Name – Goddess (The Remix)
Genre:
Romance – The (beginning of a) romantic relationship between two characters of any gender.
Dark Romance – The (beginning of a) unhealthy, criminal, abusive or obsessive romance (that may be unrequited or one-sided) between two characters of any gender.
Avdenture/Action – The story contains fight/action scenes and/or the characters are travelling throughout a fictional world/place.
Fantasy – The story contains magic, including magical worlds, magical creatures and people who can use magic. There are also other elements that do not exist in the real world.
AU – Stands for Alternate Universe. This story does not follow the actual storyline of Naruto (Manga or Anime).
Overall Warnings: This story contains or will contain in later chapters;
Gender-bending – Some characters are of a different sex. Sasuke, Neji, Iruka, Kiba, Haku, Gaara and Hidan so far are female. Tenten is male.
Het – The (beginning of a) romantic and/or sexual relationship between members of the opposite sex.
Yaoi – The (beginning of a) romantic and/or sexual relationship between two males.
Yuri – The (beginning of a) romantic and/or sexual relationship between two females.
Character Death – Characters will die in later chapters.
Mature Content – (Later) chapters will contain violence, swearing and sex scenes.
Summary – Uzumaki Naruto, son of two legendary heroes, was born with a monstrous secret that threatens his dream of following his father's footsteps. He's living in times of war, discrimination, secret organizations and dangerous affairs. History itself has been tainted with lies and deceit. He will need more than dreams just to survive. Especially when he falls in love with the enemy.
Chapter I – The Sound of War
Naruto was separated from his fiancée and foster mother at the entry. While the two ladies were guided into a guest hall, Naruto followed a servant into the ceremonial hall just in time for the opening speech.
"Some of you may know who I am, but I suspect that most of you do not." An elderly man said. He stood proudly on top of a beautifully decorated stage wearing expensive embroided robes. He certainly looked important, but Naruto was one of the many who had no idea who he was. "My name is Mitokado Homura. I, together with my wife, am an advisor to our king and queen, who you will see later tonight."
"They're coming?" Naruto rambled nervously to the young man standing next to him. "I've never seen them before."
"Never?" The young man said disbelievingly. "The Royal Highnesses throw all kinds of parties and attend a good few too."
The young man was tall and chubby yet muscular. He had small doe eyes and long brown-red hair that cascaded down his back in spiky locks. If Naruto stood behind him he would disappear and he wasn't exactly tiny anymore. If it wasn't for the swirls tattooed on his cheeks and the kind smile on his face he would've been very intimidating.
"You're an Akimichi, aren't you?" Naruto breathed. "Yeah, of course, you've seen them. Rich bastard."
The words came out before he had even thought it over. He stiffened, waiting for the outrage and dramatic scene. He could get kicked out. That would ruin his whole year.
But the Akimichi burst out laughing, earning him a few annoyed stares. He ignored them and presented Naruto with a small nod of acknowledgement. "Akimichi Chouji."
Naruto initially looked at him in disbelief before returning the nod. "Uzumaki Naruto."
"Ah, so you're Naruto? I thought as much. Heard a lot about you." Chouji said, flashing a friendly smile that made him look like a teddy bear in chain mail.
"And what exactly did you hear?"
"That you're a fighter in more ways than one. Based on what I know about your background you shouldn't be standing here today, my friend."
It took Naruto a while to decide whether or not he should take that as a compliment. He nodded uncertainly.
Chouji chuckled. "Don't take it the wrong way. You're a bit of a legend in KWA now thanks to that. You've given people hope."
Naruto was speechless. "I... really?"
"Yeah. Half of Konoha knows your name. And, of course, we've heard of your engagement to the lovely Haruno Sakura. My advice to you is to plan a big wedding. You might get a lot of unexpected guests."
Naruto's jaws literally dropped. He really did not know what to say to that.
"And so it is both my honor and duty to welcome you, graduates from Konoha's Warrior Academy, to the Acceptance Tournament." Mitokuda Homura smiled haughtily. "Remember that failure is not an option."
00
After the opening speech they were all ushered into another, larger hall. Naruto and his new friend immediately headed to the tables that were stocked with food. While Naruto loaded a little bit of everything onto his plate, Chouji raided the dessert table.
Naruto felt rather lost after that. Though there were plenty of tables there were no chairs. As he scanned the hall and the competition he immediately realized that this room was used for 'socializing'. Clan members would seek each other out to discuss politics, business possibilities, alliances and perhaps even future spouses. They would also try to intimidate their competition by bragging about their skills.
Naruto wasn't interested in all of that, but he still followed Chouji around because he had nothing better to do. Unlike him, Chouji was approached by different clan members and, to his surprise, they were all trying to couple him to one of their relatives.
"Popular, aren't you?" Naruto mumbled around a mouthful of pasta.
Chouji shrugged. "Akimichis are known for our big stomachs and even bigger hearts."
"Still doesn't explain it." Naruto said, "No offense, but you're not the only one out there with a lot of love to give."
"It's not just about love, my friend. In fact, it's more about politics than anything else."
"Politics?" Naruto knew very little about how clans worked. When he had asked Sakura to teach him she had abrubtly changed the subject. That had been more than enough for him to know that some things were better left unknown. But his curiosity always got the better of him eventually.
"Not very familiar with clan culture, are you?"
"No." Naruto admitted instantly, not the least bit ashamed.
"Alright. Let's see, how do I explain this."
"Speak slowly and don't use big words."
Chouji laughed. "Okay, try to think of each clan as a country. Each clan has their own ruler, council, military, language, culture and skillset. They also have different strengths and weaknesses. In order to protect their weaknesses clans try to make alliances with other clans whose ability has an advantage over that which the other clan is weak against."
"Makes sense."
"Now, it's difficult to form an alliance with a clan for that reason because you have to give them something in return. Something that's worth going into battle for if they're called in for backup."
"Also makes sense." Naruto said, nodding his head and licking his fingers before picking up another chicken drumstick.
"Yes, but that's not all. Once they've found something to give the other clan in return for its help both clans have to make sure that the other doesn't back out of the agreement."
"And how do you do that?"
"Most clans do that through marriage. Each clan is going to marry off one of their own to live with the other clan. Someone important to them so they'll think twice before backing out since the other clan can kill that person if they do."
"Okay, I understand, but what does all this have to do with your popularity?"
"It's simple. A lot of clans want an alliance with us due to our ability."
Naruto raised his eyebrow, finding it a little difficult to believe.
Chouji smirked at the expression on his face. "Most clan-exclusive skills are either special or physical. Those who have special abilities are weak in the physical areas and vice versa. A lot of clans have abilities focused around element manipulation or magic, giving them a disadvantage in fights that require close combat skills."
"Yes, I know that."
"My clan has a physical ability that also increases our defense which is perfect for those clans because we're kicking ass in the front lines and protecting them with our high defense at the same time, leaving them free to attack from afar."
Naruto's face lit up with understanding. "Ah."
"Makes sense?" Chouji said jokingly.
"Yeah."
"Well, it's that or my stunning good looks."
Naruto sucked in a lungful of air, nearly choking on some peas. Chouji laughed and hammered his back.
"It's not that you're ugly." Naruto coughed.
"Save it, my friend. I can take a joke. Speaking of jokes, I see a good friend of mine."
Naruto followed Chouji, staring at his broad back in amazement. A clan member with a sense of humor. Now he's seen it all. He thought Sakura was the only one, although even she could be a bit stuckup sometimes.
"You sure know how to pick winners don't you, Chouji." A drawling voice snapped him out of his daze.
The first thing Naruto noticed about the young man in front of him was that he was handsome, incredibly handsome. He had his spiky, dark brown hair in a ponytail. His heavy-lidded dark brown eyes were looking him up and down, studying him with a calculating gaze and there was a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Several girls were eyeing him curiously, but they were ignored. One of the girls didn't take too kindly at that and marched over.
"Excuse me, are you boys free?" For some reason she was talking to Naruto, instead of the guy she'd been eyeballing.
"No." Probably because she thought he was the weakest link. Not being from a clan didn't automatically mean he was weak. The girl glared at him, looking hurt. He glared right back, holding his fork threateningly in case she decided to attack.
"Oh, I remember you." The girl snapped. "You're that blond idiot who couldn't afford magic class."
"And you're the dumb blond who failed magic class." Naruto fired back.
"Okay, enough." Chouji said sternly. He gave the girl a kind smile. "You should leave."
The girl contemplated it. She was beautiful with long light blond hair and light blue eyes. Her full, red-tainted lips reminded Naruto of strawberries. With a huff and one last glare at Naruto, the girl stomped off.
"Bitch." Naruto muttered under his breath.
"Name's Nara Shikamaru." Pretty boy said, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm-"
"I know who you are."
Naruto stared at him and decided he didn't like him. He didn't like the way he was looking at him either.
"You shouldn't just assume things about someone. You, of all people, should know that. You had no reason to treat her that way."
No, Naruto didn't like him at all. Besides, why didn't he go with the girl if he was so bothered by it? "What are you talking about?"
"The girl you called a bitch."
"What about her?"
"She was raped when she was fourteen and deemed unmarriable. She also had to endure bullying and harassment as everyone considered her a slut because of it."
Naruto's face fell. A picture of Iruka walking through the door battered, bruised and half naked flashed into his mind. "I... didn't know that."
"You just thought she was a bitch because she's from a wealthy family who paid all her classes for her. Ever stop to think that the reason she adressed you and not us is because she thought you wouldn't judge her based on the rumors."
Naruto flinched. He glanced back at the girl. Despite her obvious beauty few boys looked twice at her and the ones that did gave her look that suggested they were thinking something insulting about her. Even the girls she was standing next to looked unhappy with her presence.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are they blaming her for something she couldn't help? It's not like she wanted to be raped."
"Of course not, but that's not how some people see it. To them, she was asking for it by leaving with strange boys and staying out at night."
"Naruto," Chouji began, "Clans are very different from each other. Like I said, we all have our own culture, our own beliefs, norms, morals and laws. Some clans don't consider rape to be a bad thing. Some consider it punishment for bad or stupid behavior. Some even use it as punishment for bad behavior."
"But that's wrong!"
The two young men stared at him. "To you and to us, yes. But you must understand that they feel as strongly about their beliefs as we do."
"It's illegal. It's against the law."
Shikamaru shook his head slowly. "That law has many loopholes, Uzumaki."
"If you're being penetrated against your will by anyone or anything it's rape. It says so very clearly. I paid attention during that lesson."
Shikamaru gave him another assessing look. Something in his eyes softened. "Yes, but the actual law states 'anything regarded as rape is against the law' which means that if the clan doesn't consider it rape there is nothing anyone can do about it."
Naruto stared at him wide-eyed in disbelief. "You're wrong. That's impossible. Why would-"
"I have a cousin who was raped and died as a result of his injuries. We tried for justice, of course, but the ones responsible were from a clan who didn't think a male can be raped. In the end, the culprit got away with it."
Naruto didn't know what to say. He hated what he was hearing. He didn't want to believe it. He wanted to accuse the pretty boy of lying and smash his teeth out for it, but he couldn't move. His head was filled with pictures of Iruka laying on the bed next to his futon, crying silently when she thought he was asleep the day she was assaulted. But then the rest of Shikamaru's word penetrated his mind.
"Your cousin?"
Shikamaru nodded. "You've lived a sheltered life, haven't you? Away from the clans and the aristocrats. Whoever did that was smart. They protected you from a part of Konoha that is as dark as the night. Rape is a popular crime, Uzumaki. It's the perfect way to break someone without actually killing them and since a lot of clans have very specific beliefs about rape that differ greatly from the general law of Konoha there are a lot of psychos who get away with it. Sometimes because the rapist is protected by the clan laws, sometimes its because the victim will only suffer more if he or she reports it."
Naruto began to feel light-headed. There was a burning sensation in his gut that was making him nauseous so he didn't finish his plate. He didn't even notice that the crowd was beginning to move into another room until Chouji patted him gently on the shoulder. He followed him, but kept his distance from Shikamaru.
He only faintly heard a distant voicing speaking to the mass.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you have one hour to prepare for the tournament. Magical artifacts are forbidden as are enhancement seals. You are not allowed to wear your own armor. Instead you will wear the standard armor given to you by the entrance. Good luck to you all."
00
Naruto didn't feel any better even now that he was out in the open, breathing in some fresh air. He was looking at the slip of paper.
Hyuuga Hinata
His first battle was with a Hyuuga and, thanks to Shikamaru, he was distracted. He couldn't afford to lose. There was a reason why failure wasn't an option. Because most fights were to the death. Clan members especially were encouraged to kill their opponents. He couldn't afford to lose. He hadn't gone through all that pain just to die when he's got two women waiting for him.
They'd be watching from the stands.
Shit. What happened to his confidence? He'd had more than enough before bumping into that Nara bastard. Why did he have to start talking about rape? He wouldn't have been surprised if he had done it on purpose. According to Chouji, pretty boy was as smart as he was good-looking. Shikamaru could've deliberately chosen a subject he knew would have a big impact on Naruto to mess up his focus before the tournament began.
"H-hello..."
Naruto started and spun around which made the girl jump in turn. "Sorry. Didn't mean to.. uh, hi."
"A-are you N-Naruto?"
"Yes." Naruto smiled and couldn't help but think the girl was adorable. He wondered how she ever managed to graduate as he watched her face turn red. She didn't actually fit the description of a ferocious Konoha warrior-to-be. She was fumbling with the ends of her sleeves, seemingly trying really hard to pick up enough courage to continue talking.
"M-My name is Hinata. I'm your f-first opponent."
It took everything Naruto had not to burst out laughing. Not because he thought she had said something funny, but because he was tremendously relieved. The girl looked like she was scared of her own shadow. He had no reason to be worried.
"Nice to meet you, Hinata."
Hinata blinked up at him with a frown. "Y-you're underestimating me, a-aren't you?"
Naruto froze. "Uh, no." He lied through his teeth, "No, you being a Hyuuga is enough to earn my respect. I'll be giving it my all in our fight."
Hinata looked relieved. "R-really?"
Naruto seriously wanted to pinch her cheeks or pat her head or something. She was just too cute. "Yeah, really."
"I-I will do my best too." Hinata gave him a determined look before running off again.
"Not even an hour has passed since we left and you're already flirting with another girl?"
Naruto smiled. "Well, you know ladies can't resist my charm." He turned around to face his fiancée, "Hey, babe."
Sakura returned his smile, "That was Hyuuga Hinata, you know."
"I know. My first battle is against her."
Sakura's smile dropped. "Naruto, you're underestimating her."
Naruto's smile faltered before he waved it off. "She said the same thing. It'll be fine."
"No, listen to me. These people are sneaky. They never do anything for no reason. Her family sent her to find you because they knew you were going to drop your guard once you heard her stuttering."
"...Are you serious?"
Sakura gave him a look. "She's a Hyuuga, Naruto. She knows how to kick ass regardless of how cute she looks. Don't think she can't break every bone in your body just because she's a girl."
"It has nothing to do with the fact that she's a girl!" Naruto protested indignantly.
"I should hope so." Iruka said as she walked up to them, handing them both the tournament schedule as she joined them, "I didn't raise you to be a chauvinist."
Naruto gave them both a look that told them they were being ridiculous. "My fight's in fifteen minutes."
"We should head towards the arena. If you're late you'll lose by default."
00
It was only when Naruto stood in front of the gates leading to the battleground that Sakura's words began to weigh down on him. He could hear the excited cheers of the audience and knew that the king and queen were sitting in a special box that overlooked the entire arena. But that wasn't the worst of it.
He could see Hyuuga Hinata standing behind the gate on the opposite side of the battleground. She was dressed in the standard female armor and a menacing-looking tutor was whispering something into her ear. It was as if he was looking at a completely different person. She was looking him directly in the eyes, she wasn't fidgeting with her clothes and there was no cute blush on her cheeks. She looked like a warrior more than capable of ripping his throat out.
Naruto inhaled and exhaled deeply, shaking his shoulders loose and stretching his limbs out some more. He was nervous, so nervous that he was beginning to feel sick. If he failed now than all of his hard work was for nothing.
With a loud clank the gates began to open as a loud, disembodied voice announced that the match was about to begin and asked the participants to walk to their starter's position.
Naruto took another deep breath and walked towards the red dot closest to him, watching his opponent do the same. He glanced briefly at where the king and queen sat. The sight of them made him even more nervous. For a moment, he wondered if Hinata was as nervous as he was. If she too felt the need to vomit.
She did look rather pale.
That was all the time he had before his first battle began, signalled by a melodious bell. It was a beautiful sound, too beautiful to be used to announce something as bloodthirsty as a battle in a warrior tournament.
"Byakugan!"
Naruto back away instinctively, having learned the hard way to study his opponent before making a move. As far as he could see the only thing that happened was a slight change to her face. The veins around her eyes were more prominent.
He knew that some techniques were purely for bluff, to intimidate the opponent or enemy, but he couldn't just assume that this was the case. It was too risky. For all he knew she could shoot laserbeams from her eyes now.
They continued to stare at each other, studying the other's movements. The audience was deathly quiet, sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting and wondering who would make the first move.
It was Hinata.
She launched herself forward with surprising speed and began a fierce frontal assault. It didn't take long for Naruto to figure out that the girl was no stranger to close combat. It was actually safe to assume that that was her specialty. He had trouble keeping up, but he knew he couldn't back away fast enough. She would land a hit before he would recover.
He quickly formed the correct seals for his next move, muttering, "Kage bunshin."
As he had hoped, Hinata was shocked when she was suddenly faced with three identical opponents instead of one, long enough for him to begin an assault of his own. His close combat skills weren't nearly as fluid as hers, but they did the trick. He managed to land a direct hit in her face causing her to fly back. By the time she recovered, Naruto and his clones had her surrounded.
Unfortunately, she didn't look nearly as panicked as he would've liked, but he didn't want to give her time to form another attack plan. He closed in on her from all three sides, only realizing his mistake too late.
"Jukenpo: Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!"
He couldn't get hit by that. The first clone was dealt with within seconds and the information it sent him when it dispersed was more than enough to send him into a state of panic. One hit and he was finished. He wouldn't be able to move. But he couldn't dodge it. In an act of last minute brilliance he produced another clone to take the hits for him, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid all of them. She got him in the elbow and his arm fell limp to his side.
He was in trouble. If he got too close he'd be rendered immobile by her technique and probably killed afterwards, but he had nothing but a few shuriken and kunai to attack her with from a distance. His only chance was to distract her enough for them to land. He couldn't afford to miss, but those eyes... those eyes saw more than just him.
Hinata was closing in on him again. He created more clones to buy him some time. She took out two in one hit and suddenly it became hot.
Naruto tensed, preparing himself for another ability, but it never came. Hinata looked as confused as he did as it became hotter and hotter. The sky became unusually bright and then people started screaming. He looked up just in time to see a giant fire ball hit the audience. A piece of the stands flew towards the massive bell above the special box in which the king and queen were seated.
The sound of a bell echoed once more.