and given this story an M for Mature rating. This story will also contain violence, though the amount of graphic violence is, as of yet, undecided. This story contains polygamous relationships, so if you, the reader, are offended by this, I would suggest you read something else.
Fenrir7139 Presents:
Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gaikai
(The Fox Chronicles:
Physical World)
Chapter One
Death
"Men only think of their past right before their death, as if they were searching frantically for proof that they were alive…" - Jet Black, Cowboy Bebop
Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gaikai…Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gaikai…Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gakai…
Two weeks.
It had been two weeks since the Kyuubi no Kitsune, greatest of the Bijuu, had first appeared.
It had existed only in legend and rumors before that fateful night, but now, it had become a grim reality.
First, it appeared on the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. It came as a blazing inferno, blood-red fur bristling as it roared, revealing its razor-sharp, snow-white fangs, the smallest of which was the length of a full-grown man, its head the size of a small house.
It began its crusade against the Land of Fire by attacking the Azuchi Fortress, the largest and most heavily fortified building in the Land of Fire. After three days, there was nothing left, not even rubble, to give a hint of the fortress's existence. Only ash and the smell of death remained.
Then, it had moved on to Izumo, the Capital City, destroying villages and forests as it went, before finally laying siege to the city proper. This took considerably longer; not due to any form of defense on the part of the citizens, but because it took longer for the Kyuubi to finish eating the populace before beginning the demolition of the city. Only the Daimyo, Tadahisa Shimazu, and his family, escaped with their lives.
And now, two weeks after the creature's first appearance, it was on the move once more. This time, it was headed for a city hidden deep inside one of the thickest forests that Fire Country had.
Konohagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, was about to face an enemy unlike any they had ever faced before. Even during the Great Shinobi Wars, which only a select few of the older generation remembered, fear had never been as rampant in the village as it was now.
The streets were filled with the sounds of Shinobi readying themselves for what could quite possibly be their last battle. Kunai and shuriken were sharpened, armor examined for imperfections or weaknesses. But despite all this preparation, most of the Leaf Shinobi knew this day would end in their death.
Against the likes of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, armor would not protect you, kunai and shuriken would not save you, and even the most powerful of Ninjutsu would prove about as effective as spitting at the colossal beast.
But the brave men and women readied themselves, regardless. Why? Because, they had a leader who they believed in, a leader they knew in their hearts could bring them victory, no matter the odds.
That leader's name was Minato Namikaze, and he was the Yondaime Hokage.
Minato, along with his fiancé, Kushina Uzumaki, his predecessor, Omoi Sarutobi, and Jiraiya Benkei of the Sannin, was currently sitting in a private hospital room next to his future-wife, who was lying down on a bed, her stomach bulging with an obvious pregnancy.
Sarutobi was sitting next to the closed door to the room, while Jiraiya was standing next to Kushina's bed, busily drawing in his notepad. The only reason he hadn't been beaten to within an inch of his life yet for doing this, was because he wasn't drawing something dirty for the first, and probably last, time. No, the scene he was sketching was a small, portrait-style piece of Minato and Kushina, as they were at this very moment. Despite the imminent danger approaching from just a few hours away, the Yondaime's expression was one of complete and utter joy, and the red-haired woman that was his fiancé had a similar look.
After a few moments, Jiraiya finished the sketch with a flourish, before showing it to the other three who had entered the room.
It was one of the greatest pieces he had ever done, according to the two Hokages in the room, though Kushina expressed - quite vocally - her annoyance at her rotund state being preserved for future generations to see, though she too complimented the old sage after a few moments of angry brooding.
However, the quiet peace of this moment was shattered moments later, when a mini-cyclone of leaves appeared in the middle of the room, sending cards, flowers, and Kushina's hair whipping about, before the storm finally ceased, revealing a young man.
The man was twenty-one years old, at least. He had a smooth, silky mane of exotic, white hair, and piercing, ice-blue eyes, set upon a handsome face, with a strange, horned ANBU mask pushed up on his head to reveal, and its thin coating of snow-colored stubble.
He was clothed in a pair of crimson denim pants, covered with tight-fitting, leather, chap-like guards, the area covering his shins and the top half of his black boots a crimson red, like his pants, and decorated with various swirling designs.
If you were to look a bit further up, you would see his simple brown leather belt, clasped with an intricate, silver buckle, which looked like the snarling face of an otherworldly creature.
A tight, black, zip-up shirt covered his torso, the fabric clinging to his muscular frame, while his red, leather trench coat and black, fingerless leather gloves finished the ensemble.
On his back, was a huge sword, only a bit shorter than his roughly six-foot three height, the blade as wide as a man's forearm.
It looked almost as if he was about to speak, when an angry Kushina cut the stranger off.
"Nintai, you bastard! Where the hell have you been? I told you to come here a fuckin' hour ago, ya' dumbass!"
The white-haired man smirked at the pregnant woman, not showing the slightest hint of remorse.
"Ah, shut it, Kushina… I had shit to do, so stop bitchin'."
The other three men in the room visibly sweat-dropped; Nintai acted just like Kushina did!
The red-headed woman continued to glare at the man for nearly a minute, before her face broke into a grin.
"Nintai, you ass, get over here! We've got important things to discuss and what not…"
Nintai just shook his head with a chuckle at the woman's sudden mood swing, and did as she asked, sitting down next to her. Once he did, Jiraiya and Minato followed suit. Although Minato all ready knew what was about to be said, he wanted to be sat down before hand, for reasons that would be revealed later.
Reclining in one of the wooden chairs of the room, Nintai lazily eyed Kushina.
"All right, spill it. What's so damn important that you had to take me off guard duty? Granted, I wasn't thrilled to be fighting a city-destroying fox, but I know I could' a taken it down eventually. You guys know about my… condition."
Minato rolled his eyes.
"Seriously, kid, you should just tell the villagers all ready. It's a pain and the ass covering it up all the time, and besides that, it's not like any of the citizens would think less of you; you've done more good for Konoha than anyone, even myself or the old monkey there!"
Nintai leveled his gaze on Minato with a sad expression.
"Minato, I know you think so, but… I don't. You know the reasons why."
"Look, Nintai, what happened to you in Iwagakure no Sato was horrible, but that shouldn't-"
The sword-wielding man raised his hand, cutting the Yondaime off.
"Enough, Minato… It doesn't matter. What was it you guys wanted to talk to me about, anyway?"
The blonde chuckled as he wrapped an arm around Kushina's shoulders, giving her a peck on the cheek.
"Well, first of all, we decided on a name for our baby… Naruto, after the main character in that book by Jiraiya."
Nintai and the Sandaime both raised an eyebrow at that, though the younger man spoke first.
"What? I thought you hated Jiraiya's work, Kushina?"
The red-head huffed and turned her head.
"Minato wouldn't let it go. At least it wasn't a bunch of smut like that disgusting Icha Icha series of his..."
Jiraiya let out an indignant gasp at this, but a death-glare from Kushina shut him up. Then, the Sandaime spoke, badly concealing a chuckle at the atics of the younger people in the room.
"Minato-kun, you said 'first of all', so am I correct in assuming you wanted to say something else?"
The blonde nodded, smiling.
"Yeah, thanks, old man… Anyway, the other thing was more about Naruto himself. You see, we picked his Daifu, and… We chose you, Nintai."
Nintai's expression was frozen for almost a minute in an expression of shock, before Kushina's laughter snapped him out of it. Sighing, he looked away.
"I… I'm honored, Minato, Kushina, I really am, but… I can't. I can't accept the position. You should ask Jiraiya."
To say the others in the room were shocked was an understatement. Even the Sandaime's mouth was agape in disbelief.
But, as most would have suspected, Kushina recovered first.
"What the hell do ya' mean "you can't accept the position"? I should kick your ass, you baka! Why the hell can't ya'?"
Nintai looked at her, his face a stoic mask.
"I'm not cut out to be a father, or even a father-figure. I would only screw it up. Besides, why are you guys even making me Godfather? It's not like you're going to die or anything!"
Minato sighed, and turned his gaze to the window, through which the sky, which was all ready tinted red from the Kyuubi's malignant chakra, could be seen. Nintai caught what that look meant, and jumped from his chair, eyes wide.
"What? You can't be serious! Minato, I thought you said you weren't gonna use that thing!"
The Yondaime shook his head.
"I know, Nintai, but… I have to. There's no other solution, other than the Shiki Fujin. Believe me, if there was an alternative, I would-"
"There is an alternative, you baka! I can do it! You're important to the village, not me, you need to live!"
Minato glared at Nintai, a frown set on his face.
"No, Nintai. I am the Hokage. I cannot ask someone else to do my job. I went over this with Sarutobi all ready. You need to understand that."
Kushina, who had remained out of the conversation, put in her two cents.
"Nintai, you need to understand, Minato's not gonna budge. I all ready tried. I even tried to seduce him and then tie him up so he couldn't go, but he used that fuckin' Nawanuke no Jutsu and escaped. Then he tied me up! And once he did, he didn't give me my clothes back, and, to top it off, he started licking my-"
At that, Minato covered his lover's mouth, a blush adorning his cheeks, though a minor nosebleed was siphoning some of the blood away.
"Kushina, that's enough, I don't think they want to hear anymore…"
"I DO!"
"Shut up, Jiraiya!"
The old pervert's shoulders slumped, and he started muttering to himself about disrespectful students, which Minato ignored as he continued to speak.
"Nintai, I'm not taking no as an answer from you. You're perfect for the job; after all, who couldKushina and I trust more than our own teammate?"
Nintai shook his head once more.
"Minato, I don't know the first thing about kids, I just can't-"
Suddenly, all noise ceased, the rest of Nintai's sentence caught in his throat, the owls stopped hooting in the trees, and even the crowds of Shinobi preparing for battle stopped moving.
The bane of the Land of Fire, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, had arrived.
Minato recovered first, followed by Jiraiya. Nodding at the older man, the blonde got up, putting on his long, off-white coat.
"Too late for excuses, Nintai. Looks like it's time to go…"
Kushina looked up at her lover, tears in her eyes.
"Minato, please, don't-"
She was unable to finish her sentence, as a grunt of pain cut it off.
"Oh Kami! It's… It's time! Please, Minato, don't leave me! Don't leave yet!"
The Yondaime was at her side in an instant, as the midwife, who had been listening in on the conversation, entered as well.
She was a rather old woman, probably around seventy-five, but she was still as spry as she had been in her prime, and had delivered nearly every baby in Konoha. She wore the traditional garb of a miko, and her graying hair was held in a tight bun. She was rather plump, and almost hunched over, using a cane as support. But, her most noticeable feature was the black eye patch she wore over her right eye, which seemed to be made from the guard of a katana.
"If you're not the father or mother of this child, leave immediately! I don't want you fools in the way!"
When no one moved, the old woman let out a bestial growl, and, lifting the wooden cane she was using, smacked the closest person with it on the head, which, unfortunately, was Nintai.
"OW! What the fuck, lady? Why are you hittin' me with sticks and shit?"
The old woman's eye widened at Nintai's foul language, and she smacked him some more.
"OUT, OUT, OUT! By the Kami, it's hard enough delivering babies during an attack, and your language isn't helping, young man! OUT!"
Deciding that anything was better than dealing with the old woman's cane, Nintai quickly body flickered out of the room, as did Jiraiya and the Sandaime, leaving Minato, Kushina, and the Midwife to deliver Konohagakure's salvation on their own.
...Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gaikai…Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gaikai…
The three men appeared in the middle of the main street of Konoha, where nearly every citizen, civilian and Shinobi alike, were staring at the approaching demon fox with fear.
Konoha was a well-planned city; during the Shodaime's reign, it had been protected by only two walls, built directly against the face of the mountain that would later become the Hokage Monument; one around the Hokage Tower, and the other around the village proper. However, after Konoha began to prosper, its number of citizens grew, and a third wall was added, this one circling around the Hokage Monument entirely.
During the Nidaime's time, the population of Konoha experienced a second boom, due largely to an influx of immigrants and refugees from places like the Land of Water and Amegakure, and a fourth wall was added to the circle of protection.
And, finally, during the Sandaime's era, a fifth, hidden fortification was created; a bunker inside of the Hokage Monument.
It had once been a limestone cave, discovered by one of the craftsmen carving the Sandaime's face into the cliff face, when his chisel hit a loose section of the rock, causing a cave-in on the top of the monument. Luckily, the subsequent hole was only a few feet wide, and the man had not fallen in, but it had given the Sandaime a clue as to what laid within the mountain.
Several teams of Shinobi ventured inside, and their reports all came back the same; the cave filled the majority of the mountain; it was only still standing due to several stalactites and stalagmites that acted as natural support beams. This gave the Sandaime enough information to warrant the construction of the bunker; first, the entire interior of the mountain had been strengthened with true support beams made of steel, as well as several coatings of reinforced concrete on the walls and floor of the cave.
When it was finally finished, the bunker was able to fit the entirety of the village at least semi-comfortably, with thousands of small rooms built along the walls of the cave, connected by staircases and ladders, as well as a colossal well that reached nearly one hundred and fifty feet below the surface, giving them a water supply, while an area for livestock allowed the civilians and Shinobi alike to survive during a possible siege.
All of this was running through Nintai's mind as he quickly pulled on his ANBU mask, covering his face before anyone could see him.
Nintai's mask was rather odd; unlike the other Konoha ANBU masks, which were all animals, his had the appearance of some type of demon, complete with small horns sprouting from his forehead. The eyes were thin slits, like the rest of the ANBU masks, but then the changes became more pronounced.
His mask was quite sparsely decorated; there were two triangular markings that started at the top of his brow and ended at points just above the nexus between his eye slits, and four more on his cheeks, with the upper pair much larger than the lower. Between the points of the four lied the engraved leaf symbol of Konoha, and beneath the lower pair of makings was an engraved kanji; the Kanji for "Shoki", a great hero in Fire Country folklore.
Once his mask was attached to his face, he looked at the Sandaime.
"Sarutobi-sama, please evacuate the civilians and Genin into the bunker; I don't want to lose any kids during this fight. Jiraiya and I will focus on gathering the Shinobi; we'll hold the fox off until Minato's kid is born."
The ageing Kage nodded, and swiftly made his way to the huge crowd of people.
"All civilians are to make way to the Monument Bunker immediately! Genin are to follow suite! This is a direct order from the Hokage!"
Sarutobi knew he was stretching the truth quite a bit here, since Minato hadn't actually said that, but the old man justified felt it was justified; after all, he'd once been Hokage.
When Sarutobi, the civilians and the Genin began to make their way towards the inner circle of walls, and the entrance to the bunker, Nintai and Jiraiya turned to the remaining Shinobi, and the Toad Sage spoke.
"Listen, I know you're all scared for your lives. That's all right; but you can't let that fear consume you. You are Shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato! You possess the Will of Fire! This is your home, and nothing is going to take it from you!"
At the Toad Sage's passionate words, the Shinobi of Konohagakure let out a deafening roar, which rivaled that of the Kyuubi no Kitsune itself, which was now clear on the horizon, barreling towards the village at high speed.
When Nintai saw this, he spoke as well.
"All right, guys, the Yondaime has a way to finish that thing off once and for all, but he isn't finished preparing yet! We need to hold it off until he gets here! Understood?"
A loud chorus of "Hai!" from the surrounding Shinobi answered him, and he grinned a blood-thirsty grin behind his mask.
"All right then…"
In one swift motion, his massive zanbato was drawn, and, despite the fact it had to weigh as much as he did, he was able to lift it easily with just one hand, twirling around to point it at the approaching Bijuu.
"LET'S ROCK!"
And with that, the majority of Konoha's Shinobi charged forward to battle the greatest of the tailed beasts, ready to defend their homes with their lives…
...Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gaikai…Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gaikai…
Nintai growled in pain as he raised himself up from the ground for the… twenty-seventh time, he believed.
All around him lay his comrades' fallen forms, but more Shinobi replaced the lost. But, regardless of numbers, they were still being pushed back towards the walls of Konoha at an increasing rate.
'If it keeps going like this, it'll destroy the village before Minato can seal it!'
Grimacing in pain as he felt his ribcage snap, only to reset itself and heal in a matter of seconds, he hefted his blade once more, and let out a shout so loud that it overwhelmed the sounds of battle.
"YOU READY, FOX? 'CUZ I'M GONNA SHOVE HANSEKI HERE STRAIGHT DOWN YOUR THROAT!"
The Bijuu actually turned towards him after his exclamation, and in its eyes he saw pain, anger, and… Regret?
'What the hell?'
Suddenly, he clutched at his head in pain, as a pain-filled voice began to echo in his brain at booming levels.
'Hanyou, help me! Save me! Free me from myself!'
Growling, he began to fight back against the intruder, which he figured must have been the Kyuubi toying with him. Soon, he began to set off his mind traps.
Mind Traps were exactly what they sounded like; mental defenses that would harm anyone who tried to force their way into a Shinobi's mind. Few Shinobi bothered to create Mind Traps, due to the lack of Psychic Techniques in the Elemental Countries, but due to a certain factor of Nintai's blood, Mind Traps came to him naturally.
The Kyuubi roared in agony as it felt thousands of kunai embed themselves into its brain, one of the many traps Nintai had set up. It immediately pulled away from his mind, and continued to fight and slay the Konoha Shinobi.
Cursing, the snow-haired ANBU began to run towards the beast.
Jumping to dodge one of its tails, he grabbed a fistful of its fur, and was subsequently flying through the air as it tried to shake him off.
Still, he held on, and began to slowly pull himself along the long appendage, sheathing his zanbato as he went. After what felt like hours, but was closer to five minutes, he'd made it onto the beast's back.
His victory was short-lived, however, when he had to go down on his stomach to avoid one of the fox's many tails.
"Fuck! That was close… I almost-"
He was cut off when he had to dodge another tail, and decided the time for talking would be later. He began to run across the creature's back, dodging its thrashing tails as he did, before leaping into the air, and landing on top of its head.
"All right, bastard, let's see how you like this!"
With a roar, he stabbed his massive blade into the demon's head, feeling it hit its skull, and…
Stop.
Cursing, he began to grind its tip against the demon's thick bones, not worrying about the blade's edge. It was a demonic weapon, a gift from his father, Subeta, an Akuma of great reknown, and it wouldn't break any time soon.
It was around the time that Nintai felt the fox's skull begin to give in that the bijuu also seemed to realize what was going on atop its head, and began to shake vigorously.
Nintai cursed vehemently as he held on for dear life, still trying to pierce the creature's skull, but the feat was made significantly more difficult due to the fact that it was shaking him like a rag doll.
'Minato, please, hurry! I don't want you to die, but… If you don't, the entire village will be destroyed!'
Indeed, though there were nearly six thousand Shinobi in Konoha, a good thousand were Genin in the bunker, and the number of Chunin and Jonin had dropped significantly. Now, the beast was within striking distance of the village's walls, and did so with impunity, leveling huge areas of the surrounding land.
And all Nintai could do was hope that the Yondaime was on his way, as he felt his sword's tip tear free of the creature's flesh, and he began to fall through the air… Only to be snapped up into the fox's huge maw.
...Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gaikai…Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gaikai…
During all of this, Minato was holding his lover's hand as she huffed and puffed in pain, both of them sweating bullets, her grip nearly crushing his hand, but he didn't make a sound.
Suddenly, the EKG began to beep in quick intervals, and Kushina let out a scream of pain as blood began to seep from inside her. The ageing midwife's eyes widened, and she quickly began to try and stop the bleeding. She looked at Minato.
"You! If you know any healing techniques, use them! If not, find someone who can!"
Minato's expression changed from fear to outright horror.
"What? Why? What's going on?"
The midwife growled, and continued to try and stop Kushina's bleeding.
"She's had a Uterine Rupture; I'm not able to stop the bleeding; I'll have to do a Caesarean Delivery, but we need to try and stop the blood flow first, or else both she and the child will die!"
Minato nodded, and, knowing that there were no other Shinobi in the hospital, was by the midwife's side immediately, placing his hands over his bleeding lover's abdomen.
"Chiyupou: Naishukketsu Shuuzen!"
Green chakra began to mold around his hands, and he began to sweat even more at the strain. He wasn't a medical ninja; he didn't have the chakra control to hold this type of jutsu for very long. While he was doing this, the midwife quickly left, and returned with a bottle of blue liquid, holding it to Kushina's lips.
"Drink this, child… "
The red-haired woman did as she was told, and, a few moments later, drifted into blissful unconsciousness. Once this was accomplished, Minato cut off the flow of medical chakra, breathing heavily.
"I'm… I'm sorry, Kaede-san, but… I… I can't go on… The medical chakra… strains my body too much…"
The old woman nodded.
"I understand, Hokage-sama. Please, rest, I will continue from here… Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Suddenly, five other old women, completely identical to the mid-wife, appeared, much to Minato's shock.
"H… How did you-"
The old woman raised her eye patch to reveal a milky-white, obviously blind, eye, the skin surrounding which was heavily scarred. But it was the symbol attached to the eye patch that caught Minato's gaze; the Konoha Leaf. Then, the woman spoke.
"I was a Jonin once, you know. I have a few tricks up my sleeve… But, never mind that now! I have work to do!"
She put her eye patch down once more, as she and her clones began the operation on Kushina, while Minato could only watch with trepidation.
'Please, Kushina… Please, you must live through this… For Naruto's sake…"
But, no one answered his silent pleas.
...Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gaikai…Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gaikai…
Nintai felt himself being squeezed by the Bijuu's saliva-and-mucus filled throat, and nearly retched at the smell, but continued to struggle against the fox's strong muscles. It was at times like these that he was glad his demonic heritage gave him the option to not have to have oxygen to breathe, though the smell nearly made him wish for death.
"Come on, Fox… brush… your damn… teeth! Or at least… get some… mouthwash!"
He continued to grunt out expletives as he squirmed against the demon's throat. His disgust only deepened when he saw a corpse trapped between a fold of the muscles.
A human corpse.
"By the Kami, that's just nasty!"
Looking away from the corpse as best he could, Nintai began to try and think of a way out of his predicament. Hanseki was still in his hand, but it was being held above him, and he could barely move his arm, much less swing the huge blade. Though he was satisfied when he felt a drop of blood land on his face, and the beast roared, the sound echoing in his ears to a deafening degree.
"Hell yeah, take that, bitch!"
He began to try and move the blade more, in hopes that it would cause more reactions like the first one.
'I just hope this thing doesn't barf me out… That'd be fuckin' disgusting!'
He was able to nick the fox's throat once more, causing another splatter of blood, and another roar and session of thrashing about. This actually caused Nintai more harm than good, as he began to slip further down the fox's throat, and only just managed to catch himself before he fell into its stomach.
Looking down at the pool of acid, Nintai cursed in annoyance.
"Damn it! There's a fight going on, and I'm stuck as a snack for an overgrown fox! This day sucks!"
Feeling his fingers begin to slip from the muscle ledge he was holding onto, he raised Hanseki, and stabbed it deep inside the fox's throat.
While he had intended to use this merely as a steadier handhold, it had a much, much larger effect; in fact, it was the effect he'd feared earlier.
He could see the stomach acid begin to bubble and rise in the creature's stomach, and realized what was about to happen.
"Oh, shit."
Nintai only had just enough time to pull Hanseki from the fox's throat when the wave of stomach acid and undigested "food" carried him out of the creature's throat and past its mouths, and he landed with a loud thud on the forest floor, next to a half-rotted cow that had, apparently, been stuck between the Kyuubi's fangs.
That was when he felt a slight burning sensation, and discovered that his trenchcoat and gloves, as well as his leg guards, were beginning to disintegrate, and steam was rising from his hands.
"Fuck!"
He quickly raced towards a stream that was a pale red, most probably from the blood of Bijuu and Shinobi alike, and jumped in, only getting out when he was sure the stomach acid was washed off completely. Then, he ran through several handseals, and spouted out a jutsu.
"Katon: Jouki Dorai no Jutsu!"
Steam began to rise from his clothes and body, and soon, Nintai was completely dry. He looked at the destruction the Kyuubi had caused, and anger filled him.
The entire southern half of the village was destroyed; not only that, the old, tall trees surrounding the area had been torn from the earth.
Letting out a bestial snarl, Nintai charged the Kitsune once more, intent to finish it off, but was suddenly stopped by a masculine hand, which took hold of his shoulder.
Turning, he saw Jiraiya, and growled.
"Jiraiya, what the hell are you doing? Let go of me!"
The Sannin shook his head, sighing.
"It's no use, kid. There's nothing any of us can do to stop the Kyuubi yet. Only Minato can; we just need to pray that he gets here soon…"
Then, the ageing Toad Sage looked Nintai in the eye.
"And by the way… Your mask is broken."
Feeling his face, Nintai realized that his mask was, in fact, damaged. The entirety of his left eye could be seen, as well as some of his mouth and nose.
"You're right…"
He tore the mask from his face, and threw it to the ground, knowing it was useless now, anyway.
'Minato… You need to hurry…'
As if he had heard the ANBU's plea, there was a flash of yellow, and Minato appeared, blood on his hands, and a wailing, blonde child in his arms, his expression dark, eyes red and still pouring tears.
Nintai immediately realized what this meant, and shook his head.
"No… NO! It can't be! She can't be dead!"
Minato sighed.
"Yes, she is. And soon… I will be, as well. Please, Nintai… Please, accept your role as Naruto's Daifu, I beg you!"
Nintai nodded solemnly.
"Hai, Minato. I accept. I will make you and Kushina proud of him, I swear it! He will be the greatest Shinobi in Fire Country!"
Minato smiled weakly, and handed the baby to the ANBU, who cradled him carefully with hands more accustomed to the hilt of a sword than the skin of a child.
"I am glad… Jiraiya, please, train him as well, if you can. And both of you… Tell no one he is my son, or Kushina's. Few know Kushina's real surname, anyway, so his last name will officially be Uzumaki… But, when he reaches the age you think appropriate for him to know, you may tell him. And also… Never tell him about the Kyuubi. I trust that the villagers will understand that he is a hero, but… If they don't… I don't want him to know about the fox. I created a contingency plan with the Sandaime, and everything will be explained if they are unable to see the truth."
Sighing, the blonde took Naruto in his arms once more, and turned from the two, walking towards the Kyuubi, raising his hand and flashing the "peace" symbol as he did.
"Goodbye, my friends. May we meet again in the next life… Goodbye, Naruto, my son…"
Then, his hands went through several seals, Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
There was a huge puff of smoke, and, when it cleared, a toad that was of equal size to the Kyuubi no Kitsune appeared.
"Eh? Oh, Minato, it's you! What's up?"
"Gama-bunta… I need your help to take out the Kyuubi… I just need to get close enough to seal it, all right?"
"You got it!"
The colossal toad jumped into the air, Minato and Naruto steady on his head, and landed next to the fox.
Minato glared at the creature, blue eyes blazing with pain and hatred.
"Now, demon, you will pay for your actions against my village!"
He quickly went through the necessary hand seals, knowing that as soon as he was able to rip the soul from the Bijuu, the battle would be over.
His hands flashed through the appropriate hand seals for the final Jutsu he would ever cast, before he shouted its name.
"Shiki FujinI!"
The Yondaime let out a scream of pain as the Shinigami's hand entered his body, causing the baby in his arms to begin to wail, and the Shinobi below him to fear for their leader's life.
After all, they could not see the Shinigami, nor his hand, and could not understand where the man had been wounded. Only Nintai and Jiraiya knew the source of his pain, and both stood stoically, doing their best to avoid breaking into tears.
Both of them saw Minato as family, Nintai, as a brother, and Jiraiya, as a son. And both of them felt like a piece of their hearts were being ripped out of their chests, just as the Shinigami was ripping out Minato's soul.
But while they were doing this, Minato was busying himself with the finally step of his plan; sealing the Kyuubi into Naruto, along with finishing the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style and Four Symbols Seal that he had all ready placed.
Upon doing so, the few Shinobi left that had not retreated due to injuries upon their arrival, watched in awe as the Kyuubi's body fell, dead, and its soul appeared above its body, visible to all, as a strange, pale-red, ghost-like form of its original self.
However, they were shocked when it began to pulsate and writhe, and suddenly, split in two!
The first half, which remained the same, pale-red as the original, continued on, and entered Naruto's body, causing him to let out a screech of pain before quieting, unconscious.
But the second half was different entirely.
It was grey, almost black, like smoke from a funeral pyre. Its eyes glowed a dark red, like rubies, and its claws were the same white as the previous ghost's had been.
But there was one difference between this ghost and the other that stood out the most to the Shinobi present, and that was its number of tails.
What had started as nine, had suddenly dwindled to two, the other seven seemingly disappearing into thin air, and the creature shrank in size. Not enough to truly make a difference, but it was notable none the less.
It looked from left to right, as if surprised, and then leveled its gaze directly on Minato, who was struggling against the Shinigami's pull, and let out an earth-shaking roar.
"FOOLISH MORTAL! YOU HAVE UNLEASHED YOUR DEATH
As if answering his words, the earth around the ghost began to swirl violently, turning from dirt to mud, and then to foul-smelling sludge, the trees withering and dying as it touched them, and being pulled into the mixture.
It began to rise, encasing first the ghost's legs, then its body and tails, and finally, its head, leaving only the flaming eyes visible. Trees stuck out at odd angles, their branches jagged and bare, its claws and fangs seemingly composed of magma from far beneath the earth.
It was at that moment that Nintai was unable to stand any longer, feeling the pull of the Death God on his life strengthen, and fell backwards, sliding off of Gama-bunta's head, his grip on Naruto beginning to slip.
Only to be saved by Nintai, who had begun to run up the giant toad's back when he saw Minato stumble, and jumped off to catch both him and the child before they fell to their deaths.
Gama-bunta looked down at Minato, about to speak, when he poofed out of existence, the blonde's power to sustain him gone.
Nintai looked down at his adopted brother with sadness, making sure Naruto did not fall when they hit the ground. But then, his eyes opened wide when he heard Minato speak.
"Nintai… give… Naruto… to Jiraiya… you… need to… finish off… that thing… I… love you… my brother…"
Nintai, for the first time in nearly twenty years, felt tears come to his eyes, and openly wept as he laid Minato on the ground, kneeling beside him.
"I love you too, Minato… I love you too. I promise, I'll protect Naruto with my life, I swear it!"
The blonde smiled weakly up at him, still unable to open his eyes.
"Good. Nintai… please… take this…"
He reached behind him, beneath his coat, and, with a bit of struggle, pulled out a gleaming Ninjato, having been unable to detach its Saya. Nintai looked at it with confusion.
"But… that's Kushina's… Why-"
Minato cut him off.
"Take it! I… expect you… to use it… well… see ya later… Nintai…"
And with that, Minato's arm fell, dropping the Ninjato on the blood-soaked ground, and waking up Naruto, who immediately began to cry, attracting the attention of the new fox, which bared its molten fangs at him.
"YOU! I SHALL DESTROY THAT WRETCHED CREATURE FOR WHAT IT HAS DONE!"
Nintai felt anger coil in his chest, as Jiraiya body flickered next to him, looking at Minato with regret and sorrow. Nintai picked up Naruto, and handed him to Jiraiya, as well as helping him shoulder Minato.
"Get them out of here, Jiraiya…"
He reached down and picked up the Ninjato Minato had dropped, wiping the mud off of its still-gleaming blade, as water droplets began to fall from the sky.
"I've got work to do."
Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gaikai…Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gaikai…Kitsune no Rekidaishi: Gakai…
Well, I hope you like it. I know the ending is kinda' anti-climactic, but I felt I was already rushing things too much. Anyway, hope you are all prepared for Chapter Two: Vengeance. It'll come out at some point, hopefully by the end of next week, but then again, who knows.
Also, I am now available as a Beta-Reader, and will accept requests, so long as they follow the guidelines provided in my profile. Please, make sure you read through all of the profile, as there are some things I will not, under any circumstances, beta.
As a side note, I'd just like to say… HOT DAMN! Sixteen pages and six-thousand, four-hundred twenty-three words! And that's without the Author's notes at the beginning and end, or the disclaimer, or the title! I just want you all to know, I wouldn't expect every chapter to be like this, but I'll strive to meet this, at least. Anyway, onto the translations/explanations…
Azuchi Fortress: Named after the Azuchi Castle, which was built in Japan in the 1570s. In this story, it was the strongest fortress in the Land of Fire, before being destroyed by the Kyuubi.Izumo: One of the provinces of Japan. In this story, it was once the capital of the Land of Fire, before the Kyuubi's attack.
Tadahisa
Shimazu: Born August 1, 1227.
He was the founder of the Shimazu samurai clan. In this story, he is
the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
Omoi:
in Japanese Mythology, Omoi is a Satori, an ape-like creature that
can read people's minds, who lives at the base of Mount Fuji.
Satori means "consciousness", while Omoi means "Mind".
Benkei:
Saito Musashibo Benkei (1155 - 1189), popularly called Benkei, was a
Sohei (warrior monk) who served Minamoto no Yoshitsune. He is
commonly depicted as a man of great strength and loyalty.
Daifu:
Can be translated as both Godfather and Father. In the context used,
it means Godfather.
Nawanuke
no Jutsu: literally "Rope
Escape Technique"
Shoki:
The Japanese version of Zhong Kui, a figure of Chinese mythology.
Traditionally regarded as a vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings, and
reputedly able to command 80,000 demons, his image is often painted
on household gates as a guardian spirit, as well as in places of
business where high-value goods are involved. Basically, he was a
demon-slayer.
Hanseki:
literally, "Results of Rebellion"
Chiyupou: Naishukketsu ShuuzenLiterally Healing Art: Internal Bleeding Repair this is a technique used in the field by most ANBU-Level or higher Shinobi. It is used to stem blood flow in the wounds of an individual; it is not permanent, but it is, in theory, able to give the user time to properly heal the person after a battle.
Katon: Jouki Dorai no Jutsu: Translated as Fire Release: Steam Dry Technique , this is a Jutsu used by Shinobi in the field to quickly dry themselves; it raises their body temperature via chakra enhancements to degrees high enough to cause any water on their body to evaporate; however, if used carelessly, it can lead to dehydration.
Top of Form
