Prologue: Shit Keeps Happening to Me!
Naruto Uzumaki never considered himself brave. But when he saw those three men advancing on that purple-haired girl, he couldn't help himself. He picked up a rock, and threw it as hard as he could.
The rock flew through the air, hitting the man in the middle in the back of the head. It couldn't have hurt more than a mild sting, but the man and his compatriots were drunk, and therefore more sensitive to small things, like a small child.
"Hey!" Naruto yelled, fists balled by his sides. "Pick on someone who can fight back!" He didn't know what made him say that; those guys were easily three times his size, and had drunken rage to back them up.
The men forgot all about the girl in front of them, and turned towards Naruto snarling and running in surprisingly straight lines, considering how much alcohol they had consumed just a while ago.
"Uh oh!" Naruto took off running, the men chasing after him.
…
Naruto did not know how long he ran. Instead, he only knew that the men chasing him had gathered a crowd, a crowd that seemed oddly ready, and had chased him across town, to the small dirty alleyway that he was now trapped in.
The crowd of people advanced toward Naruto, freshly sharpened kunai just waiting to cut into his flesh. Naruto screamed as loud as he could, hoping that Inu-nii-san would come and help him, just like he always did.
But his scream just seemed to make the crowd happy.
…
Hatake Kakashi was many things: pervert, lazy, ANBU captain, and a cyclops, but one thing he was not, was happy. At least, not right now.
He had been called across town to deal with a small disturbance in a civilian bar, where three men had dragged Anko Mitarashi out of the bar and into an alley.
When he had arrived, however, he had found a worried looking Anko searching all over, shouting "Kid!" over and over again. Naturally, he stopped her and asked what she was doing, and that she already had a ticket for drunken misconduct already this month.
She had explained, rather hurriedly, that some kid with whisker marks had drawn the attention of three drunk men, and that a crowd had gathered, chasing the young boy across town.
Kakashi felt a cold chill in the pit if his stomach. He grabbed Anko, and they began leaping across roof tops in search of Naruto. They heard a scream pierce the air. Kakashi sprinted towards an alley where the scream originated from.
He found a crowd gathered in a tight knot around something, triumphant laughter ringing out.
Kakashi knew what they were doing.
His eyes widened behind his dog mask, and he charged forward, pushing through the crowd, Anko following behind him.
In the center of the knot, one of the drunken men held a kunai above a beaten a bloody Naruto. Kakashi shouted out, hurling his own kunai at the man.
The man swung his arms down just as the knife pierced his skull, and gravity did the rest.
The kunai buried itself into Naruto's chest, breaking through his ribs and stabbing into his heart.
Naruto gave a pained scream as the man fell back, dead. Kakashi yelled out, "No!" And a cold fury burned inside of him. The crowd, who used to be cheering, now froze in sheer terror as Kakashi released pure, unadulterated killing intent on them.
Drawing his nodachi, Kakashi cleaved through the first person he reached, spilling blood and gore onto the ground. Like a grim reaper, Kakashi scythed through the crowd, now screaming in fear, blood and body pieces splattering the walls, ground, and faces, roaring like a beast the entire time.
Anko cradled Naruto's head in her lap, running her fingers through his hair, muttering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," over and over again, tears running down her face.
Naruto reached up weakly, recognizing the girl from earlier, and wiped a tear trailing down her cheek, smearing his blood instead. "Hey…a pretty girl like you shouldn't cry…" Naruto spoke shakily, in great agony.
Kakashi appeared above Naruto, covered in the blood of the murderous crowd. He knelt next to Naruto's head, pulling his mask off, showing his face to Naruto. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I couldn't protect you…"
Naruto waved weakly at the man he knew as 'Inu-nii-san'. "Hey, nii-san…I missed you…were where you?"
Kakashi shook his head. Naruto looked at Anko, and smiled at her. "Hey…you have really pretty hair…"
Anko choked back a sob and smiled at Naruto. "Thank you, Naruto. Thank you for saving me from those men…"
Naruto waved her off weakly. "I wish…I could…be friends…with someone…as pretty as you…"
Anko squeezed his hand tighter. "I am your friend, Naruto. I'll always be your friend."
Naruto smiled a true smile that seemed to light up the alley way with a dim light. "A real friend? I can't wait…to tell…jiji…"
His eyes glazed over and he slumped, releasing his last breath.
Anko cried out in anguish, and Kakashi bowed his head, silent tears making their way down his face.
…
Inside Naruto, some thing woke. This being of great power looked confusedly around his cage. The last thing it remembered was being stabbed through by a giant, cold dagger.
But that was not the main issue. It looked out of its' cage into the hallway in front of it. Lights flickered and went out, accelerating towards the cage.
A cold chill crept up its' spine. It knew that feeling.
It was the feeling of death.
Acting quickly, it extended tendrils from its' body into the cage, infusing the body it was in with its' power.
I need biomass to work with, and there is very little in here. The being thought. But there are fresh sources outside. I must try and control this body, otherwise it will die.
…
Outside his mind, Naruto's body stirred, drawing a surprised gasp from Anko. His eyes still retained a glazed look, but his arm moved, pointing towards the nearest body.
Black tendrils crawled across his skin, jumping off his arm and crawling towards the body. It latched on as Anko and Kakashi watched, disgusted and little fascinated. The body started to break down, clothes and all, into black sludge that the tendril sucked up, gaining size and strength, branching off into smaller latched onto other corpses and started to feed.
Anko jumped back as Naruto's body squirmed, black tendrils covering his body. the kunai implanted in his heart gave a feeble wiggle that grew in strength until it was forcefully expelled from his body. The hole in his chest began to close, black tendrils stitching it shut.
The entire alley was cleared of bodies and blood, not even a smidgeon remained. The tendrils, thicker and stronger, sprang back onto Naruto, wrapping him in a cocoon of writhing black mass.
Kakashi and Anko stood and watched, mouths agape as the cocoon writhed and twisted on the ground. They were snapped out of their reverie by a sharp command.
"Inu, Anko!" they turned around sharply, coming face to face with the Hokage. And was he pissed.
"Take Naruto to my office and lay him in the bed chamber! Now!" He barked. Inu layer a finger on Naruto's cocoon, as well as Anko, and they shunshinned to the Hokage's office, laying Naruto on the bed behind the wall behind the Hokage's desk.
The Third Hokage appeared in front of them in a puff of smoke, looking down at the cocoon. He turned to the ANBU captain and the chunin, glaring at them. "Explain what happened. Now."
As they explained, the Hokage's expression grew steadily more and more murderous, until he looked like he would burn the village to the ground. He rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration, sighing heavily.
"Tell no one of what you saw this night, am I clear?" He ordered, getting nods from both Anko and Kakashi. "You are dismissed."
Anko spoke up shakily. "If it is alright, Hokage-sama, would I be able to stay with Naruto?"
The Hokage nodded tiredly, and she sat down, watching the cocoon fiercely, waiting for a sign that everything would be alright.
…
It wouldn't be until morning that the cocoon would shift, and begin to withdraw.
"Hokage-sama!" Anko called. "Something's happening to Naruto!"
…
Chapter 1: Revelations and Changes.
Last time:
It wouldn't be until morning that the cocoon would shift, and begin to withdraw.
"Hokage-sama!" Anko called. "Something's happening to Naruto!"
…
The Third appeared in the room as if by magic, startling Anko. "What is it?" He asked worriedly. Anko pointed wordlessly at the cocoon, that had steadily grown larger during the night, until it was about six feet tall, and three feet wide.
The cocoon seemed to be getting smaller and smaller, the black mass withdrawing into Naruto's body.
But when he was revealed, the Third and Anko could not believe their eyes.
…
Naruto groaned and tried to sit up, his eyes shut tight in pain. He recognizes the bed he's in by the feel. It's the nicest bed he's ever been in, the one behind the wall in the Hokage's office where he spent that one night, about a year ago, after the orphanage kicked him out.
"Jiji?" He asked quietly, feeling hands push him back onto the bed.
"Yes, Naruto, it's me. Are you alright?"
"What happened? I feel…weird. Like my arms and legs are too heavy. And my head feels like someone stuffed it full of wool." Naruto said.
"What do you remember about last night?" The Hokage's voice asked.
"I remember seeing this really pretty girl in an alley with these guys, and she was backing away, so I threw a rock at one of the guys and they started chasing me. I got cornered in an alley, and they started beating me and cutting me. And then I saw Inu-nii-san, and felt this really bad pain in my chest."
Naruto scrunched his eyes up, as if trying to remember every detail of what happened. "Then I saw the pretty girl from before with the purple hair, and she was crying…after that, I remember everything growing dark. Then I woke up I front of these cages in a sewer…one of them had giant, sleeping fox inside, and the other had a guy in a jacket and a hood lying on the ground, panting."
(Flashback!)
Naruto stared at the man on the ground in the cage in front of him, panting like he had run several laps around Konoha.
Before Naruto could speak, the man spoke in halting sentences.
"A dude? I saved… a dude's life? Oh, man… why couldn't you… have been a girl? That… would have been so awesome…"
Naruto just stared at the man in surprise. "Huh?" Was his articulate reply.
The man rolled his glowing, silvery-blue eyes at Naruto. "What? I don't get a 'thank you for saving my life'? Or at least a hug? Or some shit?"
Naruto shook the shock out of his system, and asked, "Wait, you saved my life? How? And who are you?"
The man stood up straight, no longer panting. He spoke softly. "Many people think that when you die, you see a white light. I flew a bomb away from a ravaged city-"
"What city?"
" It was called New York. Ahem, and as white light filled my vision, I figured, 'I've killed so many, maybe it's only right that I die to save so many more.'"
"How many people have you killed?"
"More than you would want to know! Stop interrupting me! AHEM! I felt pain. More pain than I could've ever imagined. It felt like I was being torn apart slowly; piece by piece.
It seemed to go on forever, and as far as I know, it just might have. When it ended, I found myself in a strange land, on top of a giant fox. A giant fox fighting a giant frog.
Right then, I thought I was insane."
"Are you?"
Shut up! A blonde man rode on top of the frog, doing something with his hands. He shouted something, and the air seemed to split.
The freakiest thing I have ever seen, just appears out of thin air, and stabs through me with this huge dagger."
"How big?"
"Really big! I don't remember much after that, except waking up in here, wherever here is. A giant cell, ankle-high water, and a whole lot of nothing. Except, of course, my 'roommate', that giant fox."
"WHAT? The Kyuubi is in me?"
"No, a giant fuckin' fox is!
When my cell started to go dark, I felt death approaching you, and me.
But I don't want to you to die. So I sent BLACKLIGHT-"
"What's that?"
" A highly potent virus. I sent BLACKLIGHT out of my cell, to take control of your body, and save your life, see your memories in the process.
And for the first time, I'm glad I'm like this. Because I saved your life. I'm also glad the lock on this cage purified the virus, otherwise, all hell would have broken loose."
"You seem like you would like that sort of thing."
"I would. And now, you are like me. Not human anymore, but something…more.
I was known as many things, back in New York. Killer, murderer, monster, terrorist...smart-ass, though you could probably give me a run for my money.. I am all of these things. But, I was a living virus, known as ZEUS."
"Who?"
"I don't know! Anyway, I'm not known as ZEUS. Not anymore. Now, I am simply a voice in your head, giving you direction, and help. I really don't know what my name really should be, but… you can call me Alex. Alex Mercer. Yeah…that'll work"
"That's a weird name."
"Fuck off, Fishcake! This is serious!"
"Hey!"
"I am Alex Mercer, and, like it or not, you are now my legacy.
You will kill, you will consume, and you will evolve.
You are Naruto Uzumaki, and you will survive.
You have no choice."
The man, Alex, coughed into his hand. "Sorry about that. But it's true. You have no choice but to survive. I can feel a little of what you feel, and I did not need to feel the knife to the heart, thank you very much. It took almost all of my power to save your life, and I'm a little worn out, especially since you absorbed most of my biomass, asshole. I wouldn't be surprised if the changes I made to your body manifested really soon. Are there any questions you'd like to ask?"
Naruto asked., "Could you teach me how to use your powers?"
Alex thought for a moment. Then he looked around the sewer that was this kid's mind. He grinned. "Oh, I'll teach you more than just that."
(End Flashback)
The Third and Anko stiffened. "So, you know about the Kyuubi, Naruto."
Naruto sat up, and nodded. "When were you going to tell me, jiji?"
The Third sighed. "Hopefully, when you were a chunin. That's what I planned for, anyways." He paused, slightly fearful of Naruto's reaction.
Naruto just sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I guess that's why everyone hates me," he said softly, slumping over. "But why would they hate me for that, jiji? I didn't do anything, it was the fox! Don't they know the difference?"
"But Naruto, what about Inu and Neko? Or Weasel and Bear? And Anko?" The Third prodded.
Naruto opened his eyes and looked at the Hokage, who took a step back. "Who's Anko?" He asked, unaware of the Hokage peering into his eyes.
"Naruto," he said, drawing the boy's attention. "There are people out there who don't hate you for what you carry."
"Yeah!" Anko spoke up for the first time since Naruto had awoken, a light blush on her face. "Some of us even want to be your friend!"
Naruto stared at Anko, not noticing the fact that he was taller than her. While sitting on a bed. "You…you really want to be my friend, for real?" he asked quietly.
Anko couldn't stand seeing the boy so down, so she did the only thing she could think of. She jumped on him, and began to tickle fiercely.
"What-? What are you doing? Hahaha! Let go of me!" Naruto laughed, and Anko smiled. "Of course I want to be your friend, you big dummy!" She pinned him down to the bed, which was surprisingly hard to do, and hugged him. "I'll always be your friend." She murmured into his shoulder.
Naruto hugged her back, savoring the warm feeling holding someone who cared for you gave him, while also ignoring the suggestions that Alex sent him.
And then he caught sight of his reflection in a mirror.
"Oh, KAMI! What the hell happened to me?" He flung Anko off him to get a better look at himself.
Standing in front of the mirror, Naruto would not recognize himself. He was at least five-foot nine, his blonde hair was longer and shaggier, and he had lost the baby fat on his face. His body was toned, but not overly so, and he was dressed in black shoes, black pants, a blue shirt, a burnt orange hoodie, and a leather jacket with two white stripes on the upper arm, and an orange swirl on the back.
ALEX! He roared mentally in his mind, What the hell did you do to me?
Alex sent back in a mock-hurt voice, What? You don't like the changes I made to you? Now you're faster, stronger, not to mention taller, and you'll be the best dressed!
Naruto was nonplussed. I'm fuckin' five and half years old! I look like I'm twenty! I can't go to the Shinobi Academy like this!
Alex huffed. Don't you think I know that? Your other, less appealing, form is still stored in your genetic code. You can switch back anytime you want, but you can't use any abilities when you are. This way you can go to the academy, and still chase some tail while not being associated with yourself! Genius!
Now, Naruto was confused. What's a genetic code?
Alex sighed. And biology. Hoo, boy, do I have a lot to teach you.
Naruto turned to the Third and Anko, who were looking at him in confusion. He quickly explained that it was the changes from BLACKLIGHT. He then looked into his eyes in the mirror, and saw that instead of his usual cerulean blue, they were now silvery-blue and faintly glowing.
He shifted himself back to his younger body, biomass swirling around him. He looked back at the mirror, and sighed. He still had the silver eyes.
Naruto then noticed something, more correctly, someone, missing from the room. "Where's Inu-nii-san?" he asked.
The Third shook his surprise out of his system, and said, "Inu had to patrol the village today." The Hokage turned serious. "Now, Naruto, I want you to keep this a secret, from everyone, okay?"
Naruto nodded vigorously. He knew what the villagers would think.
"So what do I do?" He asked, slightly scared.
The Third smiled benevolently. "Do what any shinobi would do. Train and learn to protect yourself. Use every resource available."
Naruto nodded, thinking.
Hey, kid. Naruto jumped in surprise.
What, Alex?
Ask the old man for some books on sealing.
Why?
SO you can use it to wipe your ass. So you can LEARN, JACKASS!
Alright, alright!
"Hey, old man?" Naruto drew the attention of the Hokage.
"Yes, Naruto?"
"Do you have any books on sealing?"
The Third frowned. "Why do you want to know?"
Naruto shrugged. "I figured that, I have a really complicated seal on me, so why not learn about it?"
The Third acquiesced, still frowning. "Alright, but promise me you won't mess with your seal, okay?"
"I promise, jiji."
Inside the seal, Alex chuckled darkly. Hehehe. Let the torture begin!
What was that?
Nothing! Heheheh…
A/N: This is the first chapter, which is basically the prologue and first chapter from BLN: Rewrite.
"Why are you posting this?" You may ask. The answer, may annoy you.
I am rewriting BLN, again. But! Before you get all angry, and scream, "WHY?" I have a good reason.
The reason I practically abandoned the original BLN is because I thought it sucked. And then…REVELATION: It didn't suck as bad as I thought it did, once I read it over again.
And then, I was given a dilemma: Finish BLN, or BLN:R.
After much deliberation, I decided to do both.
This could be called a rehash, but I'd like to refer to it as "The Parent Thing." Everyone knows that you need to different parents to make a baby. Both genes go into the baby, from two fundamentally different sources, and the baby is greater than the sum of it's parts.
Basically, I'm going to smash both of the stories, both wildly different, together, and make the result even better than it's predecessors.
I hope I didn't piss too many people off with this.
-Soleneus.