Naruto: The Prototype
By Intimidator 1323
Disclamer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype and I most likely never will.
"The goal of evolution is self - conquest":
Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915)
Prologue: The Deepest Circle of Hell
BOOM!
A massive explosion was heard from the Valley of The End as two powerful attacks collided into each other in a battle of life and death. At first, only dust could be seen on the battleground.
What happened?
Who survived?
Who will emerge from the haze in one piece?
Who the hell is fighting anyway?
The suspense grew almost unbearable. But slowly, yet surely, the dust settled, and a lone figure was seen standing over his fallen foe. This figure wore an orange jumpsuit, had blonde hair, and three whisker marks on each cheek.
Naruto Uzumaki stood victorious over his traitorous former teammate Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto smirked slightly as he looked down on his fallen foe. It was a close battle, very close. Naruto had managed to keep up with Sasuke easily at the beginning even after his Sharingan fully matured in the middle of combat (I know it's not what really happened but fuck you it's my fic). It was only after Sasuke activated his curse seal did he actually manage to temporarily keep Naruto on his toes. To counter this Naruto was forced to tap into a fraction of the near limitless chakra of the Kyuubi sealed within him since the day he was born. After Sasuke activated his second stage of his curse seal, causing to transform into a demonic, vampire like creature with two hand shaped wings that enabled flight (like Naruto didn't have enough problems as it was), Naruto was able to call upon his one-tailed form and evened the fight. Eventually, in one final simultaneous attack, Naruto's Rasengan prevailed over Sasuke's Chidori and Sasuke was thrown into the large statue of his ancestor Madara Uchiha. This caused his curse seal to recede as he weakly tried to attack Naruto again. Naruto had dissipated the Red Chakra he was using, easily caught the exhausted Uchiha's punch, smashed it back into his face, grabbed his head, and dunked it beneath the water of the river that they were fighting on. Naruto held him there for a few moments until he stopped struggling and pulled the unconscious, oxygen-depraved Uchiha out of the water and dragged him to the shore. Naruto checked Sasuke's pulse and was relieved to find that he was still alive. All of this happened before the dust cleared.
"And fucking stay down this time", Naruto said under his breath while breathing heavily from exhaustion. He surveyed the historical landmark turned battlefield with amusement. "Well, other than trashing a landmark of great historical importance, job well done", he said while dusting off the gravel and dust from his jumpsuit. He looked down at his defeated friend. "Now then teme, time to drag your sorry runaway ass back home." Naruto began restraining said teme with ninja wire.
Unbeknownst to our blonde hero (can't believe I actually wrote that), however, he was being watched. The person watching him was someone he knew well; the man was his sensei after all. Watching from the nearby trees was Kakashi Hatake the infamous copy ninja. The cyclopean jonin eyed his students with very different expressions (as much expression as you can get with a person who covers three quarters of his face). One expression was one of intense worry, another of loathing and anger.
'Look at him' he thought angrily, 'taking in his accomplishment, gloating over nearly killing his own teammate with his demonic chakra'. Yes, despite all of his talk of companionship and teamwork; despite having watched over and protected the boy as a child, he truly did hate Naruto. He, like the arrogant villagers, blamed Naruto for the death of loved one's during Kyuubi's attack on Konoha nearly 13 years ago, more specifically his teammate Rin and his sensei Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage and Naruto's father. For years he kept an open mind, for years he tried to see Naruto as a person, as a hero as his dying sensei's last wish for the whole village was. He began to have his doubts, however, when Naruto accessed Kyuubi's chakra in order to defeat Haku in Wave Country. Kakashi tried to keep in mind that it could have just been a slip up caused by the boy's anger at Sasuke's apparent death. Naruto was typically good at controlling his own emotions after all. But now he had no doubt that the being standing in the valley was not Naruto.
It was the Kyuubi.
"Kakashi, you okay?", came a voice to his right. The Cyclops looked at the source of the voice, at his faithful ninja tracker dog Pakkun. Pakkun's size was laughable, but what he lacked in size he made up for in loyalty. The little dog was an expert tracker and had led Kakashi to the battle ground just in time to see the dust settle.
"I'm fine Pakkun, just have a lot on my mind", the jonin said in an even voice. It took all of his self control to keep himself from trembling in anger. It wasn't fair! 'Why did the Hokages defend this monster? What did they see in him? Wait, did he hypnotize the Sandaime? The Godaime? Is that why people change when they are around him? Why everyone who he encounters has life changing epiphanies that completely changes their lives.' He remembered Zabuza who sacrificed his life to kill Gato after Naruto told him how highly Haku thought of him. He remembered the people of Wave rising up against Gato because Naruto had given hope to little Inari. He remembered being told about how Neji did a complete 180 personality wise after his fight with Naruto. He remembered Gaara, a bloodthirsty, homicidal maniac who killed to prove his existence, change and finding a way to exist without bloodlust and learn to protect others. He remembered Princess Koyuki Kazahana, who started out as a complete bitch but ended becoming ruler of her people after Naruto inspired her. Finally, he thought of the Godaime Hokage and Slug Sannin Tsunade who had not only overcome her Hemophobia (fear of blood), but also overcame her hatred of Konoha because of her past thanks to Naruto. The Sannin thought of Naruto as the son she never had, and, even though she never said it out loud, wanted to help Naruto become the next Hokage. That thought angered him the most. 'Hokage! Him!' Kakashi thought angrily, in his mind the village would be better off letting Orochimaru be Hokage!
The worst part to him was that there was nothing he could do, nothing he could do to erase the monster from existence without having someone figure out that he was behind it.
These weren't the only thoughts racing through his mind however.
He thought of Sasuke's well being, wondering about his well being and, more importantly, his sanity. Who knows what the curse mark and fighting the Kyuubi had done to the boy's psyche? Who knew what the council would do to Sasuke when he was brought before them (take a fucking guess)? More importantly, who knew what Sasuke would do when he was recovered? Sasuke would not take this loss lightly. He would most likely try to flee the village again. There was hardly anything the village, nor himself, could give him in terms of power or ability. The curse seal was the most powerful ability he could use in combat. What ability could be more powerful or more appealing to Sasuke? The Cyclops didn't know of any!
No…that wasn't entirely true.
Kakashi did know one thing that could surpass the curse seal.
One thing that could be more appealing to Sasuke than anything Orochimaru could offer him.
One thing that would require an inhuman act to acquire.
'The Mangekyo Sharingan', he thought to himself.
It was true, the more advanced form of the sharingan was far more powerful than the curse seal and its power's were even more terrifying (both he and Sasuke have bared witness to this). In fact, if used correctly, the user would not have to take a single step in order to defeat any foe.
Almost all of the Mangekyo's abilities require eye contact to perform.
The Tsukuyomi, the most powerful and most terrifying genjutsu ever seen throughout the Elemental Nations. It takes effect once the victim looks into the user's eyes and once it takes effect, the battle is as good as won. The victim is taken into a realm of nightmares and madness where the user controls everything, including time. Days in this nightmare realm last only one second in reality. Inside this realm the victim is tortured for what seems like days on end in horrifying ways of the users choosing. This genjutsu cannot be broken by anyone except another Mangekyo user, anyone else is at the user's mercy.
The Ameterasu is another ability of the Mangekyo and is an extremely painful way to die. The user closes their eyes for a moment before opening them quickly. The moment this happens, the focus of the user's gaze immediately bursts into black flames. This "Black Fire" is the hottest substance known to exist, said to be even hotter than the surface of the sun. The fire burns for seven days and nights before extinguishing. The only other way to stop the flames is to either seal them or the user has to use the Mangekyo to extinguish them. Unlike Tsukuyomi, the user does not have to look into the foes eyes; he or she just has to look in the foes general direction and well…you know the rest.
Kamui is a Mangekyo ability that can be used for both offense and defense. When activated the point of the user's focus collapses into itself creating a vortex that sucks the foe into another dimension. This can be used to intercept enemy attacks as well as against enemies themselves.
Finally, the last known technique of the Mangekyo Shanringan is the Susanoo, the unstoppable warrior. This ability creates a perfect offense and defense. When used the user summons a large spirit made entirely out of energy. This entity is always different depending on the person who summoned it, and serves as the user's guardian. It will defend the user with all of its might. It attacks it's opponent in various ways depending on its appearance. The user, meanwhile, acts as a medium for the spirit itself. This ability is rare even among sharingan users, and is the most difficult ability of the Mangekyo to maintain. The user must act as a medium for the spirit and it takes the user's own life energy to maintain, causing extreme pain, and requires all of the user's concentration to maintain. This, of course, leaves the user vulnerable. Fortunately the energy the entity is composed of is nearly unbreakable and, since it surrounds the user completely, it makes the user nearly impossible to attack directly. Even if it is damaged it can regenerate using more life energy from the user, if the user wills it. The foe's only hope is to damage it enough or wait until the strain of its use takes its toll on the user and the spirit disappears.
Yes, all of these abilities are available to anyone who acquires it. The price to attain it, however is a monstrous one at best or, at worst, completely psychotic. There is only one known way to obtain it: the person must kill the person closest to them, be they siblings, parents, friends, or even lovers. The emotion caused by the loss is what causes it to activate.
There is also a price to pay for using it; repeated use of the Mangekyo will eventually rob the person of their sight, thus rendering them blind. This is because the techniques produced by the advanced sharingan require a large amount of chakra from the users eyes to the point where the eyes begin to deteriorate with each use. The only person who has ever found a way around this is the Uchiha clan founder Madara, and how he did this is currently unknown (to the people of the Naruto universe as of now).
So those were the main dilemmas on Kakashi's mind at that moment. How to get rid of the "demon" and how to get Sasuke to stay in Konoha and give him the power he needs to fulfill his goal, so he could make his deceased teammate Obito proud.
'How?', he thought, 'how can I find a way avenge Rin and Minato-sensei as well as giving Sasuke what he needs in order to-'
And then it hit him.
He knew a way, a way to accomplish both feats at once! A way to keep Sasuke in the village and bring about Naruto's death and have no one to pin it on effectively. 'I need to work fast and this is the only chance I'll ever get', he thought eagerly. But there was one thing he needed to take care of first; Pakkun.
"Pakkun, you can go now", he said in a worried voice, "I need to see to my students", Kakashi said to the little dog. Pakkun nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
'Good ', Kakashi thought, 'now that the area is free of witnesses …', he began to channel chakra into his arm and soon it was charged with lightning, '…I can begin'. He then rushed forward as fast as he could.
Naruto had just finished tying up Sasuke and was beginning to lift him over his shoulder when he heard a noise.
A noise he knew well, a noise that he would always remember because it came from an attack that had been used on him twice today.
The sound of a flock of birds chirping….
By the time he turned toward the noise it was too late.
The assailant's Chidori did not pierce through Naruto's body, rather, his hand merely attacked pressed hard against Naruto's chest. Naruto felt electricity running through his body and cried out in pain before falling over flat on his back. His body was paralyzed. He could not move his arms or legs. He was at his attacker's mercy. He lifted his head and looked at the man who had attacked him and could not believe his eyes.
"K-Kakashi-sensei?", he said shocked by the look in the man's eyes, "Why?", he said.
"Why? Because it needs to be done and should have been done a long time ago!", Kakashi said to the blonde, "Naru-no, no, the time has come to end this charade, KYUUBI", he addressed his "student", "I tried to keep an open mind all of these years. I tried to think of you in the way the Yondaime, my sensei, wished me, wished everyone, to see you as.", He continued, "But I can no longer continue denying what you are, I cannot deny what you have done, and I will not deny of what you WILL do if you are allowed to live any longer! For the good of the village, you must die."
Naruto took all of this in with immense shock and then realized what he should have known all along.
"You to huh?" he asked. "I should have known, I should have seen the signs, the choosing of favorites, the lack of training, the fact that you taught Sasuke your prized technique", he said coldly, "you wanted me dead just like those idiotic villagers do. You only see me as a mere scapegoat to take your pain and anger out on", he laughed, "you're an even bigger fool than I expected" he finished.
Kakashi kicked the side of Naruto's face. "Shut up monster!", he yelled, "you have no right to insult anyone in the village, let alone me, after what you did, after you took my teammate, Rin, and my sensei from me!", he growled.
Naruto laughed. "I wonder what they would say if they were here now", he said and stared at the clouds with a face as if he was in deep thought, "I don't know about your teammate, but I bet dad wouldn't be too happy with your decision."
Kakashi, who was busy cutting Sasuke's binds, froze and looked at Naruto in shock.
"H-how do you…?" he began asking when Naruto interrupted him.
"Oh please, it really wasn't that difficult to decipher" he said in an annoyed voice. "I've seen pictures of the man for Christ's sake and even Ero-sennin told me I looked just like him, not to mention the fact that he taught me dear old dad's original jutsu, a jutsu even you couldn't master!", he continued, "Besides, who else would the Yondaime seal Kyuubi into other than his own flesh and blood? Another villager's child? HA! He would never cause that kind pain to anyone; he would want to bear the burden himself." He lifted his head and took in his traitorous sensei's shock and smirked before continuing, "I figured that out all on my own and when I confronted Baa-chan about it, she confirmed it. In fact, I was supposed to receive my inheritance a few days ago but teme over there", he nodded towards Sasuke, "decided to throw a fit and run off and take the easy path in order to gain the power he so craves." He looked at Sasuke again with a look of mock pity. "Pitiful, isn't it? How his obsession with revenge continues to eat away at his sanity, and soon, so very soon, there will be nothing sane left going on inside his tiny little mind", Naruto said laughing almost maniacally at the so-called prodigy's suffering in the personal hell of his own creation.
After he was done laughing he sighed, "Anyway, back to the topic at hand, I doubt my father would condone your actions and mom would probably castrate you where you stood. That's right I know about her to!" he spat at the Cyclops, seeing his shock, "I know that I acquired her taste in pranks and her short temper as well as my more…sadistic nature", he continued smirking.
Kakashi looked at his former student with a look of shock and anger. "Don't compare yourself to them!" he shouted, "You are nothing like them and you never will be!"
Naruto laughed, "You know as well as I do that what you just said isn't true. You know that I carry traits of both of my parents. You know that when you look at me, you see your deceased sensei and his wife. But most importantly, you know that your hate for me extends to my mother as well, because your ego made you think that the only family dad ever needed was you!", he spat the last word with every ounce of venom he could muster.
Kakashi was even more shocked than before. Naruto noticed this and continued. "Still crying over daddy's, death are you?", he said in a voice of mock sympathy, "Of course you are. What a weak little man you are", he said laughing again.
Kakashi glared at Naruto, "Shut up! You know nothing about my father!" he spat.
"No, I don't suppose I do.", Naruto said smirking, "But I do know what you call someone who turns their back on the present and lives in the past", he smirked and said, "Cowards….or fools if you prefer", and laughed.
Kakashi stomped on Naruto's chest. "I said shut up!", he growled.
"Deny it all you want, it changes nothing!" Naruto laughed while breathing deeply and coughing from the pain, "You cannot deny what you are, a pathetic little man who lives in the past because he can't handle the present or future", Naruto said before laughing.
Kakashi kicked Naruto again and went back to Sasuke and finished freeing him. The cyclopean then took out a soldier pill and made him swallow it.
After a few minutes, Sasuke woke up.
"Where am I?", he asked tiredly. Memories suddenly flooded back into his mind and immediately jumped up. "Where's Naruto? What happened?" he asked franticly.
"You lost, simple as that", a familiar voice said. Sasuke looked at the source of the voice and saw Naruto lying down, unable to move.
Sasuke scoffed and said, "Right, as if a dobe like you could defeat an Uchiha elite like me", he said in an arrogant tone.
"Oh but it's true old friend, every word, my Rasengan sent you flying straight into the statue of your ancestor over there" he gestured toward the statue, "and if you still don't believe me, look at the mark your chest where my attack grinded into you."
Sasuke turned toward the statue and, sure enough, there was a crater in the leg of the statue. When he looked at his chest he saw a circular burn that seemed to have grinded through the skin around it.
"But how?", he asked under his breath.
"You underestimated me, something you do quite often when it comes to fighting someone", Naruto said.
"Sasuke", Kakashi interjected, "I gave a soldier pill to revive you and give you just enough chakra to use one more Chidori."
Sasuke looked at his sensei. "But why-?", Kakashi interrupted "so you can kill him," he pointed to Naruto, "and gain the power you need without having to leave the village". Kakashi continued, "Orochimaru can't teach you how to use the Mangekyo", he lifted up his headband and showed Sasuke his own Mangekyo, which resembled a pinwheel, "but I can."
Sasuke thought for a moment.
What Kakashi said was true; the Snake Sannin had no knowledge on how to use the more advanced sharingan. If he returned to Konoha, the Council would most likely pardon him because he is the last loyal Uchiha in the village. Besides, this way he would not have to give his body to Orochimaru. Sasuke decided to agree with Kakashi.
"Fine I'll come back willingly, but you had better be serious about teaching me", he said coldly.
Kakashi nodded and gestured toward Naruto. "You have my word. Now kill this monster so we can go."
Sasuke was confused. "Monster?", he asked.
"I'll explain it all later", he said in an annoyed voice.
Sasuke nodded and walked over to Naruto and stared at him.
"So this is it? This is how I die. At your pitiful hands", Naruto thought aloud.
"Pretty much", Sasuke said with a malicious grin on his face.
"Well before I go, let me tell you something", Naruto's face turned serious, "This decision will change nothing. You will NEVER be able to kill Itachi! I know this and I've only met the man once! He is more powerful than you could ever hope to be! The only thing you have ensured is that you are just like him", Naruto laughed once again.
Sasuke growled and kicked Naruto's face. "Shut up! I am nothing like him!", he snarled.
"Oh but you are", Naruto said smirking; "You just haven't realized it yet."
Sasuke charged up his Chidori, "Time to die loser."
"So it would seem", Naruto said thoughtfully but then became serious, "but mark my words, I will get out of this! If there is away to cheat death, I will find it! And even if I can't escape, I will wait for you in hell when you fail to kill your brother and die by his hands. You and Cyclops there can look forward to spending eternity in the deepest circle of hell, Treachery, where traitors suffer alongside the devil himself, and when your torment begins I will be there, laughing at your broken form, telling you 'I told you so'. One way or another I'll be seeing you both very, very soon" Naruto said and then laughed out loud.
"DIE!" Sasuke shouted and shoved his Chidori into Naruto's heart.
Naruto cried out in pain and then coughed up a fountain of blood. But somehow, despite his heart being destroyed, he found the strength to look at Sasuke and Kakashi and say "You…will…pay…for this", he coughed up more blood, "both…of you…will…be certain…of…that…"
And then the light left his eyes.
Sasuke pulled his arm out of Naruto's chest and he felt a strange sensation in his eyes. It didn't burn exactly, but it felt…uncomfortable.
The sensation quickly stopped. He looked into the blood and saw his reflection. His eyes resembled intersecting ellipses.
"Good", Kakashi said, "you have awakened your Mangekyo", he looked at Narutos lifeless corpse. "Now we just have to bury this body" he said. He dragged Naruto's body near the cliff side, removed the necklace Tsunade gave the boy and backed up while making several hand seals. "Earth Release: Rock Lodging Destruction!" he shouted. A large portion of the Cliffside came crashing down on top of Naruto, effectively burying him.
"Now let's get going", he said but turned to see Sasuke passed out because of the amount of Chakra it took to use the Chidori. He lifted Sasuke over his shoulder and began the long run back to the village.
Unbeknownst to the cyclopean jonin, someone else was watching this exchange.
In a nearby tree a head slowly emerged from the trunk. Half of its face was white, the other black.
'This isn't good', the head thought in two separate voices, 'The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is dead, Leader-sama is going to be furious when he finds out', the head shuddered at the thought before sinking back inside the tree where it had emerged from.
In Naruto's Mindscape
Naruto floated on his back in an endless blackness that surrounded him.
All was quiet at first.
But then a deep voice spoke.
A voice Naruto knew well.
Kyuubi's voice.
Kyuubi's cage and seal appeared in the mindscape with the beast staring at the drifting child.
"So this is it? This is how we end, through betrayal. Stabbed in the back by an idiot who cannot tell the difference between a kunai and the scroll that contains it. It looks like the villagers are going to get what they wanted all along in the end." Kyuubi said in a bored tone, he figured this would happen eventually. Humans fear what they do not understand. Fear leads to hate, hate leads to anger, anger leads to violence, and violence leads to…well you get the idea.
"No" a voice said almost too quiet to hear.
Kyuubi looked at the only source that the voice could have come from, his vessel, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze.
"What?" Kyuubi asked the boy.
"No" Naruto said again, "no, no, no, no, NO!" he screamed.
"It cannot end like this, it WILL NOT end this way, I will not die at the hands of idiots and fools, my life will not end at their hands, I won't give them the satisfaction!" he shouted before struggling to, and eventually being able to, stand.
There was still so much he had to do, a whole life he had to live.
A promise he had to fulfill.
A dream he still had to accomplish.
A girl whom he loved and longed to see again.
'It cannot end here!', he thought.
Kyuubi was surprised at his host's anger and determination. "It's a bit late to decide that now isn't it kit?" He told the boy.
Naruto glared at the beast. "Nothing is certain, there must be a way to escape this, there HAS to be!"
He looked into the fox's eyes waiting for the biju to respond.
Kyuubi thought for a moment. Was there a way? Did he, the mightiest of the biju, know an answer to that?
"Death is inescapable; no one can escape it, not even I. He growled at the boys tone, Nothing can save us short of—"
And then the fox remembered.
There was a way.
It would be painful and there was no guarantee it would work.
But if it did…
"Nothing short of what?" Naruto asked, annoyed the biju stopped mid-sentence.
Kyuubi continued, "I think I have a possible solution to our mutual problem."
"Go on."
"There is something I can do, but it will be difficult", Kyuubi sighed before continuing, "I carry the power to mutate living beings. I can change the beings genetic code so that they will become more powerful and be able to perform feats that are considered impossible by human, even demon standards."
Naruto caught on "like returning from the dead" he thought aloud.
Kyuubi nodded, "Among other things."
Naruto was confused "Other things?" he asked.
"Yes. What will change and what will remain is always different depending on the person or otherwise, because no two being's genes are the same. In the past I charged others with eternal servitude in exchange for this…but, considering the circumstances, I will bestow this gift upon you for free."
Naruto was intrigued but wanted a firm idea of what the fox was talking about.
"You have used this on others?" he asked.
Kyuubi nodded, "Yes. Centuries ago, I offered mortal beings this power in exchange for their loyalty", he told the blonde, "The effect was always different, but the result was always the same; the person became more powerful than before. I only had a dozen or so at any one time", he finished.
Naruto was confused, "Where are these servants now?" he asked the biju.
Kyuubi sighed, "This was before the Sage Of Six Paths passed his teachings on to others", he explained, "As the years passed, other mortals became aware of what I was doing and became consumed with fear. After learning how to control chakra, they rose up against me. Though my servants were stronger, they were heavily outnumbered and were defeated by the armies primordial shinobi, though not without losing most of their forces. Though they were exhausted and no match for me otherwise, I decided to retreat. I had been living in seclusion ever since. I haven't given anyone this kind of power since the day my servants were slaughtered", he finished.
Naruto thought about this for a moment. A dozen beings able to hold their own against entire armies? This was indeed, an intriguing offer. "Something like this doesn't come free and it certainly doesn't come without risks", he finished.
Kyuubi nodded, "Yes, such a large mutation would require a great deal of my power to perform. I have no idea of what kind effect of it will have on you, the person I have been sealed into, and there is no guarantee that it will work. Even if it does work, it might not bring you back."
"Really? Tell me more…" Naruto said intrigued.
In Konoha
Kakashi had just arrived at the main gates of Konoha carrying Sasuke and was immediately greeted by a group of Medic Ninja and a group of other civilians and shinobi, including one Sakura Haruno. Said kunoichi's expression of relief at seeing her sensei changed immediately to frantic worry at seeing the injured and unconscious Sasuke.
"SASUKE-KUN!" she shouted running towards Kakashi who handed Sasuke over to the medics.
"Don't worry Sakura he's fine, just a little banged up." Kakashi told his pink haired student.
Sakura immediately felt relief as she heard these words but continued to follow the Medic Ninja to the hospital with Sasuke in tow.
Kakashi sighed and turned toward the nearby ANBU who just appeared.
"I need to speak to the Hokage", he told the ANBU, who nodded as they both Shunshin'd to the Hokages office.
Naruto's Mindscape
Kyuubi had just explained the entire mutation process to Naruto, who was considering the consequences.
"So let me get this straight" he said breaking the momentary silence, "You take my DNA, twist it around like a kitten with a ball of yarn, and either I come out perfectly fine or utterly destroyed and become something inhuman either way?" he concluded.
Kyuubi nodded "That's the gist of it, yes."
Naruto thought for a moment.
Would it be worth it?
What would he become?
What would change?
What would stay the same?
Would he still be himself or someone, or something, else?
Would the people he cared about want to be around him?
Would they shun and fear him like the other villagers did?
"Hurry up and choose kit", Kyuubi said in an impatient voice, "I can't postpone our deaths much longer."
"Will I still be human?" Naruto asked after another moment of silence.
"If it works you'll be so much more, maybe even a god amongst men", Kyuubi answered.
Naruto thought of the one he loved more than anything and, after another moment of thinking, decided.
'As long as I can see her again, the risk is worth it. Besides what have I got to lose?' he thought to himself.
"All right", he said solemnly before looking into the biju's eyes, "What do I have to do?"
Kyuubi grinned, "Good, lie down on your back in front of my cage and I'll take care of the rest."
Naruto did so and looked up at Kyuubi.
"I hope you're right about this", he said sighing.
'So do I', Kyuubi thought before continuing, "A word of warning kit, this is going to hurt A LOT."
Naruto nodded, "I can take it", he said in an emotionless voice.
"I hope so", Kyuubi said as a large pool of red chakra slowly seeped out through the bars of the beast's cage and surrounded Naruto.
"It begins."
The moment the Chakra began seeping into Naruto, the screaming started.
Konoha: The Hokage's Office
Tsunade sat at her desk, staring at Kakashi who had just arrived a few moments beforehand, alongside the other members of the Konoha Twelve (minus Choji, Neji, Kiba, Sasuke, who were in the hospital, and Sakura who had refused to leave Sasuke's side), all of whom Kakashi had asked Tsunade to summon for this meeting as well. Other than Kakashi, each person in the room (who had a visible expression) showed signs of worry when they noticed Naruto was not here with them and was not seen arriving with Kakashi at the front gates.
Tsunade was especially worried, along with her apprentice, Shizune (holding Tonton), and her old teammate, Jiraiya, standing on either side of her.
"Kakashi, why have you called everyone here? And why isn't Naruto here?" Tsunade asked.
"I thought it would be best for everyone to be here when I deliver the news", Kakashi said in a feigned sad voice.
"What news?" the Slug Sannin asked, her heart beating painfully as she silently prayed that her surrogate son was alright, but she, alongside her teammate and apprentice and the other members of the Konoha Twelve, still feared the worst.
Kakashi took a deep breath before continuing, "Sasuke has been successfully retrieved, but…", he paused looking away from the Hokage.
"But what?", she asked.
"Sasuke…he entered a crazed frenzy because of the curse mark and ended up fighting Naruto and by the time I arrived…", he paused again.
"By the time you arrived what?" Tsunade asked.
Kakashi said nothing.
Tsunade slammed her fists down loudly onto her desk, "WHAT HAPPENED!" she yelled.
Kakashi flinched and, after taking another deep breath, continued.
"By the time I arrived I…I was too late", he said sadly, "Naruto is dead…I…I couldn't stop Sasuke in time", he finished his voice breaking at exactly the right moment.
The whole world seemed to stop for a moment as everyone took in this shocking news.
"No", Tsunade gasped. Kakashi sadly nodded and whipped out the necklace she had given the blonde and placed it on the desk in front of her.
"I'm afraid so", he said, "Sasuke killed Naruto before passing out from exhaustion. The battle weakened the Cliffside and caused a landslide that buried him moments after Sasuke had used the Chidori", he pointed to the necklace, "That was all I could recover."
At these words Jiraiya, immediately brought out the Toad Summoning Contract. 'There's one way to know for certain', he thought as he opened it. Among the names of those who had signed it, those that were red were the people who were still alive. Black meant the person was dead. Jiraiya skimmed through the names and found that only his own name was red, the Yondaime's and Naruto's were black.
"Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked.
"His name on the contract is black. He…he really is gone", the Toad Sannin said in a sad voice.
Everyone looked at Kakashi's quarter-revealed face and then at Jiraiya's, trying desperately to find any ounce of deceit on either face. When they found none, everyone in the room allowed the crushing pain to take them.
Lee immediately broke down crying loudly, unashamed, while Tenten consoled him, struggling, and failing, to keep back her own tears.
Shikamaru looked away from the others, hiding his tears, 'troublesome blonde' he thought while silently blaming himself for bringing Naruto along on the mission and for not being there to stop Sasuke from killing said blonde.
Shino had no visible reaction, but underneath his unemotional exterior, he was holding back an oceans worth of grief.
The two who took the news the worst were, Hinata and, surprisingly, Ino.
Hinata gasped and then, after a short pause, collapsed only to have Shino catch her before she hit the ground, holding her while she cried. 'No! No, please no!' she pleaded inside her mind.
Ino, to everyone's surprise, had collapsed onto her knees, covered her eyes with her hands, and began crying into them. 'I-I don't understand' she thought to herself, 'why am I crying so much? Why does it hurt so much? Why does it feel like my heart has been ripped out?'
But she knew the answer.
Deep down she had known ever since the day Naruto had walked into her family's flower shop two weeks before the Chuunin Exam Finals were to take place.
Flashback
Ino Yamanaka was sitting at the reception counter her family's flower shop sighing while reading a magazine.
She was, for the lack of a better word, bored. She was angry too, considering her parents had made her watch the store on her day off. Oh, and the fact that no one had come into the store since it opened didn't help at all.
Ino sighed, 'Why did mom and dad have to have plans today?' she asked herself, 'Great my whole day has been wasted', she sighed again before saying, in an exasperating voice "This is the most boring day of my life!"
Just then the bell ringed, signaling that someone had entered the store. She looked up and her eyes widened in shock in response to who had just walked in.
There stood Naruto Uzumaki, in all of his glory, holding a wilted potted plant in both hands.
'I can't believe I'm doing this', he thought to himself as he walked up to the counter. He wasn't exactly fond of asking Konoha's second biggest queen of gossip for help and was afraid she would make a scene out of it.
After a few moments, Ino had gotten over her shock and asked the question clouding every inch of her mind.
"Naruto? What are you doing here and why are you carrying that?" she asked confused.
Naruto placed the plant onto the counter. "I think this one needs help", he said.
Ino stared at him. "This one? You mean you have more?" she asked.
"Yeah so…" he said.
"So…since when do you garden?" she asked annoyed at his answer.
"Since always", he answered simplely, "now can you help or not?" he asked annoyed.
Ino rolled her eyes and then examined the potted plant in front of her. "The soil is too moist" she said, "you watered it too much and too often" she finished looking at him like it was obvious.
"God dammit all to hell! I should have known. I'm always worried about under watering while on missions", he said angrily. He then looked up at Ino's shocked face, "Pardon my language", he amended quickly, clearing his throat.
Ino smiled and rolled her eyes, "Forget it. I have some special fertilizer in the back that could help", she offered.
He smiled back and gestured forward, "lead the way."
Naruto followed her into the back of the shop and watched as she searched through the shelves.
Breaking the silence Ino asked, "So how's Sasuke-kun?"
Naruto rolled his eyes, "Still arrogant, still wallowing in self-pity, and still being an idiot as always" he answered and then jumped back when Ino turned and took a swing at him for that last comment.
"Sasuke-kun isn't an idiot!" she shouted.
Naruto smirked, "Yes he is, all you have to do is look at him from a non-fan girl point of view."
Ino growled and Naruto laughed at her pouty expression. "You're so cute when you're angry."
These words brought Ino out of her angry glare and caused her to blush while she looked at her feet.
"R-really?" she asked uncertainly.
"Yes", he answered smiling, "very cute."
Ino blushed even more and went back to looking through the shelves.
Naruto watched as she arched her back while reaching for the top shelves.
'Damn she's gorgeous', he thought as he caught himself staring at her, 'wait, what the fuck did I just think?'
Ino turned her head to look behind her and saw his face as he stared at her. She smiled and decided to tease him back.
"And just what are you staring at?" she asked in the most innocent voice she could muster, swaying her hips slightly while putting her index finger on her lip and batting her eyelashes at him.
He blushed and said "Umm, n-nothing i-it's just that you're so beautiful", he spluttered and then mentally kicked himself for saying that.
Ino blushed at an intensity that would put Hinata to shame.
"D-do you really think so?" she asked stuttering slightly.
"Y-yeah, yeah I do, I really do" he answered.
She smiled, for some reason, Ino felt like she was on top of the world; Naruto had just made her day. What she did next surprised both of them. She walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek and said "thank you", before her thoughts caught up to her actions. They both blushed and Ino mumbled an apology before looking through the shelves again.
'Now that I think about it, he is pretty cute', she thought, 'wait did I just think that?' she asked herself.
After a few awkward moments of silence, Naruto asked Ino something he had always wondered about both her and Sakura.
"Ino?" he asked.
"Yes Naruto?" she responded still looking through the shelves.
He took a deep breath before asking, "Why do you fawn over Sasuke?"
Ino froze.
For the first time in her life, she asked herself the same question. She wasn't sure how to answer that. "Because he's talented and he's hot". That would be the shallow yet honest answer that Sasuke's other fan girls, including Sakura, would have answered. But to Ino, it seemed to shallow and pathetic. When she realized that she was the exact same way, she began crying. She thought she was different from the others.
"Ino?" Naruto asked shocked at seeing tears in her eyes. He walked forward and put his hands on her shoulders. "Ino, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Ino looked at him with tears rolling down her face. "I don't know", she said, "I d-don't know why I l-like Sasuke. I-I've never asked myself that b-before", she continued, "I t-think its b-because he's cute and t-talented but that seems so shallow", she cried even harder before saying, "I used to think I was unique and special, d-different than the other girls. B-but the truth is, I'm no d-different than they a-are, I'm just as p-pathetic and sh-shallow as th-they are", she finished.
Naruto was shocked and felt horrible for asking her. He looked into her tear-filled eyes and couldn't stand to see this angelic being before him in so much pain. Without any hesitation, he closed the distance and wrapped his arms around her.
"Shh, Ino, Shh" he whispered to her, "I'm sorry for asking you, it's okay, don't cry, please don't cry", he crooned.
Ino was shocked, but returned his embrace.
"I-I'm s-sorry", she stuttered, "I j-just hate k-knowing how p-pitiful and w-weak I r-really am", she explained weakly.
Naruto growled "Stop it!" he said angrily.
Ino looked at him before looking away and began crying more 'he thinks I'm pathetic too' she thought sadly.
Naruto grabbed her chin between his thumb and index finger and brought it up so she had to look at him.
"You listen to me" he said seriously, "you are NOT weak, you are NOT pathetic, and you are NOT like the other girls. You are a kind, caring, beautiful young woman who deserves love and happiness. You are above those other girls. They are blind fanatics who are too STUPID to realize their own useless idiocy!" he shouted.
Ino stared at him in shock, "B-but I-I'm one of those g-girls." She reminded him. Naruto shook his head.
"You were one", he corrected, "but only because you were caught in this fad", he said the last word with disgust, "But you are not the problem", he continued, "He is. He's too caught up in his own self-pity too realize that almost every girl he meets wants him. Even a goddess like yourself", he took a deep breath before continuing, "You wonder why I call him an idiot? That's why." Naruto finished.
Ino was both shocked and deeply touched at his words. "G-goddess? Me?", she asked hesitantly.
He smiled and nodded, "Yes Ino, you are more beautiful all of the flowers inside and outside of this store combined…I just never noticed it until now." he finished with a firm conviction.
Ino had never felt so happy and appreciated in her entire life. She couldn't contain herself any more.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, closed her eyes, and kissed him passionately with as much force as she could muster, which was enough to knock them both to the ground with her on top of him.
Naruto's eyes widened for a moment in shock before, he to, closed his eyes and kissed her back just as passionately.
Their lips grinded and moved against each other's and, soon, their tongues entered the fray, each fought for dominancy against the other.
'She tastes amazing!', he thought to himself tasting a flavor that was almost floral on her tongue.
'He tastes like…miso ramen?' she thought, 'mmm…not bad!', she then deepened the kiss.
They passionately made out on the floor for well over thirty minutes before reluctantly pulling apart.
They stared at each other with blank stares before they both blushed while gasping for air.
"Sorry", Ino said.
Naruto smiled at her "Don't be", he told her.
Ino then noticed a small package lying next to them noticed it was the same fertilizer she was trying to find for him. "Found it", she said while blushing. Naruto laughed, "So you have."
The two then got up and dusted themselves off before heading back to the reception desk.
"So…what do I owe you?", Naruto asked.
Ino giggled before pulling him in for another passionate kiss that lasted for about five minutes before they broke apart.
"That'll do" she said while grinning.
"Are you sure?" Naruto asked.
"Definitely", she answered, "especially since you helped cheer me up and you gave me the perfect first kiss." she said smiling.
Naruto smirked, "well, in that case", he said smiling slyly, "keep the change."
She smiled and licked her lips seductively, "oh I will Naruto-kun, I will" she promised.
Naruto picked up his plant and the bag and fertilizer.
"Umm Ino-chan, do you want to go out with me sometime?" he asked hopefully.
Ino made a face as if she was in deep thought, "Well, I'll have to think about it….okay!" she said smiling, "how about this Friday at eight?" she offered.
"Sounds good, see you then Angel", Naruto said smiling and as he left Ino blew him a goodbye kiss while blushing at the nickname he gave her.
Naruto walked down the street with a new spring in his step smiling a very goofy smile on his face despite himself. 'I have a feeling that my life is going to get a whole lot better from here on out', he thought to himself. All of a sudden a voice at the back of his mind (not Kyuubi) asked 'what about Sakura-chan?' 'Who?' he thought back while grinning even more.
At the same time, Ino sat at the counter and began daydreaming. 'Angel? Me?' she thought, pausing before continuing, 'I take it back. This isn't the most boring day of my life. It's the GREATEST day of my life.' She thought while cheering internally. A voice at the back of her mind asked 'what about Sasuke-kun?' 'Who?' she thought back while smiling.
An hour later, when her parents came back, they noticed how immensely cheerful she was. When they asked her what she was so happy about, she simply shrugged and said, "It's a nice day."
Flashback End
'I loved him', Ino thought to herself, 'we only went out a few times but I still loved him and now I'll never get a chance to tell him.' she mourned, 'Naruto I'm so sorry', and she began to cry harder.
Everyone was shocked by Ino's reaction, neither Ino nor Naruto had bothered to mention that they were romantically involved, not because they were ashamed, but because it just never came up.
The others didn't bother asking her, now just wasn't the right moment.
Kakashi was shocked at everyone's reactions and, for a brief moment, felt guilty.
Key word being "brief".
'They must still be under his control', he thought, 'hopefully they will return to normal in time.'
After a few moments, Tsunade grabbed the necklace and got up from her chair and faced the window, so that no one could see her face.
"I…I see", she said, her voice trembling slightly, "Is that all?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama", Kakashi answered.
"Then you are all dismissed", she said.
After everyone left, Shino helping Hinata and Shikamaru helping Ino, there was a moment of silence.
"Tsunade-hime?" Jiraiya said, approaching her, "Are you-?" but before he could finished Tsunade threw herself at him and embraced him while crying into his chest. Her sadness was so great that the genjutsu used to mask her true age faded away, revealing an old woman who looked so frail, that she would break at the slightest touch (quite a shocking sight considering her legendary strength). Jiraiya, though shocked, wrapped his arms around her and let the building tears he had hidden flow down his face silently. Shizune also began crying, barely keeping her grip on Tonton. Surprisingly, the little pig was crying too, small tears falling down her face. The four stood in the office mourning the death of Naruto Uzumaki, the boy who had changed their lives irreversibly.
The Valley Of The End: a few hours later
The valley that marked the site of two battles, the first between the Shodaime Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha and the second between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, was silent except for the falling rain and thunder heard in the distance.
I pile of rubble that had been the grave of the late nine-tails Jinchuuriki was also silent.
But then a low rumbling sound was heard from the makeshift tomb. Slowly the rumbling grew louder and the rocks and rubble began to shake.
Then a monstrous roar was heard as the debris was blasted away by a source of immense strength.
When the dust cleared, a lone figure was standing in its place. This figure wore a shirt, long pants, average ninja foot wear, fingerless gloves, and a large trench coat, all of which were black. On the back of the trench coat was a red symbol of the Uzumaki clan with what looked like nine red tails radiating off of it. The figure had spiky blonde hair and three whisker shaped birth marks on each cheek.
The impossible had been achieved; Naruto Uzumaki had returned from beyond the grave.
"Yes!", Kyuubi thought, "The transformation is a success!" The beast said eagerly inside the boys mind.
Naruto walked over to the water and looked at his own reflection.
He looked good. He looked pretty much the same as before only taller and more muscular. His hair was longer and spikier. His baby fat was completely gone and his whisker marks were more profound.
He felt relief at his appearance but then saw and felt his skin shift with strange black and dark red colorations appearing where the shifting had occurred before quickly disappearing. While quick, it had felt uncomfortable when it happened, though.
'I look like shit', he thought to himself.
Kyuuni chuckled, "How do feel?" he asked.
Naruto looked over his body before looking up and smiling sinisterly while saying one word out loud.
"Fantastic."
A/N: That's it for the Prologue. Sorry it took so long. What do you think?
What do about the flashback to the beginning Ino and Naruto's relationship? Too much? Too little? I thought their romance should begin in a way that fit their personalities: sudden and spontaneous.
Comment on anything you think needs improvement or change.
Kakashi buried Naruto's corpse so that there would still be a body left to retrieve, but he had an excuse not to bring it back. (This is directed to those of you who are wondering why Kakashi didn't burn Naruto's corpse in order dispose of the body.)