Here we are
Chapter Three
AN at the bottom, nothing bad I promise, but I suggest you read it. It explains why this took so long.
"Listen up, children." Truth's voice resonated through the auditorium. His form was resonating golden power as he looked at the deities in the room. To them, he was like a waterfall of pure power. For mortals, though, he looked like a glow stick.
Thankfully, the sole demi-goddess in the room was fast asleep. Had she been awake, she would have been confused as to what was going on.
He pulled an orb of pure energy out of his pocket, "This here happens to be the next chapter of the story." He leveled a glare at Ares, his glare forcing the god of war back into his chair, "And don't even think about it." He wasn't letting the war monger anywhere near the story.
"I'm going to start the next chapter," He snapped his fingers and watched as the orb floated up to the screen on the stage, its mass seemingly melding with the 'screen'.
Hero or Monster
Chapter Three – The Might of Konoha
A warzone is a place someone like me can thrive in. Opposing sides fight to the death to claim the victory. Everyone on the opposite side is fair game; all of them must die.
"Exactly," Ares nodded his head like a wise old sage man, a small stringy white beard forming on his chin, "There can be no survivors in the game of war." His outfit changed to that of a Chinese ceremonial dress. His eyes became much smaller, similar to an Asian person.
Monsters like me are the star players in the game that is war. It's a place we can feel alive, free, awake.
Ares laughed loudly, "Oh, if only my influence could reach to that world. The boy would be my son and heir, the new god of war." T'was a shame he couldn't, though... he shot Truth a small look. Maybe it could, still, be possible.
Zeus rubbed his chin in thought. He too was of a similar mind, though... he personally thought that the boy would be much better than Ares. He would be taking a page out of Odin's book... but it would be worth it.
I never thought I would have the privilege to not only witness one of these ridiculous bouts, but help bring about the fall of the very person who started one. I'm elated that I was wrong.
Greetings war-torn Mizu no Kuni, a monster has arrived to set you free.
Me.
"A good start," Hades muttered, his dark eyes narrowed in thought. The boy, this monster, was a demon... something that he would not want to face on a bad day.
The shores that made up the coast of Mizu no Kuni were heavy with fog. The sun was nowhere in sight, and the air was thick with moisture. It felt like it could rain any minute now.
The small fishing village the four-man cell arrived at was said to belong to the Resistance. The war between them and the Lord Fourth Mizukage was heavily reliant on territorial dominance. Mizu no Kuni was made up of several islands, all centering the country's Hidden Village, Kirigakure no Sato, which was currently in the hands of the tyrant known as Yagura.
The man was leading a crusade to purge the bloodline users from Mizu. It was said that he thought them to be too dangerous to let live, so decided to kill his own people out of fear. Hundreds of thousands had already been slaughtered, and many more still lived in fear of his genocide. The other nations all decided to stay out of Mizu's business, letting them handle their own domestic affairs.
Zeus closed his eyes in thought, "So... this man... thinks himself a leader?" His form was sparking with electricity, forcing his wife to leave his side lest she be struck by his anger.
He knew that it was hypocritical of him, after all, he had done the same thing before. The difference, though, was that he had exterminated the Gold people in one fell swoop. He might have been paranoid, but he still had the heart to give them a merciful death.
"No good leader exterminates the people that make up his nation." His white hair was starting to turn black, akin to that of a dark stormy day, "For only a fool inspires fear."
Truth nodded his head in agreement, "Agreed. The mortal has planted the seed for his own demise." Now, time would do the rest of the work and help that seed to become a strong foundation for a rebellion.
His attention went back to the little boat that moved through the waters, the fog hiding its approach.
The bloody and crippling civil war finally reached the Land of Fire's citizens, in a way. A small scientific expedition into the waters that bordered Hi no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni turned into a massacre. The group of six civilian scientists – not a shinobi in sight – was captured by the Mizukage's forces and executed on the false charges of espionage. Konoha received their heads a week later, courtesy of the Mizukage himself.
"...He's fucked." Apollo stated, his Truth domain making the fact known. He smiled sheepishly at his frowning aunt, "Sorry." But the fact remained, it would be a massacre when Naruto got his hands on the stupid man.
Yagura was a fool, because now Konoha had him in her sights. She cried for his blood, and his blood she shall be given. The Mizukage was playing a dangerous game by poking the sleeping dragon that was the God of Shinobi's wrath.
That's why the Lord Third ordered a small contingent of Ro-Han to join the Resistance and strike at Yagura directly.
Taking a deep breath of the cold, salt air riddled afternoon air of the shoreline, Nezumi glanced at the captain of their newest assignment, Neko-senpai. The woman had long beautiful purple hair, and that was all that Nezumi knew about the cat-masked operative. She was an ANBU through and through, she never took her mask off, at least since he joined the corps two and a half years ago. Nezumi knew better though, she was a warm person and thought the same as he and Inu-taicho; the team was just as important as the mission. That made it easier for him to suddenly be under her command.
"He's so cute!" Aphrodite squealed loudly as she looked at the mask-wearing Naruto. She pulled a small camera out of her bosom, ignoring the stares from all the males, and took a picture of the scene.
There was so much potential for that little boy.
Artemis rolled her eyes at the air-headed goddess. Why couldn't she focus on the important matters? She, personally, liked the fact that Naruto, Nezumi, and Inu all shared the same ideology.
To his left was the 'official' youngest ANBU agent in Konoha, Karasu; his best friend. The crow-masked operative joined the fold half a year after the little incident that caused Team Ro to finally accept him.
It came to no surprise to Nezumi that Karasu entered the Black Ops, the things the blond felt coming from the young Uchiha amazed even him. He was strong, obviously, but his mind and heart made Nezumi instantly want to befriend him the moment he walked into Ro-Han's changing room. Being the closest to him in age was a factor too.
After a few missions together, the two became quick friends and were usually paired together. Team Ro had been a little more accepting when the ten year old joined; after working with an eight year old juggernaut made sure they'd never judge someone by their age again.
Hera had to agree with the last sentence. She had learned that lesson after she had failed to kill baby Hercules. Bastard still held it over her head.
Crouching next to Karasu was the newest member of Ro-Han, Saru. It was strange, first Karasu, and now Saru called him Nezumi-senpai. He was too embarrassed to refer to them as kohai though, he was only ten now! They were both at the very least two years older than him.
Saru had shown a lot of respect to Nezumi right away, and that confused him greatly. The monkey-masked man had explained that he was somewhat of a celebrity among the younger operatives at HQ, even if it was just a rumor.
A child with the strength of an entire army was what they described him as, and some even said that he was invincible. Nezumi was less than pleased about the rumors. His status as an operative was top secret; he was the Hokage's personal shadow, a silent defender. He didn't mind fame, but his Hokage had wanted him to be a whisper, not a poster boy for the village. They had Itachi for that.
Poseidon chuckled, his laughter showing the strength that he was famed for, "A secret weapon that's not a secret? That's bound to have some interesting consequences."
Hermes nodded his head, he too understood the humor in that fact. Being a thief, he liked being a secret, a rumor to the wind. If he was known all around, he wouldn't be able to do half the things he did, and still does.
Of course, Saru was in his mid-twenties, but that was apparently young enough to 'look up' to the legend that was slowly coming forth.
A small chuckle escaped the lips of everyone present.
His thoughts were interrupted. "Nezumi, find the Resistance, we need to meet up with them and explain Hokage-sama's orders." Neko spoke, giving her first order as a captain. Nezumi nodded, already doing what he was told. The village was small and not a lot of people resided in it. That made it incredibly easy to lock onto the strong chakra signatures that he was sure belonged to the Resistance.
"Done. They're not far from here, just northeast of this position, ten minutes I'd say." Nezumi replied, waiting for the next orders to be given.
"Lead the way." she said, confident in his abilities. Having worked with the young blond for the better part of two years made her a firm believer that he was in a league far out of her reach. She was just glad that he was letting her run the show, someone else that knew that they were the greater would have given her trouble during the entire assignment.
"Ah... she's a newbie." Ares chuckled into his mutton like hand. He loved watching such people get their grunts killed. Although, in this case, he was wishing that his future heir was in charge.
That's why she respected Nezumi, he was far from arrogant and loved to cooperate with his team, always listening to orders and offering help whenever it was needed.
"Gay!" Ares jeered at the image of the purple haired woman. Respect? Who the fuck wanted such a thing? That was totally a sissy thing. He ignored the various glares from his family.
Hermes, ever the smooth-spoken, sighed into his hand, "What a moron." He feared what would happen if Ares ever managed to take control of Olympus... it would probably be worse than even the Titan's taking control.
"Yes, captain." And with that, he took off in the direction of the higher than average chakra signatures, leading the cell for the short duration. He took in the sights of the village as he raced across it. There were a lot of shops, and the ground of the shopping district was made of cobblestone; different. The people here looked so sad, and the young ANBU operative could feel their suffering. Good. Now he had more of a reason to fulfil his Hokage's orders. Yagura had to die.
Like he said, it only took ten minutes before they reached a seemingly random hut at the edge of a dock. Nezumi knew better, he could feel the shinobi below them. No one could escape his sensing capabilities; he was the greatest sensor in the village after all, able to feel the emotions and intentions of anyone in his range, which was incredibly large.
Nodding to Neko, the mouse-masked boy fell back, allowing the woman to take the lead again.
Stretching her arm out to rasp against the wooden door, she was cut off by a burly man with long black hair. "State your business, Konoha-nin. I've done nothing wrong, and you have no jurisdiction in this part of the world." His voice was gruff, matching his appearance perfectly. The scar that ran across the bridge of his nose reminded Nezumi of a chunin he knew to work at the academy.
He didn't know the man's name, but he knew that if he went to the academy, he would want that man to be his instructor. He had a good heart.
Neko chose her words carefully. "We've come on the behalf of the Lord Hokage." We have jurisdiction anywhere we so please. She gave the man a respectful nod of her head. "Konoha wishes to help wash away the red from the waters." We're here to clean house.
"Talk about cocky," Apollo whistled, his eyes scanning the purple haired woman's figure, "If she were a man, I'd say she had some big ones." He didn't blame her, though. Seeing what kind of things Naruto could do, he could say that if he were a mortal, he'd be feeling quite safe.
There it was. The code the Resistance used to identify friendlies. That little piece of information was invaluable to them. Without it, the Resistance wouldn't have let them anywhere near their plans. What they say about Jiraiya must be true; the man was a master spy.
"Wait here for a moment," was the man's reply, disappearing from the door to enter the small shack. Five minutes later, the man returned and ushered them into the hut, which would have looked strange to onlookers. The hut looked like it could only fit two of them in at the same time.
The hut itself was just a ploy, what lay underneath it was the true hideout. The underground tunnel was very large; an experienced Doton user must have had a hand in creating it. The tunnel stretched out for a small distance, which let out in an even larger room. There were people scurrying about like worker Bees. Nezumi chuckled, it was like a hive. So that must mean the absolutely beautiful woman with long, auburn hair sitting at the very large table in the center giving him a predatory glare like he was her prey was the Queen.
"Not gonna lie, she's not that pretty," Aphrodite admitted, "Although she has beautiful hair, and a very nice figure... her face isn't anything special." A part of her was kind of upset that her family thought that she was pretty... because she wasn't.
"She speaks the truth of her opinion," Apollo affirmed her statement, although he disagreed with the said opinion. He personally thought that she was stunning, a very rare gem. Oh, woe to his cursed existence. Why did she have to live in that world?
Truth rolled his eyes, both of them were being too childish. Their emotions were flowing of them in waves.
'This should be fun.' He thought to himself before joining Neko and the rest of the team in making their way to the obvious leader.
The smirk on her face kind of excited Nezumi. "So, Konoha finally decides to send assistance and all we get are three ANBU." She shook her head in mock hurt. "I'm disappointed."
"Four," Neko spoke, "you've been given four ANBU to your cause."
"The kids..." Hermes realized, "The woman's not counting the kids." Oh, this was going to be good. The moment she realized what Naruto could do, she'd be eating the dirt.
Hera grimaced... she'd made the same mistake many times before. She rubbed her forehead in a soothing manner, attempting to stave off a headache that was forming.
"Ah, but you're wrong, sweetheart." she retorted. "The children only count as half an ANBU." her smile was still as sweet as it had first been. "So I've been given three, such a shame too, I really could have used the help."
Saru decided to speak on behalf of Karasu and Nezumi. "You're going to eat those words later on, beautiful." Nezumi sighed; Saru was always hitting on women. Even now, in a foreign country and in the presence of what the blond could feel to be a powerful kunoichi.
Artemis grimaced, "Men... what a shame." Here, she was thinking that he was a respectable man... guess she was wrong. Although, to be fair, he didn't seem like a bad guy. She'd still reserve judgment, but her opinion of him had just dropped a little.
The woman's predatory smirk intensified. Yup, Nezumi definitely liked this one. "Oh? Now I just can't wait to see what the youth of Konoha is capable of." She almost sounded genuine, but she couldn't escape Nezumi's abilities. No matter how good of a liar she was.
"Our Hokage has given us orders to shadow the Resistance and assist in any and every way possible. Our goal is to get Yagura alone with Nezumi here." She informed the woman, gesturing to the smallest member of the cell.
A delicate eyebrow rose on the beautiful woman's face. "And why would you're Hokage wish to have a child confront a Kage-level Jinchuuriki?" Nezumi was glad that he had his mask on, because if he didn't, everyone would have seen the absolutely terrifying smile on his face.
"The Lord Hokage wishes to end the life of the Yondaime Mizukage. The easiest way for that to happen is if we wake our sleeping comrade." The blond really loved how his team understood him so. He would have started laughing if he hadn't trained so hard to be capable of keeping his emotions in check. The woman was now really confused.
He guessed that she'd never met a monster before.
"I doubt anyone has," Hades snorted at the thought of a mortal seeing a monster, and living to see the next dawn, "Personally, I count him more as a demon. Monsters kill anyone that they can get their hands on: doesn't matter if they are friend or foe."
Athena tilted her head in thought, that was a very good point. She looked at her Uncle in a new light. If anyone knew anything about monsters and would be willing to tell her, then it would be Hades.
"Are you free this Saturday to talk?" She asked, already clearing a few days of her schedule.
Hades nodded his head, "Of course."
"Black Harbor," Terumi Mei began, "is a Loyalist controlled prison. It houses a good portion of our people." Here, an angry expression flashed across the woman's face. "The ones the bastard keeps alive."
It had only been a few hours since the Team Ro contingent met with the Resistance, and they were already being put to work. Karasu was indifferent. Saru was annoyed. Neko was ready to serve. And Nezumi was excited. If they could help win the war for the Resistance, Kiri, with whoever became the Mizukage – Nezumi thought it would most likely be Mei – would be indebted to Konoha. He was going to have a hand in creating a peaceful alliance for his home and Kiri. He would save so many lives.
And take so many more. It was a win-win situation.
"Does anyone else find it strange," Apollo started, "That he wants to save lives, and yet, at the same time, take them?" He scratched his head in thought, cause that was so confusing. He shot a questioning look at Truth.
Truth shrugged his shoulders, "Don't look at me." He might know the answer, but he had no plans of revealing it. It was their job to find out more about him.
"You want my team to, what, pull off a prison break?" Neko asked. She didn't see how this would help them any.
"Yes, that is exactly what I want of you and your little team." Nezumi could feel that Neko didn't like Mei too much. "My top General went in to find information on the whereabouts of Yagura's top weapons manufacturing buildings." The green-eyed woman brushed a stray hair back into one of the four bangs that framed her face. "I was planning on sending three of my teams in, but if what you say about the two kiddies is true, then I haven't the need to, now do I?"
Nezumi could understand why she wasn't Mei's biggest fan. She kind of came off as arrogant, but maybe that was just because she didn't know them all that well.
Nezumi wanted to chuckle again; he could play that game if that's what she wanted. "No." The smallest out of the Konoha ANBU said, looking at Neko. "Let me go in alone, captain." Ah, there it was. The emotion he was looking for from the auburn-haired woman; incredulous. "This doesn't call for the four of us." He turned his masked face towards Mei. "I should be more than enough. Any more would be overkill."
While Terumi was shocked into silence, Neko was mulling it over in her head. Nezumi usually never outright asked for a solo assignment, he was just given them because he was the only person strong enough to take them on. So why was he doing so now? That's when she realized what he was thinking. The Resistance didn't trust them, and worse, they thought they weren't capable.
That little genius! He had worded it as a suggestion, giving her the authority to make the decision. He knew she was worried that he would try and take over, and to squash those thoughts, he showed she had seniority in front of the others.
"Kid is smart," Athena admitted, ignoring the strange cough from Poseidon, "Naruto's not thinking like the kid he is, he's acting like a loyal, powerful, soldier. One that value's his home's safety above all else. For him, his pride is in his home."
"Yes," Poseidon hated to admit that Athena was right, but... what he next said made it all worth it "Shame you can't do the same." He knew that the smirk on his face infuriated the wisdom goddess.
Zeus sighed, why couldn't the two avoid getting into an argument?
He also knew that the only way for the Resistance to realize just how valuable the team was, they needed to be shown that they were more than capable of fighting the good fight. If the youngest of the group could take down an entire prison filled with enemy combatants, not only would the cell be shown respect, but he'd be showing them Konoha's might. It did everything that both they and Konoha needed all in one go.
It still astounded her how the boy was able to think and strategize to win the game with only one move. He truly was the monster he claimed to be. It just took her a while to fully understand what that meant.
"Permission granted." Neko nodded her head, both in confirmation and thanks. She was sure he could feel her gratitude. "Do as you see fit to complete the mission."
Nezumi got the message. I agree, and thank you. "Yes, captain."
Ares resisted the urge to scowl, a slight grunt emerging from his mouth. He detested the fact that Naruto was taking orders from someone that was leagues weaker than him. He should have been taking what he wanted, destroying anything that stood in his path.
'I'll change that once I get my hands on him,' Ares thought to himself, his eyes gaining a slight reddish glow.
"Wait a minute here!" Mei finally spoke up. "You're really going to just send the one kid?" She couldn't believe the boy was as strong as they were implying him to be, she just couldn't. She knew that Konoha was the greatest of the Five, and that they produced child prodigies in bulk, but this was just ridiculous. What the hell did they feed their children in that village?
"Yes. Nezumi is very special, and more than capable of accomplishing the required task." Neko replied. "Don't be so quick to underestimate the ninja of our village. Its fell mightier shinobi than you." Nezumi wished he could laugh, that was a good one. And it was the truth, which made it even better.
Mei was silent for a moment, her narrowed eyes on the blond boy. Then she relented. "Fine, but if he gets my people killed it's on your heads."
Nezumi cocked his head to the right. His suspicions were correct; she was beautiful at every angle.
"Not really," Aphrodite's right eye was twitching with irritation. The only thing that helped was the fact that Naruto was young, having not yet grown into his own tastes.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at his desk in his office, once again stuck doing paperwork. It really became overwhelming at times if he didn't take much needed breaks. Speaking of much needed breaks, "Jiraiya-kun, it's good to see you again." He said to seemingly no one.
That's when the aforementioned Sannin seemed to melt out of the wall, his camouflage technique deactivating. "Damn, sensei, you're almost as good as the gaki." Student spoke to teacher, his ever present smug smirk on his face.
"I feel you, old man." Zeus nodded his head in sympathy, he too knew the horrors that paperwork brought with them. He ignored the strange looks from the rest of his family, they would never understand what he had to go through each and every day of his never-ending life.
The only ones who could even comprehend of such a thing were his two brothers, both having their own domains and kingdoms to rule.
"You can't fool me yet, Jiraiya; I taught you everything you know after all." The Sandaime made a pouting face. "Besides Senjutsu."
The Sennin roared with laughter. "That expression you made doesn't belong on the face of the Hokage, old man!" Hiruzen mock glared at his pupil.
"Careful, Jiraiya-kun, you're getting pretty old yourself." The Sage's laughter immediately stopped. Great, was he really a geezer now?
"Whatever." Jiraiya mumbled. "Where's the gaki? I've got some time before I need to head back out." The white-headed man leaned against the Hokage's desk. "Thought I'd get a little training in with him before I leave."
Hiruzen shook his head. "Naruto-kun is out on a mission, he won't be back for some time." He informed his former student.
Jiraiya sighed. "Another one?" He asked. "Do you ever give the kid a break?" It was true; Naruto was always out in the field, probably more so than he was in Konoha. His mission count was off the charts, and he hadn't failed a single one yet.
He'd been virtually everywhere the Elemental Nations had to offer, and that was a year ago. His success rate was one hundred percent, something no other before him had accomplished. Jiraiya didn't know if he should be proud or nervous that Minato's son was already able to whip his ass in a spar.
"Neither," All the males in the room said, "You should be embarrassed and ashamed." It didn't matter if Naruto was more powerful, Jiraya had more skill thanks to his years of experience. Yet he still lost to a child.
Apollo sighed, "Some master spy you are." He rubbed his hair in tiredness, "Can't even beat someone that's young enough to be your grandson." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement with the bright Sun god.
Naruto was a true prodigy, a genius among geniuses. He had surpassed many of the world's most powerful men and women by now, and he was only ten, nearing his eleventh birthday. He shared the Sandaime's worries of what the young Uzumaki would become in the near future.
Hopefully he would stay the same; a loyal Konoha patriot.
"He enjoys what he does Jiraiya." The Sandaime said, rubbing his temples with his thumbs. "He gets restless if he doesn't serve." He finished.
"I guess…" The Toad Sage mumbled. "So, what are you having him do this time?" He asked, curious of what the blond was up to.
The tales that he would hear from the Jinchuuriki were the stuff you'd tell your children at night. Knights saving princesses, heroes slaying terrible beasts, and, his personal favorite, when the boy got the girl. That was a toned down version of course. You couldn't tell your child someone their age was killing and slaughtering his enemies in mass, or how that same child was performing things that could make even grown men sick.
And he never really 'got' the girl; he'd just sometimes receive a thankful peck on the cheek or forehead. But Jiraiya digressed.
"I sent him to Mizu no Kuni." Hiruzen replied. "I'm having him deal with the little problem over there."
"And by 'little problem,' you mean the civil war, don't you?" Jiraiya asked. "So nothing too different then; save a country and kill off a repressive tyrant that's gone mad with power." His deadpan was barely concealed. "That sounds just peachy…"
Hiruzen nodded. "Indeed. I'm glad you understand." Jiraiya sighed. He really missed his godson.
"...I think we can all agree that it's strange that they are comfortable with sending a grown child to do an adult's job," Hestia stated with a frown on her face, her honey brown eyes narrowed in sadness.
She ignored her warlike nephew, she had no patience for such a person.
"I agree... but he is the most effective person for the dirty jobs," Hera admitted, she didn't like the fact either, but she could understand where the Hokage was coming from.
Nezumi now understood why the prison was called Black Harbor.
The walls that encased the prison were made of some sort of black material that could withstand several high-ranking ninjutsu, or so Mei would have him believe. Yagura made sure that his prisoners of war had no hope of escape. Take away a person's hope and they might as well be dead. Walking husks of the people they used to be was not a life worth living.
The black material was the reason why the prison was so hard to break into. And this so called impossible feat was what Nezumi was tasked with completing. He first needed to break down the almost unbreakable walls, storm the prison, free the prisoners, and then find and escort this Ao-san back to the base. It was either that or sneak in and do everything covertly, but Nezumi decided to send a message to the Mizukage.
We're coming for you. Signed, your friendly Konoha ten year old.
"I actually like it," Hades admitted, his right hand stroking his beard, "Sure it's a bit bleak, even for me, but add some sunshine and I think you have the potential for a fearsome sight."
He looked to Hephestus, "Do you think you can make something like that for me?"
"Maybe," The master smith mulled over the details in his head, "It would take a bit of time to find the materials necessary, but I think it could be done."
Taking a moment to pull in the natural energy around him, the change of his eyes from blue to gold marked his entering Sage Mode. At first, Ero-sennin was astounded that he could enter the enhanced state so quickly, it only took him ten seconds now.
Jiraiya had explained what it was like for him to draw in the world's power. For him, it was like he had to open a door, and then actively pull the chakra in. Nezumi then explained that it felt somewhat similar for him. It was like he had to open the door, but instead of having to consciously pull the energy in, it would instead feel like the natural energy rushed through the door, excited to be reunited with him again.
He inspected the structure for a moment, and then decided to just hit it with one of his more powerful techniques and hope for the best. He was almost positive the walls would fall; nothing should be able to withstand his Sage Dust Techniques.
Raising both of his hands into the air, he began to shape natural energy into a tangible form. He was sure that the prison guards knew he was there now if the high pitched alarms that started going off were anything to go by. It mattered not; he was going to complete his mission.
The energy took the shape of a giant golden-shaped warrior that formed around the blond. He didn't know it at the time, but he was in a way recreating a very rare and powerful Uchiha technique. However, instead of invoking the fabled Susanoo, he called forth something much more befitting a person of his… mindset.
"Bets anyone?" Hermes raised a wad of cash into the air. Unlike mortal money, their's was a pure gold, "Who do you think he's going to summon?" He also had a sheet of scratch paper beside him, taking notes of the various votes.
"Myself," Ares grinned as he handed over a few hundred dollars. He was totally going to win the bet.
Everyone else rolled their eyes as Ares, he was such an arrogant fool, as the gave their own votes.
"Bishamon." Nezumi whispered, his voice only heard by the wind. "Come forth, so that I may bring about justice to those who would deny the laws of our freedom." With those words said, the spectral, molten gold warrior fully materialized, his full body armor and famed spear present, depicting a much more savage and terrifying visage of the God of war and justice.
Ares' face fell into a scowl as he stared at the Japanese 'god'. That was a few hundred dollars gone. Sure he could easily make more, but the thought still stood.
"What a hunk," Both Aphrodite and Apollo wolf whistled at the massive titan of a god. They would have killed to spend a night with that god.
The maiden huntress rolled her eyes, "Knock it off, you two." She was getting tired of their antics every time they saw someone hot or pretty. It was like she was the only sensible one in the room.
She paused as she felt something pat her head. She looked up at Truth, her eyes burning with rage, "Remove your hand this instance... or lose it."
Truth merely rubbed her head in a fond manner, not afraid of her threat. Though, seeing the glare, he decided to not test the vixen.
The spear was held in its left hand, Nezumi needed his right for what he was about to do. Bishamon was topped off with a fiery gold halo, which oddly enough only appeared every other time he summoned the guardian.
It briefly passed through his head that he was waking up now. Naruto was who he was at this moment, so he took his mask off – even though both Inu-taicho and Hokage-jiji kept telling him to stop that bad habit – and gave the world a smile in greeting. Uzumaki Naruto, the monster, was awake.
He let his arms fall to his sides, he didn't need them anymore; Bishamon did what his mind commanded. He took another second to take in a deep breath, basking in the salt smelling air. Then, he released his might upon Black Harbor.
"Senpo: Kami no Migi Te (Sage Art: The Right Hand of God)!" He shouted, and within the span of five seconds, he rushed the prison walls, let loose the devastating technique, and the black barrier came crumbling down like it was a house of cards. The image of Bishamon smashing his right fist into anything brought a happy smile to Naruto's face, which in this case didn't matter, because he was already smiling at the world.
He could hear the terrifying screams of disbelief within his target, and they only excited him more.
The shock was evident throughout the room as they watched the artificial god destroy the prison. Its anger was evident, though, that was probably due to the fact that Bishamon was a manifestation of Naruto's power.
"He is powerful," Zeus finally commented, his mind running through various plans should he ever meet Naruto. He would hate to strike down a mortal child, but he wasn't against doing it either.
His siblings rolled their eyes, knowing what was going through their king's head.
Dropping the golden warrior, Naruto became incredibly faster, nothing but a yellow and grey blur to the men and women that made up the prison detail. His kunai met many throats in one go, and he was happy that there was so much more left.
He unsheathed his tanto, intent on cutting down the three men who were preparing a Suiton technique. Before they could reach the last hand-seal, he was at their backs, the thin blade piercing flesh. With a single slash, all three men fell, gone from this world. While in Sage Mode, his awareness was heightened to such a degree he practically had eyes in the back of his head. This awareness was to thank when he dove to his right, an absolutely enormous fireball smashing down on his previous location soon after.
He took a look at the woman who had tried to turn him into ash and smiled. So she wanted to play with fire did she? He sheathed the tanto he wore on his back, and held his hands in the tiger sign. He was going to fight fire with fire then. "Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique)!" He bellowed, and brought forth a giant dragon-headed fireball that raced at the woman with intent to kill. Her screams were all the confirmation he needed.
He repeated the fury with his kunai, ending the lives of ten more guards, their crimson blood staining his bare face with its warm feeling. He didn't quite like the feeling so much as it was just a reminder that he was doing what he was born to do.
He stopped, already done with the set of seals required for the technique he had in mind for the seven shinobi blocking his path into the prison itself. "Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!" This particular jutsu was only a C-rank, but with the amount of chakra that Naruto pumped through it, it could easily be an A-rank. As proven when the seven shinobi stupid enough to block his entrance were cut down with the hurricane force winds that were forced upon them.
He was now inside the bleak prison, time to find the control room. Four minutes and several well timed Rasengan later – he really needed to thank Jiraiya-sensei for teaching him the Lord Fourth's personal jutsu again, it was one of his favorites now – and he made it to the room he could free the prisoners from.
He was disappointed. The enemy was far from satisfying.
"I'm in agreement with mini-me," Ares crossed his arms in dissatisfaction. That was nowhere near exciting. It had happened too quickly. Naruto, in Ares mind, should have taken his time. There was nothing better than slowly killing your opponents.
He would have to re-educate the boy when he finally met him.
Ao was spending his time like all the other prisoners at Black Harbor did; miserably. The 'staff' didn't allow them any pleasantries; they had to sit in their cells and rot. The ex-Hunter-nin was surprised that they remembered to feed them. That in and of itself was a small miracle with the amount of attention they paid them.
He had been stuck in this hellhole called a prison for far too long. He hated himself now for volunteering for this stupid mission. He was just terrified when Mei-sama would mishear him and threaten to take his life. That had been why he volunteered. He had commented on how young the shinobi of Kiri were looking now a days, and how he remembered back in his day, when he was young and not so old looking, that you'd rarely see someone so young make it into the ranks of the village.
That, somehow, translated into him calling the powerful kunoichi old, and therefor unable to make a man fall in love with her age riddled body. Ao had no idea where she got that from his little side remark, but the woman had promptly threatened to kill him, and that's how he ended up stuck in here, on his own accord no less.
The things he did for his country.
Hermes laughed, "More like the things you do to avoid getting killed by a woman you work under." He wiped a tear from his eye, his divine heart still beating faster than normal.
"You're one to talk," Hera said. Her dull eyes were like glaciers as she stared at the silver-tongued god, "I distinctly remember you doing something similar." Seeing the thief to burn red with embarrassment, she turned her attention back to the tv.
That's why, when he heard the alarm bells going off, he had shouted for joy, which was not befitting of a strong man at all. He was just so tired of the nothingness that made up his days for the last two months. At least he got the information he came in here for, so that made it, at the very least, worth it.
That thrice damned Yagura was an evil genius. He had constructed a weapons factory underneath the village of Shio, which resided on the farthest of the southern islands. It was going to be a pain in the backside for the Resistance to get to, it being so deep in Yagura's territory and all. They'd need the backing of several powerful shinobi, which they possessed, but the casualties would almost make it not worth the trouble. Unless they somehow convinced another village to assist them, Ao was thinking that the weapons factory would remained untouched for a good while now.
Not long after the alarm was raised did his cell door open, the Resistance did an excellent job with this one. He thought Mei-sama would send three, maybe four, teams to extract him, but the speed at which he was released from his cell would make him believe she'd sent six or seven. Did he really mean that much to her?
His delusions were severed when he heard the young male voice call his name. "Ao-san!" The blue, moussed-up haired man turned to where he could hear the voice. "I'm looking for an Ao-san! Does anyone know where Ao of the Resistance is?!"
Why was there a child calling his name?
"You there, boy." Ao called out, wanting to know what was going on. Where were the teams that broke him out? "I am Ao of the Resistance, what is it that you need?" He emitted an annoyed feeling, why was there a boy looking for him?
"Ah, so you're Ao-san. Good. Mei-san has sent me here to retrieve you." He sighed. "But I guess we don't have very far to go though."
Ao raised an eyebrow. "Why would Mei-sama," he put extra emphasis on the proper way to address the powerful woman, "send a child, to Black Harbor of all places, with the retrieval team?" He asked, confusion lacing his words.
The boy scratched the back of his head. "I am the retrieval team." He laughed somewhat sheepishly. "It's just me."
"Prepare shock in, three... two ... one!" Apollo and Hermes counted down, excitement evident on their faces. They had shades on their faces as explosions went off behind them. It lit up the theater in a brilliant explosion of light and pure wind.
The sudden wind caused the nearby deities to cover their faces lest they get some of the sparks in their eyes. Once it had died down, they shot the two immature gods strong glares.
The strongest was from Artemis, whose long black hair was a mess of what it used to be. Her silver eyes were set into a burning glare as one arm covered her modesty and the other covered her breasts.
The winds had been so strong that it had shredded her dress in all the places she wished it hadn't. She marched out of the room with a burning anger. She would have her vengeance!
Seeing her leave, Truth stated what was on everyone's mind, "You're fucked." He didn't need to look at the two gods to know that they were sweating like crazy. That didn't stop him, though. He looked good and hard, ingraining the memory into his very being. He would be holding this over their head for ages to come, assuming they passed his test and didn't get destroyed.
Although, almost everyone had to agree... the silver panties were hot.
Ao was silent for a long moment, an owlish look on his face. Did he just hear that correctly? Did this young blond boy just claim to do what he thought seven teams had done? Was he claiming to have broken into Black Harbor, taken out all of the guards, and then set him, along with everyone else being held captive, free by his lonesome?
He was so shocked that he missed the boy slightly chuckle. He didn't know it yet, but Naruto could feel how astonished and disbelieving the Kiri-nin was.
"Come, your commander is closer than she should be…" It was Naruto's time to be annoyed. Did the woman truly underestimate Konoha? They were the strongest military force in the Elemental Nations for a reason.
Zeus tried to contain the humor he found in Naruto's thoughts, but assuming by the glare on Hera's face, he hadn't done a very good job of it. It wasn't his fault that he understood where Naruto was coming from.
Hera merely huffed, not wanting to get into an argument with her idiotic husband.
Ao nodded dumbly and followed the boy he just realized was a Konoha ANBU of all things. Was the Leaf really so far ahead of Kiri that their children outstripped experienced jonin?
Both Apollo, Ares, and Hermes shared a look, an idea forming in their heads. Apollo leaned to his half-brother, "You thinking what I'm thinking?" His voice was as quiet as a mouth, but for gods, that was still loud enough.
Hermes nodded back, a serious look on his face, "Of course." He pulled a pen and pad out, "Speak and I shall write it down on paper."
"We build a school for assassins," It was Ares that now spoke, his eyes gleaming with barely concealed interest, "Then... we offer their services to the highest bidder."
A quick jotting down of the notes had Hermes done in no time, though there was one final pressing matter to discuss, "Mortals, or, demi-gods?" That would decide how powerful they wanted their new business to be.
"I think... you should be careful as to how careless you speak," Zeus broke into the conversation, his master bolt now in his hands and pointed directly at the trio, "After all, I'd hate to lose control of this thing and 'accidentally' fry you."
Truth had to contain the smirk on his face, thankfully he was able to do a much better job of that than the King of Olympus. Zeus sure was able to make a good threat, and going by the ashen faces of the trio, they thought the same.
When the boy identified as Nezumi left with the guide who was to escort him to Black Harbor, Mei had followed shortly after. She had taken a small team with her too, so when the boy realized that he wasn't as strong as he thought he was, she could step in and do what needed to be done. What she had witnessed truly opened her eyes to how outclassed they were compared to Konoha.
The blond had first whispered something that no one present could hear, and that's when that thing showed up. She wasn't a very religious person, but even she knew of the God of war and justice, and when she saw the child – if he could still even be called one – not only summon him, but command him, she had been terrified. One strike from the golden God collapsed the unbreakable walls, and that's when the boy began his massacre.
The first batch of shinobi that he encountered was run through like butter with a simple kunai. He had no trouble at all, it seemed, with nothing more than that. Then he had used the tanto strapped to his back to cut down three guards so quickly even she couldn't make it out.
When she saw the giant fireball crashing down on him from his blind spot, she had thought it was over. That's when the boy dove out of the way; apparently, he didn't have such a thing as a blind spot. The dragon-like head he spit at the woman responsible for the flames that almost toasted him was all it took to end her life. Mei couldn't believe that a child was so good at killing. And the smile on his face while he did these things unnerved her.
He then went back to a simple kunai to the throat method, taking out at least ten more enemies. After he was blocked by what looked like to be seven shinobi, he unleashed an absolutely ridiculous amount of force in the form of a Futon jutsu.
Zeus's eyes were narrowed in thought as he watched a small hurricane rip the enemy shinobi to pieces. He watched as the blood stained the ground red, the same thing happening to the boy's hands.
That wind that he had summoned- good god! It had the force of a category one hurricane, a fact that was not to be taken lightly. He glanced at Ares... he really hoped that he didn't manage to sink his claws into the mortal-god.
When he had entered the prison, all she could hear were the screams of the men and women that made up the prison guard and small explosions. She saw all of the prisoners – some she recognized, some she did not – fleeing the carcass covered grounds of the confines. Shortly after, the blond, alongside Ao, made their way right for her. She wasn't surprised he knew; she wouldn't doubt the boy ever again. Team Ro had earned her absolute respect.
Before the two could make it to her and the few shinobi she took with her, the boy stopped and turned, telling Ao something she couldn't hear. When her general nodded a bit confusedly, she didn't know what to expect next.
Ao made it to her and saw her confused expression. "He said he didn't like the prison." Ao whispered. "So he's going to raze it to the ground…" He finished, somewhat hesitant of his own words.
At that moment, the whisker-faced boy – which she now found to be both adorable and frightening at the same time – brought his arms into the air once again.
The gold substance that his last attack was made of formed again, and with a shout of, "Tenmei (Heaven's Decree)!" Black Harbor was flattened out of existence by a huge beam of golden light from the sky.
Terumi Mei had just witnessed the most terrifying thing in her still young life. She had seen a child of Konoha, no older than ten she guessed, completely decimate an enemy stronghold by himself. She'd remember that day for the rest of her life.
That day, she had witnessed it.
The might of Konoha.
Truth smiled as the screen died down, a small orb of energy shooting back into him from the screen. It had been a good chapter and he knew that the others agreed with him.
Before he could say anything, a door slammed open, a small gust of wind indicating the arrival of both Apollo and Hermes doom. For their, standing in all her glory, was the huntress goddess Artemis.
Her eyes burned with righteous indignation as she stormed up to the two and grabbed them by their collars. Her face was so close to theirs that they could smell her breath. It reminded them of a fresh dawn and how the dew would collect on the leaves of a plant or tree.
Truth smiled softly as his mind was taken back to memories long gone, to when the world was just new. He shook his head, now wasn't the time for such things. Although, he did have to admit, Artemis was rocking that new look.
Gone was the ruined dress, now replaced with a white shirt that hugged her stomach, revealing just how toned it was. It had a slightly plunging neckline, not so much, though, that it wouldn't be considered modest.
Just below that, she wore a short, tight, skirt that hugged her legs. It wasn't like the short skirts that Aphrodite had introduced to the entirety of America. No, the one that Artemis wore reached to her knees. It briefly crossed Truth's mind, that, for a virgin goddess, she dressed kind of provocatively. Maybe she had a reason for that, but he didn't really care.
She topped it all of with some heels, raising her hight slightly. It was enough, though, to look down on the cowering imbeciles in front of her.
This was going to be a good show, watching Artemis beat up both Apollo and Hermes.
So... Here's chapter three my loyal fans. What do you think.
I have a good explanation as to why this took so long... and I'll be telling you right now...
hyvnn made me do it! Blame him! (Cowers behind couch, poking screen of computer to see if anything will come out)
But for real, I wasn't able to work on this until I got the chapters. Don't blame hyvnn. Guy has his own personal life, just like me and all of you who are reading this.
Still, thanks for holding out. I'll be workng on the next few chapters of this and my other stories. Also, please check out my other stories:
Humans, Demons, Angels, and Myths
Hunter or Something
Like, Fav, and leave a review please.