Time Travel challenge taken from DfangOO. I hope you guys don't mind if I upload this while working on the other fics, right? A summarized version of the challenge is on my profile. Let's get started!
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Naruto is copyrighted to Kishimoto Masashi. Huh, maybe I do own the plot though of this story...nah.
Warning: This fic is rated T, borderline M for possible imagery that might make you squeamish. I normally don't write that kind of stuff, but for this particular story, I wanted something "darkish" to go along with it. The M-rating only pertains to the first chapter though, so don't fret.
(Chapter title inspiration: SoulCalibur III)
Breakthrough
発見
Hakken
1: If There Were Any Other Way
-x- Unknown Location -x-
Clack, pat, clack, pat.
The audible sounds of four, bare feet tapping against the metal floor of the underground base. Running, running, as far as possible. There was no time to look back, no time to even think about what was behind and chasing. The movements increased as the flesh meeting the steel surface continued.
Pant, pant, pant, pant.
The sharp intake of breaths that erupted from the lungs of the running figures, their shadows cast against the light's reflection on the surface. Sweat ran down their foreheads as their eyebrows creased with evident worry of their current predicament. One's breath was growing shorter than the other, but they prevailed and kept going. Their feet pounded against the metal surface of the underground base's interior, echoing off the eerily silent walls that surrounded them.
Pause.
It seemed there was no end to the hallways. Every turn, every direction, all of it looked the same to them. They only remained in one spot for naught of a few seconds before turning down another path and hurrying. Their only drive was to escape, to escape this hellhole they've been trapped in for too long. To find their way out and get back home. Their parents were, no doubt, worried senseless about them. They hoped they were looking for them as they were looking for a way towards freedom.
A low grunt of dissatisfaction.
Erupted from one of them. It was like a beast, lying in wait for something to happen, something exciting. It was young but restless since the day of its modified creation. It'd been silent throughout most of the time, but with the noise, it had awakened to give its full attention. It's breathing didn't compare to the two that had been decisively evading any bad angle, every terrible turn that wasn't trustworthy. Their only goal in mind was to escape, to get help, to get home. That was their drive, and the creature's desire to meet the one it had been born from.
Turn right. Turn left. Run, run, run, down this hall.
Running with all their might, were two children. One was around the age of eight—an academy student. This child was female with straight indigo hair, with a small leaf-stem like ahoge poking up from her dome. Her hair looked almost midnight in the pseudo darkness illuminating around her. It only reached her shoulders and looked unkempt and messy. Her once pure colored face, was caked with dried blood and other unsanitary fluids. The shape was round and puffy, the essence of a young girl. Her brows were crossed with evident worry, her shining, ocean-blue eyes—once filled with innocence, but corrupted with fear—only stared at the back of the person pulling her arm, only looking ahead. Distinctly upon her cheeks were a pair of marks, thin lines that resembled canine whiskers of sorts. Her state of dress was anything but adorable. It'd once been a cute yellow dress with sunflower patterns stitched adorably on the hem, purchased by her mother. However, it'd been reduced to nothing but rags that barely clung to her body. But at the moment, she didn't care about her appearance.
Pulling her arm was around the age of twelve, just about four years senior to the girl. This child was a boy, with wild, blond hair, only tamed to look modestly like an upside down leaf, with its edges curved out. As the girl, he too sported an ahoge, which looked more like a leaf's stem than anything else. His bangs stuck to his forehead due to his increased sweat and prolonged heaving of breath intakes. He wore nothing but a ragged version of what had been track pants, black in color but appeared darker due to dried blood stains lingering on the fabric. His chest, upon his tanned skin, was littered with black ink marks, as if they had been drawn upon his body and left to stain permanently, though that wasn't to be.
The most notable of the ink implications was a circular pattern, marked with the Kanji 'creation', 'storage', and 'preservation'. By now, it'd have disintegrated into his skin—which it had—but it was being utilized by someone that wasn't his own doing, causing such exertion on his body. His cheeks shared the unique, thin lines as the girl, and also saturated in fluids he wished he'd never seen. Unlike the girl's, his eyes weren't blue—instead, they were pigmented in an orange-yellow shade, with a horizontal slit for a pupil running through each iris. Around his eyes were the same color, resembling what could have been mistaken as eyeliner, but that wasn't to be. Grasped tightly in the boy's other hand, was a hitai-ate; the ownership being himself and the symbol upon it was a leaf.
Konohagakure.
One thing was notable about the both of them and that was the both possessed the same mark on their necks, in conjunction of the same place. It was a mark given to them, unwillingly on their part, through which they'd been a victim of being bitten. Three magatama, tomoe-like 'commas' intersected together. It was a form of a juinjutsu, applied to their bodies for the sake of finalizing a madman's research to a perfect body, to the perfect genes, to his perfect satisfaction of obtaining the unattainable.
Cursed Seal of Heaven.
Several scars littered both children's bodies however they had their own individual injuries that hardly healed. The indigo-haired child sported burns on her right leg and arm, with an injured left ankle. While it hurt to run on it, the adrenaline rush and hope for escape fueled her to ignore it. The blond-haired one had a scar running across his abdomen that looked like it had been healed at a rushed pace, never minding his agony at the time. He, too, sported burns on his left arm, but the marks appeared faded, unlike the girl's.
The children were barefooted, their feet pounding upon the steel shoal that was cold to their soles upon every interaction. Their hearts were thumping against their chests as hard as a hammer as they ran on will and fumes alone, tired from both physical and chakra exhaustion. They'd been subjected to many inhumane tests, all of which were uncomfortable, painful and induced the existence of fear into their lives. The boy's eyes darted to and fro at the next intersection, trying desperately to pinpoint their next destination. The girl closed in on him, both holding onto each other as tightly as possible.
"N-niichan... w-where do w-we go n-now...?" the girl asked, her voice trembling with utmost fear and barely above a whisper.
"...I don't know, imouto. I can't sense anything..." the boy replied, also in a hushed whisper, still scanning their current surroundings. He knew they couldn't remain in one spot forever, or else he would come and find them. He couldn't allow their recapture, not after pulling a sacrificial stunt to get them both out of that horrible place, that laboratory that man forced them into. He did not want to go back to be subjugated under more tests, where he would be forced to watch as the man defile his little sister more right before his eyes. It had been disgusting and immoral to the highest degree the first time—he, no they—would not go through it a second.
That man had taken his sister's innocence in the span of five minutes right in front of him, and had subjected him to an endless torture of examinations. He tested his limits, and regarded their "longevity and endurance" genes with great reverence. The boy still couldn't get the way the man freakishly lavished over their stamina and capabilities like they were some new toys to play with. He still couldn't get his voice out of his head, the way he spoke to them as if they belonged to him.
What with the month long absence since their kidnapping, he'd grudgingly accept that as almost truth.
-x-
"Ku ku ku ku, don't worry my pet, soon the pain will be over, and you will be under my control."
"Shut up! I'll never let you get away with this! For hurting my sister, for kidnapping the both of us!"
"Mmhm, you have no choice. I've marked the both of you with my Curse Seal. Once the genes of your little sister's such generous samples complete, I will inject myself with it. As soon as it cultivates into the full Byakugan, activating it will be a breeze, as it is said to be just as superior as the Sharingan." The man chuckled darkly as his eyes fell on the boy's prone form, chained to a test table. "It's thanks to your baby sister that I was able to extract the necessary genes for it to form through subjugation. Now, all that's left of my research, for my goal, is you, my dear pet."
Snarling, the boy wiggled and squirmed to break free, to no avail. He settled to glare at the man instead. "You bastard. When my father finds out, he'll tear you apart! When I get free, I'll rip you apart myself! How dare you touch my sister!" As he raged on, red chakra began to pulse and bubble around his body, threatening to break through the confinement. Unfortunately, the chains didn't give way and forced the chakra back.
The pale skinned man simply licked his lips and cackled that infuriating laugh. "My pet, don't be so angry. It won't do to get so upset. You'll ruin that precious body of yours." He ran a contented hand through the boy's blond locks, only to have the child recoil from his touch.
"Get your hands off me."
"You're such a feisty one, an Uzumaki no doubt like that red-haired grandmother of yours. Especially like your father. It's too bad the Orange Hokage won't be here to celebrate with me when I achieve my new body through his first born son."
Eyes flashing a reddish-orange hue for a brief moment, the boy struggled again just as the man leaned over and pressed his face against his. His ice cold fingers slid down the body's naked body with a dreamy expression, none of which were any good to the captive. The boy shuddered and grimaced when the physical contact initiated and did his utmost to resist. "Mm, that's right. I haven't told you what I plan to do yet, as far as using you for a new body."
"You failed to get Sasuke-ojisan, so you're settling for kids again? You disgusting pedophile."
The man ignored the insult, quite proud of his distasteful accomplishments. "Sasuke-kun nearly gave me the Sharingan, but it was your ridiculous father that prevented me from ever obtaining it. His daughter hasn't shown any signs of activating it either. However..." the man pulled away like a slithering snake—that what he was anyway—and grinned. "You and your darling sister have shown to surpass the Sharingan. Yes, it is your Uzumaki vitality that I crave. Your father would have made an excellent target. However, such complications to his body prevents me from assaulting him personally."
"Tch! You're just afraid he'd kick your ass all the way to next week if you tried!" the boy huffed with a triumphant smirk on his face. Having imagined that was something worth smiling about.
"Perhaps so, but why go after a damaged body when there were two possible untouched vessels lying in wait?" The boy's smirk faded into a grimace as the black-haired man continued his blabbering. "Yes, quite. The girl, while fresh, had the ability to activate that bloodline trait, the Byakugan. If probed through genetic alteration, it would spring forth much faster, thus allowing me to cultivate it quicker. As for you, my boy, while you show a recessive trait to the Byakugan, you inherited your genes specifically from your father. Both of you had reserves that far surpassed any of your peers, which was a blessing in itself. I took notes from your father however; being the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Kitsune also expanded his reserves as he grew older. It gave birth to another idea, which results in using you, the son, for the project."
The boy didn't say anything, too disgusted to and, on the back burner of his mind, very curious as to what this man would say. He feared it, in the pit of his stomach. He knew he wouldn't like it, but...
"You and your sister readily adapted to the chakra of the Bijū easily when around your father. It made me wonder... if one of you could be host to a Bijū yourselves. A very thoughtful question, since the both of you have the reserves of your father. Thus, I began my research on the remaining, unsealed Bijū and what of the Uzumaki Clan I could gather. Turns out, the both of you could accept any one of the chakra beasts easily and adapt to its power." The boy shuddered at his tone, his heartbeat accelerating. "But you, my pet, you showed more promise. I wished to capture the Kyūbi for this research, however, it would have been futile as to who the container is. So, I went through alternatives...
"The closest Bijū I could grab a hold to was the Nibi no Bakeneko's. With a few of my remaining followers, we traced down leftover traces of the Kyubi's chakra and stored it away along with the Two-Tails' chakra. I pondered, at last, of what I'd do once I collected as much of the chakra. It was definitely potent, such eroding power should be contained into something, or someone. Someone who be capable of containing it. This also gave birth to a new idea; what would happen if concentration of viable chakra were condensed into one being? Would it birth into a new form? Or would it simply be chakra condensed? This brought me to you, boy. With your reserves, you could contain this chakra, to become my personal guinea pig.
"Should this prove fruition, should it succeed... then I'd have created my own tailed beast!" The man raised his hands in a show of accepting an applause, though he received none. The boy's faced had morphed from curiosity to one of shock. Majority of what he was saying made little sense, but some of it he understood. The parts he did understand scared him.
"With you, we stored this combination of the Nibi's chakra and the Kyubi's into your body as a host via a constructed seal that is connected to your Cursed Seal. This entire month has been bearing me such fruit of success—I, Orochimaru, had done something the great Sage of the Six Paths had done. While small and breathing, the condensed chakra had taken shape and molded into a form. The chakra it formed from had a consciousness of its own, thus allowing the creature to take shape. Using your body as a structure pillar to feed chakra into, like an infant receiving milk, it began to grow.
"Yes, with you boy, we have created a Tailed Beast. Thanks to your reserves to store a mass amount of chakra, and from the siphoning of your own chakra circulating through you, it has been done. A hybrid of the Nibi and Kyubi. Neko no Kistune, if you'd like to call it. For you, my pet, to house such a creature..." He trailed off, loving the facial expression the boy was giving. For his part, the blond was mortified.
"...N-no way... It's..."
"Yes. You have been turned into a Jinchūriki. Just for my liking. The biju might be small now, but it will only grow in size as it absorbs chakra. It is a grateful fact to note your father taught you how to absorb nature chakra and senjutsu; this only speeds this up for me. When I take over your precious sister's body to absorb the remainder of her being, I will be transferring myself to you. Being a Jinchūriki has its perks, and being an Uzumaki has even better perks, wouldn't you agree?" Orochimaru chuckled again. "While in your body, I will personally take for your girlfriend. As soon as she activates her Sharingan, I will snatch them from her and implant them upon my person. It's rumored that the Rinnegan could be obtained if both Senju and Uchiha genes are together in one vessel. The Uzumaki are distant relatives to the Senju Clan. Imagine what would happen once I take your precious girlfriend's eyes?"
The boy, having gotten over his shock, growled and narrowed his eyes as he thrashed in place. The red chakra returned again—this time he knew why it happened. "You bastard! If you lay a finger on Sarada, I'll—!"
"Ku, ku, ku, ku. You're in no position to threat, little Boruto Uzumaki. Enjoy the last of your precious freedom, child. When the time comes when I take over your body, I will do so without mercy."
-x-
Boruto narrowed his eyes as he continued scanning around, trying to locate any safe routes. That particular memory had been several days, weeks or whatever, ago. He and his sister were being used, abused and treated like lab rats to that madman, Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. His heart thumped heavily again; recalling that memory unsettled to the nth degree. They'd been saddled with injections and probing that would have made any man or woman scream in terror. He could still remember when his baby sister screamed out to him while that bastard touched and defiled her before him.
He couldn't do anything then, having been subjected to his own torture. The seal that had been drawn on his chest had subconsciously drawing chakra into it, nursing the Tailed Beast that had been created with his own body and with Orochimaru's administrations of additional chakra. It was scary to him; he been turned into the same thing as his father, by different means. His life had been forfeited the moment it began to take shape and draw on his own chakra to stabilize into a base form.
Boruto had only delved into his mind to find the 'infant' Tailed Beast a couple times, watching in horrified fascination as it subconsciously feasted on his chakra and the chakra it had been supplied through the administrations. The first time he had seen it, it was the size of a normal house. The second time, it was the size of a skyscraper, much like the ones back in Konoha. It seemed to remain at that particular size but still drew and nurtured from the chakra it received. Much like its dubbed name, it was quite literally a cat-fox hybrid. It's body was lean and limber like a cat's; it had the ears of the Nibi, but tad wider like the Kyubi's.
It's snout was small, but still sprouted out a bit like a fox's, and it had a cat's nose definitely. It's fur coat was a sienna brown color, like a mixture of blue and orange. It's fur coat also pulsed strangely, in an off-and-on motion, in which it's body would emanate like the flames of the Nibi's fur. The number of tails it had, curled up close to its body, were simply nine, much like the Kyūbi. It's paws, however, were an inky blue color. From what he'd seen, it had the same number of whisker marks like he and his sister shared: just four; two on each cheek. The only difference was that the creature's were more defined, thicker than theirs ever were.
When it had opened its eyes, most likely having sensed his presence, to stare in perplexity, Boruto immediately got the chills but couldn't look away. Yet, he couldn't look away from the reddish-yellow eyes that seemed to look through his very soul, questioning him with unasked questions. It carried this childlike innocence, unknowing where it was and why it was there to begin with. For that, Boruto couldn't get angry at this newborn creature. Despite it'd been siphoning much of his chakra to form, he simply couldn't get angry. In a strange twist, this was a procreation of the Nibi and Kyūbi, with the latter being a personal family friend. The beast couldn't speak, apparently, but the blond knew it wanted to ask questions he didn't have the correct answers to.
At least then, he didn't.
All it knew was that it was inside a place and it had familiarized itself within his body, like a home. That's where it'd been born, and it didn't know anything else outside of it. In a creepy sense, Boruto felt like a surrogate mother carrying someone else's child. That was the impression he got. The kit, kitten, whatever it was called, was in danger just like he and his sister. Orochimaru would enslave the poor thing and force its chakra much like his father utilized the Nine-Tails, but in a much more savage way. The son of the Orange Hokage wouldn't allow such a vile thing to happen to the young creature. He hadn't been raised to do so, and he wouldn't revert into such either.
Shaking out of his memories, he felt a prick of chakra bubbling up in his chest and knew it was the young Tailed Beast grabbing his attention. It was still a child, but having been linked to its host's senses ever since it was 'born', it could practically feel his emotions running high and desperation clung to him like a barnacle. It seemed to nudge him to the right. Trusting instinct and its direction, Boruto turned to his sister.
"Himawari, this way." The eight-year-old nodded and ran with her brother, their hands latched onto one another like an unbreakable chain. She stumbled a bit along the way, but the firm grip her older brother had on her wouldn't allow her to fall down.
With his limited Sage Mode active, Boruto could sense traces of unfamiliar chakra and spot them, taking paths that appeared free of such discharge. He was tempted to ask his sister to use her stimulated Byakugan to see any exit points, but wouldn't risk her health. No, he wouldn't dare to. Not after all that hell that man put her through. Just thinking about it made his blood boil, however, the chakra monster currently housed inside him soothed his frustrations—barely—to a minimal amount. That's right. He had to be thinking clearly in order to get his sister and himself to safety. It was the job of the older sibling and he'd do whatever it took to achieve it.
They had to survive and make it home.
Just as soon as they turned another corner, an explosion caught them off guard!
"Eeeeyaaah!" Himawari cried as she and Boruto were blown away from the impact. They both crumbled to the ground, with her brother shielding her from further flying debris. The older of the two cringed as shrapnel of the steel wall and rock underneath it collided with his bare back, exposing him to pain once more. But, he held out because he couldn't afford to let his baby sister be harmed in any way anymore.
"Ku, ku, ku..." that unmistakable laugh, that heinous chakra signature was back. Hissing sounds, the sound of snakes, were suddenly all around them! The Uzumaki siblings quickly huddled against each other with Boruto taking a defensive stance before his sister. Himawari clutched his pants with her life, staying as close as her body could to her brother. Her blue eyes watered, tears spilling down her abused cheeks as terror gripped her heart. They'd been found!
The blond glared at the summons, daring any of them to make a move. His eyes were still that in the sage, and soon, the bubbling red chakra of the Tailed Beast ignited around him in a cloak, producing just one tail's worth. His eyes transformed, a vertical slit running through each and his whisker marks thickened to equal the beast's. Boruto had absolutely no mastery of this potent chakra, having once been submitted to its blood lust, but the creature gave a silent notion of assurance to shield him from the insanity that came along with it. Himawari, while very close, wasn't harmed by it in any way, also thanks to the unnamed chakra monster.
"Dammit..." he hissed out.
"Mm, indeed my pet. Where are you two going in such a hurry? Is there a party I forgotten about? I do say, it would be nice to invite everyone to it, wouldn't you think?" Orochimaru's form came out from the smoke, grinning that stupid and freakish grin of his. Just seeing the snake man made Boruto snarl.
"Shut your face!" The blond snapped, a whizzing sound of rotating chakra forming in his left hand. It formed slowly but surely, a small ball of yellow-mixed-with red chakra, appearing orange, in his palm.
"Tsk. The Rasengan again. Don't fool around with that old trick, Boruto."
"It's my father's and grandfather's technique! It's my rite of passage as a shinobi of Konoha. Speaking of which, I'm going to kick your ass all the way to Konoha with it!"
"Hm, very well then," the snake sannin gestured in a way that said 'bring it', taunting the twelve-year-old. "Let's see you back up your wild claim."
Boruto knew he was tempting him. If he bull rushed him impatiently, that would no doubt leave his sister unprotected. The snakes would grab her before he had time to turn around to save her. He was nearly a sitting duck with the formed Rasengan in his hand. If he didn't hit something with it soon, it'd self implode and take his hand with it. If only he could throw it like a Rasenshuriken, like his father...
"NII-CHAN!" Himawari's panicked scream kicked his senses into overdrive and he hurried to turn. A snake summon was bold enough to strike and bite at his sister! Well, tough luck!
"HAAAH!" the blond slammed the spiraling sphere into the snake, inches before it could sink its teeth into his sister's leg. The girl cried out again and Boruto swung around to kick another coming for her, determined burning in his heart. Using that strength tuckered out sage mode and it left him, leaving his eyes normal. Well, as normal as possible; they were still in semi-possessed red, the color of the beast's. Boruto made sure Himawari was still clutching him, still near him, before focusing his attention on the snakes and Orochimaru.
"It appears you can function even with using the newly formed demon's chakra coursing through you. After all, it technically is your chakra recirculating back into your system, only much fouler due to the others it absorbed."
Boruto didn't say anything, only glared as his response.
"It'll be marvelous knowing I'll have a body worthy to tame such a creature very soon." The siblings shuddered and attempted to back away as the man started approaching. "Very delectable. I simply cannot wait."
"You're not going to get away with this," Boruto stated firmly, never letting up his patented glare. "My father's going to find you and end you. And you don't want to be here when he's pissed off."
"Mm, Naruto Uzumaki is a family man. Having been ostracized as a child for being the Kyubi brat. He craves family. So yes, he will most certainly come," Orochimaru said casually, as if he were talking about the weather. "Not to worry. I have a Plan B, should he come here unauthorized and uninvited. I welcome the challenge." Hearing of this 'Plan B' didn't sit well with the pair under his scrutiny. "Now then, where were we? Ah yes. Boruto, you're due for a test and little Himawari for another examination. Come children, don't be stubborn and come quietly. I'll be sure to make it as painless as possible."
Himawari gasped and squeaked as her brother tensed up even further, the demonic cloak bubbling his skin and burning the area around him fiercer than ever. "Don't you dare lay a finger on her!" the blond growled out, his voice deepening as his teeth elongated and nails into fangs, a secondary chakra tail forming in his rage. "Don't talk like you own us! We don't belong to you!"
"My my, temper, temper. We won't have any of that." With a malicious smirk, Orochimaru gave a silent command to the Curse Seal on the boy's neck. The mark began to pulse and soon, Boruto fell down in an agonizing twitch, convulsing, screaming in pain as the cloak and the mark tore into his body.
"Nii-chan!" Himawari shouted in worry, sobbing her eyes out. She looked up to Orochimaru, who stood there with an impassive, yet masochistic smile on his face. "Stop! Stop it! Stop hurting him! Don't hurt my nii-chan anymore!"
The snake sannin ignored her cries and simply snapped his fingers. The instant it left his hands, the summons began surrounding the girl and forcibly removing her away from her brother. In desperation, she held onto his pants leg, refusing to let go.
"No! No! Let go of me! Let go of me! NII-CHAN!" Himawari screamed and kicked but couldn't do much with her injuries except that. The snakes finally ripped her away from the blond on the floor, who was clutching his neck and arching his body upwards uncontrollably. His wounds both healed and burned simultaneously from the influx of the demonic chakra circulating through and around him. By silent order, the snakes took her away, the only sound was her hollering voice of her brother's name.
"You're such a naughty boy, Boruto. You should have listened and now you and your sister will suffer further," Orochimaru tsked plainly as if watching people having panic attacks on the floor, writhing in pain, was an everyday occurrence. The sannin knelt down next to the suffering child, smiling with no emotion behind it, whispering into his ear, "Say the word, Boruto. Just say it, and all this pain will end."
Despite his body lashing out in pain, the blond's head twitched in the man's direction, a snarl present on his face. "Go to hell." The boy managed to choke out.
Tsking again, the black-haired sannin simply shook his head before intensifying the Curse Seal, giving both pain to the boy and pleasure to himself. After all, he was slowly injecting his soul into the boy, tempting the mind to utilize the power. He could also use this intense surge to cause internal suffering into the target, much worse than the silly Caged Bird Seal the Hyūga Clan had once used on its Branch members.
The boy's pained cries increased until his vocals gave in and he passed out. The red chakra receded back into the seal, and the child's once red eyes reverted to their true color, blue, just before his eyelids closed. The last conscious thing Boruto saw was the gleam in that snake bastard's eyes.
-x- Unknown Time Lapse -x-
Boruto opened his eyes, sluggishly, and waited for them to adjust to the odd lighting in the area. His mouth hung open as saliva leaked out from the corner. His head felt extremely dizzy, as if he had a massive headache and his body felt all types of numb. Dammit, we got caught again... He thought bitterly, slowly raising his left arm and placing it over his eyes and forehead in attempt to calm the raging headache, to no avail. That bastard... If he does anything more to Hima-chan, I'm going to gut him with a Rasengan! While his threat was well placed, he knew he wouldn't be able to land a hit on the snake sannin.
For one, he was only a genin. He'd graduated two years before the actual genin age of fourteen. It was the age preference for genin, having been bumped up since his father had taken the reigns as the Seventh Hokage.
Father.
Remembering the last words his father had spoken to him, Boruto began to shed tears. His father gave him a talk, but instead of it being the usual 'you're in trouble' talk, it was a father and son bonding moment. He'd taken time off to spend with him and it elated him to no end. He showed off his hitai-ate and proudly shouted that he was going to be the best shinobi ever. While he still disliked his father's role as Hokage, he understood it better and knew why. He still loved the man behind the hat, who gave him, his sister and mother all the attention and love he could ever muster. There had been a time when he thought his father showered them with too much attention, and he had found out the man had lived a lonely childhood with no family of his own and wanted one so much.
It had made sense and Boruto never brought it up again, only soaked up the love he was given.
"Remember Boruto. You are a son and a brother before you are a shinobi. One I am proud of, no matter what. Remember that, to be a shinobi, one must endure. You'll face some situations that might get out of hand. But don't let that hinder you. You'll have your teammates and friends with you to help you. Kakashi-sensei taught Team 7 this: those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. Don't forget, son."
I didn't forget, tou-chan. Boruto thought, trying to keep his sniffling to a minimum. I protected Himawari with everything I have. I never abandoned her... But she still got hurt. Do big brothers letting their little sisters get hurt count as 'trash', too? If so, then I'm the biggest trash ever to exist. I failed her, tou-chan. No matter what I did... it wasn't enough...
A soft and familiar whine broke him of his tearful thoughts, steering him into sudden awareness. He hadn't known he was within his own mind, on the floor of the surface. Boruto groggily sat up and turned to see the young Tailed Beast staring at him with sad, concerned ruby eyes. It was lying on its paws, with its nine tails waving behind it. Now that he noticed, the tips of the tails were coated in a darker brown and the tips of its ears were the same as its paws. When it sat up to mimic his actions, it also looked like the Kyūbi a little—having what appeared to be opposable digits of the forepaws.
The child creature had its ears back, a frowning expression—if it can be called that—on its face. Much like a cage or seal intact would be for a tailed beast, around the creature's neck was a chained collar of sorts that restricted its movements to a certain degree. The tethered chain from it expanded and centered in one spot while others sprouted outwards into the emptiness of the mindscape. The imagery of the boy's mind, once sporting a replica of the beautiful Konoha, was warped. There were still grass like images and the trees that surrounded the village, but most of the scenery didn't carry the happiness the host currently felt. The cheerfulness seemed to drown out and replace with fear and anger instead.
Knowing its gaze was on him, the blond sighed heavily and dried his tears as best as possible. "It's... It's not your fault, okay?" he tried to comfort the small, well for its size, cat-fox. It didn't seem to understand completely but it lied back down, still staring at the boy with those eyes. Boruto suddenly felt guilty.
"Don't... don't look at me that way..."
"Ru... very...sad."
The Konoha genin jolted a little at the sound of the voice. He was staring at the kit/kitten with a mixture of awe and shock. It... it spoke! Somehow, it matured enough to finally speak! He'd been hoping it would so they could communicate easier than through silent gestures. Perhaps, perhaps now they could form some plan. Even if the creature was newborn in a way, having two Tailed Beast as parents, with those two merged consciousness form into its own would at least let it have some form of wisdom.
"You talked!" Boruto exclaimed excitedly. Thinking quickly, he asked, "I've been meaning to ask. What's your name?"
The nine-tailed cat-fox wiggled its tiny nose and shifted a little before shaking its head. "Kit no name. Ru... need friend. Learn by Ru talk."
Oh. It learned by overhearing what he said. Boruto blushed a bit, knowing a lot of his vocabulary as of recently wasn't any good influence for a newborn chakra monster. Man, Matatabi-san and Kurama-ojisan would flip if they heard about this...wait. That's right. Both tailed beasts, the ones mostly responsible for the creature's creation, had no clue about its existence! If somehow he showed up housing an unknown Bijū, it'd set things into confusion. But, what if they were aware of the change, the shift in balance? To be honest, Boruto had not a clue.
Filing that away for a bit, the blond turned his attention to his hopeful Bijū friend. "Well, um, we have to call you something. Referring to yourself as 'Kit' wouldn't be a good idea... Um..." He scratched his head, trying to rack his brain for some sort of idea. The pup simply studied his movements in wonder. In a way, it felt like the boy in front of it was its father, its container. It'd been aware of his presence ever since its consciousness was formed underneath all the chakra. But it was also aware that two other presences had helped its creation. It shared physical traits with those two and also wanted to seek them out. For now, it only had eyes on the boy in front of it.
"Mm... Huh, since you're technically born from Matatabi and Kurama's chakra... Maybe I should call you 'Mabi'!" The cat-fox blinked in rising curiosity as the words slipped out the blond's mouth.
"Mabi?" It tested out the name's pronunciation—Boruto now noticing it had a soft, young boyish voice.
"Yeah. ...Do you like it?" After all, he wasn't good with names. He wondered if the terrible naming was a hereditary trait, since he had no idea where or why his father named him 'Boruto', after a bolt. Then again, his parental grandparents thought it'd be cool to name said father after some ramen topping. He had no idea how incorrect he was but he'd never really question it til now. The cat-fox tilted its—his—head, trying to familiarize with the new name he'd been labeled as. After a while, his face melted into a tender smile.
"Mabi likes...name very...much."
Boruto grinned his and his father's trademark 'foxy grin' before giving the kit a thumbs up. "Awesome!" His face slowly faded into a frown. "But, now the problem is getting out of here. The bad man, Orochimaru is going to make you do bad things, Mabi, if he takes my body." Blue eyes met light ruby colored ones as his frown deepened. "That means you won't be able to help me anymore..."
"Mabi... want to help... tou-chan."
"Huh? 'Tou-chan'?" The blond wondered. Did he mean Kurama? Or...
"Ru... is tou-chan. Mabi help him." Oh. Oh. That...wasn't good. Referring to a human as a father. Then again, the other Tailed Beasts did the same thing to the Sage of Six Paths, also called Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. A swell, a feeling of sudden pride in his gut made him smile at the title of 'father' from the young creature. Boruto was far from parenthood, and he definitely wasn't skilled nor patient enough to raise a pet, but this... this was something close to both a child and house pet he'd get. He wouldn't treat Mabi any differently than his sister or any person. He wasn't anything less or more; someone he would be able to count on even more in the future as a companion.
"Well, Mabi. Tou-chan needs to get his sister and himself out of the bad man's lab," Boruto said, tapping his chin. "Thank you for giving me your chakra earlier. It was a big help." Mabi seemingly shuffled bashfully at the praise, similarly to himself when he was getting shy for whatever reason. Maybe personality passed on from his chakra being siphoned too?
"Mabi only help tou-chan...beat snake. But not... help much. Snake... win." The kit frowned and lowered his ears again, appearing to cry, given how his bottom lip was quivering. Panicking, the blond shot up as quickly as he could and walked to the neko-kitsune's side as fast as he could.
"Hey, hey, don't cry! It's okay, we'll have to think of something, okay?" Only a large tear drop landed on Boruto's head, dousing him. He shook himself to get the water away from his own eyes and tried to placate the pup as much as possible. "I'm not hurt anymore, thanks to you. So, let's... Ah!" He toppled over, only because something outside his body was happening. Mabi tripped over his own feet, still unsure how to walk just yet, and clumsily fumbled over all nine of his tails.
"What was that..." Boruto wondered and thought to check out what was going on in the living realm. Before leaving, he gave Mabi a reassuring smile. "I'll be back, Mabi. Okay?" The cat-fox cub managed to sit up and nod quietly, watching as his appointed father leave his mindscape to the waking world.
-x- Unknown Chamber -x-
As soon as Boruto opened his eyes, this time to his body, he realized a few things. 1) He was lying on the cold, steel floor; 2) there was dim lighting everywhere that made it hard for his eyes to adjust to—but he managed; 3) having turned his head as much as he could, he saw intricate designs that resembled fūinjutsu spread around his body; 4) he heard the cries of Himawari calling to him.
Himawari crying.
Shit.
The blond tried his best to get up but found himself unable to. He was heavily depleted of chakra, his physical energy was nearly gone and not to mention, he was suffering from malnutrition. His body had been running on fumes alone this whole time since his kidnapping. Determination brewed through his body as he fought his unknown restraints to get to wherever he heard his baby sister. "H-H-Hima... Himawari...!" He croaked out, his voice obviously hoarse from its last use of screaming. By kami's blessing, the girl, wherever she was, heard him.
"...N-Nii-chan..."
Boruto heavily noted his sister's voice was as hoarse as his, as if she'd been subjected to her own torture. Thinking of this set him on high alert and he willed himself to struggle again. He stopped, however, when he felt a tickle of energy that wasn't his entering his system. Eyes wide, he attempted to lift his head from where it was, barely spotting where his sister's form was. He nearly gagged at the sight before him.
Himawari seemed to be hooked up to a machine, and by the looks of it, it appeared to drain her of her chakra. Little bits of it had entered his system, which was why he felt the tickle not long ago. One thing clicked in his mind; Orochimaru, that monster, was killing his sister to fuel him! "S...stop! Stop it!" He cried as much as his voice could offer, but it was far too weak, far too soft to have any impact. His lungs couldn't give him the vigor he was known for.
"Ku, ku, ku, so you've finally awakened. I see you like your new chakra battery." Orochimaru's voice sounded from somewhere but the blond didn't care.
"Let her go." Boruto wished he had his voice back to yell angrily.
"That request I cannot fulfill. She was much too weak to transfer into. You were still alive and kicking but low on energy. I'd make brother and sister's reunion much more appealing if she supplied her beloved 'nii-chan' her life source."
He struggled but whatever was holding him back didn't budge. "You're killing her!" He didn't get any response other than a deep, irritable chuckle. Footsteps echoed around, signifying that the man was leaving. "H-Hey! Get back here...!"
"Boruto, when I come back, your little body will be mine and your sister discarded. As I said before, enjoy your precious moments of freedom. You'll soon be mine—"
An emergency alarm beeped to life, signaling the snake sannin. His serpentine eyes narrowed, knowing exactly why it cut off. He simply looked up and grinned. "Mm, it appears we have intruders. I do suppose it must be your father." Orochimaru turned back to the children he held hostage. "But, my work isn't complete just yet. It's time to move to Plan B, just in case your infuriating daddy comes to ruin my plans." Several tremors shook the entire place as a force stronger than anything the world had faced dropped in. The aura it radiated was beyond anger, beyond irritation. It read pissed off to the nth degree.
Hurrying, Orochimaru unstrapped the weakened boy, his newest vessel, disabling the instrument that was slowly draining Himawari of her chakra. The blond attempted to struggle, but it was no use. He couldn't even get free of the man's grip! "L-L-Let go of me!" He tried and tried to squirm away but to no avail. His arms felt like lead and his legs and voice barely responded to his urgency to kick and scream for help. "H-H-Hima-w-wari!" His voice didn't reach her this time as he was led away from the chamber.
The snake sannin and child were in another room, this time, it was set up with a fūinjutsu identical to the one he'd been lying on earlier. However, this time it was connected to a device, a portal drive. It was shaped with a circular, flat surface, big enough to hold five grown shinobi or kunoichi at once. It had been designed by Orochimaru himself, once the technology of the Elemental Nations skyrocketed. It was a transporter, however its qualities were special. While it could send one person or many through to another location in the world, the Snake Sannin had a different purpose for it.
He set the squirming child on the device and stepped away as he activated it through the use of the fūinjutsu. Rings of light sprung to life, centering around the boy, holding him down as if some force of gravity. Boruto hissed as he felt some force pull him in different directions, as if being stretched and flattened onto a surface. In reality, his body was just subjected to the gravitational pull of the portal drive. Shutting his eyes as his headache returned, the Uzumaki groaned out, "What... what are you d-doing...?"
"Sending you somewhere your father will never find you, but I will."
This utterly baffled the cringing boy but he ignored it in favor of getting more answers. "Why are you doing this?"
Orochimaru chose not to answer. He knew his time was just about up as the terror of the aura was tearing through his underground base at fast paced speeds. The portal was nearly done. With this, I'll send my essence, my memories along with the child. It'll take too much time to transport the both of us. He's coming and very soon... It's only a matter of time...
BAAROOOM! BADABOOM!
The Sannin tensed as the explosions grew louder and closer. Much closer than he anticipated. He allowed a grin to cross his expression. For one, no one was as determined as an angry Naruto Uzumaki was to his family, and two, the portal drive was complete.
CRASH!
Just in time, too.
Standing with a murderous look in his face, was the Seventh Hokage, in all his blinding glowing glory of the Kyūbi's cloak. His red eyes switched from Orochimaru, the man responsible for the kidnapping of his kids, to his son, who was in obvious pain and torment. Naruto Uzumaki clenched his fists and snarled. He was absolutely livid. Once upon a time, his partner would have thrown a graceful party at the amount of anger, hatred and negativity he set all at once in this whole scene. However, right now, said Bijū concentrated on the perpetrator responsible for his host's and said host's wife so much grief.
"Aa, the Kyūbi finally joins. It's a shame you came too late."
Naruto said nothing. Instead, he let his fists do the talking and struck forward. Orochimaru had no chance to completely dodge. He was punched—hard—in the stomach, sent flying into the wall opposite of the one the Hokage had stormed through, quite literally. Just as he was about to step forward again to rend hellish nightmare upon the vile, despicable thing in front of him, his eyes captured the troubled ones of his son.
"T... tou-chan..."
His son's voice was too weak, too sad for his liking. It shouldn't be that way. It was just like Himawari's, who was now safe with Sasuke in the other room with Sakura in tow healing her of her injuries. They were supposed to be full of life and happiness. The sight of his children harmed made his blood boil fast, hotter than lava in a volcano and it made him seethe with rage. Nobody messes with his family and gets away with it.
"Boruto, hang in there. I'll get you out of there."
The boy gave him a crooked, relieved smile.
"Ku, ku, ku, not so fast Naruto," Orochimaru said, rising from his collapse previously. Kurama's Jinchūriki noticed him but still set himself to punching his son out the contraption. "I wouldn't be so hasty... if I were you... For you see, you won't be seeing your brat again..." Before Naruto had a chance to speak, the portal drive initiated. Boruto's eyes widened as he felt himself being pushed away, far away. He and his father only shared one painful glance before the pressure disspated and then it was no more. Darkness had over come him. He was gone.
Gone.
Gone.
Boruto was gone.
In disbelief, Naruto turned to the only source that could have done this. His shock formed into righteous fury, his ire untamable as his body went rigid. As he neared the black-haired sannin, Orochimaru began to speak of his plans regarding the man's son. Each word was met with a punch or a kick, all sending the slippery snake to the ground or into the nearest wall, destroying it and giving it a man-sized hole to accompany. Naruto wanted him to feel his pain, his wrath, his anger. Deep down, he knew this was contradicting the peace he had wanted and had attained a manageable piece, a sliver of it for years now. But this... This monster had no right to kidnap his children and use them in such disgusting ways. Not even Sasuke had been treated like that.
"...hehe... heh... Naruto. Such a temper you have. But... it's too late to save your boy. My essence was sent with him. It will merge with my past self's consciousness. I will seek the Sharingan in the past while obtaining my new body. Turning your son into a Jinchūriki will be a bonus for me. All the power... I will obtain immortality with my future Rinnegan. ...Imagine it with a Byakugan... The Rinne Sharingan will be mine—guukh!"
The sannin fell dead from a deliberate stab from a katana behind him. Naruto didn't even blink, knowing exactly who it was.
"That man was annoying, I can't believe I actually went to him for power."
The cloak around the Seventh Hokage flickered out, returning him to normal. His blue eyes, once full of luster, seemed to have died instantaneously. His focus was on the machine, the portal drive, however. "How is she, Sasuke." He asked in a somber voice. The not-so-last Uchiha put his sword away—once wiping the blood off—and replied.
"Sakura said she'll make it. She needs to get to the hospital as soon as possible, however, to stabilize her from her trauma and loss of blood." Naruto acknowledged his response but appeared frozen in his place. The spot where his son had been. Where he'd been right under his touch. He slipped through. He was gone. His heart nearly stopped at the thought of his little boy, who had just made genin, gone from his sight.
One devastation after another.
Sasuke placed his only hand on his friend's shoulder in attempt to comfort him. "Naruto... I know it's hard now. We'll find a way to get him back. Right now, your daughter needs you."
"...I know Sasuke..." His voice sounded so lifeless, so terrified. "...But what the hell am I going to tell Hinata..." His lackluster blue eyes met with his friend's single black, "That our son was right in front of me and I couldn't save him...?" The Uchiha didn't know how else to reply to his friend. He'd gone through a massacre at such a young age. He experienced loss twice already. He'd be absolutely livid and crushed if anything happened to his beloved Sarada. At the moment, he felt it had happened to his daughter. Boruto was her friend, even if she wouldn't admit it. The two were close and were teammates on the same squad. Just as Naruto wouldn't know what to tell his wife.
Sasuke didn't know how to tell his daughter, who was back home, worried for the friend she might believe she'll never see again.
Note: Hope you guys like this first chapter. It took me two days to finish since I wanted it up and running a bit before UnH's Chapter 2, which is well underway by the way.
1) I was unoriginal with the name of the new Tailed Beast. 'Mabi' is a (sad) combination of Kurama and Matatabi. But, curiously enough, it's also a location in Japan, called Mabi-chō, in the Okayama Prefecture. Mabi by itself is 真備 in Japanese.
2) Next chapters will be Rated T throughout.
3) Mabi is basically the size of the Tailed Beasts when they were first created. The species "cat-fox" literally exists, but I altered it in a way that I found appealing when doodling it. I have no idea what they really look like aside from the fact they seem look like fossa.
4) If you have any questions or whatever, please leave a review. Flames shall be used to burn Orochimaru, whom I villainized in this story. If you see errors, let me know, too!