man in the skull mask.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Fox talking''

'Fox thinking'

'Reading a text or a letter or a scroll'

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Naruto walked back from the academy office to his home taking a short cut through an ally and bumped into a man. "Oh I am sorry mister. I didn't see you." Naruto smiled a forced weak smile it didn't feel right to go to the academy with iruka not being their. "Oh its fine I should have moved." The man looked down at the young boy.

Naruto looked up at the man he had jet black hair and he wore anbu armor that was grey over a black shirt and black sleeves from his hands to his wrists that went to his mid bicep with black gloves that had a grey plate covering the top of his hands and what looked like gauntlets with razor sharp claws on his fingers with the kanji for dark the plates. He wore black anbu pants and grey and black combat boots with grey shin guards and the sleeves on his fore arms that matched the rest of the metal plates on the rest of his body on his right arm the anbu tattoo. He wore a grey metal mask shaped similar to a skull with a scar across the right eye that ran veridical about an inch from the eye slit.

"I never seen an anbu like you before." Naruto closed his eyes taking in the look of the man before him. "ah your not wrong naruto I've taken a liking to you and I can see your talent naruto I think you have the makings of a great if not the best ninja of the whole world." He smiled and patted naruto shoulder. (I know he's is wearing metal claws that are sharper than razors and he pats his shoulder just roll with it Please) naruto looked up at the man. "Yea yea! I've heard that one! Before!" naruto swayed as he said to the man and placed his hands on his hips and looked up at the man squinting.

"Naruto I'm an anbu black ops and I'm also a ninja and I always mean what I say." He smiled under his mask. "Naruto I'm going to train you to become a powerful ninja." Naruto raised his brow. 'Hmm powerful?' naruto thought. "All right I will train with you if you can make me stronger." Naruto said as he pointed at the man. "Ok naruto ill train you since you want the training we will start there is once week before you have to get back to the academy for your second year and by the time I'm done you will be very good ninja before you even finish the academy!" he smiled from behind his mask. Naruto nodded and lead his house he unlocked the door and let dark in and followed. "This is where you live?" he asked and naruto nodded. "I know it's not much but it is a better than where I was a few years ago I was homeless cause the orphanage kicked me out." Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Its home for me though I'm thankful the hokage gave it to me." Naruto smiled softly and looked around him. "This is my home and it's more than any one in the stupid village." Naruto sighed softly.

He turned to face naruto and walked over to him. "Naruto what's wrong? You aren't being loud or acting all wild." He said as he walked up to naruto. "Iruka was attacked by mizuki and was killed." Hum was all the man said as he walked over to the window. "Naruto there is a time for everything and everything has its time. I'm not originally from this time. I am but from a different reality but I come to this time in every one I travel to. I come for you naruto you're my dear friend the place I came from my original time It was not good their it was bad filled with hate and malice and full of war and I was weak I believed in peace it didn't turn out at all like my master had said it would have I failed him naruto I learned the dark secret of this world and with that secret came a power stronger than I have never known and now I am almost immortal the only way I can keep living is with your help naruto you're the reason I have lived many many lives and naruto their is something truly great in you!" "He smiled and turned his smile hidden by his mask.

"hu?! What do you mean?" naruto cocked his head to the side. "I know I have the fox with me it's kept me safe for five years ." the man laughed and shook his head. "Naruto call me de." He smiled and placed his rite hand on his right arm and the gauntlet disappeared into a seal on his sleeve. And he did the other the same way. He patted naruto's head. "I'm not talking about the fox I'm just saying that with my help you could unlock your maximum potential." He smiled under your mask. And naruto smiled up at him a true smile. "How do you do that?" naruto asked excitedly. "All it will take is a little bit of pain and bit of blood and sweat and you will be on your way to becoming a strong ninja!" he said with a happy tone. Naruto smiled up at him. "Well that shouldn't be to hard!" he smiled and nodded. "That's good to hear naruto and ill give you a little secret about the its going to be a bit painful at first and every time you use for the first few times its going to make your eyes are going to sting after you use it at least until you get use to using it naruto." he bowed his head looking at naruto.

From this angle he could look into de's eyes the iris and center of his eye were purple and a lose spiral appeared the silver of the spiral standing out against the purple his eyes had changed their morph complete. They were hypnotizing they were unlike any thing naruto had ever seen he felt a cold chill run up his spine. The look the, the vibe the eyes made him look and emitted it felt as if he was looking at the face of a reaper the angel of death. "Naruto this is the power I was talking about". De deactivated the jutsu and his eyes returned to their normal bright blue eyes. Naruto smiled and looked at his eyes. "Hey your eyes are the same color as mine." Naruto smiled almost yelling de looked at the little boy with a smile riding his face. "Hump I see that we do naruto." de smile only grew more as he talked with naruto through the night.

"So de what was that thing you did with your eyes?" naruto asked as he look at de's eyes. De smiled and sighed softly. "Naruto it's a special type of jutsu that occurs in the eyes and in the mind that gives the user the ability to not only read opponents moves and chakra it's called a doujutsu it's a type of ability that gives the user not only a lightning affinity and also another random affinity that will complement your own affinity. I'm going to go ahead and say your affinity is most likely going to be wind." Naruto was staring at de like he was a moron he had learned all about the chakra and blood lines. "no offence but I do know about all this but I will admit your doujutsu is one I have not seen I have already herd about all the current 2 eye types the village already holds." Naruto sighed as he explained. De smiled "yes that may be naruto but this type is like a combination of the two. But better it has all the strengths of both of them but neither of their weakness." He explained.

"But I will admit it is a little complicated. It is the key to for you to help me become immortal." He said the last part deadly serous. "So how will it work?" naruto asked. "Will I also become immortal?" naruto asked. De sighed "yes but all in do time naruto." naruto smiled as de handed naruto a peace of paper. "Ok naruto channel some of your chakra into the paper and we will know for sure what your chakra is." He watched as naruto channeled his chakra into the paper and it will split in half. "Ah! So your affinity is wind that is good." He smiled under his mask. 'Good this will make things so much easier!' he thought and sighed softly as he took out another peach of paper. And done the same as naruto it split in half and one half crumpled and the other lit on fire and burned to ash. Naruto gaped at the paper. "Oh wow you really do have 3 types!" naruto smiled up at the de. "Indeed I do naruto and soon you will naruto that is if you still want this?" he asked. Naruto nodded his head rapidly. "Yea yea I want 3 types to!" naruto smiled happily.

De nodded and smiled and set on the floor and crossed his legs. "Ok naruto set in front of me, and we will do this. He smiled as naruto quickly jumped to the floor and mimicked de. He smiled and watched de unseal his gauntlet and looked at naruto. "Alright naruto remember what I said about pain and blood?" de asked talking in a subtle tone. Naruto nodded squinting at him and looked at his now clawed hands. "Yessss" naruto said looking at his hands again. "Why do you ask?" behind his mask he smiled and looked into naruto's eyes. "Hold up your hand." He stated. Naruto compelled to his demand and held up his hand their palms facing each other In a rather fast motion he felt a quick pain in the tips of all his finger and their were 2 small poof's and his gauntlets were sealed and their were cuts on his hands and he pressed his finger tips to naruto's and naruto let out a gasp and his eyes started to burn and his eye sight now started to blur.

His bright blue eyes now changing to mirror de's eyes, naruto's eyes got the far away look like when he dispelled a clone memories flooded into his mind the overwhelming felling of his head felt as if it were being split into he let out a cry of pain and the world started to fade into blackness.

De smiled softly as his job was done the torch had been passed on to the next warrior of darkness the king of shadows. De stood up and picked up naruto and carried him to his bed and covered him up. "Naruto I'm sorry but the will of shadows has been passed to you. Ill see you in the morning." He smiled and patted naruto's shoulder and left the bed room and headed to the couch he took off his armor and laid down and went to sleep.

The next morning naruto woke up his eyes hurt like hell and he had a mind melding headache he walked into the living room. "Hey de what was that all about?!" he said in a low angry voice de walked out of the kitchen and handed naruto a small cup with a green substance in it smelt like rotting garbage and he grimaced at the smell. "Oh man this smell like rank butt!" naruto pinched his nose and sighed as he looked at de who was wearing a black mesh shirt and his anbu pants fitted with an unbuttoned black vest. "Go on naruto drink it will make your headache go away and your eyes not hurt so bad." Naruto sighed and slumped his head in defeat and downed the glass and the pain in his eyes and head instantly go away but his eyes still were left with a slight stinging sensation. "Hey it taste good but it smell oh man its horrid."

Naruto's eye brow starting to tick at de, because he was just standing their looking at naruto's wallet. "Is that a frog?" he asked slowly turning his head to naruto. "Yes. Yes it is." Naruto glared at de. "Got a problem with frogs?" naruto asked now aggravated. De shrugged"I was just thinking you were more into foxes than frogs. Is all." Naruto gaped at de. "I can't help it I like them both." Naruto shrugged.

"Any way what is this ability called?" naruto asked. De turned to naruto looked him in the eyes. "Naruto it's called keashopin. Also know as eye of the death god." (ok I know that that is not a real word with a real translation I made it up and it sounded really cool me is all after all this is a ff! )He turned and finished equipping his armor.

Naruto let his mouth fall open almost sure that it bounced off the ground and then let a smile grace his features. "That is so awesome!" he smiled at de. "It is naruto it's a powerful ability and you will get stronger naruto I know you will and you have all the memories off all the past there have been people like us for a long time naruto." naruto cocked his head. "What do you mean? People like us?" naruto asked.

De turned to naruto and walked over to him and smiled behind his mask. "Naruto the people like us shadow lords. I my self am a dark lord. Ok I must give you a quick lesson in chakra first."

He smiled softly behind his mask. "When a person uses a jutsu they expel energy and from that energy that uses both the physical and spiritual energies they create negative energy or negative chakra and that is what gives a dark their powers. There are negative abilities much like jutsu the hand seals are the same. But their aren't different types like fire and wind and water or elements like that." Naruto nodded taking every detail in and absorbing it like a sponge. "Naruto it's all one type in our case but I don't want you to use them think of them as a SS-type jutsu or a forbidden jutsu their not to be used lightly!" he said stepping closer to naruto. "You got it but will you teach me to use them?" naruto all but begging.

"I will naruto but don't use them unless you absolutely have to your going to have to use your new eyes to learn them they have been bestowed with in you all ready every jutsu I've seen and used every jutsu I have seen and the countless others since the time of our kind naruto." naruto smiled from ear to ear the new he herd only making him happier by the word. 'I can't wait to get to use them.' Naruto thought to himself.

"Ok naruto here's the deal tonight we will train and every night we will continue the training till the night before you go back to school and with every thing you have learned you will become the next ruler of darkness!"

He smiled behind his mask and brought his right hand to his mask and undone the clips with the other and naruto watched as he was about to remove his mask. Seconds seamed like hours as the figure before him was about to remove his mask naruto's heart started to beat faster with each passing second. The mask slowly fell from his face and naruto's face wore a look of shock his eyes wide as the mask was removed from his face. "Gahhhhh!" naruto yelled as his face blank no eyes nose mouth were present. The mask was set back into place and he laughed.

"You thought I was going to show you my face?" de asked. "YES! I though you were!" naruto sigh as he drooped his head. "That was mean!" he almost cried. De laughed. "It was! It really was but I couldn't resist that. I'm sorry." He chuckled at naruto. De looked out the window, naruto walked into the kitchen to get his morning fix of ramen. Naruto pulled the paper lid off the cup of ramen and filled it to the ring with boiling water and turned to face de. "Hey what did you mean when you said that I had all the memories of the past people like us? If that was true then why don't I remember them?" naruto asked.

"And are you immortal now?" naruto cocked his head to the side. De smiled and looked towards naruto. "Yes I am now and it is true but before you remember the past you have to die." He said as he stepped towards naruto. The boy raised his arm as he flinched trying to shield himself. "What do you mean I must die? You just gave me all of these powers?!" naruto said as he backed against the counter. "Naruto you must be born of darkness to inherit the will of shadows. You already know the shadow clone jutsu do you not? Naruto that is just the tip of ice burg! There are so many more things you can do once you awaken the abilities with in you!" de said darkly as he stepped ever closer to the boy who was now shaking in fear. "DE de don't kill me! You were supposed to be my friend!" naruto yelled as he was a step away from him. De raised his hand back and placed his hand on naruto's shoulder "hahaha you thought I was going to kill you?! No naruto it's just an expression. Yes you have the memories but there is a step that we have to take for the memories to be unlocked." He smiled and ruffled naruto's hair and smiled behind his mask. Naruto's face went blank and his eye brow started to twitch. "You're an ass you know that?" naruto turned his head and started to chow down on his ramen.

De just laughed and turned his head to the window. "Ok naruto to night we awaken your memories and your powers." Naruto smiled and slurped his noodles and nodded vigorously. De nodded and went to the living room and knelt down and meditated.

The day grew darker as the sun faded into the end of the sky the sight of the moon bore the time of the training would be started. De eyes slowly opened and looked at the moon his eyes slowly shifting the power of the moons rays giving birth to the keashopin he turned his head slowly naruto had sat on the couch all day eating ramen and staring at de amazed he was able to stay in the same position for so long and not move or even go to the bath room naruto noticed his eyes most of all the blood ability already activated.

"Naruto the keashopin is most powerful under the rays of the moon when the eyes are the sharpest when the reaper walks the moon shines bright casting its careful glare over the world guiding the hold of souls of those needing to pass on and leave this woeful life." Naruto was almost laughing at the words de had said. If looks could kill then naruto would have been set on fire by de his face was contorted in anger and he smiled the boy was not totally gone. He remembered something like this. That had happened to him much like naruto had been through. He moved closer to naruto and wacked him on the head. "HEY! Do you want to know how to control your powers!" he rested back and looked at naruto.

"Ouch! That hurt de!" naruto rubbed his head. "Ok ok I'm serous now! Lets awaken my abilities now." He said as he got up and slipped on his shoes and headed to the door de followed him and when they were out side they jumped to the roof and de took off and naruto followed him.

"Hey de where are we going?" naruto asked as he looked up at de. De looked over his shoulder. "Were going to training ground 44." He smiled under his mask. At the same time they both said in unison "the forest of death" naruto's face paled at eh words he had herd stories from the other students who had tried the genin test a few years back. "Why are we going their for?" naruto asked in a shakily voice. De turned his head and smiled under his mask. "simple to train the only other person that would even enter the forest is anko and she is off on a mission currently and the forest is all open for us to train the animals know better than to mess with me."

He turned his head to the quickly approaching forest. And stopped once he was standing at the gate be for him. "All right naruto this is where were going to train you naruto this is the night you are going to awaken you keashopin" he look at naruto through the eye slots in his mask his keashopin activating he looked up at the moon his eyes flaring to life and he waved his hand the gate swung open and he walked through and led naruto to the side then waved his hand and the gate closed.

Naruto watched in awe as the gate willed to his command watching the chain and lock unclick itself the chain moved on its own and to the side he then walked in and naruto fallowed him in and the chain and gate and lock and chain all reassembled into its previous state of a locked gate.

"All right time to begin naruto come on." De leapt to the trees naruto followed his lead and they both fled to the center of the forest not to far from the tower that loomed over the forest. Naruto looked around taking in all the moving creatures the huge bugs and animals that made this forest their home. "MAN! Did you see how big that tiger was? It was the size of a covered storage wagon!" de laughed and nodded. "Yes I did and it was a smaller one!" naruto's face was twitching and he was shocked that it was a small one. "Are you sure that it's safe to be here?" naruto gulped and looked at dark. "Yes I'm sure that it is more than safe out here naruto." de smiled under the cover of his mask. Naruto looked at de and shook his head clearing any traces of fear if de was here then he was sure no harm would not befall him.

"Ok de how do we do this? How do we awaken my keashopin?" naruto asked as he looked to de and then to the moon. De turned to naruto and looked at him with his keashopin fully activated "Naruto its time the moon is its highest point of the night its time to awaken your keashopin." Naruto smiled at de and de had a small soft and sad smile for naruto knowing that this will most likely be the last true smile that he shared. These moments will be few and far in between.

"Naruto there is something I must tell you that once you do this there is no turning back. The pain they all felt the love the loss the hurt and the joy their memories are all going to be yours. Do you understand naruto?" de asked as he turned to face our blond ninja. Naruto nodded and smiled softly and looked to the moon. "I am ready now de." He nodded and placed his hands up palms facing naruto. Naruto done the same and de struck naruto's finger tips once more and then his own and pressed their fingers together.

The memories unlocking each moment the wind of time blew merging the past lives of all the previous persona that had came before them each face shifted as each memory revealed itself each opening the their eyes and hearts to every feeling that was held with in each person just like the last the blue eyes that held a generations story a full life passed in a mere second and a new life unfolding every emotion every feeling of pain and love and hatred and happiness and every feeling in between the countless lives this secret that only one in a generation knows passing their life on to the next every hope every loss every corner of the know world all playing into the mind of our young hero and the counterpart before him the grains of time slip through the folly of this merging of thousands of souls is this what really makes one immortal? Or is it really the fact of passing knowledge to another of a small peace of a soul to gather in a single collective of knowledge placed in a single vessel? One thing was burned into the mind of our hyperactive and knucklehead ninja, the one persons face but shared by the countless lives the vast knowledge passed through them all and yet all belonged to the one single person the soul that seamed to be divided but not really, the collective made up one the same person a million upon millions times itself. Is the answer something or nothing? The thoughts inside the young boys head all sorting themselves out and finding a home in the mind of one naruto uzumaki.

The face the only face he knew in them all was his it was his face every one of the memories held in the head with his face. They were all him? His now activated keashopin eyes looked into the man before him.

His face was it his face to? Their hands split apart their eyes alike the man brought his hand up to his mask and unclipped it and held his right hand to the mask as his other hand unfastened the last clip and the mask slip out of place revealing a man with a face much like naruto's but with a more rugged features and the ever present whisker marks 3 littering each cheek of his face.

"once we experience a great pain naruto a pulse is sent in every direction in the universe that's when the shadow makes its will known and then its time to pass the torch to the next person that person is you but I never thought it would be at this young of an age naruto you have the memories of thousands of others in your head and so do I but that doesn't mean you use everything in your head no doubt you are smarter now but you will have to train your brain and your body to match the skill in your head and that's what I am here to do naruto I am here to help you surpass every one and do what all of us have failed to do." His eyes were full of sorrow as he looked down at the young boy before him the feeling of pain pricked his heart.

"naruto you must win against the fight that is to come one day you have to stop them naruto every one of my friends died naruto they were slaughtered like labs at an alter. Their sacrifice will not have been in vain if you can surpass us I know in my heart naruto that you are the one to do it the one that will defeat them." De smiled down at the young boy much like himself he had once believed in the power of love and the hopeful future of peace that would never come.

Naruto could only gape at the man in front of him. "You're me?" he asked his right hand on his chest and his left hand pointing at the man or…him? "Yes in a way I am but I am from a different world I used a jutsu to get here its called dimension jump it is only know by those who of the shadow court in your time this group will not come together till near the end of the last great ninja war or the few people who escape the jutsu of most evil ninjas." He said as his eyes fell partly closed a look of sadness shone on his face under the sorrowful glare of the moon.

"So all the memories of the 4th war are true each is a different out come of either or?" naruto asked as he scratched his head and then looked up at the moon. His keashopin shining to the moon "naruto its time you get the outfit of the dark court it is very similar to anbu armor but its any color you want. I am guessing you want orange armor?" de asked as he slid up his arm and bit his thumb and poof a set of anbu black pants and a black mesh shirt and a black vest that he would all grow into his armor is like de's but orange and he didn't have a mask.

Naruto quickly changed into his now outfit and smiled softly the memories of all the other naruto counterparts wore but each was unique he remembered that de's actual armor was cyan. "De what is your real name is it naruto to?" the small armored boy looked up at him. He laughed and smiled at naruto "Naruto my real name is dakure uzumaki like I said we all are unique naruto we share a soul but we are all different. But you can call me de." He patted naruto's head and smiled down at naruto. "We have the same last name so are we related or are we the same?" naruto questioned.

He laughed again and smiled at naruto "we are the same naruto kindred spirits." naruto nodded. Naruto looked at his hands and clenched and unclenched them flexing them out he had so many memories so many jutsu to master. He smiled it was like having a personal library of infinite jutsu in his head. Then a question hit him. He looked a over to de "Hey de I was wondering how dose his make you immortal?" dakure smiled down at naruto and sighed softly.

"naruto its cause I'm not immortal I will live on in your memories and in the one that you pass the memories to as will you live through the next and so on through the rest in a since it is in a since it is a form of immortality." De smiled at naruto and patted his head. "All right naruto time to start training!" he smiled.

Naruto nodded as he and de started to train naruto was a fast leaner picking up things that have taken a wile for anyone else to learn.

The week that followed that night naruto had personally been training from sun up to sun down until the point that when he and de would train at the forest of death. Naruto had improved by leaps and bounds de wouldn't admit it but he was shocked at how fast naruto learned. He had mastered over 25 wind type jutsu and their dark style. Naruto had his hands on his knees and panting loudly he had just finished his spar with de his charka was almost depleted from their fight de wasn't winded naruto could not understand he chucked it up to fighting in a war and being as old as he was. For a ninja 28 was a great accomplishment in it's self and he had the biggest amount of chakra naruto had ever seen. He smiled at naruto from behind his mask his mask and his armor was now its original color cyan naruto liked the color but his was orange and he knew it but if he would have had to chose another color it would have been his.

The little naruto slept during the nights he would have dreams of the past well someone's past their names and faces he knew like they were his own from what de said they were apart of him so in a way they were him and he accepted this he welcomed their knowledge and their flaws and their pain and joy he had never thought he would be this powerful but thanks to de he was and all the others like him.

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Ok second chapter is done the next is currently in progress. Ok so please don't be a grammar Nazi and all criticism welcome I don't really care about flames but please! Ill be nice to you if you be nice to me. The next chapter of "from the shadows". The next chapter of the story will be up in a little time as possible.

Chapter 3. Lurid fracture.