Chapter 2: The First Step Forward
AN: Wow...didn't exactly expect that much of a response and it was pretty much all positive, thank you!...well except for point that I misspelled "Jutsu"...yeah...not my best moment...thanks for that by the way...but nevertheless, I appreciate all that reviewed along with those that now follow this story. I hope I can live up to your expectations, even those that are just testing the waters of my writing. Well, enough of my gibberish that you probably skipped and on with the chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar: The Last Airbender
"Uzumaki Naruto? That's certainly a unique name," Kya started with raised eyebrow, "But mild curiosity aside, it's very nice to meet you." She said with her gentle smile still intact.
Naruto returned it with his own. "Likewise," he said while looking her form over quickly, "You certainly seem...uh...better." He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. That was a understatement! It's not everyday someone is brought back to the land of the living...well...at least as far as these people knew.
It seemed his amazing observation bore truth as she gave him a deadpan stare. "Wow, really? I don't feel that much different," she replied with heavy sarcasm, but with a hint of playfulness.
All Naruto could do was awkwardly chuckle and Kya gave a small giggle of her own.
They both saw, or in Kya's case, felt Katara stir as she started to awaken. She fluttered her sapphire eyes open and let out a small yawn. Her arms stretched to relieve tension before she began rubbing the remaining sleep from her vision. The uneven surface she was laying on caught her attention before slowly looking up to the smiling face of her mother.
"Mom!" Katara then hugged her as tight as her small arms would allow and basked in her warmth. "It wasn't a dream!" Her voice muffled by her face buried in Kya's bosom, yet she sounded like she was struggling to hold back tears. "I t-thought you were really gone!"
Kya hugged her back lovingly. "I'm not going anywhere." she whispered while closing her eyes and adding more pressure to the embrace.
A snort was heard. They all turned to attention to Sokka as he was making his own way out of the realm of dreams. As if without even noticing the present company he sat up with half-lidded eyes and drowsily walked towards the small kitchen area. The only thing he said was a lazy, "Breakfast..."
Everyone watched on as he continued his valiant quest...only to trip over leftover rubble and face plant with a loud THUD.
No one knew how to react at first until they heard the loud sounds of muffled snoring escape from the small boy. Naruto then let out a loud laugh that amazingly enough didn't disturb Sokka's slumber. It did, however, make Katara quickly turn around and her eyes lit up in recognition.
"The magic man!"
"Huh?" Was what Naruto replied with while squinting and tilting his head to the side. Kya thought it look similar to fox; it was pretty adorable in her opinion.
Without a second to waste, Katara ran up to him and crashed into his chest making Naruto let out a small "Oof!"
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank-"
"Whoa, Whoa. Slow down for a bit! One word at a time please!" He said kindly as he sat her in front of him to see her clearly.
"It's just you- the weird feeling- then the light- my mom!" It seemed the poor girl couldn't complete a proper sentence as she waved her arms around excitingly while looking back and forth between the stranger and her mother, all the while the still audible snoring was being ignored.
She seemed to have gotten her thoughts together when she shook her head and looked back at him with a beaming smile, and eyes full of admiration. She held out her now mittenless hand. "I'm Katara!"
Naruto gave her an amusing chuckle and presented his own trademark grin. "Uzumaki Natuto," he replied while grasping her small hand and giving it a tiny shake. "Just call me Naruto, though."
She gave an affirmative nod. "Okay!"
"C'mon Katara; let Naruto rest more while you can help me fix something to eat before your father gets back." Kya then stood up, walked up to Sokka to pick him up then placed him on another nearby rolled out sleeping bag.
Katara nodded and gave Naruto one more smile before joining her mother.
"I think I'm pretty well-rested already." Naruto argued before Kya turned to look at him with a stern glare.
"Those bags under your eyes say otherwise." She shot back while placing her hands on her hips...a universal sign saying 'listen to me or else.' She wasn't lying either; Naruto's eyes seemed absolutely exhausted.
However, just like with his many female acquaintances in the past, he ignored her order. "What? I'm perfectly fine!" He scoffed in defense while crossing his arms and holding his nose in the air. "I'm full of energy! I can stay awake for days, dattebayo!" Naruto then stiffened up with a little shock on his face. "Uhhh..." He didn't know how to proceed. No matter how hard he tried, his verbal tick just wouldn't die!
"I'm just going to go to sleep now..." He said in a defeated tone while he curled up within the confines of the sleeping bag and turned his back to the Water Tribe females.
Kya and Katara just had similar confused expressions with their right eyebrows raised. Katara looked up to meet her mother's eyes and Kya just shrugged before proceeding to see what they could whip up.
Naruto shut his eyes after getting comfortable and ever so slowly fell asleep...
...While completely forgetting he had new-found powers and was still in a unknown location...
...Her clear eyes were absolutely ruthless. Even with them seemingly empty, one could feel the power and pure emotion that could pierce any poor soul unfortunate enough to make eye contact. The horn-like appendages atop her head only seemed to enhance her overpowering aura. Her sudden appearance stunned everyone into silence as in Madara's place after Black Zetsu's betrayal...
...Was Otsutsuki Kaguya and she made her intentions clear.
The way she stated the world was her "nursery" she didn't want to damage further made it seem as though she wanted the fighting to stop...and in a way she did...
...By sending Naruto and the others to a world of lava that she created out of nowhere. That was absolutely terrifying and for a moment they all prayed it was just a genjutsu, but sadly that wasn't the case.
This woman...no...a goddess...had powers that even the most power hungry of individuals couldn't even fathom.
It was only the combined efforts of the reunited team 7 that helped them all not meet a horrifying death in the lake of fire. After using a clone and chakra arms to get the others to a relatively safe location, Naruto and Sasuke were about to take action again, but were caught by surprise when Kaguya came out of a dimensional hole behind them.
She then reached for them as they turned around and found a hand gently cupping their chins. They were slightly surprised, but what they saw next absolutely blew their minds.
Otsutsuki Kaguya, the princess that consumed the fruit of the Shinju...
...Became the progenitor of chakra...
...Ended all wars by using her power to strike fear into the world's inhabitants...
...Gave birth to two sons that she would later want to destroy using the Ten-Tails...
...Was sealed away by said sons and only had hope of returning by the creation of Black Zetsu...
...Successfully came back to take all the chakra she believed that was solely hers...
...Was now...openly shedding tears with a expression of extreme remorse on her regal and beautiful face...
Naruto and Sasuke didn't know how to react, but it's not like they could due to their inability to move their bodies thanks to Black Zetsu emerging around her arm. However, they both realized that no matter how much power she gains, how mad she becomes, or how hard she closes off her emotions to only show strength...
...She was still a mother devastated to have lost her children...
This was proven true when Black Zetsu said they reminded her of Hagoromo and Hamura. One might think it was her fault for losing her children in the first place...and they would be right...but who knows what goes through the mind of those that have completely lost it?
Then the truth came out about the details of Black Zetsu's plan to bring back his mother. It seemed as though the history of shinobi was built around bringing Kaguya back. After the revelation with Byakugan blazing, third eye opened, and tears still streaming down her cheeks Kaguya shakingly said, "I...hate...you...Hagoromo...Hamura...you both belong to me."
That's when Black Zetsu deemed his role finished and was receding himself into Kaguya's sleeve, but before they completely lost contact Naruto violently pushed her Black Zetsu-covered arm away while doing the same for Sasuke with a chakra arm. During this he said, "Of all things...you people...of all things...ARE NOT THE HISTORY OF NINJAS!" He wasn't finished. "And one more thing! A mother is happy when her children gain their independence and leave!"
What followed was Naruto quickly whispering his new plan to Sasuke which actually managed to make him break his 'broody battle' face.
"You actually managed to do thatand created what?!" He whispered back in disbelief.
Naruto cheekily smiled back. "Got anything better? No way is she going to let us get close and she could always just travel through dimensions before we get the chance."
Sasuke just stared at him blankly before looking down, closing his eyes, and sighing in defeat. "Kami..." He looked back at him."You do realize if this works this is going to be in the history books, right?
Naruto simply smirked. "Think of it as a prank for future generations."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Hn," he grunted before looking back at Kaguya, "Ready?" He asked with a side glance.
Naruto looked back and gave him a firm nod as they both got ready for action.
"I don't know what you're trying to do...but mother has absorbed every known jutsu. Anything you try is meaningless." Black Zetsu creepily said within the shadows of Kaguya's open sleeve.
"Amaterasu!" Sasuke suddenly yelled and Kaguya immediately erupted in jet-black flames that would normally incinerate a human being, but the Rabbit Goddess was slowly snuffing them out.
During this, however, Naruto was already on the move. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He yelled while putting his fingers in a familiar crossed hand sign. Eight clones suddenly surrounded her just as she extinguished the flames harmlessly off her body and was preparing to strike back.
Now what happened next was...like Sasuke hinted at and Naruto happily understood...something so unpredictable and completely insane that potential shinobi and kunoichi for centuries will gawk at their teachers when they explain the defeat of Otsutsuki Kaguya, the creator of chakra and possibly the most powerful person to walk this earth.
"Oiroke Gyaku Hāremu no Jutsu!" (Sexy Reverse Harem Technique)
Suddenly all the clones transformed into naked...attractive...men?...
Everyone except Sasuke were completely shocked and frozen where they stood, especially Kaguya who was now sporting a very small blush.
Off in the distance with Kakashi, a Naruto clone, and an unconscious Obito, and Sakura who had a trail of blood escaping her nostrils, was mentally berating Naruto's new jutsu.
'Have you gone completely stupid?! What the hell kind of technique are you using at a time like this?! I mean...I'm a different story, but do you really think that jutsu is going to work on a god like that-'
Before she could finish her thought Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shoulder and they both disappeared in a flash of yellow-
-And reappeared on either side of Kaguya with their yin and yang covered palms grabbing hold of each shoulder all thanks to the special seal he applied on Black Zetsu when he pushed him away before returning to Kaguya's side.
Yup...Naruto learned the Hiraishin...it was during the training trip that he finally understood that what he knew wasn't enough and begged Ero-sennin repeatedly to teach him all he could before he finally relented after he kept interrupting his 'research'; this of course included fuinjutsu. It took nearly the entire trip, a shitload of memory-receiving shadow clones, and a whole lot of patience before Jiraiya let Naruto take a crack at the legendary teleportation technique. This was also after the reveal of his parents and Jiraiya being his godfather.
Of course Naruto was shell-shocked and emotionally vulnerable...
...But nothing a good, long crying session, a little time to himself, and a swift kick to his newly discovered godfather's jewels couldn't fix...
...Kami rest his perverted soul...
Naruto did learn more than just fuinjutsu, but that's for another time...now then...
"It worked?!" Sakura yelled
The Rabbit Goddess could not react in time before the symbols on their hands glowed a heavenly white while Kaguya and Black Zetsu became immobile much like they made Naruto and Sasuke earlier.
She was shaking as her power visibly left her body in white transparent streams that danced around those in contact with her. Her eyes and lip-sticked mouth were facing the volcanic ceiling as she let out a silent scream. All she could do was shakily glance from Sasuke then Naruto.
These boys...these men...who were the reincarnations of her own flesh and blood...defeated her...
If she had the ability to chuckle right now, she would. The deja vu was immense. The denial and reluctant acceptance of her failure...feeling absolutely vulnerable and powerless...falling prey to this godly power like her own...
'Just like so long ago.' She thought depressingly as her chakra was being drained out of her at a faster rate and the escaped energy grew bigger and brighter. A loud, whistling wind formed in the air rustling their hair and clothing; large pieces of rock splashing in the lava around them.
They say those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and she was starting to feel inclined to believe it. However, since she was that history, perhaps in this case she had to learn from her- 'Mistake.' She abruptly thought as everything seemed to slow down around her; her hearing becoming slightly muted as if she were in a daze.
Was...was she in the wrong?...Was power really all that mattered?...Was this attempt doomed from the start?...
She glanced again to the two increasingly glowing men. 'Such a pathetic return...I haven't even been alive an hour yet.' She lamely thought.
She suddenly felt the last strings of her chakra about to be drained and was only able to garner the will to whisper one last sentence...
"I'm a horrible mother..."
Both Sasuke and Naruto slightly lifted their illuminated eyes in acknowledgement of her words...
...but only Naruto was able to see the lone tear escape the corner of her eye as she closed them in acceptance of her fate.
Before he could think about her words, thin pillars of light erupted from very small cracks in her former blemish-less skin. Naruto and Sasuke had to shut their eyes from the brightness as they clenched their teeth feeling the chakra being sealed within themselves. It was almost unbearable! The sudden influx of power was like trying to shove Gamabunta through a tiny door! Their clothes started to rip slightly and small chakra burns were beginning to form around their bodies. It seemed as though even with their godly powers gifted to them, Kaguya's chakra was almost too much to handle.
The surrounding area started to shake as if an earthquake was occurring. Kakashi, Sakura, and the Naruto clone looked around in worry not exactly sure what to do. They had no choice, but to wait for Sasuke and Naruto to be finished. It's not like they could exactly move around that well; as soon as the sealing began, they felt like their chakra was being drained. Perhaps it was because of Kaguya's power manifesting in the air. They did understand that she had the ability to absorb chakra after all. This was quickly getting bad though as they saw the Naruto clone struggling to keep afloat and keeping a grip on their bodies.
'Please hurry...' Sakura thought.
As Naruto and Sasuke continued the struggling process of sealing, a dimensional hole appeared near them...then another...then another...and before they knew it, a seemingly infinite amount of holes in the dimensional plain opened around them. They appeared in the air, on walls, and even directly on the pool of lava. However, instead of the normal pitch black holes they saw Kaguya travel through, were fuzzy images flickering in a myriad of colors. They all seemed to release a sound of static and...were those voices?
That's when everyone, even the distracted Naruto and Sasuke, looked around in amazement as they witnessed nearly every new reality play a small, blurry 'movie' of sorts with the tiniest hint of sounds besides static. There was casual conversation, whispering, yelling, sounds of fighting, and even the laughter of children. It was an absolute unexplainable experience.
That's when Kaguya's body reached her limit as she was completely enveloped in the white light of her spirit. From her feet to her head she began to dissolve in glittery pieces; befitting for the princess of chakra.
As her glowing head joined the white streams of energy around them, Naruto and Sasuke felt more pressure being put onto them. They were holding their ground as best they could while feeling their chakra coils expand and aflame. They've never felt like this before! It was like years of training and knowledge being forcibly shoved into their minds and their DNA being rearranged! They also detected rapid emotions passing through them...anger...hate...bitterness...hurt?...Regret?...Those last two sure as hell wasn't from the sacrificed Madara or obliterated Black Zetsu...then who-
A huge pulse of power suddenly exploded outward between Naruto and Sasuke as the last of the chakra was sealed. They were launched in opposite directions as Naruto landed roughly on a conveniently placed platform of rock while Sasuke slammed into a wall, but quickly stuck to it using what little chakra he could.
The many dimensional holes suddenly began disappearing and reappearing in random spots around them. It was happening fast and was hard to follow, but they were more worried about the rapidly deteriorating volcanic world. They fearfully realized they didn't have much time and frantically looked for a way home.
As if Kami was blessing them a hole appeared next to Sasuke with a clear view of the battlefield they were in before. "Guys, over here!" Sasuke yelled.
The Naruto clone acted fast and used his last bits of chakra to throw Kakashi, Sakura, and Obito towards their ticket back to the Elemental Nations before dispelling. Despite Sakura's screams of surprise, the throw was spot on and they quickly disappeared through the hole; all the while barely missing other dimensions appearing out if thin air.
Sasuke was about to go next, albeit very slowly due to his exhaustion, when he saw Naruto struggling to move from his position looking at Sasuke with half lidded eyes...with tears of blood...and rapidly changing eye color of blue, red, and a greyish purple...wait...what?
"Shit! Naruto!" Sasuke screamed. "Get your ass moving dobe or I swear to Kami I'll destroy all ramen!"
That seemed to get a small reaction as Naruto shakily rose to all fours with raspy breaths. "Got t-to g-get up." He whispered to himself with his vision becoming hazy and hearing starting to mute...
...Then without warning a new dimensional hole formed right beneath him. His and Sauke's eyes widened as Naruto sank into the hole as if in slow motion.
He could do nothing but shakily reach his hands towards Sasuke before blackness took over his sight and heard "NARUTO" in a distant echo...
...Then he started falling...falling...falling-
"Gah!" Naruto quickly awoke with a start. He was sitting up, breathing rapidly, and covered in cold sweat.
"O-oh yeah...that's what happened." He shakily whispered as he gently held his face in the palms of his hands noticing the circle he was marked with was gone. 'Must have served its purpose.' He briefly thought.
A hand then gently grabbed his tattered sleeve making him slightly jump in surprise. He turned to look into the worried blue eyes of Katara.
"Did you have a nightmare?" She asked innocently.
Naruto only gave a small nod before looking at the rest of her family a few feet behind her. They looked to be preparing to eat some sort of stew that gave off a pretty appetizing aroma. They surrounded a small fire pit in the middle of the now open and cleared room; a small metal pot hanging slightly over the flames supported by a wooden cooking rig.
Kya looked him in slight worry with a ladle and bowls in hand, Hakoda was simply curious and slightly anxious to have him finally answer his curiosities, and Sokka...well...was looking at the cooking stew as if all life's secrets were held within with sparkling eyes.
"Well, it's okay now. You don't have to be scared." Katara soothingly said with her little reassuring smile.
Naruto couldn't help but let a smile sneak its way onto his whiskered face. "I know. Thank you." He gently replied.
Katara's smile grew as gave a nod before returning to her family.
It was silent for a moment until Hakoda stated, "You understand we have a lot to talk about?" It wasn't a question.
Naruto nodded and started to get up. "Do you mind if I take a walk first? There's...a lot on mind." Naruto requested with difficult look in his azure orbs.
Hakoda slightly narrowed his eyes. "And how do I know you just won't leave or cause trouble?"
"Because I wouldn't know where to go and from what I saw so far, there is nothing but snow for miles. But just in case you don't believe me..." Naruto then walked up to Katara, kneeled down, and reached into his shirt. Katara was confused before she gasped at the beautiful necklace he pulled out. The main piece obviously being the thinly cut shiny green crystal vertically hanging on a black cord. The only other parts were a small silver bead on either side of the crystal.
"This is for collateral so that I come back." He said while looking at Hakoda before turning back to Katara with a smile. It's not like anyone here could actually stop him if he chose to leave or do whatever he wanted, but he didn't want to strain their view of him and make everything even more difficult. He then gently put it around her neck saying, "Take good care of this for me, okay? Someone very special gave it to me years ago."
Katara looked down to the green crystal then back to Naruto giving him a determined nod.
Naruto walked to a nearby chair where the rest of his clothing and boots were and put them on. A few seconds later he passed the tarped entrance and looked around. It seemed he slept all day if the star-filled sky was anything to go by.
Walking down the path he originally came from with hands in his haori's pockets, he saw that nearly all the damage was cleared and pretty much everyone was inside their tents and igloos due to the lights from their fires. As he walked along he noticed he was getting strange looks from those with their tents open and even some that walked out of their homes of ice.
He didn't really know how to react to their whispering except to keep walking. He did, however pick up a few words like healer...spirits...powerful...magic...cute-
He nearly tripped when he heard the last one that seemed to come from a couple of teenage girls, but powered on with his journey, although with a hint of pink on his cheeks. That aside, it seems some rumors were spread around him.
He eventually came to the same hole in the wall he walked through and went back out. The hill he fell down was where he made his ascent, but not before rolling his eyes at the imprint of his face in the snow that somehow didn't disappear. As he climbed up his mind still remained relatively blank before his breath hitched in his throat as he reached the top.
"Beautiful..." He whispered in awe.
Off in the distance a magnificent display of aurora lights were gracing the icy valley with its presence in the endless sky. The wavy streams of greens and blues enhanced the beauty of the mountains and untouched blankets of snow. Its reflection on a small frozen lake in the distance shined with a sense of peace and tranquility. It was like heaven on earth that nearly brought a tear to Naruto's glistening eyes.
He sat down comfortably to watch this natural wonder while gathering his thoughts.
'Well now what? It looks like I'm stuck here and it's not like I can just create dimensions like Kaguya.' He thought with a sigh. 'At...at least everyone is all right. I was prepared to die for everyone and in a weird way I guess I did.' He then felt the tears escape and quickly wiped them away with a sniff. 'I just hope they are happy from now on...Sasuke...Sakura-chan...Kakashi-sensei...Baa-chan...Shizune-nee-chan...Ino...Chouji...Shikamaru...Kiba...Shino...Tenten...Lee...Iruka-sensei...Ayame-chan...Teuchi-jiji... "Hinata-chan..." He whispered. "I was really hoping to act on her confession after the war...damn it!" His nails dug into his palms and nearly drew blood before he let out a shaky breath and absentmindedly letting a tear slide down his cheek and fall into the snow below him.
While still working through the heavy emotions swimming through his mind, he looked to his open right palm. "And now I supposedly have the Rinnegan?" He proceeded to send chakra to his eyes and felt...in a word...strange. Everything around him seemed clearer and felt that very small vibration in the air again. To confirm his suspicions he slowly raised his now gloved hand to look into his reflection on the shiny symbolized hand guard.
"Oh Kami..." Just as he suspected, he saw that his eyes were a metallic purple with three ripples surrounding his pupil.
He just sat staring in shock letting out ragged breaths until he instinctively sent chakra to his eyes again in a...let's say...different way. As if his life couldn't get more nerve wracking, he blinked and saw something completely different coating his eyes.
In place of the previous purple...was a crimson red...with a black pupil surrounded by three connected tomoes that each had an empty circle being filled by the before mentioned red, along with three black bars connecting to an outer black ring...there was no doubt about it...
...Naruto possessed Madara's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan...
As though he was in tune with his lazy comrade he let out an exasperated-
"Troublesome..."
Chapter End
AN: Like it? Hate it? Want to give me a cookie or strangle me?
Nevertheless, I once again want to say thank you to those that reviewed, followed, and offered advice for the story; you know who you are!
This was definitely a tad bit tougher to think about since, in case you didn't know, I'm totally winging this story. I kept on re-typing parts and just blankly stared at the same paragraph for like half an hour without progressing...
I just hope that the Kaguya scenario is somewhat believable because I just wanted to get that out of the way and move on and it's not like I was going to wait for the manga to show how it ends. I also don't know why I made her feel bad and regretful...I guess I just have a small weakness to girls crying...no matter how crazy they are.
Now about Naruto's training trip skills, I'm just going to reveal them at certain points or just give a brief summary. If you're wondering how Naruto is affected by the biju, Kaguya's sealing, or just general skills...well...hell if I know anything about it! :D Naruto is basically a blank canvas waiting to be painted on! Will he just gain their powers or actually make contact with the biju and Kaguya like a proper jinchuuriki? Has anything drastically changed? I don't fucking know! :D
All I know is that with Madara being sacrificed for Kaguya and Naruto sealing her in himself he got the Rinnegan and EMS by absorbing the chakra and just naturally gaining them. He is a descendant of the Sage and reincarnation of Ashura after all...and even if Sasuke absorbed the same chakra, I don't plan on using him anymore as far as I know. If it doesn't satisfy you then just think of something else...not rewriting that shit.
Now we move forward with Water Tribe life and time skips!
Leave suggestions for anything in a review or PM like events/skills/characters/pairings or whatever!
I think that's it...
Later!