To Kill A Fox – Chapter 1 – Are You Sure You're A God?
A/N: Hello, hello! Welcome to the story! If you are just finding this then congrats, if you were here from the original chapter then I hope that I have improved, I have 'fleshed out' the whole thing entirely, although, I did keep what the original intention was. In all honesty, the very first chapter that I posted was a very big 'rough draft' of sorts and I just wanted feedback more than anything and constructive criticism. If you like this story then please leave a Review, drop a Favourite or Follow, and enjoy the story! This is 17 total pages of story, with about 9,800 words besides Author's Notes, I feel I gave the original justice, hopefully. I did change the interactions around slightly, it's more 'mysterious' in a way, blah, blah, blah. Tell me what you think, I really appreciate the help. Cheers!
Warning(s): Swearing, use of alcohol, cigarette use, sexual themes/mentions, more. Rated M to be safe!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto or anything referenced in this story, I only came up with the idea and I only own my OC's that come into play.
Published: Monday, September 17th.
Edited/Updated: Sunday, September 16th 2018. Saturday, October 27th 2018. (Will go back and fix more at a later date and may add some things in eventually to 'improve' the chapter)
Naruto never liked arguments, they always left a sour taste in his mouth. Clean this, do that, he could never hear the end of it. So what, if he wanted his room to be messy then so be it. He didn't need his three female members of his team to berate him about it... every... single... day. It escalated when they forcefully entered his apartment and began cleaning to their heart's desires. He was overtired, barely any sleep... and he sort of snapped and said some mean things to the girl's. He didn't mean it, but without his morning ramen, well, he was very grumpy. While Sakura glared at him, Kashika and Sayuri spat venomous words right back at him. Naruto shuddered at the morning memory.
So here he was; at Ichiraku's. Alone and depressed. Slowly slurping his noodles. Making small mumbled conversation with Ayame. The girl had bopped him on the nose with her ladle a few times. She would say something, trail off, then get all red in the face for a moment before snapping out of those thoughts. Naruto wondered if there was something wrong with her.
The fourteen-year-old was smart, but quite ignorant when it came to females and their emotions. Especially the feelings several girl's harboured for him personally. There was a few he could name that acted weird and off around him. He thought nothing of it other than that they always got flustered when he acknowledged their existence. While it worried Naruto, he couldn't help but feel guilty that some sort of receptor in his brain found each and every single one of his female companions, quite honestly; cute in a way.
Shaking his head out of his rampant thoughts, he sighed sadly to himself. 'Maybe I should go apologize? I dunno, this day seems to get worse and worse and the longer I sit here then maybe the more the girl's will be mad at me...' Naruto thought to himself.
There was no training today, or missions; although, Kashika did say there were to all have dinner together at the BBQ place. Maybe he should apologize when it came to that time? But to say the least, Naruto was bored out of his mind and wanted something to do to kill time. Trekking all the way to the Hokage Tower could possibly yield less boredom in his grumpy depressed state. With his mind made up – hoping to acquire a small mission with good pay as he wanted to help with tonight's meal – he set off to talk with the Hokage.
As he walked away, he heard the small happy tone of Ayame wishing him good luck with apologizing. They had talked about it as soon as Naruto had gotten to the stand. His big sister figure never missed a beat. Lucky him.
He walked, for about maybe twenty-five minutes before he practically had gotten to the Tower; he did run after-all. Panting, he climbed the steps up to the Third's office and knocked on the door feverishly. The door creaked open and in front of the blond was his pseudo-grandfather, smiling and waving a hand for the boy to come inside of the small, yet large, office. Two ANBU were on either sides of Hiruzen's desk. A shiver went up Naruto's spine as he sat down in a chair. He awaited for the Old Man to speak and greet him.
Smoking on his pipe, Hiruzen blew it up into the air, creating a small ring. He spoke with a tone of wisdom. "Hello, Naruto. How are you today?"
Naruto smiled, his voice making a ton enthusiasm. "Hey! I'm good, haha, kinda got into a fight with the girl's. We're having dinner in a couple of hours and I wanted to help pay and I'm short on cash at the moment so, like, I want to make it up to them by paying a bit or all of it... so... I came here to get a small mission that will hopefully cover some of it. Any ideas?"
Hiruzen chuckled under his breath. "My boy, you sure do love to rile them up with your antics. What is it this time?"
Naruto deadpanned. His jaw went askew, clenching slightly with tight-shut eyes, he stuttered out. "M... m-my r-room... this time anyway. But! They barged right in and were kinda rude about it so I snapped back!"
Hiruzen laughed louder this time. He took a long haul off of his pipe and blew it to the side. "Naruto, you... ah... you just know how to make me laugh. Well, if it's different this time, I'm sure I can help you out. I have a few missions that need attending to, but in all honesty they are very small tasks with barely any pay. I do have one mission that is a slightly higher pay grade, but, it's also quite simple; in a way. Want to hear the details?"
Naruto sat at the edge of his seat, he waited for the Old Man to continue.
"Right, we have had recent reports that there is some sort of strange ruin near our village that recently popped up. It appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the night. None have entered it so far, but anyone who gets close have come back with major headaches and have been sent to the hospital – claiming that some sort of demon had driven them insane – as such, maybe you could try. It is dangerous but due to your naturally high chakra reserves I believe that you can go in with little harm. Bring back whatever you can and you may choose one item to keep... if there is anything in that ruin at all. Do you accept? Remember: it is dangerous either way." Hiruzen spoke with a charm to his voice, slight panic over the fact he may have been sending his grandson to his doom. But he knew Naruto survived worse in his younger years; damn those hateful villagers to hell and back.
The look in Naruto's eyes said it all. If he was the first person to enter, maybe he could return the spoils. But being sent to the hospital, yet again, maybe it wasn't such a good idea... Then again, once Naruto had his mind set on something, he did it no matter what. His Ninja Way had too much pride in the boy.
"Yeah, I'll do it! Where's this ruin? And how much is the pay?" Naruto explained excitedly.
Hirzuen fumbled in his desk for something, his face contorted in strained pain for a minute. He pinched the bridge of his nose then the looked up towards Naruto with a small scroll in his hand.
"All the details are in there, I suggest you get on your way, I am getting tired and this stack of paperwork will not finish itself. Good luck!" Hiruzen smiled as Naruto stood up, the door creaked shut as the boy left.
The Old Man groaned, he pinched his nose again. The two ANBU in the room were right by his side, concern in their voices.
"Sir? Are you okay? Did someone poison your food?" One ANBU spoke up.
"Yeah, Lord Hokage? What's the matter?" The other spoke up.
Hiruzen gripped his chest, he wheezed then coughed into a small piece of cloth. Blood was the residue.
"I... I am fine. It's just my age is catching up with me these days. It is nothing to be concerned about." The man coughed out slowly.
All Hiruzen Sarutobi could hear in the back of his mind was slight buzzing, like an insect. Whereas in his ears he heard a loud ringing; almost as if he was going deaf. His throat felt dry, his eyesight blurry. He could feel that something was wrong, as if he wasn't himself today. As if he knew that his time would be short and he needed to be quick in the coming days to make sure Naruto was prepared for his death. Whenever that would be.
Naruto kicked a rock into a river. He was a few miles away from the village. The scroll had details on where the ruin would be, and he was just around where it should be, but he couldn't find it at all. And the whole time he heard this odd whisper in the back of his mind. It got louder and louder when he was close to the big rock across the river. It was freaking him out to say the least. He was curious about it.
Sucking up his fear, he pulled up his pant-legs and crossed the river. As he reached where the rock was, he knew he should have just used chakra to glue himself on the water. That's how freaked out he was, barely any common sense due to this immense amount of fear that was attached to the whisper in the back of his skull. As he got closer and closer to the rock, the whisper felt more... what was the word... kinder? Benevolent? Caring? Compassionate? Naruto couldn't tell. He just stared at the rock. He reached out to examine it with an outstretched hand.. when suddenly he reeled back as it shocked him.
Out of nowhere, a raspy dark voice rang into the boy's mind.
"Touch... chakra... rock... touch. The answers you seek will be deep below... Touch... Come closer... closer, child." The voice was weak, faint. Yet powerful. Lulling Naruto into a false sense of security.
As the voice repeated it's words, Naruto sent chakra to his palms and pressed them onto the large, now glowing, rock.
There was a rumble, then a spark of light. Black and red specks covered the rock. Then... it disintegrated. Naruto fell on his ass as the rock sent out a small shock-wave of power.
The same voice as before rang out in his mind. Now with pride attached to it. Yet, it was still cold and dark. "Yes... good, child... good. Enter. Down. Deep. Further. Your journey is almost done. Take everything for yourself. Lie. Lie. Lie. Tell them there was only one. Down. Deep. Come... closer."
Naruto gulped. Before him was a dark stairway, with small adjacent lit torches. The fire was a mix of black and red. Swirling into different shapes and whatnot. It scared the crap out of the teen. Naruto sighed then took the first step. While he was wearing proper footwear, it felt as if the steps had frozen his feet. Yet, he was still able to move. It was very unpleasant for the boy.
As he moved further down, he saw a giant double door in front of him. It was black as night, and there were four torches going up it's sides. It creaked open with a loud rusty vibration as he got closer, a room lit with the same torches were in his eyesight now.
As Naruto stepped into the room, there was a large desk and various statues guarding a second door.
He crept closer. On the large table he saw a map of sorts, a journal, and some various attire articles. What stood out to him was a small necklace. It was black for the cord, and a red menacing jewel in the form of a circle with a skull slightly painted on. It glowed as he got closer. It changed shape a few times before turning into some sort of droplet. He picked it up.
The voice shouted out to him. "These are all yours... what they do will be revealed in time. Just, come... closer... oh, do come closer. Quick! Take your rewards fast. Then continue further. The shrine awaits."
Shrine? Rewards? What... the... fuck.
Naruto's eyes widened when a reasonably large backpack-like object slowly materialized on the table. The map, journal, attire, and jewelled necklace all stared floating and went into the bag. The bag then had a wisp of black on it, it vanished. Naruto felt something on his back, he reached around and felt the softest cloth he had ever felt. It was lightweight too. He felt... comforted for a moment.
"Huh... this place is on a whole different level than the shit I hear about... well... let's go see that other door." Naruto spoke to himself. And as if someone was there with him, he felt something nod to his left and right sides. As if two things were... watching his every movement from the shadows.
Sighing, feet still cold as frozen ice and a head full of pain, the teen reached the other door. He slowly pushed it open. He continued further and further down into the depths of the ruined... place... thing... whatever it was. He stopped abruptly as the voice called out to him again.
"There! Right... there... this is the place... this is the last door. Enter. Shrine. Come... closer. Meet. Greet. Pay... tribute... Blood." It spoke with a cackling laughter at the end.
Naruto raised an eyebrow as he reached a door with various chains on it an a small seal with the Kanji for 'blood' on it. He eyed a small black dagger dug into some sort of goblet. Curious again, the boy walked up to it. He gently took hold of the dagger and surprisingly... it came out as if it was stuck in butter.
The voice rang out again. "Blood. Cut... tribute... come, closer, please... Become... Reborn."
"So... creepy voice?" Naruto gulped and asked quietly.
Nothing. There was nothing there. It was odd. Naruto sighed as he flipped the dagger between his finger. It was light, and looked to be very, very sharp. Taking his chances, as he wasn't dumb, he slowly cut a small line in his opened hand. The blood trailed down and some of it dropped into the goblet.
The chains on the door glowed red. There was a large thundering noise above his head. All he could hear was laughter, more voices, and had a gaping headache even bigger than before.
The main voice sprung to life once more. This time, almost like a very happy parent. "Enter. Keep. Dagger. Yours. Now. Come. Closer. Become one. Make. Bond. Life. Pact. Us. Meet. Greet. Happy. Proud. Mesmerized. Wonderful!"
Naruto was more than surprised that the wound had instantly sealed up and the dagger floated out of his hands. He heard his backpack unwrap then click as it closed.
"Okay... this is normal... right?" Naruto stuttered out. "Creepy as all hell but I guess let's just roll with it for now?" His voice had a small nervousness to it now.
As the doors finished opening, he could see some sort of shrine with a really old looking katana. Rusted, bent into an odd shape... oh, and glowing. Very brightly. White, black, red. Specks started dancing around the weapons form. Naruto's eyes widened as the katana started to float from it's place on a holding rack and it started to sway back and forth. Almost as it was... studying the boy in front of it.
Wait... were all katana's like... so sentient? Naruto was more than confused now.
"Uh, hello... uh... katana thing... what's up?" Naruto's voice cracked, not believing his own eyes anymore.
The voice rang out one final time before he blacked out due to some wave of energy hitting his body.
"Pact. Must. Bond. Deal. Companion. Saviour. Destroyer. Come. Deep. Closer. Friend. Protect. Love. Cherish. Destroy. Hate. Kill. Heretic." It sounded... confused.
Naruto awoke with small drops of water hitting his face. He groaned, his body felt sore. His legs were wobbly as he stood up. All he could see was a vast sewer system around his perception. Water here, water there... water everywhere. And some sort of tunnel with an odd white light. Was he dead? Did that... thing... kill him?
He heard loud snores as he walked through the tunnel. He heard laughter. A few mumbles of content with a mix of excitement. He heard a woman's voice berate the excited voice. Then more snores.
Naruto could see more clearly now. There in front of him was a small table with cups and plates of what looked like to be cake of some sort. A large cage-like thing with bars holding back some red furry monster, and a man, with a fierce looking mask, wearing a suit, smoking a cigarette.
Naruto inched closer. He slowly sat down in the opposite chair and eyed the man closely.
The man in question looked all around him then settled his eyes on Naruto. "Good! You've come at last! I was waiting decades, you know. Now, first off: no, you are not dead. We are merely in your subconscious. Would you like some cheesecake? It's the best!" The man waved a hand, then, out of thin air, a small cup of something and a plate of cheesecake popped into existence on Naruto's side of the table.
Naruto opened his jaw. He closed it then brought up a finger to question. But before he could ask anything, a magical fork stuffed his mouth with the tasty sweetness of cheesecake.
The man's mask twisted in joy to fear then to sadness then back to joy again. He spoke with a mischievous tone. "You... are... the Naruto, yes? Ah, yes! You! Of course! It all makes sense now! Might I say, your Blood Tribute was... de-li-cious. And before you ask the Great and Almighty; yes, you can keep everything that has been given to you. Courtesy... of... well... a small deal if you will. Wanna hear?"
Naruto opened his mouth to speak once more... again, the fork shoved cake into his mouth.
The man spoke up again, with a hint of glee. "Oh! I love deals. They are the best! Quite so, good lad. Anyway. I have come to this land to appease myself and... people. Thus, I need a good set of hands to help me accomplish my goals... and your goals along the way. And as such, I need a champion of sorts. And... uh... Oh! That's right! Yes, I need help spreading my vision to many worlds, I cannot travel alone any longer as I have a very busy schedule these days. Tell you what, help me, and I'll help you? Now... speak?"
More cheesecake was shoved into the boy's mouth.
The man waved his hand and the fork stopped it's actions.
Naruto sputtered out in confusion. "Uh... what the fuck are you and why are you shoving cake down my mouth when I try to talk?!" More cake flew into his mouth after that.
Chuckling, the man grinned with his face and mask. His beady grey/red eyes shone through the mask's eye-holes. "Cheesecake is my sacred food. It is tasty and good for you. Makes people happy. As for what I am... and why I have chosen you... well... You may call me Ketsuyoku. And I... drum roll, please... Am an Old God. I was in limbo for eons due to my boredom with worlds. And thus, I have returned to search for a successor. You, my friend, are a fine specimen indeed. So... I shall make you a God among men. If you help me that is. I will train you. Deal?"
Naruto could only look in horror as more food was forcefully thrown down his throat. A wave of magic overcame his senses. He stretched out his hand and shook Ketsuyoku's own furiously. The fork stopped it's movement, falling down on the table, no longer alive with life.
Naruto coughed and coughed and coughed. He grabbed the cup in-front of him and chugged whatever was inside.
"Okay... Uh... 'Mr. I'm A God', what the fuck, man?!" Naruto shouted out. Head slightly fuzzy from the contents of his drinking container... it tasted off, almost as if it was booze. The snores got louder, he could have sworn he heard a female giggle off in the distance or something.
Ketsuyoku took off his mask and ran his hands through his red hair. His grey eyes changed to a softer tone. The mask had small black tendrils whisking around it. It tried to shoot at the red-head's eyes, but the man waved it away.
Ketsuyoku's voice grew soft. A small tone of concern. "Pay no mind to the different sides of me. I truly wish for you and I to work together. We are now bonded, for life. What you choose to do with my powers is beyond my control. But I will teach you, and you will follow..." The mask flung at Ketsuyoku's face violently. "And while you're at it, destroy everything in your wake. We will..." The mask flew off again. "We shook. The deal is now in effect. You will learn more later. It is time for you to go."
Before Naruto could say anything, he blacked out.
His head was spinning, he was nauseous, and very, very hungry. He eyed his alarm clock. Just one hour til he had to meet his team. He slowly got out of bed and headed for his bathroom, it was a lot cleaner now than a few weeks ago. Good thing the girl's did 'help' him clean.
Naruto brushed his teeth, drank some water, and washed his face. He left the bathroom and bounded his way towards the kitchen.
He thought to himself. 'Wow, really weird dream. When the hell did I get home? Was it real... it felt real... maybe... I dunno...'
He opened his fridge, eyeing some chocolate milk. Grabbing the carton, he opened it, chugged whatever was left then threw the empty box into one of his recycling bins. He stretched his arms up wide, cracked his neck, then tiredly made his way back to his bedroom.
As he was getting undressed, he could feel something watch him. He turned around, horror struck his face. The black backpack... the katana... they were right there, leaning against his wall.
"Ugh! Fucking damnit, are you serious... what the fuck!?" He shouted.
A soft whisper was felt in his mind briefly. He felt calmer after that washed over him. He sighed, he inched closer to the bag and weapon. He slowly picked up the blade and examined it. It looked as good as new, freshly sharpened, a soft shine to it... as if it was made of pure gold. Naruto wanted to protect it with his life... He put the blade down then opened his bag. He saw the necklace, the map, the attire and journal, the dagger... and some off container thing. He took out the container and clicked a small button that was on it's side. It popped open with a puff of black smoke. The object inside grew slightly in size, the container disintegrated, leaving behind a long sheathe of sorts for what he assumed was for the katana.
"Well... just to make sure it doesn't rust. Just in case, I guess." Naruto spoke to himself. He grabbed the weapon, sheathing it into it's new home. The weapon glowed a soft yellow, he could hear the embodiment of joy and happiness in his mind. He felt something hug him from afar. He felt... warm.
Naruto eyed the clock. Thirty minutes before he had to go see his team... "Wait!? What!? Fuck, fuck, fuck... okay, okay... uhhh... gotta put on something nice... and uh.. where's my pouch with my money!?"
In his panic, he didn't feel the laughter inside of his mind.
Naruto had just arrived outside of the restaurant, he had about five minutes to spare. He was dressed casually, tight black tank-top, black and orange running shoes, black cargo pants and his headband securely tight around his forehead. Standing in line, he could feel eyes on him from afar. Turning his head, he spotted Kashika, Sayuri and Sakura. He gave them a small wave, smile on his face. Their soft eyes made him less guilty about the earlier comments.
"Hey, guy's! Uh... I'm really sorry about this morning, honest. I hope you can all forgive me... heh..." Naruto spoke nervously, a timid voice escaped his lips.
Sayuri was the first to run right at him, embracing him in a hug. "You're an idiot... we forgave you a long time ago, we talked it out and it was wrong of us to just barge in... so we should be sorry." She spoke with a slight blush on her face. Pulling away, she backed up, then hit his shoulder softly.
Sakura was the second to chime in. "Yeah, Naruto, don't be so hard on yourself, and what you said was sort of mean, but, like, we also said some mean things back... but, I believe that we all just apologized together. You're still a slob." Sakura ended her rant with a wink, her own blush on her face.
Naruto grinned widely at the two girls. Their smiles back helped further bolster his happiness. He patiently waited for his sensei to give her own opinion.
Kashika stood there, she stared at the young teen before giving an eye-smile from behind her mask. "Naruto, my cute little Genin... although what you said was harsh, Sakura is right, we should have all handled it better. Now, let's eat! I'm sure my three little Genin are starving."
Naruto took notice of what the girl's were wearing today. While he was in all black; Sakura wore a lovely pink komono that hugged her still growing form, her short hair was put in a small bun. Sayuri was wearing baggy, black cargo pants like his own, her favourite navy-blue tight T-shirt that hugged her growing bust; held back by bandages underneath, and her black trench coat with her clans symbol on the back, Sayuri wore her hair down, with a neat little white flower in it to show that she could be elegant too. Kashika... was more provocative, she wore a crop-top that showed off her stomach, it was tight so it hugged her massive bust, skin-tight leggings that showed of her equally big rear... and of course, her mask. Her long silver hair was up in a ponytail.
As Naruto stared, he didn't notice that the girl's had already seated themselves down at their favourite spot. He took his own seat besides Sayuri and eyed the menu. Sakura's emerald eyes pierced own, he blushed then looked away; directly into Sayuri's own eyes, the two of them blushed, gave small smiles then they all went back to their menu's. Kashika chuckled lowly under her breath at the interaction that the two girl's were having over their only male team member. Kashika knew the two always like Naruto since their younger years... a lot of girl's took notice of Naruto. Almost all of them said his whisker's made him stand out and were cute as hell. If he could only be eighteen faster, then she would have taken it upon herself to try and court the young man. She shook out of her thoughts, student and teacher relationships were forbidden...
"So, the three of you, I have important news!" Kashika said with glee. She hoped her team would enjoy the good news.
They all leaned in closer to their mentor. Kashika spoke with pride. "In the next few weeks, we are finally leaving the village. On a mission, it's to escort a bridge builder to his home country; the Land of Waves. Excited?"
Sakura clapped her hands and gave a big grin. Sayuri had a fire in her eye. Naruto... Naruto's jaw dropped. They would finally be leaving the village? And no longer to have to rescue that damn cat? He was sold.
As they chatted, ate their meals, drank their beverages, not once did the strange voice call out to Naruto. He was in bliss. By the time they were done, all of them were yawning, rubbed their sleepy eyes as it was so late. They said their goodbyes after Naruto generously paid for the whole meal, returning to their own homes for the night.
Naruto on the other hand was still weary, he wanted to get home as fast as he could, to at least say hello to the wea-... to Ketsuyoku, to tell him how his day went, however weird that it felt to tell some sort of threat about how well he was doing. But none the less, he felt that being friends with this being would be good for him in the long run. He couldn't explain it at all really. He just didn't like things shoved into his mouth without consent, especially when he was trying to talk. But, it went better than he anticipated.
As he walked the lifeless street of a midnight Konoha, he felt calm, safe, happy for once in his life. All the pain and suffering in his younger years sure tore him down, but he would always pick himself back up again. When encountering the so called 'Old God', he couldn't help but feel as if the thing... truly cared for him. It was nice, as if it was a parent. But why should he be feeling like this over something that sounded so menacing and dark. Maybe his mind played tricks on him, but when the man spoke with what Naruto assumed was his 'True Self', well, it almost sounded like a plea for help and understanding. Naruto could never turn away from helping someone in need, no matter who they were or their intentions.
As he walked up the steps to his apartment door, he slowly inserted the key, twisted the lock, stepped inside, locked the door again after closing it, then gently eased himself on his couch. Grabbing his TV remote, he flipped the channel to his favourite music program. Closing his eyes, he listed to the music, he could feel some sort of vibration coming from his room; but he paid no mind to it, too tired to care at this point. Music was all he wanted right now, to soothe him before bedtime.
When he opened his eyes, well, there was the Ketsuyoku's form of a katana. The black/red blade gently eased it's hilt into one of Naruto's hands. The boy smiled softly as the voice spoke to him.
"Day, good... good day, Master Naruto? Bad? I shall kill, Naruto have no bad day. Smite, kill... no? Good day! Aha!" The voice spoke like a child this time.
"I had a good day, meeting you sure was something else though. So how does this bond work?" Naruto tiredly spoke out, mumbling his words; sleep couldn't come fast enough.
The sword spoke again, joy in it's voice at the mention of the word 'bond'. "Yes, bond. Work, good. Rest, come, subconscious, cheesecake. Espresso or tea. Cooperate, jolly!"
"Alright, just let me sleep afterwards." Naruto mumbled out, not knowing what he was saying anymore.
When Naruto opened his eyes, he was greeted by Ketsuyoku across from him, sitting oddly, legs over one arm of the chair and his head reeled back. He was smoking a cigarette, his mask was spinning around on one of his free hands' fingers. The black tendrils tried to shoot into the man's eyes yet again, but Ketsuyoku pulled his head away the best he could.
The red-head turned towards Naruto, he smiled. "Hello, Naruto. Good to see you, you look happy. Good. Now..." The mask flew onto his face violently then his voice took on a darker tone. "Who do you wish for me to kill today, hm?"
The blond blinked, he eyed the cup in front of him. He slowly grabbed it, took a sip, then put it down.
"Uh, no killing today. Just answers, please." Naruto was calm when speaking. He somehow knew how to deal with this conversation, yet was still nervous none the less.
Like, who ever heard of a so-called God changing personalities. Preposterous! Naruto set his gaze onto the man's red beady eyes behind the black mask. Naruto sighed then grabbed a fork, eating the cheesecake on his own now. No more stupid magic being shoved down his throat!
"Ah, so you DO like the cheesecake. See, I told you it was sacred! Aha! Now, what answers..." The mask flew off his face. "Ahem, what answers do you seek?"
Naruto pondered for a moment before asking what he wanted to ask. "Why me? Why choose me? And what about this bond?"
Ketsuyyoku sat properly in his chair, he put his mask down on the table, this time no tendrils tried to shoot into his eyes. As if the mask was alive, per say, and had it's own mind. Creepy indeed.
The man took a haul off of his cigarette then blew it away, a small ring vanishing off into nothing. He spoke with a gentle comforting tone that eased Naruto's mind. "That is something that must be kept secret until the time is right. But rest assured, I have chosen you due to the fact that you are... well... very interesting. You show great promise, your aura... it's nothing I have seen before in my entire time living. Even in death, your soul echoes across the boundaries of space and time. It is... hard... to explain. Sorry, I know I am cryptic, but I cannot reveal what I do not remember. As for the bond, well, that will come in due time."
"Right... well... what about powers? And am I like, able to use your, uh, katana form as a weapon?" Naruto asked with sincerity, curiousness in his speech.
Nodding, the red-head grabbed a forkful of his own cheesecake and slowly ate it. "Mm, this is delicious. Oh, wait... what? Oh! Yes, you will get powers; slowly but surely no doubt. And yes you can use my weapon form as a means of offence. You will learn more soon. My other halves will guide you."
"What other halves? How many do you have, all I count is now, the mask, and the sword... and-" Naruto questioned but was then interrupted.
The mask flew on the mans face, engulfing him entirely in a black mist. He spoke with venom, the voice a lot different than before. This one was booming with anger. "Begone, you do not ask what you do not understand. This conversation is over. I banish you from this realm for the rest of your slumber. Do not go searching for answers you cannot grasp in such a sate. Silence!"
Naruto was forcefully thrown away from the table. He caught the form of that furry beast from the corner of his eye before he blacked out. All he could read from the monsters lips was a small, 'I'm sorry'.
Nearing his one-hundredth push-up, Naruto grit his teeth. His whole body was sore from all of the excruciating pain. When he woke up two days ago, the katana form of Ketsuyoku had given him instructions on how to 'properly train to become a God', that included several push-ups, running laps, eating properly, and much more. It was hard work, and somehow Naruto complied. In this time, he still got to see the girl's, the Old Man and, also luckily, was still able to eat ramen... on the rare hourly occasion.
He couldn't help but feel as if this all was a really bad dream. Who ever heard of some sort of so-called God being so menacing yet so kind? He couldn't tell, he didn't even know why he was doing all that was asked of him; but it did sound cool that he may be gaining new powers, whatever they may be.
Wiping off the sweat from his brow, he stood up on two shaky legs. "Man, I'm beat. And to think I leave the village soon..." He said out loud to no one in particular. Still, it was quite odd that his massive chakra reserves allowed him to go on the mission into the ruins. He had tried to return to the place, but, there was no rock there, and the stairs were gone too... it was odd. Again, it felt like a dream. But none the less, he wasn't complaining at all. He wasn't dumb like most kids, he just really didn't want to be disintegrated if there was a chance that Ketsuyoku was a God.
With the way the man acted around him, it seemed as if he was really benevolent in nature. The really angry voice seemed full of compassion, too; even though it felt like daggers were piercing his skin when that mist spoke.
In the past two days, he had scrounged up enough money for a small weapon rack to place the blade above his bed, the backpack being placed in a small corner in his room as well. He didn't dare to search the bag, he knew what was in it... but, it felt as if he needed to wear it if he was to take the weapon on a mission. Which was sooner than he thought. He didn't know what to expect from the Land of Waves mission, but he did know that anything could and would happen so he had to be on his guard, it was kill or be killed.
Mumbling under his breath, Naruto made his way to his kitchen. He opened a cupboard and grabbed a large black skillet. Putting the skillet on his stove, he grabbed some olive oil from another cabinet, pouring some into the pan. The girl's had also gotten him new groceries, they wanted him to try and eat healthier. Mindful of that, he grabbed eggs and bacon from his fridge. He threw them all in the pan, adding salt, pepper, and some spicy paprika. Green onions, parsley, and a dash of worcestershire sauce.
It was an odd concoction to say the most. But it was healthy, in a way. As he left the stove on low to let it all simmer and slowly cook, Naruto rummaged through his fridge once again to find orange juice. He was all out, so he had to settle for milk... maybe some tea. Thinking nothing of it, he grabbed a spatula, slowly flipping all of the food around then turned off the stove. He let it cool for a few minutes before pouring it all onto a large plate.
Walking to his table, sitting down, pulling himself in, then went to work on eating his meal. Today would be a good day. He'd see the girl's again, one final training session before they left in another day or two. After today's training, they were to all pack and get ready for the mission. They were told to bring rations, a few weapons, water canteens, and more. Naruto had no problem stuffing all of his gear into his new bag, it was only a matter of how in the hell would he explain that he somehow mustered up the money for said 'new' bag and 'new' weapon... maybe lie, again? Speaking of lies, he had no idea on how he got the pay from the Hokage and he had no idea how he was able to keep all that new gear he had acquired. As if he was sleeping but his body wasn't. It was odd.
Grinning to himself, Naruto hurried to his team's meeting spot for training. Kashika had given them one final day of preparation before they left for tomorrow. He was excited, he loved to spar with his team whenever he got the chance to. Today they would be learning how to successfully get out of Genjutsu, a few new tricks in their arsenal such as ninja wire, explosive tags and how to counteract poison damage; including how to safely coat poison onto your sharp weapons.
It was a bright and sunny day out. Although it was hot, Naruto didn't mind. He blushed at the previous memory about yesterday, Ketsuyoku had whispered to him about the female body; having witnessed the boy's memories of staring at his teammates a few times when they had their second to last training session. The God had pointed out how the sweat rolled off of their faces and soaking their clothes. It didn't help Naruto that the God gave him very... interesting visuals.
Shaking out of his thoughts from that less than nice memory, as he would never think of his friend's in that light, he sighed as maybe the red-head was right... they did have nice bodies after-all. And being a hormonal teenager was less than stellar most days.
As he waited for the girl's to arrive, Naruto slowly did the small routine of walking on water near the small pond, climbing trees with his chakra, throwing kunai at high speeds. Dodging, weaving, back-flips and more. Sweat rolled from his brow down to his mouth. He sucked the sweat in then spat it out. He could feel like he was being watched. He continued on, jumping from branch to branch, moving swiftly and quietly with each new jump. He was in bliss. Being a shinobi never felt this good. Now, in a real fight, he hoped he would last more than a minute instead of just dying over something stupid. What worried him, was the small rumours that the mission was actually a lot more dangerous than it let on to be... none the less, Naruto wished he was ready for such a mission. He didn't want to die, but he knew that protecting the village and his friend's were far more important... if he did die, it was to be a hero's death.
As Naruto jumped down from the tree he was perched on, he could hear light clapping from behind him. He grinned, turned around and took a deep bow. "Thank you, thank you! I'll be here all week... oh... hey g-guy's... w-what's up?" He comically said and stuttered out, his eyesight taking in Kashika, Sakura and Sayuri's smiling faces.
"Hey, dumb-ass, stop stuttering and fight me! C'mon, Naruto, don't get all shy on us, that was amazing!" Sayuri declared, giving a smirk to show she was slightly teasing.
The girl's all wore content smiles on their faces. Kashika stepped up a few feet then spoke in a respectful manner. "Alright, team. Sakura, you and I will work on Genjutsu cancelling. Naruto and Sayuri, spar for a bit. We'll go over how to coat poison soon, ninja wire is a swift process, and explosive tags... uh, I have decided we will do a crash course after lunch-break. Let's get started!"
As Kashika and Sakura stepped to the side, Naruto and Sayuri got into battle stances.
Sayuri sent a small wave towards the blond, then, she jumped up high, sending a volley of kunai towards the young teen.
Naruto dodged effectively, he created several Shadow Clones and sent them to surround the Uchiha, hoping to cause her to be disorientated as he came in for the flank. The girl kicked and punched as many clones as she could, creating fireballs out of nothing to singe some of them. Sayuri dropped the clones one by one, but the girl did start to show some scratches on her hands and face. Sweat rolled down her forehead.
"Heh, not bad, eh, Naruto... now... where are you hiding?" Sayuri calmly spoke out, a slight playfulness tone in her voice as she scanned each new clone that came in existence.
While the real Naruto watched from a tree, he couldn't help but smile at the girl. She sure was something else. She had always been so cold and calculated since her entire family was eradicated a few years back, but Naruto knew the real her... she lived to fight, she lived for justice... she just wanted to be accepted... just like him in his younger years and to this day. So, with that, he took out one singular throwing star, and threw in right at her feet.
Sayuri stopped dead in her tracks, what she saw next was a black blur speed towards her, she reeled back as something hit her jaw. Her face went askew, she fell back on her ass from the brute force of the punch. Her vision blurry. She felt like throwing up. She she shakily stood on two legs, she looked up to see her idiot companion smiling at her. Thinking to herself, she couldn't help at how cute and handsome he looked in all black, and with the sweat rolling off of his own face.
Shaking her head, Sayuri spat out with glee. "Haha! Now that... that is the Naruto I know. Show me what you got, no jutsu, no clones, just fist to fist!" Her eyes went wide as her crush nodded.
They readied themselves once again. With Sayuri taking a low stance, her knees bent oddly and Naruto having his arms slightly raised above his head; ready for a headlock.
They sped at each other like lightning. Sayuri sent a jab to Naruto's stomach. Naruto dodged and sent an elbow to Sayuri's nose. It hit, she reeled back. Naruto sent a kick to the girl's hips, that failed as she had just recovered and pulled him closer to her, resulting in him falling forward slightly.
Rolling away as the young Uchiha had let go, Naruto swiftly got back up on his feet and sent a flurry of punches and kicks to his friend; all were dodged except one. The one connected into her stomach. She let out a small pained cry. Anger in her eyes... maybe lust, too... was all that was needed for when she sent punch after punch, kick after kick to the boy's legs, torso and head.
They danced for what seemed like hours. Until they both hit each other square in the face as hard as they could. Both dizzy from all the fighting, they touched forehead to forehead, grabbed each other and slowly slide down onto the grass.
As the two teens laid there, they smiled at one another. |Sayuri blushed, whereas Naruto grinned.
"Nice fight, you got some good hits..." Naruto remarked.
Sayuri blushed. "T-thank you, you still hit like a truck."
They laid on the grass for a while, listening in on the lessons Kashika was giving Sakura. Their hands ever slightly inching closer and closer to one another to be held. To be comforted and accepted. Naruto knew how important of a friend he was to Sayuri. And sure, she could be a bit mean at one point but only cause she cared a lot for him. He knew that. Same with Sakura and Kashika. They were all hard on him, only cause they wanted him to do his best and achieve his goals.
Naruto groaned then slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, he gently scooted closer to Sayuri's head and place her in his lap; running a thumb over her forehead gently. The girl could only smile in delight. She only ever let Naruto touch her in such a... intimate way.
"Alright, Naruto, could you help me get up?" Sayuri whispered out.
Nodding, Naruto stood up, and slowly pulled Sayuri to her own two feet. The two smiled at each other, brushed their clothes off and walked over to their other teammates.
As Naruto listened to the three of them speak, he couldn't help but feel as if something was watching him from the shadows. Turning his head to where he thought were the source would be, a figure in all black with an odd mask was outlined in the trees. That was weird, very weird. Thinking nothing of it, the boy turned back towards his squad.
"Right, you three now know the fundamentals on how to dispel Genjutsu. Congratulations! Next is the rest of what we need to do today. After all of this is done we'll go get ramen." Kashika spoke enthusiastically.
Naruto's eyes went bright with glee at the mention of his favourite food. Today wasn't so bad.
"Ugh, finally I'm home! Today sure was eventful... Now, for dinner!" Naruto spoke out in glee as he entered his apartment.
The place was still clean, much to his joy. Ever since the girl's barged in, he couldn't help but feel as if he should take care of his home. That and the ever constant whisper of guilt sure did help with him being tidy.
Once he had finished lunch with his team, Kashika had them stay for a while longer to brief the team about their mission for tomorrow. And meet the drunken elderly man named Tazuna. Naruto wasn't too happy that the geezer had brushed them off like some non-shinobi losers. Thus, the blond had almost taken off the guy's head.
None the less, Naruto rummaged through his fridge for something adequate to eat. Maybe check up on his bedroom to see what Ketsuyoku was up to. Being – what he assumed – trapped in a weapon must have been less than nice. As he pulled out some pulled-pork along with an assortment of cooked vegetables, Naruto made himself a sandwich and a bowl of veggies. Carrying his food to his room carefully, he sat down on his bed.
Eyeing the weapon above his head as he shifted his sitting position, it glowed softly, then arose from it's stand.
"Ah. Yes. Return! Come, speak, eat first. Big day. Tomorrow! Excited!" The child-like voice spoke aloud towards the young teen.
Naruto couldn't help but awkwardly smile as he finished his food. "Right, so what's there to discuss now?"
All Naruto saw was the sword going into his hands, his vision went dark. Then, when he opened his eyes after feeling a slight humming, he awoke in his subconscious once more. Around him was still the same lifeless sewer tunnels. And that odd cage, with the red beast turned in an awkward position, snoring loudly. While in front of him, was Ketsuyoku, with his mask off, calmly sipping on a drink.
"Hello, Naruto. You trained hard today, didn't you?" Ketsuyoku spoke with a kindness, his face showing as his mask was off, no tendrils trying to shoot into his eyes this time.
Naruto stared softly into the God's grey eyes, a smile crept onto the boy's lips. "Yeah, how did you know?"
Ketsuyoku chuckled, lighting up a cigarette before speaking again. "Our... bond... allows me to know where you are at all times and see through your eyes when necessary. Do not worry, you'll still have your privacy."
Naruto nodded slowly in understanding. "Okay, well, what about powers and such?"
Ketsuyoku's face twisted for a moment, his mask flying right into his face. His personality changed once more. He spoke with a slight sadistic tone. "Ahaha! Powers, you say? Wonderful! Speed, endurance, strength and more! But! This is only if you wield my weapon form, later on you'll become efficient and it will come naturally. All so you can destroy those in your way! Ahahah, oh please, please do kill for me, will ya? Heheheh!"
Naruto's eyes set into a determined gaze. His next questions were equally as important. "Okay, got it. What about what is in the bag? And... who is that behind the cage?"
Ketsuyoku's mask twisted faces for a moment then settled on something joyful yet menacing looking. "Ah! Yes! The bag! Well, there is a map for my shrines that will give you new information. The journal is for your own desire, it is a book of secrets so it may be blank for a while, but you can add whatever you wish to it; your own mini world of sorts... I think... I have forgotten. The necklace is sacred, wear it at all times when you can, it will boost your powers beyond measure. The dagger, it is used for blood rituals but you can use it as a weapon. And lastly... the attire, of well, a God. It is sturdy and righteous, it will protect you, it is your calling card, people will tremble when they see you!"
Naruto nodded a few times throughout the conversation, understanding completely. He spoke with a softness to his voice. "Okay good to clear that up then... Now, what about who is in that cage?"
Ketsuyoku chuckled for a minute, his mask twisted into many faces, his gaze went back and forth between the teen and the furry beast behind bars. Finally, after a few seconds, the God spoke. "Heh, that... well... it... no, she, her name is Kura. And she, is the Kyuubi no Kitsune that is sealed away inside of you... ahahaha!" The God laughed hysterically for a bit.
Naruto, confused, questioned the man before him. "Wait, the same Kyuubi that attacked the village fourteen years ago... on... my... birthday? What?!"
"Yes, precisely!" Ketsuyoku shouted out in glee.
A soft feminine sound soothed out from Naruto's left, where the cage was. "Hmm, well, you don't need to be so mean, Ketsu. Or have that nasty tone. The boy only wants answers."
Naruto whipped his head to the sound of the woman's voice, her soft red eyes lulled him into a false sense of security. The beast smiled with all of her jagged teeth. She spoke again. "Hello, kit. It is good to finally meet. And my, oh my, have you grown and matured... only slightly, in the past ten years. Now, before we continue, I do have a favour to ask."
The boy gulped down a breath. "And what would that be?"
"To change the scenery of course!" Laughed Ketsuyoku.
Kura's eyes darted to the God, her low growls making Naruto jump. "Do not interrupt! I don't do it to you, you piece of shit..." She turned towards Naruto. "Ah, I am sorry, dear. Forgive my language. Now, all you need to do is imagine a great big forest, and a nice medium oak tree for me to lay under, please and thank you." The last bit was said with a kindness to it, with a mixture of happiness.
"Right... so, I just imagine it in my head then?" Naruto questioned.
"Yes, close your eyes! Oh, and make sure you have something for cheesecake!" Ketsuyoku cried out, the mask shifting to a face of joy.
Naruto closed his eyes, took a deep breathe and exhaled. As he opened his eyes, the whole sewer system around him changed to a brightly lit forest. His eyes widened as he took in the new perspective.
He looked back at Kura, her body softly glowing a bright white. Her form shrunk down. Before Naruto and Ketsuyoku was a decently tall woman, bright red hair, nine swaying tails, two fluffy fox ears on top of her head, and a very killer smile. She was wearing a formal black kimono with red lines across it.
As Kura sat down under the main tree, she sighed. "Mmm, thank you, kit. Much better. Now that you know who I am, I won't get in the way of your conversation with my so-called... friend here. Ketsu, darling, where were you going with this exactly?"
Ketsuyoku's mask fell down slowly. Naruto was still staring at the beautiful vixen before him. The God slowly took a fork full of cake and gobbled it down. "Hmm, well, Naruto. Now that your journey is set in stone, and you leave tomorrow, it is best that all three of us communicate telepathically. All you need to do is to think your thoughts to us and we will respond; if we are not asleep that is. And even so, we will wake up if it is dire. You may have small headaches now and again from this, but, it will go way after time. Kura, your turn."
Kura stood up, she walked over to Naruto's backside, she rested her hands on his shoulders and started rubbing. She leaned into his ear and spoke softly, her tongue darting out quickly, sending a shiver up the teen's spine. "Now, as someone who is going to get lot's of power very quickly, and it will only rise as the months go on... I would like to take it upon myself to give you access to my power, slowly and surely... but, I do have a few conditions. I want to find a mate one day, and perhaps when you are older, I would like to choose you, if you fight me and show your dominance. Next, I want you to kill the bastard that enslaved me long ago, their name is not important right now... and lastly, although I do have more requests, is I want you to be who you truly are. Even if you do not know who you will become, never go back on your word and do not cross me... understand?"
Naruto shivered. His body turned to mush under Kura's touch, her fingers rolling across his body. All he could do, was mumble out a small, 'Understood'. Kura brought her mouth to his neck, she gently bit down and sucked; leaving a small hickey. Her actions changed as she hugged the blond close to her, taking in his scent. "Ah, good~ My beautiful mate to be... you'll do amazing things!"
Naruto looked from the corner of his eye to see Kura smiling. He looked back to Ketsuyoku, his mouth opening and closing. Ketsuyoku snapped his fingers, black wispy tendrils shot out of the mask, moved to Kura's hands, and removed them from Naruto's body.
Ketsuyoku chuckled slightly. "Do not suffocate the boy, I know it has been years, but do show some restraint. You did mark him, but that does not mean he is a toy, he is more than that. Now, Naruto, are you ready?"
"Uh... ready? For what?" Naruto asked as he slowly sipped from the cup that materialized before him, seeing Kura sit down to his left as a new chair popped up.
Ketsuyoku grinned and exclaimed. "Why, to become a God, of course!"
Naruto's vision blurred, he tried to stand but his legs gave out, he crashed onto the ground. All he could hear, was the sounds of coughing, a slight ringing in both ears, a chime in the distance, and some sort of ominous chanting... something about heretics and non-believers.
The next thing he knew, he had shot upright in his bed, he scanned the room. Sure enough, it was his. He looked to his alarm clock, it read two O'clock in the morning. He sighed, rubbed his head, got up, grabbed some water from his sink in the bathroom connected to his room.
As he finished drinking, the sight before him was, less than nice. His eyes shifted colours, he could feel something rip in his skin. His facial features changed every minute, he put his hands to his face and felt nothing. Then... everything went quiet. For a brief moment he heard nothing.
As he was about to go back to bed, he heard one faint voice call out. "It has begun...".
"Hello?" Naruto called out. No answer back.
Suddenly, his mind was littered with thousands of voices. He tossed and turned for hours.
A/N: Well, again, not sure if this is my best work, it can be improved for sure down the road. As for the whole interactions with Naruto talking to Ketsu and Kura, well, I dunno why I wrote it that way. Two powerful beings that can crush you with a snap of their fingers... yeah... of course you're gonna go along with whatever they say. I don't know honestly. I hope it was interesting. I will try to get the next chapter out soon if it has caught your eye. It is something that I don't really write a lot so my apologies if it's not that good.
Anyway, as for the harem. We have Kashika (Kakashi), Sayuri (Sasuke), Sakura, Ayame was hinted, and Kura (Kurama). If you want to see someone be added, please, give me their name, give a reason as to why you want them added and if they are male being turned into female, give me a feminine name for that character. I will try to add as many as possible. For now, please keep it to the the Naruto universe. As the chapters get further and further, we will discuss what worlds Naruto will visit, and as such, we will then go into detail for the rest of the harem for that new universe.
Thanks for reading! Have a great day!