Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Tags: OOC Naruto (For a reason, obviously)! Characters from other Franchises! Slightly AU!
Summary:
He could no longer achieve what his father and godfather wanted; peace. He could no longer achieve what he had been yelling ever since he could form coherent thoughts; Hokage. Being thrown in a different dimension, Naruto knew he no longer have any purpose in life.
"Still, what are these memories plaguing my mind?"
At first, it seemed that it was just memories of someone named the same as him. Unfortunately, Kami truly loves to screw with him. It seems that there's more to this dimension travel than he actually thought. He really hated his luck sometimes.
…
"Fucking Kaguya, I feel like shit." Naruto muttered as soon as he regained consciousness. His eyes were blinking blearily, slowly regaining its vision and his body was slumped to the ground. The moment he even tried to move even just a single finger, he felt pain coursing throughout his entire body.
"Gah!" A small cry of pain was elicited from his mouth as Naruto felt nothing but pure agony. The pain he was feeling at this very moment was comparable to that time when Kurama was ripped away from his seal. A few seconds after the pain subsided, Naruto knew that his whole body was fatigued, intensely so, making him relent and decide to move after his body will no longer give any violent reactions.
He breathed in and out, in a still manner so that none of his muscles would even twitch in the slightest. The only part of his body that was functioning was his lungs and throat, which were steady that he couldn't even feel an ounce of pain. When he felt the touch of the grass to his skin, he realized that he was half-naked, with only pants and a pair of sandals on his feet.
After a few minutes when Naruto felt the fatigue he was feeling subsided, he finally decided to move. Unfortunately, his body was downright weary and exhausted. He could feel his legs wobbling as he exerted most of his strength just to stand up. It felt like his body was so weak yet at the same time, felt like nothing but lead.
He had to exert his strength just to move his feet, and that was only a single step. After a few minutes of struggling hard, he finally managed to sit, in a cross-legged position as he leaned on a tree's bark.
'Kurama, you there?' Naruto could only raise his eyebrows in response when he had gotten nothing at all. That was weird. At this point of time, he was sure that Kurama would've made a sarcastic remark by now.
The fox was obviously angry at the fact that he lost against Kaguya. Kurama was still a Bijuu who prided himself on being able to destroy villages on a whim, kill an S-Rank ninja with ease and all, so losing against Kaguya despite it was Naruto who fought her would be a stain on his pride.
He was Kurama's jinchuuriki after all.
Regardless, he was not at the mood to play fire with the fox and wanted to know what the hell happened to them. The last thing he remembered was getting struck by Kaguya's bones. And the moment he felt his whole body boiling madly, he blackened out and the next thing he knew was being in this place.
Naruto just hoped that Sasuke would have enough time to stall Kaguya. Despite the him and Sasuke becoming one of the strongest ninjas in existence, being able to match Madara should they pair up, Sasuke won't last against Kaguya by himself.
'Oi, Kurama!' No response.
A single eyebrow twitched and Naruto could feel his irritation slowly rising.
'Respond, you damn furball!' Still no response.
Instead of becoming even more irritated, Naruto was sure that a foreboding feeling came onto his mind but ignored it. Going inside of his mind as his last resort, he delved deep inside of his mindscape, hoping that the bad feeling he had earlier was just an imagination of his.
As soon as his eyes registered the state of his mindscape, Naruto couldn't help but gape in disbelief. It was not the usual dark, murky and black sewer he was already accustomed of seeing. Despite the fact that he had already removed the seal, the remnants of the gate should still be there, but alas it was not.
His gloomy mindscape was replaced by something surreal, a sight he thought that he could only see in the Land of Spring, when it was the Land of Snow before.
In the very top of his mindscape was a vivid reddish yellow sky, with clouds all over and a single sun shining brightly as the snowy land was bathed by the light of the setting sun. As he trudged slowly, a rain of snow were falling and his eyes could see the snowy land reaching all the way past the horizons, making his mindscape an endless landscape of snow.
As he walked around, he could see wilted trees just like those of during winters. After a few minutes of walking, he arrived at what seemed like the center of his mindscape and saw a single throne made of ice in the middle of a circular platform, making the seat of ice slightly elevated.
His steps could be heard, resounding deeply inside of his mindscape as he approached the throne of ice warily. Why wouldn't he? As of this very moment, it felt as if this land of snow is his mindscape yet at the same time isn't. It was either Kurama did something to his mind or he was abducted while unconscious by someone who had mind-related abilities, experimenting on him in the process.
Shooking his head as he brushed away those thoughts, he looked around, trying to find a big, old grumpy orange fox towering for almost a hundred feet or so. What he really needed right now was to find his partner.
If this was nothing but a prank of the fox, he would just shove an Oodama Rasengan on the fox's very face. If not, then the foreboding feeling he had was true and he really needed to find Kurama. There was a chance that someone could've managed to tamper with the seal and release Kurama from his hold, taking the fox away from him.
"Kurama, show yourself already!" His cry was heard echoing loudly in the mindscape but he was met with nothing but silence. Turning his head all over his mind, the only sign of life was him and everything else was devoid of it, replaced by the snowy ground that were spread out even pass the horizons.
He could see the wilted trees, swaying from left to right as the chilly breeze pass through them and to him. Surprisingly, he didn't even feel the cold air, much less the cold temperature in the mindscape. Instead, he felt better, his nerves calming down as the wind passed through him.
Another shook of his head, Naruto's cerulean-blue eyes darted all over the mindscape. It had been a few minutes ever since he had arrived inside of his mind, but even calling the fox's name more than twenty times didn't even worked.
Clenching his fists tightly, there was only one thought in his mind.
Kurama was taken away.
"Goddamnit!" He growled in frustration as he looked at the sky, his eyes gleaming with pure, unadulterated anger.
"Kurama, whoever took you away, I'll beat them with every inch of their life!" He didn't care about how his mindscape. For him, the most important thing was his partner who was somehow taken from his seal without him knowing.
Kaguya couldn't have taken Kurama away from him. If she did, he would've died the very moment after she took Kurama. The Rabbit Goddess would surely make the process of removing the Bijuu out of him painful and would immediately snuff the life out of him should he even survive. He didn't know who, but he was sure that they would no longer be walking by the time he was done with them.
Naruto left his mindscape quickly and his eyes opened blearily until he could see clearly. He couldn't help but blink twice when he didn't even feel his chakra tenketsus. Though, he was able to feel a dormant chakra, sleeping or perhaps weakened because of the malicious energy circulating all over the place where his tenketsus were supposed to be.
With no other weapon on his arsenal, he only had one choice remaining, Sage Mode. Closing his eyes again, he could feel the nature energy permeating in the atmosphere as he quickly gathered them. He nearly lost concentration when he felt the very potent amount of negative emotions swirling inside of the nature energy.
"Damn, this is ten times more potent than before. What the hell happened while I was asleep?" Even though it was a very large mass of hatred, very potent to the point where he was sure that it was comparable to that of a Bijuu's hatred, it still wasn't enough to match Kurama's.
But that didn't change the fact that he was uncomfortable whenever he felt a huge burst of negative emotions suddenly being forced inside of him, doing its best to corrode his mind. And it didn't make him feel better that it was Mother Nature herself who holds the massive amount of hatred. He was a Sage after all. His title made him a nature lover who truly cared for Mother Nature's wellbeing.
The moment he finally finished purifying the hatred and just released the clean nature energy back to the atmosphere, he used his sensory abilities that were amplified by the Sage Mode to at least locate where he was right now.
His senses reached all the way past five kilometers. He was inside of a three kilometer forest, with several signs of life inside (probably animals and insects) and had a huge lake at the very center. It would take him about ten minutes before reaching the body of water. There was a village, only a half kilometer away from the forest.
Right now, he needed to find Kurama before returning to the battlefield. Despite the fact that he was strong, Kurama or not, he really needed his partner's help if he wanted to fight Kaguya in an even ground. He just hoped that Sasuke would last against the Rabbit Goddess.
Opening his eyes, he looked around and headed towards the lake area. He really wanted to clean himself. So right now, after he finished cleaning himself, he would go to the place where the village was and ask as to where he is right now. After that, probably find Kurama and team up with Sasuke against Kaguya. He also needed to know how many days had passed ever since he was away from the battlefield.
…
"This is not what I really expected." He muttered as he rubbed his temple with barely-controlled anger. If one was to talk to him right now, he would no doubt snap at that person, be they a woman or child merely concerned for a stranger.
Why, because he was somehow sent into a new dimension of all places! The worst thing was that it was a different dimension than the one Obito sent him before. This world was the complete definition of different! Unlike when he arrived at the dimension he was sent before, this world didn't even have a Konoha in it, much less Elemental Nations!
Naruto surely knew that it was Kaguya who sent him here. After all, he and Sasuke were both thorns on her path of regaining all chakra in the world. Despite her strength that truly named her as a Goddess, his and Sasuke's resilience towards her was topnotch.
So, how does Kaguya accomplish her objective if she couldn't destroy the thorns that wanted to stop her? Sent the said thorns into an alternate dimension! Great! Now, he didn't have any chance of returning back to Elemental Nations.
Sasuke at least had his unnamed time-space technique while he had none. The best chance he had was by using fūinjutsu and the chance of creating a successful dimension-travelling seal was close to none. That kind of technique would surely have its consequences. Add to the fact that his chakra was dormant for some kind of reason, he wouldn't be going back any time soon.
He clenched both of his fists tightly and blood could be seen seeping out of his hand as he leaned on a tree's bark. Even during his time of traveling with his godfather who was renowned as one of the best fūinjutsu users in Elemental Nations, he didn't drabble too much on sealing arts. So it can easily be said that he had no chance of returning to Elemental Nations, not now or ever.
Naruto could only growl in frustration, his eyes glaring heatedly at the midnight sky. He held himself from lashing out in the forest. It wouldn't do him any good to be noticed in the middle of the night, rampaging all because of his frustrations.
The only way for him to calm down was the meditation process whenever he gathers natural energy, so immediately, he took a seat on the ground as he relaxed himself by taking a couple of breaths. After he was starting to calm down, he gathered the nature energy in the air and at least try to lessen the burden of the nature.
Fifteen minutes of purifying the energy in the atmosphere, he was finally calm and opened his eyes as he let himself lie down on the grass. He looked at the stars with a somber expression as he raised his hand and motioned it to grab one.
"What the hell am I suppose to do now?" He muttered with a dull look on his face as he gazed at the sky without any thoughts in his mind.
Now that he was no longer in Elemental Nations and had no possible way of going back, truthfully, he himself knew that he had no purpose anymore. His dream of becoming a Hokage and his plan of fulfilling his father and godfather's dream of achieving peace became nothing but a faraway fantasy.
He didn't even have Kurama with him. He was literally alone in this new world without even a single companion beside him.
Kaguya would've already drained all of the chakra out of the people he knew. The Rabbit Goddess would no doubt start with the ones who opposed her. And since they were in the process of becoming White Zetsus, they would no longer have a mind of their own and become but mere puppets, ordered whenever and wherever by the Rabbit Goddess' whims. She was now unstoppable and not even he can stop her.
With the lakeshore close to him, he was able to feel the breeze of cold air before his mind slowly drifted to sleep, having nothing but the thoughts of his friends, comrades, teachers and all becoming puppets for the Rabbit Goddess.
…
A black-haired boy, who looked in his mid-teens, perhaps fourteen or fifteen years of age did nothing but stare at what seemed like the body of his older sister. Whenever his older sister returns with wounds and numerous gashes, deep enough that most people would've died in her state, a small part of his mind would break slowly.
He was sure that every single strained smile his sister was giving him, especially when she was hurt, he could hear the sounds of shattering echoing deep inside of his heart. But this time, it was different. At first, he felt that time stopped, and the second he snapped out of his daze, his mind turned cold. It was as if the cage that was imprisoning his innermost feelings broke, shattering into thousand fragments.
His cerulean-blue eyes which were usually filled with happiness and warmth turned into unrelenting cold orbs. He was staring at the naked form of his sister, wounds fatal enough that it should've killed her could be seen all over her body. Even bones and muscles could be seen from the wounds which were deep enough.
He could only gnash his teeth in rage, blood seeping out of his gums when his eyes darted to her lower region, making him see red for a split second. A bellowing snarl, much more of an animal escaped his lips as he openly voiced out his wrath and fury.
"Damn it!" The entire vicinity, just from his presence alone shook violently when he let out all of the energy inside of him. A flash of blue light was suddenly emitted from him, and the whole area turned cold.
When the light dissipated, the only thing could be seen was him standing still with an unreadable expression and his sister who was now coated in ice, frozen and unconscious. As for the whole vicinity, it was in a state higher even that of the Ice Age.
Everything in the area was coated in ice, not even a speck of dust could escape the cold touch. Mist filled the whole vicinity. The curtain of white was so dense that one would easily testify that it was solid. Massive spikes of ice erupted from every trees that could be seen frozen solid and the same could be said for the rough ground. The only place where the ice didn't touch was the small patch of land where the black-haired boy and his sister were at.
Approaching his sister, his mind now calm and unmoving, he knelt down and traced his fingers on her frozen skin. A small tear leaked out of his left eye as he took in the state his sister was in. Despite the horrid state his sister was in, he was amazed at her. Her current state should've killed her yet she survived.
That was the only thing he needed, a reassurance that she was still alive. Right now, the only reason she is alive is her current state of suspended animation. Thanks to the small coating of ice around her, all of her wounds were frozen, stopping its bleeding but if she was still not tended to, she would die.
He shook his head as he cleared away all thoughts that were currently unneeded. The utmost priority right now was to save his sister and tend to her wounds immediately. Wasting no time, a blue magic circle appeared beneath his feet.
A second later, he along with his sister disappeared from the frozen landscape and reappeared at a glorified and stupendous living room inside of a mansion.
"Tou-san, Kaa-san!" He called out, his voice filled with desperation and agitation. He didn't want to waste any time for every single second passing, bit and bits of his sister's life were being taken away by death's embrace.
Two people materialized out of a blue magic circle that appeared in front of him. The stern expression on their faces changed to absolute shock and surprise when they saw the state his sister was in. The man that was his father called out the servants of the household and ordered them to take his sister away.
His mother rushed towards him and hugged him tightly, not wanting him to have seen such a horrid event. He himself didn't recognize the warmth his mother was giving him since his mind just made a resolute decision of protecting his sister.
He would no longer stand on the sidelines and just watch his sister get hurt. This time, it was him who will protect his sister. And nothing would stop him from doing so. Not his friends, not his parents, and not his sister herself when she had already gotten hurt too much.
…
Three months. It had been three months ever since he arrived in this new dimension, inside of a planet called Earth. Currently, he was in the country called Japan, and he was in the province of Kyoto. Those were most of the information he knew.
He had long accepted the fact that he won't be able to return to his home, Elemental Nations no matter what. Without abysmal to bordering none chakra to be drawn inside of him, fūinjutsu was the only usable ninja art he could use, seeing that the art barely required the use of chakra.
Fūinjutsu was also the most probable solution of finding a way back but the percentage of creating a successful seal capable of traversing dimensions without any consequences was impossible. Still, he practiced on improving his calligraphy and stubbornly learned fūinjutsu, even if it was all against the odds, though he had a hard time since he didn't even have anything that would guide him.
One thing he also noticed was the malicious energy flowing inside of him. The power felt dark and corrupting, just like that of a Tailed Beast but its maliciousness was incomparable to that of a Bijuu. Surprisingly, he was easily able to harness and manipulate the energy as if he was using it ever since he was born.
From that, he had learned that this energy of his had a close affinity to ice, though he could also use other elements; wind, lightning, fire, water, earth, and many more. And he didn't even have to do any seals to unleash those attacks anymore. He only needed exerting his imagination, and alas, the attacks would work, though that didn't stop him from speaking out his attacks. It was cooler that way after all.
All in all, he was in a good state, despite Kurama gone and chakra inaccessible for an indefinite amount of time. Nevertheless, there was something that he utmost hated with all of his will. He hated the inability to use CLONES!
Whenever one mentioned clones back in Elemental Nations, his name was definitely the first to be imagined. He was after all, the very first person who mastered the usage of Clones and Shadow Clones. He knew about the secret of the Shadow Clone that it sends back the memories and would be advantageous for recon missions and information gathering.
So reality struck him. Hard.
Still, he was quite satisfied that he could still form clones using his Ice Release, which he named after the Kekkei Genkai of one of the people who changed his life, Haku. The clones weren't good replacement for the Shadow Clones but it was fine for him. His clones which were made of ice could easily withstand blows unlike that of a Shadow Clone and that was enough to placate his displeasure.
He had trained his overall capabilities, his strengths, his weaknesses, the unknown energy inside of him and its manipulation, taking everything to the next level. Nonetheless, the training he had and was still doing obviously was for naught.
Without any purpose in life, he just wandered here and there, traveled here and there. He had already explored the whole Kyoto and its surrounding land but still wasn't able to find purpose. At first, he wanted to find Sasuke until a sudden epiphany hit him.
Kaguya would obviously not want him and Sasuke working together so the Rabbit Goddess probably sent the Uchiha in an alternate dimension different than him, and that was the best case scenario. The worst case was that Kaguya managing to kill Sasuke since the Uchiha was alone, without any help.
For him to survive in this new world, he began on accepting jobs; menial labors such as working on docks, cleaning stables, and many more. He also worked as a bodyguard from time to time. At first, people were wary at him since he literally appeared out of nowhere, but after people recognized his efficiency and competence, other people started going to him whenever they needed someone.
At his job as a bodyguard, he earned three things; money given by clients, reputation and fame spread around, and the hostility of the guards in Kyoto, the Shinsengumi. He didn't know why but for some reason, his reputation as an efficient bodyguard for those who threatens his clients was not appealing in the eyes of Shinsengumi.
Unfortunately for them, they couldn't match him. After all, he was a ninja. What can a couple of guards do against a ninja who can throw out destructive techniques on a whim? And because the Shinsengumi couldn't do anything against him since even the shogunate employs him from time to time because of his skills, most they could do was to hate him.
There was also something that piqued his interest. A huge veil of some sorts, perhaps a barrier was covering the whole Kyoto and he knew that the barrier's reach probably covered most of Japan. He immediately knew the reason why there was such a barrier. It was hiding something important normal people shouldn't know.
He was sure that the government didn't have to do something with it, especially when those people are often gunning for each other's throat, to lessen the rivalry several political figures had despite their unspoken ceasefire.
The veil confirmed his suspicions that this world was not a normal one. Just like back at his dimension, a supernatural occurrence happens in this world, and possibly supernatural beings, monsters like the Satori and more.
He had also read books whenever he was bored since he really didn't have anything to do. It was plausible for those mythological existences to be actually true. After all, myths originated from a small hint of truth.
Back in his dimension, many didn't believe of the existence of the Shinju, but it still circulated in the Elemental Nations as a myth. But in reality, that fact was actually true.
Whenever he tries to access the hidden veil, a surge of pain courses through his body, as if the veil was rejecting his mere touch and lashed out on him. A small function probably meant to remove intruders. It wasn't that bad since he had experience pain a lot worse than that, but that didn't mean that it was okay for him to feel it. So he relented until he had enough information about the veil before accessing or destroying it.
His thoughts were suddenly put into a hold when he felt a presence sneaking up behind him. Instinctively, a small knife slid down from the sleeve of his yukata and he immediately grabbed it as he spun his whole body and forcefully pushed the person behind him to the ground.
The knife moved towards the neck and he blinked twice when he saw the person he pushed to the ground. It was a girl, quite a beautiful one in his opinion. Having short hair that reached down to her nape, a small portion of it tied in a small ponytail, and the shade of pale blonde only accentuated her innocent-like look.
Her eyes peered through him and instead of feeling threaten, the glint he could see in her stormy grey eyes were that of amusement. She was dressed in a pink kimono, with the higher portion of the clothing shaded in a very light pink hue while the part below was colored by a darker shade of magenta.
The expression on her face could only be described as full of mirth with her eyes sending him a look that said, 'aren't you getting tired of this?'
Scratching the back of his head, he removed himself from the girl as he stood up and offered his hand. The girl merely chuckled at him before taking his hand as he helped her stand up. When the girl finished dusting the dirt out of her kimono, she spoke.
"Don't you ever get exhausted for doing that all of the time?"
Naruto merely rolled his eyes as he answered back. "Sure. Blame me." He remarked dryly before continuing. "I'm not the one who sneaks on someone who declared that he was a ninja."
The girl just let out a sheepish laugh before smiling awkwardly. "Sorry about that."
"I don't really care anyway." He stated dismissively before looking at the girl with a curious expression. "Why are you here?"
Shrugging slightly, a small smile graced the girl's lips as she looked up on him. Her height was only up to his neck so she had to tilt her head upwards. "I have the day-off today. And I was thinking that…"
Her cheeks reddening slightly, she began speaking. "…I want to go with you for the fireworks that would happen tonight." The girl flashed out a smile as she finished her words, though he could trace a small hint of worry in her tone at the end of her sentence.
"No." Naruto immediately refused her in which her cheerful demeanor instantly deflated. Running a hand on his hair, he gave a sigh as he look at the gloomy air the girl had.
If he wasn't immune on those cute puppy eyes she was sending him and the terrible pout that could only be describe as irresistible, he would've cave in and accept her offer. Thankfully, he had long become resistant to such advances. Being with Hyuuga Hanabi who often made that kind of face made him invulnerable after a long time of being exposed to it.
"Look–" Holding up his hands open, he managed to grab the girl's attention. "–It's not that I don't want to go. It's just that I have something to do."
A lie of his but ever since he arrived at this world, he had changed from the upbeat cheerful teenager to a cynical and nihilistic one. He was not in the mood to play with others, especially with those being two years younger than him.
Yes, the girl was only sixteen years old yet her beauty was truly one of a kind. Her charm was like that of a fairy, something to covet for yet something that shouldn't even be soiled by anything.
A small part of him wanted to treat the girl like that of a little sister, but for some reason, he could feel his mind not wanting to get close to anyone, rejecting every single one. He was thankful that the girl was stubborn at being friends with him, even though he had openly rejected her in the eyes of many. He really wanted a company, even just for a single second.
Tilting her head sideways in confusion, Naruto saw her cuteness and couldn't help but smile thinly. Yes, she definitely had a charm like that of a little sister. "Can I accompany you then? It's not a job, right?"
"Yeah, it's not a job." He admitted with a bit reluctance in which the girl quickly responded.
"Then–" He cut her off by raising his hand before speaking. "No, I'm going to be training by myself, and I would appreciate it if a certain someone would stop tailing me."
The girl was about to argue back when she registered his words. A small chuckle filled with nervousness escaped her lips. Apparently, Naruto had known about her stalk–err, observations all along. The blonde was just pretending until she got tired of it, but unfortunately for Naruto, she didn't.
He himself was pretty crept out by those observations. After all, it was just like a certain heiress of the Hyuuga who would stalk him down to the very ends of Konoha. She was the reason why he approached Hyuuga Hanabi in the first place.
At least the girl in front of him this very moment was interested in his skills, unlike Hinata who had mistaken her admiration for him as love. He had known all along that Hinata held admiration for him ever since he had saved her from those bullies back when the two of them were children.
The Hyuuga princess probably considered her admiration for him as a sign of her infatuation and love. Even if was truly sincere love, he didn't feel the same way. That was why he didn't give her an answer even after she confessed to him the time Nagato attacked Konoha. Since Hinata was a friend, he didn't want to break her heart.
Back at the subject, the girl was observing him whenever the girl had her day-offs, even when she was sick, she would waste most of her time observing him even in her frail condition. He himself was worried for the girl, since she obviously has an illness. Still, that sickness didn't stop the girl from doing whatever she wanted.
His eyes twitched slightly as he saw the girl shook both of his arms, with her eyes looking directly at him, her stormy-grey eyes meeting his cerulean blue ones. He could see the pleading gaze on the girl's eyes, giving him a stare that said, 'Please let me watch'.
After five measly seconds passed by, he sighed in defeat before rubbing his temple in indignation. He looked at the girl who was looking back at him. "My answer is still no, but I can give you the spar you want next week, that much I gurantee."
The girl's gloomy aura disappeared and it was replaced by a giddy one, a beaming smile was sent towards his direction. "After many times you rejected me–"
Another twitching of his eyebrows occurred as he chided the girl. "Don't make it sound dramatic." Only to be ignored.
"–I can finally test myself against you." She stated with newfound resolution as she grabbed the hilt of her sword, which was placed inside of a sheath that was tied to her waist.
It seems that offering the girl a simple spar was enough for the girl to give up. At least she would no longer be pestering him and he could have a short moment of peace and quiet. Wondering as to why he always rejects her whenever she offers a spar?
Well, it's because it would be hard controlling his strength against a normal human. Even though he sealed his abilities using fūinjutsu to the point where he was only a high-level jounin instead of an SS-Rank ninja for the time being, he was still bat shit strong, and nothing would change that.
Also right now, he didn't have Kurama's healing, so he didn't want to get hit by a sword technique that would attack a spot three strikes simultaneously. That kind of technique was ridiculous, borderline impossible even, for a normal human at least. But that notion was broken, by this girl! A normal human, a girl who was able to create a sword technique that managed to transcend time and space!
Is it possible for a single thrust to contain three instead and even occurs at the same time? He didn't know, but for some miracle, this girl was able to do so. And she was just a normal human who honed her skills in kenjutsu to its very finest.
What's more is that the girl managed to grasp the concept and principle of gathering the natural energy in the atmosphere when the only thing she practiced were completely synchronizing all of her movement and her breathing at the same time. She didn't even have a teacher!
Because of the incomplete process of absorbing natural energy, she managed to create a different technique altogether. The variation she created allowed her to absorb natural energy, enhancing not only her whole body but also her steps to the point where she could literally disappear and reappear whenever she wanted.
Her technique was like using the Shunshin without any consequences. He had heard of Uchiha Shisui being one of the fastest ninjas in existence, being able to use Shunshin as one of his arsenals in the battlefield.
Naruto was sure that Shunshin no Shisui's technique won't match the girl's instant movement. Just by sword skill alone, she was already a Kage level shinobi. Add to the fact that she could use a different form of Senjutsu, she was a High-Kage level shinobi overall. And she couldn't even use chakra! If the girl could do so, even he was sure that the girl would easily match and win against the Raikage when wearing the Lightning Armor.
An easy win wouldn't be the one he would imagine when fighting an exceptional sword master being able to instantly move from one place to another with ease. The only weakness she had was her poor constitution, but even so, that sickness did not stop the girl to continue improving.
So right now, he was only at high-jounin with most of his abilities sealed for the time being, so him fighting against a Kage-level swordsman that would be bad. He was sure that he'll still win against her, but unless he unseals at least a fourth of his ability, he won't be winning against the girl that easily.
Shrugging those thoughts, the girl started walking away as she turned her head back at him before waving her right hand. "I await our spar next week, Naruto-kun! Train hard!"
With those words, she left him alone as he sighed wistfully, staring at the sunset as he sat on the grassy plains. Even all of those training done, with two or three people befriended, it still wasn't enough to fuel him enough to have a new purpose in life.
He really wanted to bring peace in Elemental Nations and become Hokage, not to be sent in another dimension and start working as a bodyguard. But alas, he was that unlucky. The next time he saw Kaguya, he'll punch the goddess' face very hard without any hesitation. Besides studying fūinjutsu with hopes of being able to come home someday, he didn't have any goals in life, all because of her.
…
"Urk!" A cry of pain was heard coming out of the man who was lying down in front of the black-haired boy. On the man's chest were two knives made of ice, protruding straight from the heart. Dismissing the two knives, it dissipated, leaving nothing but a dead corpse.
Turning his back, the black-haired boy's cold eyes darted all over the battlefield, trying to find the location of one of his comrades. When he recognized an explosion occurring more or less seventy meters away from him, he started walking towards the direction.
Even though there were a lot of noises occurring in the battlefield, the black-haired man could hear his steps resounding loudly, like an echoing thump deep inside of his mind for every single step he takes.
When the black-haired man felt a familiar presence crept up behind him, he didn't bother turning around and just continued walking in a moderate pace.
"Aren't you going to rush over there?" The voice was obviously worried, but the black-haired man could trace a little bit of curiosity in the tone. He gave a mild shrug as he continued walking.
"There is no need to. Aka-baka will be fine, since as far as I knew, only I myself and you can match that idiot. Not even the crazy bastard can hope to fight Aka-baka. He might be cunning and all, but his strength cannot stand on an equal ground against the idiot. The only quirk he has is his Sacred Gear Canceller after all." He stated sternly as his eyes never left the area where the continuous eruptions of crimson-black demonic blasts were happening.
The man besides him just gave a mild chuckle and he was sure that the man was smiling. It was always like this after all. He would insult Aka-baka as always, being the stern and serious person like he was while Aka-baka would be the idiotic and annoying companion. Still, that didn't stop the idiot from declaring the both of them as friends, even if there was a ten-year gap between their ages.
After a minute of walking, they reached the place where the crimson-black explosions where happening earlier. But instead of fighting, all they saw was a desolated, ruined terrain; the rocks on the surrounding vicinity became grounded rubble, all of the trees in the area were all wilted while some of them were uprooted and the ground itself became nothing but caved craters. There was not even a single body in the area nor were any specks of dust.
On the largest crater, the black-haired man could see a crimson-haired man standing there with a tired expression on his face. When the said man recognized his presence, the man looked towards his and his companion's direction.
Two seconds later, the crimson-haired man managed to cross the twenty-meter distance easily. The crimson-haired man gave a grim smile as he approached the two with a mournful aura emanating from him.
"Can we take a break after this?" The crimson-haired man asked in a worn-out tone. After all, fighting your own kind, even if they were your enemy will give you the feeling of murdering your own flesh and blood. Those thoughts only made the crimson-haired man's feelings worsen.
"Tou-san had spoken that after this mission, we will be given two days' worth of rest. We have been fighting in the front lines for these past few days." The black-haired man responded with a monotone voice.
The man who asked just nodded his head in response before looking at the purple sky. "Why did blood have to be spilled? Things could've been solved peacefully."
"Aka-baka." The black-haired man called out towards the crimson-haired one, managing to garner his attention. He tapped his feet once and a magic circle appeared beneath the three of them.
"As long as every single being in existence have differences and conflicting beliefs, supernatural or not, peace is nothing but a figment of imagination. Even if we win this War, it is but a mere fragment of what you call everlasting peace. It won't last."
The crimson-haired man just smiled sadly and nodded, not even denying the black-haired man's words. "I know. Still, it's not bad thing to wish, right?"
The black-haired man just raised an eyebrow before the barest hint of smile graced his lips. His friend had always been an optimist, no matter what the situation was. And for some reason, it reminded him of something or perhaps someone. It was just at the tip of his tongue, yet he couldn't remember.
When the crimson-haired man saw the smile, he gave his own as well. A shit-eating grin appeared on his face before he started laughing heartily. "It's really hard to make you smile, but it's worth it. You look more handsome when you smile, Fishcake."
"He's right. You rarely smile after all." Their last companion let out a refreshing smile as well.
The smile on the black-haired man's face disappeared and was replaced by a noticeable scowl. "Shut up Aka-baka. I do not swing that way."
Still, those words did not stop the crimson-haired man from laughing and just continued doing so until all three of them were out of the vicinity, disappearing in numerous bits of blue light.
…
Grunting slightly, Naruto sidestepped as he barely managed to dodge a thrust that was making its way to his right side. He really should've unsealed even a fourth of his strength. Because of his idiocy, he was now struggling against the blonde-haired girl who was still donning a pink kimono.
His mind-boggling thoughts were disrupted as he noticed a swing heading towards his way, attempting to slice him into half. Reflexively, both of his hands moved synchronously as he scarcely manage to stop a razor-sharp katana. He immediately distanced himself from the girl and screamed out.
"I didn't even say start yet! And stop trying to kill me!"
"Eh?" She asked with a surprised expression. "But you said to me that I should attack you with the intent to kill." The girl logically retorted at him who was holding himself back from making another comment. The girl was correct after all.
He was the one who said that unless the girl attacks him with the intent to kill, she won't even be able to wound him. True to his word, the girl complied perfectly. At least the girl was still not using that absurd technique of hers.
He should've just shut his mouth instead of copying Kakashi. He even had a book inside of his yukata, since he wanted to know what Kakashi felt when he engaged Team 7 while reading a book. And Naruto was sure that it was a foolish move against the girl.
Two throwing knives slid from the sleeves of his blue yukata as he held the blades' hilts. The length of the knives were both proportional, barely reaching more than eleven inches. And the appearance of the twin weapons was quite unique, having two protruding blades with an inch open space between them.
If one would know their history, they would definitely see the weapons as symbolization of the Yin and Yang, having the opposite colors of white and black on its body, whilst the both had hexagonal outlines all over tinted in the color of red.
"Fine, come to me then." He pointed the black knife on his right hand directly at the girl who gave a sophisticated smile. The girl merely grabbed the hilt of her katana and she instantly disappeared from his sight. He leaned himself backwards, narrowly dodging a thrust directed to his chest.
He retaliated by throwing one of the knives at the girl who appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye. The girl easily deflecting the projectile, he used the steel wire attached to the rear of the hilt to send the knife back to his hand.
Letting himself fall down, he flipped himself upside down, using his hands as support while both of his feet started trying to kick the girl on her head. She blocked using the flat side of her katana and when her position could no longer block his kicks using the blade, she used her left arm.
The force of the kick was enough to make her stagger for a moment, almost dropping her precious blade. Using that as distraction, he quickly stood up, with one of his knives going for the girl's stomach. But the moment he tried to go for her stomach, his knife only met air.
The silhouette of his opponent disappeared, and he felt a looming presence behind him, with a katana pointing at his shoulder. He twisted his body as one of his knives barely blocked the blade from touching his skin, whilst the other hand went for the girl's left side but missed when the girl disappeared again.
His cerulean-blue eyes could only see the girl, standing away from him more than five meters away, with her katana's hilt held in an iaijutsu stance. Instantly, she reappeared, only a meter away from him with her sword already drawn in a flash. He ducked to his left side, successfully evading a strike meant to take his head.
She followed up with a sweeping strike and Naruto threw both of his knives to the ground, defending himself from the attack as he returned to his assumed form and used the steel wires to remove the knives from the earth.
He blinked twice when he didn't saw the girl in front of him and instead felt a spike of killing intent from behind. He leaned forward, managing to avoid the thrust directed to his spine and quickly tried to grab the assailant's feet. And when he managed to just touch her skin, the girl dematerialized out of air and reappeared in front of him.
A smiling visage of the pale-blonde girl could be seen in front of him, her sword unsheathed as she assumed a laidback stance, the blunt side of her sword placed on her right shoulder as she looked at him calmly.
"Damn, that disappearing move of yours is annoying. I can't even use my knives." Naruto stated with his voice filled with irritation. The girl flashed out a smile that said she was enjoying this spar.
"Stop complaining. I've yet to manage even a cut." Those words that came out of the girl's mouth were filled with enjoyment, yet her temperance was still that of a levelheaded swordswoman, compose and calm.
The smile on the girl's lips widened when Naruto felt something trickling on his cheeks. Touching his cheek, he winced when slightly he felt the soft touch of wetness before feeling the small cut on his face.
"I guess that's good enough." The girl stated when she reappeared in front of him again with the sword creating an upward strike, successfully nicking the tip of his nose, whilst he effectively evaded a strike directed to his chin.
This time, he managed to skid a few meters away from the girl before lunging at her, his knife going to her thigh. With a skillful maneuver, she easily parried the blade with her sword before inserting it back to its sheath.
While he was still airborne, in just a split second, she countered. She managed to assume a quick-draw stance and instantly, his left arm was received a gash when the blade was drawn with speed comparable to that of lightning. Unfortunately for him, the onslaught of her strikes didn't stop at that.
His left shoulder
His right thigh
The back of his left hand
His stomach
Only in a second, her quick-draw managed to wound not only one, but five parts of his body, all in different places. His mind could only settle for awe and fear at the girl. After all, in just that single strike, her sword actually targeted ten parts of his body. If it wasn't for the fact that he was agile, he was sure that those ten thrusts would've hit him without fail.
Despite the fact that he was stronger, he couldn't help but marvel at her unparalleled swordsmanship.
Not only she managed to derive and create a new style from her sword instructor, she also succeeded on creating an absurd technique and mix several other styles to her swordsmanship. Not only that, she could easily copy other sword styles and create a new one for her own use.
And one of those styles was unleashed at him.
Ichi ni Hikiwake, Mugen no Gyakushū (One Draw, Limitless Strikes).
She once told him her tale of fighting a quick-draw specialist who could strike three different parts of a body in a single draw of the blade. Due to her ingenious and talent, in that single duel, in a short span of time, she created a new style that surpassed the specialist and she named it as One Draw, Limitless Strikes, a style where she could create tens of strikes in a single draw of her blade from its sheath.
The fact that she could do that, it only proved that her sickness could not derail her progress of becoming one of the greatest swordswoman in existence. The swordswoman known as Okita Souji is truly a peerless sword master, unmatched and unrivaled.
Unfortunately, he tripped when he tried to move backwards, all because he wanted to avoid the continuing onslaught. Using that as an opportunity, the girl was already in front of him, lunging from the ground as she placed herself in mid-air, with her blade drawn from its sheath and was positioned directly at his heart.
"If you do not dodge this attack Naruto-kun, you'll die." Even though those words were spoken with the intent of announcing his death, it was eerily calm and composed. A small shiver went to his spine as he realized the current situation he was in.
The girl was planning to use her technique. If he really wouldn't be able to think of any possible way to escape this attack of hers, he would really die. Damn it, the girl was not really holding back.
He hid the knife on his left and used the knife on his right hand. He made a quick cut to his left thumb and smeared it on the seal at the back of his right hand, hiding the knife on his right hand in the process.
That was where the location of the first sealing array in his body. Removing this seal would release a fourth of his power, those would include his strength and speed.
His assumption of winning against the girl even when his abilities were sealed was wrong, dead wrong. He won't win against her unless he removed the seal that would at least let him regain a fourth of his power. He could feel his little bit of his power returning to him rapidly as the girl just finished her movement, thrusting the sword already at the location of his heart.
"Mumyou Sandanzuki." In this attack, the first thrust of hers contains the second and third as well, making this a technique that transcended time and space altogether because of existing at the same place and at the same time.
Even if one were to successfully defend against the First Thrust, all because of the contradiction of the Second and Third Thrust that exists at the same position, it would break through, making it impossible to be defended at.
The culmination of sword skills of the swordsman named Okita Souji. The genuine one-of-a-kind genius sword master who managed to bring herself to the very peak of her own potential and break through every single limit she had.
Add the movement technique which was developed because of her ingenious usage of the Senjutsu to her arsenal, she's practically one of the strongest humans in existence who only trained herself and perfected her sword skills to the highest level.
That was why he never wanted to fight the girl. Even if it was but a spar, she would never hold back and attack with full power. And this is what he got for underestimating her. Thankfully, the power that returned to him was enough to increase his speed fivefold, speed enough to make it possible for him to evade the attack cleanly. Blocking it was downright impossible after all.
He closed his eyes before rubbing his forehead as he gave a sigh of relief. When he opened his eyes, the girl was approaching him in a calm manner before reappearing in front of him, punching him hard in the face.
"Well, I think I deserve that." He rubbed his sore cheeks as he looked at the girl who was stroking her right hand gently. She looked at him and gave a mild glare before it disappeared.
"Why are you holding back?" She asked him with a little bit of anger on her tone, but most of it was just pure curiosity. After all, she was sure that she had proven herself to be a worthy adversary against the blonde, yet for some unknown reason, the blonde was still holding back against her.
This time, Naruto himself was pondering as to what he would tell the girl. He was sure that the girl won't take it lightly if he mentioned that she still wasn't a good challenge against him. But he also didn't want to mention that the gap between their strength was still large.
Reaching upon a conclusion, he nodded inwardly before looking at the girl.
"You see Sakura–"
Even though her name was Okita Souji, it was too boyish, that's why he changed it to Sakura. And he took her name after her appearance.
"–I'm stronger than you. I'm not sure how huge our gap is–"
A lie,
"–But I don't want to risk hurting you too much. Given that your body is in poor condition as well."
The girl gave a frown that would go unnoticed to most people, but he saw it. He gave a sigh. Apparently, Sakura wasn't delighted at the fact that he was worried for her condition. Partially true, but he often tends to use his newfound skills in this world instead of his body. And given the fact that Sakura herself can continuously disappear without any consequences, put her in Elemental Nations, only a few would be able to match her. He was sure that even Jiraiya won't win against an exceptional swordsman who can disappear and reappear anywhere she wanted.
"Sure." Sakura muttered in a low tone as she stared back at him. "But I'm fine. So can we continue sparring then?"
He looked at her with an incredulous look. Sure, they might not be going at it for even an hour, but he knew that the small spar they just had was fatiguing yet she still wanted to continue? He was starting to get worried, especially given how weak her body is. If Haruno Sakura or Senju Tsunade was here, they could've cured her of her sickness easily.
"Fine, but let's rest for an hour." He stated in a defeated tone as the girl nodded in response.
"Okay." She beamed a thin smile at him before continuing. "And this time I'll make sure I'm going to make you regret it if you don't fight me seriously, though."
"Feel free to try." The girl just pouted at him. He was still underestimating her after all. At least that's what running on Sakura's mind. But in Naruto's mind, he was going to take the girl seriously next time.
…
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
After a couple of editing and proofreading, I managed to finish this chapter and give a good enough chapter for you guys. I know that you guys definitely have a few questions regarding this fic, so I'll tackle on those that you guys might ask.
Why is Naruto downright OOC, if not slightly?
- The answer to that my dear readers will be revealed later. As much as I want to hide it, some of you or perhaps all of you might've already realized the answer, though I hope you guys keep quiet and not reveal anything. Please let the story move in a moderate pace.
When will the High School DxD Canon Storyline start?
- Perhaps I should say that it would most likely take more or less ten to fifteen chapters before I start on the canon. After all, you guys must've notice that Naruto is gathering his [Peerage] (though without the Evil Pieces, those would be later), starting with the cute and irresistible Sakura Saber. So it's obvious that the upcoming chapters would probably be about Naruto gathering his [Peerage] members and their circumstances. And if you guys say that those chapters are too short for more or less two hundred years to pass by, just this chapter alone, not counting the author's note already exceeded eight thousand so it should be fine.
Naruto's [Peerage] Members, I want to add one, can I?
- I have already decided who will be in Naruto's roster. But if you guys want suggest someone from other franchises, I'm willing to consider it, though don't throw me an only-girls [Peerage]. I want male characters as well. And no, I do not want Akasha Bloodriver to be a part of his [Peerage]. Yes, she's beautiful and all, but that vampire is overused and still is. No Kuroka as well.
Will Naruto have a Harem?
- I know that this is the most obvious question and I will say it right now. Yes, he will have a harem. Of course, Naruto x Serafall would be the main pairing, seeing that Naruto is a motherfucking sis-con! Haha! Though his sister complex obviously had a reason why it's there in the first place. No Kuroka, Rias and Akeno as well.
What is Naruto's current appearance now?
- Naruto retained his spiky blonde hair, though it has a few streaks of black in it, seeing that he's a Sitri in blood. His eyes are still cerulean-blue and he still has his peach complexion and whisker marks. The outfit he often wears is a blue kimono, having several snowflake designs all over the clothing and a black sash tied in his waist. He's in Bakumatsu Period. If I'm correct, the attire at that Period is suppose to be a kimono if they're from a wealthy family.
Give me your thoughts regarding the idea, and depending on your reviews, I might make this into a story.