Tale of Old Bull
I make no claims to own the Naruto series or the old legend this is based on. The legend is property of the people of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. I haven't been able to find the legend outside of one book that I no longer have access to, so some of the details are fuzzy. I'm telling it as I remember it, and as Naruto might have been told it. I *may* take some liberties with it, too.
Konohagakure
Close to midnight
The genin knew they were being stupid. They knew their sensei would put them through hell for this-not to mention their parents!
They just didn't care.
After all, the Chunin Exams were two months away, and they needed all the practice they could get.
The kunoichi of the team paused, causing 'her' two boys to stop their sparring as well.
"Did you guys hear that?"
"Hear what?"
A long, lonely howl echoed through the training grounds, all the sounds of the night going silent.
"Ah, it's just an Inuzuka dog baying at the moon. Just ignore it."
"That doesn't sound like any ninken I've ever heard," the kunoichi replied, troubled.
A twig snapped in the surrounding forest.
The last thing the genin saw was a pair of burning red eyes that radiated heat comparable to a flame.
The last thing they heard was an unnatural snarling.
Naruto was roused from slumber by an incessant pounding on his door.
"Yeah?" he grumbled.
Sasuke stood there.
"Genma's students were killed last night by some form of animal."
"Oh shit."
"I'm bringing you in as an advisor. Meet us at the scene in five minutes."
Naruto materialized in training ground 15 and was immediately in the center of insanity.
Dodging Konoha Police Corps recruits and ANBU who, oddly, obviously had no idea what they were doing he made his way over to his former teammate and current in-law.
"I take it the training budget for the Police Academy got cut again."
"Cut? No. More like dismembered," Sasuke replied with a grimace.
Naruto nodded and activated his Bijuu Sennin eyes.
"Everyone fall back to the perimeter. Answer any questions Uzumaki has to the best of your ability, but otherwise remain quiet," Sasuke ordered.
"Hai Uchiha-taicho!"
Naruto walked in an ever-tightening spiral around the crime scene, squatting here and there to examine blood splotches, debris, and the like.
"Have you determined what type of animal has done this?" has asked quietly, at length.
"Sir! After Uchiha-taicho went to fetch you, we discovered the tracks of a large dog, sir!" one ANBU replied.
"Have you reported this to Hokage-sama?"
"Yes, sir."
"That wasn't wise. Until we have more evidence, you shouldn't have given any report unless asked for it directly."
A familiar pink-headed medic flashed into the grounds.
"Sakura-chan? You're the coroner?"
"Hai."
"The bodies are over there, Sakura," Sasuke indicated three lumps covered by tarps.
Sakura nodded, swallowing back tears, and made her way over to the first of the bodies. Whipping the tarp away, she fought back a shriek at the state of the body.
Naruto was instantly by her side, dropping down and silently examining the corpse.
He rose.
"You mentioned tracks? Where?"
"Over here, Uzumaki-sama."
Naruto nodded and began examining the tracks.
"Sasuke. Dismiss them. The fewer know about this, the less chance of causing a panic."
Sasuke nodded and sent the others away with warnings to keep quiet 'on pain of Tsukuyomi. Or maybe Amaterasu.' Nobody doubted that he would, either.
"Naruto-kun!"
Hinata ran into the clearing, almost hysterical.
"Hinata, what's wrong?" Sakura demanded, grabbing her friend by the shoulders.
"Genma-san has accused Akamaru of being the killer. He and Kiba-kun are facing off right now!"
"Shit," Naruto growled. "Hinata-chan, listen very closely. I need you to calm down and keep Kiba from doing anything stupid until I get there, alright? Can you do that for me?"
Hinata swallowed several times, taking deep breaths and nodding.
"Hai, Naruto-kun."
Naruto smiled.
"Okay. I'll be there as soon as possible."
Hinata nodded and shunshin-ed off.
"Sasuke, Sakura-chan. Come take a look at this," Naruto said.
He was squatting by the tracks again, rubbing some fine yellow powder between his fingers. He tasted it briefly.
"Ew, what is that smell?" Sakura asked, wrinkling her nose.
"This," Sasuke indicated the powder. "But what is it?"
"Brimstone," Naruto replied absently.
"Brimstone? As in…"
"…Burnt sulfur, yes."
"Why would dog tracks have brimstone?"
"I have a hunch, but until I'm sure I'll keep it to myself. However…"
Naruto rose and looked off into the distance.
"I pray I'm wrong."
Tsunade pinched her nose to stave off the migraine she felt coming on. Never in her life had she needed to get drunk more than right now.
Okay, make that in the last few hours.
"Your flea-bitten mongrel killed my kids!" Genma was shouting, nearly foaming at the mouth. Shizune had braced herself against her boyfriend's front, with Gai keeping him in a headlock, Kakashi holding him from behind and Anko having her snakes wrapped around his waist and arms.
"You take that back, you sonuva…!" Kiba snarled back, fighting the grips of his mother, sister, sensei, and teammates.
Akamaru had his paws covering his head and was whimpering.
"He's the only dog in the village big enough to make those prints!"
"Akamaru wouldn't do something like that!"
"Genma! Don't!" Shizune begged.
"Kiba-kun! Please, ototo!" Hana added.
The two pulled free and charged at each other.
Tsunade was getting ready to intervene, when…
"SHANNARO!"
The ground under the two cracked and erupted as a certain pink-haired kunoichi slammed her foot down. The two were knocked off-balance enough for Sasuke and Naruto to shunshin between them.
"Get a grip, both of you!" Sasuke commanded, holding his Kusanagi at Genma's throat.
"Kiba, calm down or I swear on Kyuubi's name I will put you in traction," Naruto growled calmly, his friend pinned under him, Ryujin across Kiba's trachea.
"Naruto, you bastard! Get offa me!"
"Not until you calm down."
"Naruto's right. You two need to cool off or so help me…" Tsunade growled.
The two grumbled a bit, but subsided.
"Now, Kiba, I know you don't want to hear this, but until we get to the bottom of this, I'm afraid Akamaru will have to be…"
"That won't be necessary, oba-sama."
Tsunade twitched at Naruto's refusal to call her by her title. "But at least oba-sama is a step forward," she amended.
"What do you mean, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, mildly curious.
"Unless Akamaru leaves brimstone in his footprints, he's not our culprit," Sasuke replied wryly.
"Brim…stone?"
"Yes, oba-chan. Brimstone: noun. Synonymous to burnt sulfur. Geez, are you that senile already?" Naruto teased good-naturedly.
Tsunade growled.
"I know what brimstone is, smartass. I meant what was it doing in the tracks?"
"I have a hunch, but until I'm certain I can't say."
"Naruto, if you have a credible hunch then…"
"Let me phrase it this way: I think the culprit is not a natural entity."
"Oh," Tsunade replied, nonplussed. Comprehension dawned. "Oh…you mean…?"
"That's why I won't give any exact details until I'm absolutely certain. When dealing with the supernatural, a wrong guess, and wrong preparations or preventive measures, stand a chance of only worsening the issue."
"How can we be sure?"
Naruto looked grim.
"There's really only one way."
"I don't like this, Nii-san."
"You've made that perfectly clear, Karin."
"But we're using a villager as bait. Are you really okay with that?"
Naruto gave her a 'look'.
"Of course not, imouto. But there's really no other way."
A scream echoed through the night. Naruto was gone in an instant.
"That way!" Karin cried, indicating the direction.
Naruto's Hiraishin deposited him on a roof overlooking an alley below. Silently, he peered over the side and cursed.
A young kunoichi around his age, with violet hair and brown eyes was trying to fight off a massive black hunting hound with basic jutsu. The hound seemed to draw the darkness into itself, while also giving off shadowy tendrils.
Naruto's eyes turned crimson as he leapt off the roof, the hound pausing as the blonde human-who-smelt-of-fox somersaulted in midair, landing in a crouch and rising to his feet.
Naruto gave the girl a grin over his shoulder.
"Ami. Always a pleasure."
"Naruto…you worthless baka! What are you doing here?"
"Saving your ass, so you might try being a little grateful."
Ami blushed but was silent-thankfully.
The hound cocked its head and growled inquisitively. Naruto began to slowly approach the dog, palm flat. The dog began to sniff his hand.
"Katon: Goenka!"
Naruto leapt back as three large fireballs shot towards him and the dog.
"Sasuke, you idiot!"
The dog whirled towards the newcomer and snarled.
Sasuke and a group of others landed in the mouth of the alley, prepared for combat.
"What the hell is that thing?"
"How ironic to use THAT phrase in this situation," Kyuubi chuckled inside Naruto's mind.
"Shaddup. You're distracting me."
Naruto cursed as the dog leapt at his comrades, knocking Aoba to the ground. The hound's jaws parted, a drop of saliva dripping to the ground, where it began to hiss, bubble, and steam like acid.
"Acid drool?" Karin squeaked.
Lee leapt into the air and drop-kicked the dog…only to pass right through it.
"What? What happened? Why did I miss?" he asked, picking him up, confused.
"You didn't, Lee-san. You passed right through it," Hinata replied, Byakugan active. "According to my Byakugan…it isn't even there. It has no chakra whatsoever."
"It sure seems real enough to me," Aoba grunted, finally throwing the hound off.
The dog landed on all fours, growled, and opened its mouth.
Orbs of red-black flame blasted towards the assembled shinobi.
"Scatter." Sasuke said flatly.
Naruto appeared between the dog and his friends, deflecting the fireballs.
"Ami, close your eyes."
"What? Are you crazy?" Sasuke shouted.
"Close. Your. Damn. Eyes. Do it."
She shrugged and complied. After all, Naruto must have some plan, right?
Indeed he did, but not what they expected.
Naruto spoke two words in a soothing voice, his words foreign.
"Guter Hund."
The hound growled questioningly.
"Guter Hund," Naruto repeated. "Guter Hund."
The dog barked once, happily, and then faded into nothingness.
Naruto sagged against the wall.
"Damn that was close."
Tsunade barged through to the front.
"Naruto, I take it your hunch was confirmed?"
"Pretty much."
"Then may I ask…WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT THING?"
Naruto chuckled mirthlessly.
"What the 'hell'? How ironic that you used that term."
He gave her a look that she had never seen on him before, not even after killing Pein, Madara or Kabuto, one she'd seen in many eyes during the 3rd war. The haunted look of a war survivor.
"That, oba-chan, was a Hellhound."
He cut off the frightened mutterings by continuing.
"More specifically, it is a Black Shuck. I'm not sure, but I think I do know his name. That was Alt Stier- 'Old Bull'."
"Old Bull? That wasn't my Bull, was it?" Kakashi asked, worried. After all, most of his pack had succumbed to old age by now. If one of his dogs had come back as that…
"No, sensei. Old Bull's story predates the shinobi nations. It's a sad tale, but also a tale of vengeance. Kyuubi told it to me a while ago. It all begins with a war…"
In a country that would come to be called America, there was a guerilla war being fought. America was a colony of another nation, Britain. The British King had been making some decisions that negatively affected the colonists. As British citizens, the colonists were supposed to have the right to have a say in those decisions-Britain was a democratic republic by then, and the king had little real power. However, they were refused representation, and so declared a war of independence. In response to the colonist's unusual tactics, the British army called in a group of mercenaries from another country, Germany, called Hessians. The Hessians were defeated-badly-and fled into a forest called the Jersey Pine Barrens to escape. There some found wives among colonists still loyal to the Crown, while others found wives among the native peoples, the Lenne Lanape. One such Hessian took a Lenape woman as his bride and had a loyal hunting dog, named Bull, or 'Stier' in the German language.
One day the Hessian was out hunting when Colonial soldiers found his homestead. The Lenne Lanape and other Native Americans were, in the opinion of most, little more than savages or animals. Thus the soldiers raped the woman and set the home ablaze. The Hessian returned and ran inside, trying to save his wife, but succumbed to smoke inhalation and died there, inches from her. She'd never had the chance to tell him that she was pregnant-only Bull knew, from the change in her scent.
Bull sat down and howled in sorrow for three days and three nights straight. Then the exhausted, loyal, and grief-stricken dog hauled himself into the ashes of his home and died.
The story doesn't stop there, however. Old Bull returned from the dead as a Hellhound, seeking vengeance against the soldiers. However, they had been executed by their commanding officer for dereliction of duty, so Alt Stier took his vengeance on their descendants and relatives, as well as any others who get in his way. The only way to stop him is for the victim to close their eyes and say 'Guter Hund'. 'Good dog.'
"That's horrible," Hinata said softly. "That poor dog…unable to rest, forced to wander the world without his family…"
Naruto nodded.
"It's facing creatures like Alt Stier that I hate most. The pity you feel for them…the sadness…it makes it hard."
He shoved off the wall.
"Old Bull should move on soon. Until then, nobody goes outside at night."
Everyone shuffled off to their nice warm beds and Ami and Aoba were taken to the hospital to be checked for injuries, but Naruto paused. Looked at the moon, then back in the alley.
Old Bull sat there, tongue hanging out and tail wagging. He barked, once, and then crumbled into dust, finally at peace.
As the dust blew away, Naruto turned and began walking away.
"Guter Hund," he muttered. "Guter Hund, Alt Stier."