Oni by fang_shinobi
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does.
A/N: Resubmitted from my collection of one shots, MBF. I've taken it down and reposted each one shot. Warning: You might not like the ending. You have been warned.
…
Hinata grew up with her grandmother's stories of Japanese folklore. Of all things mystical, her obaasan had focused most on the demons, the oni.
Don't answer them, her obaasan would say, for their voice had power. They would catch you if you answered! Do not believe them, my child, though they tell you they can grant your wish. The price you will pay will not be worth it.
All these things Hinata took to heart, obedient as she was, though she met no demon. She would never ever talk to oni. In fact, she developed the habit of not answering strangers lest they were oni in disguise, planning to snatch her. Thus, she never talked to strangers. Nor did she perform public speaking; who knew what lurked in the crowd or behind the trees? This was also the case with birthday cakes, wishing wells and shooting stars - fearing that a demon may hear her wish, whether from her mouth or from her heart, she avoided making wishes at all costs.
Yes, preposterous as it may seem, the girl that could have grown up to be a strong, lovely, independent woman became the weak, fragile creature that she was. It mattered not that she barely though of oni anymore – the fear had taken its toll. She lived her life in fear, sometimes not even knowing why. But all that changed when he entered her life.
Hewas brave, confident and stubborn. He was loud and obnoxious, always voicing his thoughts. He bluffed, he triumphed, even admitted defeat. There was no task too big or too small for him. He would lend you a helping hand, whether you wanted it or not. He always laughed that wonderful laugh and smiled that wonderful smile. He was like sunshine on a rainy day. He was everything she was not. Everything she wanted to be.
She always watched him from a distance, mesmerized. Could it have been just a simple case of puppy love? Then why haven't her feelings changed all these years?
She strived to be more like him, to change for the better, yearned to be with him, yet never mustering the courage to tell him. Was he even aware she, his classmate, his neighbor, his ever-adoring admirer, exists?
…
"Fate is on your side today," promised her horoscope. She didn't know if she was truly superstitious or not, but she needed some sort of hope to hold on to. Was today the day? It had to be.
She met her classmates in the schoolyard before they filed into the buses, which were to transport them to their fieldtrip. She sat near the back, hoping not to get noticed. She stared out the window, looking for something – no, someone, to be more specific. She hadn't seen him enter the bus. Perhaps…
Her heart fell when the engine came to a roar. Perhaps… no, she shook the thought away. He has to come.
The doors were about to close when someone yelled, "Wait up!"
Laughter erupted from their classmates as the latecomer bounded up the stairs.
"Sorry, I'm late!" shouted the blond boy, panting, sweat spotting his brow.
Hinata blushed crimson just from seeing him. She silently hoped he sat near her, so she could see him from where she sat.
After a brief scolding from their teacher, the bus started to move, and he nonchalantly ambled his way down the aisle, whistling to a merry tune from his earphones. The sermon had most obviously fallen on deaf ears.
She looked around for the nearest vacant seat and was surprised to see that it was the one next to her.
She panicked, trying to make herself invisible. She tried to melt herself against the wall, if that were possible, as she heard his whistling grow closer with every step.
She felt the shift in weight on the seat, and she knew he was sitting just inches from her.
Her heartbeat pounded loudly in her ears. She can't possibly turn to face him now, knowing he was so near. What if he suddenly talked to her? What if he wanted to ask her about their destination? What if…? What if…?
What if he never notices her? That's it… Perhaps he won't notice her, as he usually never does. Then perhaps…
She turned to steal a peek, only to find his sapphire eyes locked on her, curiosity evident in them.
"Eh!" She looked away in embarrassment, feeling the blood rush to her face.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked her, worried.
She felt his hand on her shoulder, startling her once more. "I-I'm o-okay!" she stuttered back,
"You sure? You don't look like it…"
She panicked even more when she realized how close his face was to hers now, as he tried to examine her closer.
She suddenly felt light-headed, her vision clouding over.
"S-sensei! I think something's wrong with –" was the last thing she heard before she passed out.
…
Hinata felt so awfully embarrassed when they arrived at their destination. When the rest of their class heard about how she'd suddenly fainted, it was the only thing they could talk about.
"Hinata fainted back there…"
"Again?"
"What is it about this time?"
"Naruto was sitting next to her…"
"Oh, that's why!"
"And he looks like he never even noticed why."
"How dense."
She heard the girls laugh at her predicament. They could never understand what she was going through. She wasn't like the other girls. She didn't have the guts they had, nor did she have their thick skin either. She was fragile, a hopeless case.
As the class alighted from the bus, she felt a shiver run down her spine and sweat forming on her brow. What was this ominous presence? She looked up and saw the forest for the first time and felt a strange aura around it. Something was definitely wrong… Something bad was going to happen…
She leaned on the door frame of the bus. Her legs felt like jelly under her. She didn't feel well…
"Okay, class, don't leave your valuables in the bus," said one of the teachers. "Hurry now. Pair up with your buddies. Never leave your partner's side."
The class got louder as they searched for their partners, never failing to mention a little gossip here and there (most especially about Hinata's little scare no doubt) or a joke or two. Hinata just stood there, waiting. She didn't get to choose a partner. The class was an odd number, and she didn't have any friends to speak of, as introverted as she was, and she'd been left out.
Amidst the throng of voices, she heard his voice ring out. "Sensei, my partner's absent."
"Ah, too bad," replied the teacher. "It was supposed to be Uchiha-san, right? How about Hyuuga-san then? She was supposed to pair up with me, since she didn't have a partner."
Hinata didn't hear the rest of what her teacher said after he said her name. How about Hyuuga-san then? How about Hyuuga-san then? How about Hyuuga-san then?
"Hyuuga-san?"
"H-hai?" stammered the girl, snapping out of her initial shock.
"I asked you if it's okay with you if I paired you up with Uzumaki-san here."
"H-hai," she repeated, the bright blush returning as she remembered why she'd gone into shock in the first place.
As the groups lined up, a worried Naruto approached her. "Are you okay?" he asked. "You don't look well. Maybe you want to stay in the bus?"
"N-no," she stuttered, looking down in embarrassment, twiddling her fingers. She couldn't even look him in the eye.
"You might faint again."
She just shook her head. Her head was already starting to feel a little light. With him so close, she risked fainting another time. If they were left here alone, who knows what sort of somatic syndrome she might exhibit. A heart attack perhaps?
"It's okay. Sensei, can we stay? She doesn't look-"
"N-no, I'm fine!" she blurted out.
"No, you're not," he replied.
"I…" She looked up momentarily but quickly turned her gaze down once more upon seeing the concern in his sapphire eyes. "I don't want to be the reason you can't join the hike."
"It's alright. I don't want to go anyway."
She blushed again. During the last few days of school, the hike was the only thing she heard him talk about. But now? How could he be so concerned about her? They'd barely ever spoken a word to each other before now. Perhaps…
"B-but… I-I want to go really badly," she replied. "B-besides, this is just… sunburn, yeah, that's it. I-I have sunburn. T-that's why I'm so red."
"Does the sunburn on your forehead hurt?"
"Eh?"
"Coz I want to check your temperature. If that's okay with you."
"N-no! I mean, yes, it h-hurts if you touch it there. I'm fine, I promise." If he'd gotten the chance to check, he would have diagnosed that she had a fever right away. Even she could feel how warm her face was.
He hesitated before saying, "If you say so."
"Hey! Hurry up, you lovebirds!" one of their classmates shouted at them.
She saw him blush and look away, embarrassed. She figured anyone would be embarrassed to be associated with her. She steadied herself and walked towards the line, her face still a beet red.
She heard a few whistles and cheers from the crowd as she approached, and she was surprised he ran up beside her.
"Ignore them," he told her. "They'll stop annoying us if we ignore them." He winked at her, and she blushed, looking away.
Fate is on your side today. Perhaps. Perhaps not.
…
"Are you okay?" He asked for the nth time today. The worried tone in her voice disturbed her. The more worried he got, the more she got embarrassed. The more embarrassed she got, the clumsier she became, falling over rocks and roots and getting herself hit on the face with branches and vines. And the more worried he got.
And the answer was no, by the way. She wasn't okay. Here she was in an ominously dark and foreboding forest, her crush probably thinking how pathetic and pitiful she was in her badly banged-up shape. And, no, perhaps fate wasn't on her side today, thank you very much.
He held out his hand for her, but she just looked away, hoping the dark shade of trees could hide the blush that never failed to return at full force. "I-I'm okay, I can get up myself."
This she tried, but pain shot up her badly scraped knees, and she fell – again.
She heard him sigh, and she got more frustrated with herself. Why couldn't she act normal for once? Or put one foot ahead of the other without falling over anything?
A breeze ruffled the leaves of an overhead tree, and the sound they made almost sounded like wicked laughter in her ears.
She heard the shuffling of dry leaves under his feet, and she half-feared, half-hoped that he would give up on her and leave her there. Good riddance, he might think.
But instead of doing so, he said, "Come on, get on."
She looked up and saw he'd turned around and squatted down, holding his hands palm up behind him. "I'll carry you," he said, not looking at her. Perhaps he was annoyed at her. Perhaps he was mad. Perhaps…
"N-no," she stuttered.
"Hurry up!" one of their teachers called out to them. "Or you'll get left behind!"
"Hai!" Naruto shouted back. He looked at her and said "Now, Hinata-chan, get on."
"H-hinata-chan?"
"Uh, you don't mind me calling you that, right?"
"N-no…" She blushed, looking down again. So he wasn't mad after all. And calling her that…
"So, can you get on now? We might really get left behind if you don't."
She hesitated, but remembering how she couldn't even get up, she inched closer, holding her arms out.
"That's it," she heard someone say from behind her as a chilly wind caressed her back.
She practically jumped unto his back in surprise, asking in a hoarse voice, "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
She shuddered from the wind, covering her ears. "I-I don't know."
"Ah! They're too far ahead now! Hurry, Hinata-chan, hold on. I might need to run."
He got up in a hurry, and she threw her arms around his neck in surprise. He was carrying her. And she had her arms around him. It was almost too much to take in all at once, and she feared she might faint –again.
She buried her red face on his neck, and she was surprised to feel that he was slowing down.
"You feel really warm," he said, coming to a stop. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Of course you are," came that eerie voice once more.
"What was that?" she shouted, scared, as she scanned the dark trees around her.
"Huh? What's wrong?" asked Naruto.
"Someone was in the trees, saying things," she said in a hurry. "Didn't you hear it too?"
Don't answer them, for their voice had power. They would catch you if you answered!
Her blood ran cold as she remembered her grandmother's words. No! It can't possibly be!
She didn't even feel Naruto's hand on her arm as he said, "You feel cold. You must really be sick, changing temperature every few seconds."
She pulled her arms back, clenching her hands on his shoulders. On any other day, she would have marveled at how firm his shoulders felt, but right now, all she could think about were the numerous stories her obaasan had once told her. It all came running back to her now. The girl who wished to be smarter, only for a demon to prey on her wishes… The girl who wished to be shorter, but ended up dying for it, her legs torn up… The woman who prayed to the demon for a child… The children who played where they shouldn't have… A woman raped by a demon and forced to bear its child… A boy who chose the wrong pet to bring home… The group of teenagers who wandered too far into the forest… The forest!
"I-I'm scared," she cried.
"Don't worry, I'll find a way out of here. I can see their tracks." She felt him move again, this time even quicker.
"Of course you can," teased the voice.
Hinata started upon hearing it, clenching his shoulders even harder. She vaguely hoped she wasn't hurting him too much.
"Of course you aren't. Otherwise, he would have said something."
She cringed, a sob escaping her lips.
"Are you okay?" Naruto asked again, slowing down.
"P-please, don't stop," she pleaded. "Please!"
He came to a stop. "Come on, tell me what's happening. I won't be able to help if you don't. Something's wrong. I can tell."
"Please keep going!" she begged him.
"Why?"
"Please!"
"Just tell me why."
"There's an oni in the trees!" she yelled, and a loud, ghastly gust of wind flooded the branches above them.
They didn't see it coming. The sudden impact knocked them off the ground, sending them into the trees.
Hinata felt a crack as her body hit something hard, and only when she had landed somewhere behind the bushes did she feel the throbbing on her arm and her head. She felt something trickle from her hair and down the side of her face, and she tried lifting her left arm, but the shoulder connected to it prickled with an intense pain. A sharp gasp escaped her lips and she struggled to position herself as not to exert pressure on it.
Reaching up to her face with her right hand, she felt the sticky liquid that felt like nothing else but blood. Her head was bleeding, and a bone in her arm was must have been fractured … What just happened?
She sat up in a hurry when she remembered something much more important – Naruto!
"Right here."
She ran towards the voice and saw his crumpled form on the ground, two massive bodies hovering above it, huge and menacing. Despite seeing the demons – two at that! – she should have been logically scared to death of, but instead she threw herself over the unconscious boy, ignoring the pain that ran all over her bruised body.
"D-don't!" she shouted. "Don't touch him!"
The demons chuckled as only such monsters could, summoning an eerie breeze through the trees.
"How selfless of her," snickered one demon, its form that of a deformed human – huge, muscular, yet still upright. Its legs were proportionally shorter than its body, but the girth and length of its arms more than made up for the difference. Horns sprouted from its head, uneven fangs protruded from its jutting jaw, and even with the sparse light, she could see the hideous veins bulging on its rotten skin.
"Makes me want to eat her up," hissed the other, this one longer yet just as bulky, yet undeniably more the shape of a huge snake. It had long bulky arms though, and scales ran the entire length of its body. A single horn jutted out of its skull, ragged like an old butchering knife.
"J-just don't harm him!" she yelled. "Eat me if you want. Just don't touch him!"
"That wouldn't be fair now, would it?" teased the first oni, cocking its head to one side, "if he were to live while you don't."
The other's hiss sounded like heinous laughter. "Let's make this more fun," it coaxed. "We can grant you your heart's desire."
"We can see into your hearts," added the other.
"You want him."
"And he wants you."
"Wish for it."
"Wish to be together."
"N-no," she stuttered, whether in disbelief or in defiance, even she couldn't tell.
The snake slithered closer, and she instinctively pressed herself harder against the boy's body.
The oni slithered near the blond head, and despite knowing it could easily gobble both of them up, she dared put a hand on her beloved's head. "Don't," she warned.
"Brave girl," commented the first demon. "Very brave."
"Or stupid!" hissed the second, slithering back a few feet. "Just wish for it, girl, and you live!"
Do not believe them, my child, though they tell you they can grant your wish. The price you will pay will not be worth it.
"N-no! I'd rather die than curse us both!"
"H-Hinata-chan…" came his groggy voice from underneath her as he tried getting up. "What's going on?"
"Foolish girl!" The snake demon prepared to strike in its annoyance.
"Don't get up!" she yelled at Naruto as she pushed him back down. She closed her eyes, already resolved to use herself as a shield no matter what.
Down came the demon's fangs, and she felt that sticky liquid again, all over her face, all over her body.
This was the end then. She hoped that he was going to be okay, that he was going to be able to run away. She would be glad to die in his stead. She hoped he wouldn't begrudge her for covering him with her blood, for one thing.
But death did not come the way she expected. She didn't feel any more pain than the wound on her head and the dislocated shoulder were already causing. Then, where was this blood coming from?
She opened her eyes and felt the weight on top of her, warm and wet with the sticky liquid.
"Are you okay?" came the same question she'd been asked all day as the weight shifted slightly off her. There was something very wrong with that voice. "Hinata-chan?"
She looked up, reluctant, shivering hard. No.
His blue eyes, dull and unfocused, looked back down at her. "Good, you're okay," he said through bloody lips, the words sounding like a gurgle through the crimson liquid. She saw his eyes go out, and he fell, limp in her arms.
She shrieked, throwing her arms around him, trying to stop the gush of blood from what remained of his shoulder. "Nonononono!"
She heard the sinister snickering from the demons, and the first demon had the nerve to say, "Oh, you killed him. Too bad."
The snake loomed over them, blood raining down from its mouth. It was chewing something, swallowing it after a few chomps and licking the blood from its lips. "Tasty. But he isn't dead yet."
"Too bad, girl, you could have saved yourselves," said the first demon, approaching her.
"Why don't you run?" suggested the other in a hiss. "That would be most delightful."
She got up, her arms still around his body, trying to heft him up as well.
The oni snickered in amusement. "Look, she's trying to save his corpse!"
"He's still alive!" she shouted. She gasped and shrieked at each tug, the shattered bones in her arm digging into her already torn muscles. She managed to drag him a couple of feet before falling over, brought down by the body's weight. He was an athlete. Of course she wasn't strong enough to carry him! He was too heavy!
She wasn't thinking coherently at all. All she could think of was getting him out of here as well, whether he was dead or alive. She was crying and shouting all at once, not willing to surrender his body at all even if it would cost her her life as well.
"Move it, girl!" shouted the snake, swiping her with its tail and sending her rolling into the nearby bush.
She tried to get up, ignoring the pain all over her body. Her arms and face were scratched by the rocks and the thorns from the bush, and she couldn't even tell where his blood covered her and where hers did. She turned towards the oni and watched in shock as they devoured the body – his body –, tearing it into pieces and making the most horrendously satisfied noises as they crunched the bones and slurped down the blood.
Her voice caught in her throat. No! she wanted to shout. No, this can't be happening!
She couldn't stand it anymore; she felt like vomiting at the sight. She got up – goodness knows how - and started walking away. One inch at a time.
It was all over. It didn't matter if they caught her or not. He was gone. Gone. He. Was. Gone.
Her face was already coated in dirt, blood and tears – it was a miracle she was still able to cry, the tears running in torrents down her cheeks. She tried wiping the tears off, smearing the mixture of blood and dirt all over face. She didn't even feel the scratches and bruises she irritated by doing that. She couldn't even feel the throbbing on her badly twisted ankle.
She heard their loud footsteps behind her, but she gave no extra effort to hurry or hide herself. She just kept going.
She didn't even hear their taunts as they surrounded her from both sides. She didn't feel one of the demons back hand her, or when the snake whipped her with its tail.
It was all over. Over.
She lay on the ground, not feeling anything, not responding. She may as well be dead.
She heard a scurry behind her. Perhaps they were fighting over which one got to take the first bite. For a moment, she hoped they killed each other. She was going to die without their help anyway. She was already half beaten to death. These wounds would take her if they didn't.
Then there was silence.
A horrible burning smell even stronger than the demons' putrid odor reached her nose. Something just happened. Perhaps…
She finally turned and saw the silhouette of what could have been an even bigger demon than the previous two looming over her. A pair of glowing crimson eyes glared down at her.
Get this over with, was all she could think of.
She heard it gnash its teeth and lick its chops. It continued glaring down at her. After a moment that felt like hours, it suddenly turned and walked away without as much as a backwards glance. She saw what seemed to be a tail or two swipe through the air before the massive form disappeared into the trees. There, in its wake, was a mass of torn-up bodies, blazing up in flames – a horn here, a scaly arm there, a decapitated head on top… It was the two oni, bathing in blood that served to further fuel the fire.
"What? You're just going to leave me like this?" she called after the third demon, hysterical. "After you guys kill the guy I like and beat me like this, and you just leave me here with this bonfire? Is this some horrible joke? Come back here!" Her voice cracked, unused to such a volume.
She sobbed, and the tears kept flowing. They should have just stayed in the bus. A heart attack was like a walk in the park compared this. At least he would have lived.
"Hinata…" Another demon perhaps? Or was the third one returning?
She didn't care. "Take me," she wanted to yell at whatever it was.
"Hinata!" The voice was getting clearer. Great, someone was using his voice now. Wonderful.
"Hinata!"
She saw the movement in the bushes in front of her. She closed her eyes. This better be the end. She was too tired to live through yet another ordeal.
"Hinata!"
"Naruto," she mumbled for what she expected was the last time. At least she could hear his voice one more time before she died, even if it was a figment of her imagination or yet another oni out to get her.
"Yeah, it's me! Hinata-chan, it's okay! I'll get you out of here!"
She opened her eyes. With her luck, maybe this new oni might take his form too.
And lo and behold, her last wish was granted. It looked just like him!
"Naruto." She smiled a bitter smile.
"Where does it hurt?" He looked confused, worried, panicking.
"Does it matter? Why don't you just eat me?"
"Eat you? Hinata-chan, wake up! It's me!"
"Prove it."
"I asked Sasuke not to attend the field trip on purpose so I can pair up with you! Wait, I shouldn't have said that. I really liked that painting you made in art class. No, that was a stupid thing to say. I mean…" Ah, words she would have loved to hear. This demon knew what he was doing.
He looked like he wanted to cry. He wiped a dirty arm over his eyes before looking over her. "You're badly hurt. Don't struggle, okay? I have to carry you."
She didn't move as he picked her up as gently as he could. She cringed in pain every time he moved, but she bit her lip. One last nice memory before she died? What a kind oni.
"Don't die on me, okay?" he said, his voice shaky. He was trying hard to sound strong, but she could feel his arms shaking.
He was acting way too well. Perhaps… she shook her head.
"Atta girl," he said, probably interpreting the gesture as a reply.
"But you're dead," she finally said, her voice hard. "I saw them eat you!"
"Maybe demons can perform illusions," he replied quietly. "Because that wasn't me."
"But we were both hit."
He inhaled a deep, sharp, pained breath. "Broken ribs," he said through clenched teeth, still trying to smile despite the pain. He slowed to a stop. "Look, I'm really sorry, it's all my fault."
She felt a different liquid drip to her face. She looked him in the face and saw that he was crying.
"Don't cry!" she yelled, throwing her arms around her despite the pain. "It's not your fault! It was mine! All my fault."
"I'll get us out of here, I promise," he said through a sob.
"Stop crying," she cooed. "I don't like seeing you like this."
"Hinata-chan, I really like you… What I said about asking Sasuke not to go… It was true. He was supposed to be my partner, but he didn't want to go anyway… so…"
"I really like you too," she said quietly.
"You do?" The surprise in his voice shocked her. A demon wouldn't have replied like this, would he?
"O-of course," she replied, stuttering again. "T-that's why I fainted in the bus. I-I'm always blushing because of you."
"Are you blushing now?"
"Uh? Y-yeah."
"Well, you look horrible, so I couldn't really tell."
She hit him on the shoulder in revenge, and he winced. "I think I tore a muscle there," he groaned.
"I-I'm sorry!"
"Just kidding." He smiled that wonderful, sunny smile of his, and every ounce of doubt she held evaporated.
"I'm so glad you're alive!" she shouted. She heard the shuffle of leaves around them as a breeze blew past them, and she remembered the huge demon from before. "Let's get out of here! There's another demon here!"
"Another one?"
"Yeah, he destroyed the first ones, but he disappeared afterwards."
"There's nothing to worry about," he said, eyeing something in the trees.
"Please, let's go. I'm scared."
"I hope our class is still alive," he said as he started moving again. He heard her gasp, and he added, "I'm kidding. I don't think demons like sharing territory much. If that big one annihilated the demons that attacked us, perhaps he got rid of the other smaller ones as well."
"But that demon-"
"Calm down… Can you hear that?"
An all too familiar babble of voices met their ears as the shade over them grew sparser and sparser. They were approaching a clearing, no, perhaps even the edge of the woods. They were safe!
"I know," muttered Naruto, staring at something in the trees again.
"What?" she asked, looking into the trees as well.
"Uh? Nothing. It was nothing. I was just wondering what our teachers and classmates might say after seeing us like this."
She laughed. "Let's tell them I fell and brought you down with me."
He laughed along with her. "Yeah."
"That'll explain all the blood…" Her voice trailed off. She looked at her clothes and saw that they were still drenched in blood – his blood. She looked at his shoulder and then at his face, absolutely terrified.
"There's nothing to be scared of," he replied, knowing what she was thinking. How could she still be drenched in his blood if he was here now – alive!
"But the blood-" Tears rolled down her cheeks again, her voice shaking. "Oni, if you're hungry, eat me. Don't harm my class. Please."
He shook her head. "It's me, Naruto," he assured her. "Don't worry. It'll be okay."
She peered into the darkness of the trees and saw the all too familiar scarlet eyes glaring down at her.
"It'll be okay."
End
Gingerleaves: Sorry for the morbid way things turned out, seeing as it involved your favorite character. Apologies…
A/N: Ideas on the oni adapted from Kusonoki Kei's Onikirimaru (a manga), one of her earlier works, which is in the horror genre and is drawn in a different style compared to her other works I've read. I just love Onikirimaru. I haven't finished it though. Anyway, this was a super duper late Halloween treat when I first posted this. Well, now it's just a horror story. Hope it scared ya, wowed ya or got you mad because of the ending… I know I even scared myself, writing this in the dead of night. Sorry, this is the first time I've written horror, so I don't expect it to appeal to everyone's tastes. Maybe I shouldn't have beaten Hinata up so much.
What the hell happened in the end? That's up to you to interpret. Is that Naruto a demon? Did he really die? Was he already a demon in the first place? Did he make a deal with the demon? If so, what did he sacrifice in exchange? Is the third demon the kyuubi? Ah, questions, questions.
Please review. Sankyu!