(I do not own naruto. I mean, it's pretty obvious I don't.)
Hero.
the term means he who saves others. He who gives up their own personal safety for the sakes of others, a sacrifice to keep the piece within the world around him.
Villain.
The term means he who harms others, who sacrifices that which he sees fit to achieve goals of his own making, even if they cause pain or death.
….sacrifice….
What does such a word mean? A sacrifice can be given willingly, unwillingly, even unknowingly. It can be an item, It can be time… it can even be blood or soul. For me? it means I lost everything that would have been mine before I even took my first breath. It means… that I was cursed to a life dangling from the strings of others. It means I was FORCED to live a life that wasn't mine… you may ask, who am I? well, I don't really know. Today, I turn five… such an amazing day. Tomorrow, I join the shinobi academy. Oh how happy I'd be… to step through those doors, to start my life as a shinobi…
I'll never get that chance. No… of course I won't. Because I'm a sacrifice. The one that keeps giving. Oh I don't know this now of course, I just think the villagers don't like me… but no. tonight… tonight is the day that I die. That I sacrifice myself once more. That I fucking spend another day in pain because someone decided I had to be the one to live this damn life… it could have been anyone. It could have been sakura. It could have been sasuke. Hell it could have been that damn bastard mizuki. But no… no…. it was me.
Me
Me
Me
ALWAYS ME.
….Because that is what I am. I'm not a hero. I'm not a villain. I'm not a damn monster… I'm too kind to ever be a demon. I'm just a sacrifice… blood to be spilt upon a long dirtied altar as a prayer to gods who never cared about the human race.. but tonight is different. Tonight…
The sacrifice… was denied…
I, am naruto …. and tonight.
Tonight was the first time I died.
(Streets of Konoha, midnight)
"KILL THE DEMON" "FINISH THE FOURTH'S WORK" "STRING HIM UP FROM THE MONUMENT!". These were the calls of a deranged mob as they surrounded and barricaded a small apartment block in the southern side of Konoha, each carrying tools meant to cause pain. Pitchforks sharpened to pierce, shovels serrated to cut and carve… hammers to shatter and break. Why were these tools in hand you might ask? Well the answer would come in the form of a small burlap sack, the sounds of a child's screams coming from within as the one holding it, a woman with hair of the brightest pink, held it aloft like a damned trophy. "THE DEMON IS OURS! TO THE RITUAL SITE". Any cries of triumph were cut short as one of the flailing limbs within the back clipped her, causing her to snarl with a bloody nose as she pulled out a snake styled dagger, the odly shaped blade pressing into the sack. "or maybe I should fucking gut you right here and now…". Her answer came in the form of the bag being taken from her, a sickening crunch coming from it as a tall man in shinobi clothing drove his fist into the side of it.
From the crowd, cries of triumph and victory echoed out in unison, enjoying every blow to the demon within the sack, the creature inside having its cries muffled by the cheers, its small frame falling still to the blow. The creature, terrified and horrified, felt it's body crash against the stone walls of it's apartment as the bag was swung against it, like a fish being finished off after being caught. He looked down to where the knife had cut against his arm, blood pouring from the small slice of his flesh. He felt, as the bag rocked back and forth, his body swinging with the item as the one holding it took no care in trying to keep the contents safe. He cried out in pain as more punches, week sloppy ones hit the bag. None of them seemed to be enough to harm his bones, but all of them were still painful. Punch, after punch, after punch hit his small frame… all of them blackening the skin and bursting the passages for blood under the skin. It seemed like hours before the bag finally opened…
Opened with him spilling out onto a stone table. It was obviously made with jutsu, even a child could tell… but that didn't make it any better. He felt cold iron clamp around his wrists, blades on the shackles latch onto his wrists to keep him in place as the same items were attached to his ankles, drawing pained cries from his lips. "awe, the poor little demon is crying~ should we let him go boys~?". The shouts in return drew smirks to the faces of his attackers. He watched as the ringleaders, a pink haired woman and a masked anbu stood over him, one with a strange dagger in hand… the other with a mask. "TODAY, WE FINISH THE WORK OF OUR LORD FOURTH! TODAY, AFTER SO MANY YEARS UNDER THE THREAT OF THIS BEAST AND HIS SPELL OVER THE LORD THIRD, WE FINALLY FREE OURSELVES FROM THE DEMON FOX!". The boy could only cry out as he watched the group come closer, some smirking with malice towards him, some with disgust. Each cry only made the woman's smirk grow, her hand reaching out to take the mask from the anbu next to her.
The boy could only watch in fear as her face, now covered by a horrific mask, turned to face him with… compassion in her eyes. Her hand reached out to grasp his cheek, a shuddering sigh escaping her lips as she spoke again. "but most of all… we free this poor boy from the taint of the demon… and send him on to a better place, free of the fox's control… with the Uzumaki death mask.. stolen from the third's office by his own anbu.. I FREE YOU!" her hand descended, the blade in her grasp cutting harshly through the flesh of her victim. For the boy below her, the world froze at that one point… this was it. This was when he died. He knew it would come eventually, he wanted to be hokage after all, there was always a chance he'd die on the field… but here? At five years old? When he didn't have a single achievement to his name…? "…se….you…"
The crowd went silent, all looking at the boy on the stone altar. His body nearly bisected by the blade as the woman ripped it from the 'corpse', began to glow as the chakra of the nine tails escaped it's quickly failing vessel, only to be snatched up by non-corporeal hand of the death god, called here by the mask being worn by the boy's killer… even he, the one who would be the one to take the boy's soul, stood to hear the boy's last words. "I CURSE YOU ALL! KAMI DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL, DAMN YOU FOR THE DEATH OF A CHILD, DAMN YOU FOR THE PAIN I SUFFER! AND DAMN HER, FOR LETTING YOU TAKE ME!". unable to speak any further due to the blood filling up his lungs, the boy just glared at the death god… he knew that this was his time. The death god on the other hand, just looked on with interest… not many forsook the rights of heaven of which this child deserved by damning his lady's name. "…very well, young one. If that is truly what you want… then damned they shall be. This is after all… your sacrifice".
The boy's eyes widened as he looked at the death god, looking at the long grey hand reaching down to his gaping wound. He felt the cold hand of death wrap around him, and pull… his body, no longer capable of holding his soul, fell silent and still as he left it, looking up to the deathly black eyes of the death god himself. "boy… do you truly wish to forsake my lady's name…? I am, after all, he who punishes the sinners… do you truly blame her for your sufferings?". Despite the fear he felt, the boy nodded, tears of blood staining the pure soul. "of course I do… if it wasn't for her… I'D STILL BE ALIVE! JIJI WOULD HAVE BEEN HERE TO SAVE ME!". the death god just stared into the eyes of the boy before him… he knew that, if it wasn't for his intervention, he would be correct. That same week, he had come to claim the lord third but had been stopped at the last second… leaving him bedridden, and the boy unprotected. He looked down at the boy's wounds and let a chilled breath escape his lips, frost appearing on the soul's form.
They both watched as the crowd, no longer unable to hold back, began to celebrate his passing. The altar was set aflame, leaving the corpse to remain as ashes on ground that shall never bear life again, the cheers of the sinners mocking the cries of angels above. He knew, what must be done. "then… you shall be judged by her. And her alone… come. We leave for my lady's court.". the boy could only scream out In horror as he was dragged into the shinigami's gaping mouth, the feeling of death taking over fully… only for his eyes to open, and find himself in the middle of what could only be described as heaven. Around him, sat 5 large thrones, each made from heavenly silver. "w-what the..?". "NARUTO UZUMAKI!". Snapping his eyes to the visage of the death god and her throne, he was shocked to find a mere child in the shinigami's place. "YOU STAND ACCUSED IN THE COURT OF KAMI, WHAT SAY YE!?". The boy just stood shaking, looking around at the gods around him.
The other gods, looking down at him with frowns, just sighed as they shook their head. "my sister was a fool to consider you worthy of the mantel of 'child of prophecy', boy. I, Amaterasu, motion to have his soul moved to the planes of makai till the time of his reincarnation.". the woman who spoke, a tall maiden with skin of a tanned bronze and long flowing golden hair, looked to her sisters with a look of distain, smiling as one of them lifted their hands in agreement. The next one to speak, another child with pale skin and silver locks, seemed to disagree however. "no… he was treated unjustly due to sister death's mistake lady Ama. I, Tsukyuomi, motion to have him moved to the celestial planes with his mother, so he may live out eternity with the life that was stolen by him by the fallen one!". As with the first motion, only one hand rose and this one belonged to that of the death god. As naruto's eyes looked at each of the gods, he gulped as his eyes rested on the one he assumed was the one to seal his fate.
"well sister…it seems we are not in agreement. What do you think should happen to this… boy, for the act of forsaking your name?". 5 pairs of eyes, 1 mortal, 4 godly turned to the woman in the center throne. Behind her, the moon and sun sat in eternal sleep, mirrored by the silver and golden eyes of the 'queen'. Her clothing, consisting of a singular flowing dress that seemed to spill down to the floor below her feet, existed as a tapestry to existence herself. Galaxies, stars, the endless beauty of space itself shining within the divine fabric. But what brought naruto's gaze the most, was the markings on her cheeks…neither tattoo's, nor birthmarks…but tears. She was crying, something that seemed to bring his own heart crashing down… he had made kami herself cry? "I… lady kami, ruler of the gods… motion for neither.". before her sisters could move to challenge her decision, they were shocked to see her embrace the boy. Naruto himself, was frozen to the spot… he was being hugged, HELD, by THE kami herself. "I'm so sorry… my child… this fate was never meant for you. You were supposed to become great, to live long into old age and bring about peace… it is because of HER actions that you are here today…".
At the word, 'her', naruto's eyes turned to a previously unnoticed throne… unlike it's siblings, this one was marred by cracks, rust, age and even blood, rendering it unsuitable for anyone. "….yami…". kami nodded, her tears halting for a few seconds as she turned to see the throne. "yes… she wishes for her child, the ten tails, to be returned to the world so she may bring about the blood moon… and her return to my court. For this, you… the prophesized slayer of this beast, had to die… so she tricked and manipulated our sister death into bringing about your fall. We of the court, cannot let this stand… so I offer you naruto, a chance. If you accept, you shall no longer be human, but one of our agents… for forsaking my name, you must be punished. But for our mistake, you must be reimbursed… will you, he who was betrayed by the fallen god, accept the mantle… of the Fukushū no tenshi… the angel of vengeance?" naruto just stood there, his eyes wide and shaky. A second chance… as a tool? Another life… as a tool? The only difference is who holds the leash...
His head fell slightly, his entire body shaking in ragem causing the gods to prepare for some kind of outburst. But they were surprised to see dead eyes slowly raise to meet theirs, empty words falling from a deathly voice. "…no. I accept the mantle of sacrifice… that's what I am aren't I? that's what I do… that's who I shall always be. But fine… if you wish to use me to take down the one who damned me… then sharpen thy blade, and cast me towards the one who you want killed… just stay out of my way". The gods turned their eyes towards each other and nodded, some hesitantly and some with enthusiasm, kami herself smiling as she stood up and looked at the soul. "very well… naruto. Then let it be known, you are no longer mortal… but instead, my soldier. Take up your arms child… and accept. My. POWER"
Naruto just watched, part afraid, part accepting as kami's form glowed lightly, only for chains to shoot from her dress and wrap around his arms. He screamed in pain as the skin turned black, charred as the metal seared itself to his skin, watching as the agonizing lengths covered his arms from the elbow to his wrist, finally pulling away as the ends came in sight, with… nothing. At the ends of these chains, nothing seemed to remain, a confused gaze meeting kami's as he went to speak, only for the god to raise her hands to silence him. "these chains are made from the bloodline of your now extinct clan… your mother's to be exact. They shall grow as you do, as will the weapons that shall be attached to them… and from your father, I give you the power of my chakra… take it. And bring vengeance to my fallen sister". Naruto could only scream as he felt his body BURN with the touch of silver chakra that sought to consume his form, the other gods looking on with apathy as he writhed in pain… only for his world to go black.
I am a sacrifice, born out of need and desperation. I am a hero, born to protect my lady's subjects…. I am a villain, born to damn those who deserve the pains of makai…. I am a sacrifice.
And this…
This was the first time I died… and the second time I was born.