Chapter 3 Rising tides Arc 1 part 2
First off I will be replying to reviews you readers send me.
Dragon: Lightning is high strung and an overall tomboy if I've ever seen one. As I am now I'm incapable of writing a Naruto/lightning fanfiction simply because her personality would clash violently with Naruto's. There has only been one successful Naruto/lightning pairing that I enjoyed. But that was mostly AU for like 20 chapters. I'm not kidding. Then it wrote itself from following the plotline of ff13.
I've received requests to extend my chapters. I just want to say that I am gradually doing just that. The reviews I'm getting so far are helping a lot in that remark.
I've received some disappointed reviews on the pairing. I can understand where you're coming from, the whole "lightning is stronger than Serah" shtick. But a Naruto/Serah pairing isn't something I've seen done very often. And I just felt that the plot i'm currently constructing would be the perfect blend of both fics. Put Naruto in Snows clothes, remove the whisker marks, spend a few years training and you have snow.
My attention has been brought to the facts of magic and chakra being different. That is true, the Naruto forums have explained that chakra is the manifestation of the physical and spiritual energies. Magic is the manifestation of the mental energy. I won't go too much into how I plan on Naruto being able to use magic but~ I will give you a hint.
It has something to do with bloodlines. I'll send a first draft of a chapter to whoever figures it out.
To all readers who are interested in long chapters keep in mind these are trial chapters. My mind is boiling over with ideas on improving the story but I refuse to write more than 6k word chapters until tomorrow at least. So far the follows and favorites are inspiring me to continue writing. I will gradually increase the amount of words a chapter has as I get more comfortable that my work is being appreciated.
I do not tolerate flaming. Keep in mind, people who just visit this site to insult our work are people with no life. We work hard to write stories to entertain fellow writers and readers and when our work is insulted we leave and eventually you run out of people to bully. FYI you are forced to go back sitting on your couch wishing for something to do because you ran us off. Is it really that funny to insult someone? I call people like that simple minded idiots who would shoot his own dick off instead of the beer bottle on the fence post.
Back to pleasant thoughts. I am really happy with how good the story is doing so far. More on Naruto's encounter with Tsunade will be occurring in this chapter. A pat on the back and a shout out to whoever figures out her role in the story. But if you think like I do then it should be obvious. I did hint at it in the last chapter, you just have to look.
I'll be throwing you guys a bone and voting for something. The reasons for Naruto's parents basically abandoning him! (Insert: drumroll)
Classic: parents sealed yin Kurama/kyuubi into sister. Took her off to train to "protect" her and Naruto. Returns later expecting him to welcome them back with a warm hug and laugh.
Uncommon: parents take sister to train in order to protect Naruto in the future. Parents sign marriage contracts between the two (pfft yeah, no, I am reluctant but willing to do this. With with with help.) And expect for him to love them as soon as they step through the gate.
Rare: Kushina and Minato leave the village with amnesia and don't remember Naruto. Naruto leaves before they are able to returns. (Whether or not he is banished, a nuke nin, or some other crap will not be mentioned for the sake of the story.)
Epic: Kushina Survives along with Naruto's younger sister. (This option affects How old Naruto is. I think it's obvious it affects whether he is 15 or 13) they both treat Naruto as a slave and both are too late to apologise.
Legendary: his parents just didn't care. (This option doesn't really change the story all that much.)
Keep in mind that all 5 choices affect the story in unique ways. They will not be mentioned because it would compromise the entire fic if I did. Just choose one of the five, message me directly, write the name of the story and the rank I wrote each under.
The choices are not exactly accurate in how often I've seen them, this is just more off of the ones I've read that are worth reading and for an easier time in choosing. Poll will end the first of next month.
A question topic that is unsurprisingly asked often. Lemons. Chances are, lemons will not happen. It isn't set in stone but I'm not good at writing them, and I don't want to give women any more chances to claim guys are perverted. My girlfriend calls me a pervert yet it's her that asks to do all these seemingly impossible positions. Sometimes I wonder if I'm lucky, or not. It is pretty funny getting her to pout though when she realizes she can't do something. I'm a sucker for my cute girlfriend and I'm proud to say it!
Enjoy
In response to mortal danger the human mind releases a chemical known as adrenaline to improve our speed, strength, and stamina. Its basically our only defence against predators. It is commonly believed that adrenaline is used to escape attackers like our self preservation instinct demands.
Naruto… doesn't have that instinct, if anything else his instinct demands he run towards danger. The moment he made it close enough to smell the foul stench of death in the monster's breath the leader pounced at him with a metal claw raised to swipe at him, his instincts told him to return the favor. Naruto ducked under the swipe and slid to the left never taking his eye off the monsters spreading out around him and kneed the creature in the ribs.
The feral monster roared in pain when the hit made contact before it landed in a heap beside the blonde. It wasn't down for long however, it's razor sharp claws scraped the floor as it stood back on its paws and glared hatefully at the one who struck it before leaping back to join a second member of its pack.
A second and third feral creature imitated their leader and pounced. One facing Naruto the other from his left side. Naruto ducked under the one that leapt in front of him before uppercutting the second in the jaw. While it was still in the air Naruto jumped and roundhouse kicked it back to its previous position. Not a moment later the fourth pounces.
Naruto moves forward a single step before grabbing the creatures ankle and falling backwards planting his feet on the creature's torso and kicking it over him before righting himself on his feet. Now weary of their prey the pack begins to circle him, occasionally snarling at him or hissing between themselves.
During all of this the young boy who Naruto hid was watching him with awe. The way he handles the creatures, it was like he was enjoying himself. Like there was no other place he would rather be than on the battlefield. Thinking on the older teens words from earlier he couldn't help but think on his own question. 'Why risk your life for something that can't be done?'. He almost flinched at how hopeless he sounded.
And watching what he deemed as 'impossible' become possible through the teen. He couldn't help but think, 'Maybe…. Maybe it is possible.' His thoughts were interrupted when a sickening CRACK echoed through the room. He zoned in on one of the creatures sprawled on the floor with its head bent at an odd angle and had to gulp down the bile that had risen in his throat at the brutal act. Regardless of the brutality it was still awe inspiring to see someone relatively close to his age man handle the creatures he had seen tearing into the crew of the ship.
Naruto ducked under another pounce but had to hold in a scream when he felt a second creature rake it's claws down his back. He wanted to hold off on using his Ninjutsu techniques unless absolutely necessary. He didn't want anyone to know he was a ninja. The less people who knew the better. It was easy to for him to say he was just a natural fighter with his lack of official style in fighting. Same goes with his natural strength. But if he started fighting with copies of himself and blowing holes in his opponents he wouldn't be able to deny it.
But damn these creatures were pushing their luck. Those claws freaking hurt! Turning around he cole cocked the one that hurt him in the side of the face subconsciously channeling chakra to boost his strength. He was satisfied when his punch snapped it's neck and it fell to the hard floor with a dull thud. His moment of satisfaction was cut short when the usual grunts and growls from the creatures changed to a more throaty sound.
As cautious as he was curious he backed away from the remaining three but couldn't move out of the way fast enough when he was engulfed in a green mist that erupted from the mass of the creatures. His throat and nostrils burned as he breathed in the toxic vapor. The momentary lapse in concentration cost him when the leader of the group charged him and bit deep into his shoulder.
This time he couldn't hold in his scream of pain as the teeth dug deeper into his shoulder. The pain brought his focus on the gleaming eye of the creature clamping it's maw on his right shoulder. Gritting his teeth he grabbed the throat of his assailant and rammed it into the hard wooden wall next to his hammock as hard as he could.
The impact caused it's hold on his shoulder to loosen when it yelped in pain. That bought Naruto the time to get his shoulder free and punched the creature in the throat closing off its supply of oxygen. He dropped it from there and ignored the sounds of choking it made as it struggled to its feet. He focused on the remaining two who now had him cornered.
His opponents looked to be even more weary of him at this point. Not to the point of retreating but they seemed to have learned charging him would only get them killed. They paced in a half circle cutting off any possible escape route he could use to get more room all the while snarling at him. He became strangely aware of the fact the wound on his shoulder was healing much slower than he was used to. Usually wounds like that steamed a bit and closed within thirty seconds of being inflicted. His wound was steaming but it was healing much slower than before.
He took the brief reprieve to catch his breath and try to figure out why his lungs felt like he spent the last hour inhaling alcohol. The only thing that he could think of that could have done this to him would be that green mist these things sprayed him with. His eyes widen in realization 'poison'. He couldn't think on his predicament more before that same throaty snarl warned him of what they were attempting and inwardly cringed. He could not let anymore of that stuff touch him.
He reacted instantly. He took a gamble and charged toward the creature closest to the door. Just as it exhaled more of that poison mist he dived over it and rolled to his feet. Acting fast on the given, if brief, opportunity he took hold of the creature's hind legs and began spinning on the balls of his feet. The creature yowled in a panicked frenzy. The other creature charged forward to help it's comrade but it was smacked away when Naruto swung it's Ally at it.
Naruto released his hold on the creature's legs just as they made contact. The result was the previously yowling creature impacting its Ally's side and both hitting the wall on the far side of the room with a pair of pained whimpers and labored breathing before they both stopped. Both pairs of eyes going dim from the loss of life.
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief just before he fell to a knee now aware of his own loss of breath. A sharp pain shot through his shoulder bringing a pained grunt from his clenched lips. He grabbed at his shoulder while he turned his attention to his wound. He flinched, a pair of open wounds showing torn flesh and sinew, even bone was showing. He didn't have to be a doctor to know that wasn't good. Even worse when it looked like it was starting to puss.
It certainly didn't help that whatever that poison he inhaled was it seriously affected his healing factor and his ability to breath. Hell, breathing right now felt like his lungs were lit on fire. He again directed his attention to his hiding associate. "Hey kid" God he sounded awful. "It's safe to come out, at least for now. I need you to get me a clear bottle of liquid from my bag and a roll of bandages. Its under the hammock."
The boy didn't even hesitate. The moment he was asked he shot out from under the table like he was shot from a cannon and skid to a stop next to his hammock. Right where he was told it was the boy pulled out a medium black leather bag and pulled out the requested items and laid them out in front of Naruto.
Said teen felt a drop of sweat slide down his face. He may not be an expert on medical techniques but it's basic anatomy 101 "A limb can't operate properly when muscle fiber is damaged". He was no exception to that fact, Jinchuriki or not. He had to get the wound cleaned and bandaged. He had been caught off guard and he paid the price.
Grabbing the bottle of clear liquid he bit the cork with his teeth and pulled it out with a "pop" before pouring the contents of the bottle out onto his shoulder. Ignoring the hellish burning from his shoulder he grabbed the bandages at put the end under the pit of his right arm and used his left to wrap it around his shoulder and torso. Naruto sighed in relief when he was finished and sat back on his left arm careful not to put pressure on his right.
The kid who had been silent since he started working mumbled something under his breath. Naruto who had heard the mumble looked to him. "You say something kid?" His voice was still rough but it wasn't as bad as before. It looked like his healing factor had started neutralizing the toxin that he breathed in.
"Maqui, my name, it's Maqui." Naruto gave a grin at the younger boy. "Nice to meet ya Maqui. My name's… Snow. Call me Snow. Got a last name Maqui?" He immediately regret it noticing the boys eyes dim.
"No, I'm an orphan. My mum and dad died when Doto took over. At least... that's what I'm told. The matron of the orphanage I lived in said she found me outside her door with a note from my parents." It was obvious the boy wouldn't say anymore on the matter. "What about you?"
Oh crap, he really didn't want to talk about that. So, lie now and possibly apologize later it is. Question now what should it be? Well, he had always been unorthodox. Why not a name that supports that? "Villiers, but just call me Snow. I've never been one for formality." He grinned cheekily at Maqui who's depression immediately vanished in place of a small smile. "So Maqui, until I can catch my breath wanna tell me why you were in the engine room? Only members of the crew should be in there."
Maqui puffed his chest in pride before exclaiming "I am a member of the crew. I make sure the engine runs properly and perform maintenance on the chakra absorption battery." The pride was practically flowing off him but seeing Naruto's incredulous look he started chuckling.
"OK let me get this straight." he started "They let a kid in his preteens work on a complicated machine. Why?"
Maqui jumped to his feet before reaching into a pocket on his jacket and pulled out something akin to a ball of lumpy metal with a ring attached to one end. "I was specially selected by princes Koyuki Kazehana. I have the highest IQ in Spring country with great achievements in the field of technology. The civilian school I went to recommended me to the princess when they heard about the expedition out of the veil." The long winded speech he was giving was spoken with so much passion that Naruto just couldn't find it in himself to interrupt. Even if now really wasn't the best time for it.
"When the princess ordered my involvement I was immediately put to work examing the skematics for the original chakra absorption battery. It was a test to prove my knowledge in the field of technology. Since I'm here you can guess I passed." Naruto chuckled good naturedly seeing the smile Maqui had. It was so full of pride in his work. Naruto could relate, he loved what he did for a living. Even if he's now forced to hide it.
Naruto grunted in effort when he began pushing himself into a standing position with the help of Maqui who jumped at the chance to help him. "Alright Maqui, we should start searching for any survivors. Can you fight?" He got a mischievous grin in response.
"Ohhh yeah" he held up the ball of metal in his hand. "This is a little something I've been working on in my spare time. I won't go into too much detail. All I'll say is don't be too close when I throw it." Naruto just deadpanned.
"Right" he went over to his bag and pulled out a white long sleeved shirt and a grey hooded jacket to dress himself. After he was dressed comfortably he pulled Maqui close to him. "Listen Maqui, I trust you enough to handle yourself in a fight. But" he made sure his narrowed eyes expressed how serious he was. "If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to hide, you hide. Are we clear?" Maqui nodded fast getting Naruto to
smile and ruffle his hair. "Good, now come on."
From this point on Naruto will be referred to as Snow. But if/when he reveals his true name it will be switched back to Naruto.
With his peace said he slung his bag over his shoulder and ran out the door with Maqui hot on his heels. The pair turned down a long hallway where a few half eaten corpses lay with blood trailing down the halls. Maqui had to cover his nose from the awful stench of blood and death. He would have stopped if Snow hadn't grabbed him by his arm and started to drag him down the hallway.
"Come on Maqui, we have a whole ship to search through. Keep a lookout for more of those creatures, we don't know how many are onboard." Snow didn't get a vocal response back, he didn't need one. He trusted that Maqui understood what he was saying and would follow through.
Their sprint through the hallway was abruptly cut short when strange sounds were heard. Snow immediately stopped in his tracks and got ready for a fight when around the corner ahead of them came something vaguely strange. "Is that a fish, with legs?" Snow just nodded just as incredulous. Where the hell are these things coming from?
Blue, red, and purple scales make a single fish. It's tail three feet long. Behind it hopped more fish, only the scales were a yellow and green.
Snow eyed them all carefully. He would not underestimate his opponent a second time. "Hey Maqui" The fish heard him speak to his companion and started hopping towards them. "You wanna show me what that little metal ball is?" The eager giggle he received as a response had him a little on edge but he held his ground when Maqui pulled it from his jacket again.
"This is gonna be so cool!" Without another word he pulled the ring off the metal ball with a small cylinder still attached and threw the ball in the center of the crowd of lizards. Snow just watched on confused.
"Was that supposed to do so-" He was interrupted by an explosion nearly knocking him on his ass but he was able to put a foot under him to regain his balance. Looking back to the group of legged fish he found only the blue scaled lizard remained with several cuts but overall alive. The other fish were nothing but bits and pieces scattered all over the hallway in a mess of gore.
Snow looked at Maqui in shock before he grinned like an idiot. "Nice one Maqui! Got anymore of those explosive balls?" Maqui nodded with another proud grin on his lips before stuffing his hands in his pockets and pulling out something. It looked like a rope with several of those explosive balls being tied to it by string. There were twelve in all.
"You bet boss!" The proud claim was brought to an immediate halt when Snow and Maqui heard a very disturbing sound. Like a high pitched toad croak. They both turned back to the remaining enemy only to see five more legged fish. "what the hell?" both Snow and Maqui cursed.
Snow didn't need to say anything before Maqui threw another orb of destruction. When the blast came Snow was ready this time and kept his balance. But he still had to cover his eyes from the dust and debris being kicked up by the explosion. This time when it cleared he saw what the frog/fish thing was doing.
Although it was moving sluggishly Snow saw the legged fish standing on it's hind legs and hopping from its left to the right and sounding off that God awful croak he heard earlier. Down the hall he saw more of those frog things hopping towards them. If he had to hazard a guess it was that croak that was attracting them. If that was the case then all he had to do was kill the caller.
He cursed though when he remembered it was sealed in a scroll in his bag. It was supposed to increase his healing factor for a brief period of time. Because of his shoulder he couldn't risk it becoming exposed to anymore toxic substances with his healing factor being stunted. He wanted to grab Maqui and run but his companions solid posture and gleam in his eye told him enough. Maqui had a plan.
"Sorry Maqui, until my shoulder heals a bit more I can't risk another fight. Got anything in your pocket of tricks to get us out of this?" Maqui didn't say anything. He just reached a hand into his right pocket this time and pulled out a bright pink vitamin pill. Snow looked at it curious but didn't say anything. If the kid thought it would work then he would trust him. Especially after demonstrating those shiny orbs of fiery death.
When Maqui began violently shaking the pill in his hand snow had thought the boy had briefly lost his mind. But then the pink pill began to bulge. Then it began to grow to the size of a baseball before Maqui pitched it at the frog leader. Just as the pill made contact it exploded into a cloud of pink obscuring the group of frog/fish "I call this one the meltdown pill. It releases a chemical I call agent pink. The chemical interrupts the thought processes of every living thing that inhales it. It makes those affected attack the first thing they see." His eyes were practically sparkling at his statement.
Snow looked lost. Wasn't the kid a technical genius? Chemical falls in the category of medicine. How does that work? He decided to ignore it for now and watch how things turned out. The moment the cloud of pink vapor dissipated enough to see all of the fish/frog creatures began whipping at each other with their tails.
The moment he saw this snow grabbed Maqui by the arm and dragged him around the group of fighting fish. ( Lol I made a joke. I didn't know there was a breed of fish called the siamese fighting fish before I wrote that line.) "Great job Maqui, but let's not wait until their done ne?" Maqui smiled with a nod and followed after Snow.
The long track through the ship wasn't entirely unpleasant. Despite the corpses on the ground they hadn't run into anymore monsters since their encounter with the fighting fish. Unfortunately they hadn't run into any other survivors. But despite their efforts they both felt they could at least go on with their lives knowing they tried to help the people on the boat. It was with this thought they both decided it was time to go.
But just as they were approaching the sub-bay Naruto came to an abrupt stop taking hold of the back collar of Maui's coat with his uninjured arm. Maqui was about to tear into Snow for the way he grabbed him but Naruto cut him off by placing his hand over the boys mouth for silence. A few heartbeats later and the sound of several pounding feet on the floor above resonated down the hall. The sound passed them several moments later.
Maqui looked at Snow in excitement but was cut off from saying anything when the hand covering his mouth got tighter. Not a moment later even more pounding came from the direction of the previous sound followed by the denting of the ceiling under the weight of something massive.
That scared Maqui the moment he saw those dents. His place as a member of the crews engineering corps had taught him a lot about the ship. Such as the material used to make the damn thing. The floors were made out of a rare ore only found in iron country. The natives called it white Iron for the color the flames make when the ore itself makes when it reaches the point of melting. The metal is said to be able to withstand the weight of five thousand pounds if distributed properly.
And to find something that could dent the nye indestructible metal was daunting. His thoughts ended when a massive clawed foot broke through the floor. It wasn't there long however before it pulled back out and continued it's way after its prey. Maqui turned a shaky head to Snow who was glaring at the hole in the ceiling. His frightened eyes speaking volumes of what he wanted to say.
"Maqui" said boys mouth snapped shut at the serious tone in his newly made friends voice. "I need to borrow those exploding balls of yours. After I take them I want you to get on the sub and find someplace safe to hide. If you have to leave without, me do it." Maqui looked at his friend in shock.
"Are you crazy?!" His abrupt shout caused Snow to slowly turn an eye to Maqui. "I know it isn't right to just leave whoever it was that ran by with that thing. But come on! We only stayed because we actually had a chance at defending ourselves! If that thing gets a hold of us Snow… It won't just hurt us. That thing will kill us."
When he was done talking Maqui stayed silent, refusing to look Snow in the eye, keeping his eyes closed in defiance. The silence dragged on before Maqui heard Snow chuckle. He was unprepared for the sudden weightlessness he felt when his eyes slid closed.
Naruto pulled the bloodied bandages off of his healed arm with a sigh of relief. After knocking out Maqui, which he did feel guilty for, he snagged those exploding orbs and hid Maqui before making a mad dash towards the closest stair case to the floor up. He was just thankful his healing factor was beginning to work again. Of course it's only half as fast as it used to be right now it would still be useful in his coming battle.
He followed the trail of dents while a feeling of nostalgia welled up in his chest. Thinking back he allowed an amused smirk to form on his lips as he remembered a similar situation he was in just a few weeks prior. But as of this moment he had monsters to beat down and people to save so he pushed a small amount of his own latent energy into his legs and kicked off the floor with the metal groaning under him from the force.
It was easy tracking the obviously rampaging monster through the ship when it left beach ball sized dents in the floor with the occasional hole. The resounding echo of the beasts paws making contact with the floor was disorienting considering the volume of it. Especially when the person actively looking for it had enhanced senses. The damned things echoing roar of bloodlust wasn't helping either.
But when the boat again lurched as if struck nearly making him fall flat on his face he knew something changed.
Lo and behold after another few minutes of tracking he found a gaping hole tore open in the ceiling exposing the start night sky overhead. But something was off. The constellations were all wrong. He didn't know any of them. The ones he did see was in completely different places that they were just an hour before he decided to head to bed. The little dipper and Ursa Major were overlapping. Ursa minor and Leo were actually facing each other as if to do battle. He couldn't see any others and that felt wrong.
His observations were cut short when the pained scream of a man ripped through the night. He immediately shook himself from his thoughts and focused back on the task at hand. Finding the people he and Maqui had heard and rescue them from the rampaging monster.
But when he looked to the source of the pained scream he felt himself freeze. There on the floor was a middle aged man dressed in the heavy coats native to Spring country. His hair was the color of bronze and his eyes were a deep sea green.
But what made him freeze was the fact the man was bisected at the waist. Blood pooling on the floor around him while the man's breathing steadily lessened. He looked around for the assailant but found not a soul to be there. He ran to the man hoping to help him stay alive in some way. But when he kneeled next to the man a d tried to wrack his mind for anything he knew of that could save the man's life, the dying man had grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and pulled him close so his mouth was next to Snow's ear.
"M-my daughter" the man stopped briefly because of his throat filling with blood causing him to cough. Snow seeing the man suffer pushed him down and pulled off his coat in order to try to stem the flow of blood.
"S-stay down, your losing a lot of blood. I can save you just hold on." Snow's tone was calm if slightly panicked. But his eyes told of just how panicked he truly was. He had never truly taken another man's life. But he had felt this helpless before during a past escort mission he had with his former team. That was the only reason he wasn't frozen on the spot. But it never truly gets easier to watch someone die. Whether you know them or not.
But the man would have none of it. He pulled Snow against himself again and said through a voice of pain and desperation "please save my daughter… I'm dead a-anyway. Please" the man spoke with such desperation that Snow was forced to stop applying pressure to the man's wound. "Protect her, protect my Aqua-chan." Snow could tell the man was dying and was forced to hold back his own tears. This was absolutely terrifying. Watching anyone bleed out in their arms was something that no one can truly prepare for. No matter how mature a person is.
Snow fought to keep his trembling out of his own voice as he spoke, his voice leaking determination reflected by the fire in his eye. " I promise. You have my word she will be safe." The dying man's lips curled up into a small pained smile before all movement from him stopped. His chest stopped rising while his arms went slack and the light in his eyes dimmed.
Snow took in a shuddering breath with his eyes closed while his fists clenched. He may not have known the man but the man's obvious love for his daughter was enough for him to know the man deserved his respect. The world would be a darker place with men like him gone.
Snow exhaled a calming breath before standing to his full height and staying quiet. He had two directions he could go to look for the man's daughter and it was likely the man's attacker is following her closely. He had to be sure which way they both were before taking off in an attempt to save the girl.
The silence of the night was deafening. Almost as if the planet itself held its breath anticipating the coming confrontation. But all at once the scream of a little girl only to be drowned out by a loud roar broke through the calm. Snow's eyes snapped open before diving to the side avoiding the large claw of his attacker.
He rolled to right his balance and stopped on his knees now facing his attacker. A pinch of pain from his shoulder causes Snow to wince. Apparently the muscles are still not completely healed. He would need to be careful to keep them from tearing. Focusing back on his attacker he cursed under his breath.
The monster looked so much like the first monsters he faced. It had the build of a K-9 but it's tail waved behind it like a cat. It's mouth was just short enough to not be called a snout and more of a freakishly long chin. In its snarling maw were not one but two rows of razor sharp teeth. Unlike the first group of monsters this one didn't have the color scheme of the first. It's body was a light blue/grey but the longer hair the grew down its spine was white. It's eyes closed a bright ominous yellow. Again, unlike the first group of monsters this creature didnt have sharp slabs of metal wedged between it's paws to make claws. But it's claws still looked sharp enough to cut steel.
His inspection of his own enemy was abruptly halted when he heard the frightened whimpering of a girl. Focusing on the sound he felt his heart almost stop at the pained sight that greeted him. There standing in the middle of a group of the smaller K-9 monsters was a tear stricken girl younger than Maqui. His inspection was again halted when he was forced to focus back on the giant monster that was now growling and looked ready to charge him.
Thinking back to his previous encounter with a similar creature he knew to take this one seriously. If a small one was strong enough to temporarily cripple him he needed to be very careful with one five times his own size. Otherwise he won't live to regret it.
Snow took his stance with his attention being split between the captive girl and the overgrown mut on steroids. Without warning the behemoth sized creature charged him with a guttural snarl intent on mauling him to death. Thinking quickly Snow reinforced his arms and legs with chakra before blocking the downward swipe of the creatures claws. The angle he blocked at allowed him to catch the creature's paw but his arms shook with the strain of holding it back while his knees almost buckled under it's weight.
Snow grit his teeth at the effort he was exuding to keep from being crushed and chanced a look at the girl. He was briefly able to see a glimpse of familiar green eyes before focusing back on the task at hand. But he spoke through the exertion knowing the girl would hear him "It's alright Aqua. I'm here to help you. Be brave until I get there." He didn't hear anything back but couldn't worry about it when the weight he held was suddenly removed causing him to stumble to regain his balance.
He clenched his fists while his legs spread out to balance himself and launched forward not a moment later off of his left foot. He reared his right fist back before aiming a straight punch between it's eyes. The creature's tail stood on end while it's hair on it's back bristled. The pause didn't last. Snow took advantage of the moment by uppercutting the beast in the jaw. I
It howled in rage before snapping it's massive jaws at him.
Snow sidestepped just enough to where he felt the wind off the attack. He followed his dodge by sending a strong left hook at the creatures unprotected eye. This time it howled in pain and distanced itself from Snow.
Taking the hint Snow backed off to. The creature began to circle him while Snow mirrored the action. One a practiced predator circling prey, the other an unrecognized killer analyzing his opponent. The night was once again calm and quiet. The only sound being the clicking of the massive creature's sharp claws and Snow's boots hitting the deck. Even the creatures smaller followers stopped circling the girl to watch their leader kill the pitiful human.
Man and beast glared at the other. One with an angry glare the other analytical.
On an unheard signal Snow and the creature charged at each other! The creature howling in challenge with Snow staying silent, content with letting his fists talk for him. They met in the middle.
The beast aiming to take a bite out of Snow with said target leaping and rolling to the side with his leg outstretched to keep his balance. When his foot came in contact with the metal floor he had to roll again to dodge a swipe at him by the large beast.
He wasn't able to retaliate because the swipe was followed up by the beast slamming it's paw down on top of Snow.
Snow bit back the scream that swelled in his throat and rolled out of the way when the beast tried to swallow him whole. The beast went back to circling him, confident in its ability to win.
Given the opportunity Snow kept his gaze on his snarling opponent opponent. The beast was eyeing him like a predator that knows it's prey is caught and can't fight back. He thought hard on a possible way out of the mess he found himself in. 'I have a few seconds before that thing kills me now how do I get out of this mess. The few hits I managed to get in didn't seem to do more than piss it off. But when I hit it's eye I know it hurt it. It's hide is very tough but I might be able to get through it with a kunai.'
With a plan now hatched he reached into the bag he had secured around his waist and pulled out a pair of double bladed knives and held both in each hand in a reverse grip. 'i never was the best at knife combat but it's the only thing I can think of aside from the explosive orbs I got off Maqui. But I don't think it's reached that point yet, and I don't want to accidentally get Aqua caught in the blast.'
Now duel wielding the kunai he got into the same stance as before just as the beast pounced at him looking to end the fight.
Snow ran towards the airborne creature and slid under it just as it landed missing the blonde completely. While sliding Snow put as much effort as he could into stabbing the kunai in his hands into the beast above him.
"Damnit, what's it gonna take to kill you!?" To his frustration the kunai did in fact cut into it's target. But what frustrated him was the fact that it only went in an inch before the final actually snapped in half.
But at least the shock of being nicked was enough of a distraction for Snow to get out from under the now thoroughly pissed off freak of nature. 'looks like I don't have much choice anymore.' he thought worriedly.
He didn't know how effective an exploding orb would be against this thing. His kjnai trick only managed to piss it off more. There was a chance the exploding orb could be knocked close to Aqua 'Unless'. A victorious smirk formed on his lips. 'That could work'.
Snow reached into his bag and pulled out one of Maqui's inventions.
He couldn't get any further in his thoughts because of the now charging beast. He tried dodging but, to his mounting horror, the beast caught the bag attached to his waist which so happened to be carrying his backup plans. With a loud snap the rope of his bag was torn off his waist and the bag itself went down the monster's throat leaving only the one orb in his hand as his, and Aqua's, only hope of surviving this rescue.
Snow cursed at the loss of his bag and made sure to clutch his only remaining orb to ensure he didn't lose that too. His eyes narrowed in a mix of anger and frustration, vowing vengeance for the loss of his bag.
Now he only had one chance at beating the fucker. He had to make it count. So when his opponent finally focused back on him Snow was ready for it.
The beast charged.
It was at that moment that the world slowed. Time seemingly going in slow motion while his thoughts drifted to a training session with the only person who gave him the time of day. A lesson that would now save his life.
(AN:Name change ahead. When the author's note acronym comes up again Naruto's name will switch back to Snow.)
Naruto sat silently while the lady that had helped him the other night ate with a younger women.
She had the friendly girl next door charm that many would find attractive. Her hair was charcoal black and cut at the shoulders. Her eyes were the same color as her hair but glowed with a kindness one wouldn't expect from one who lives the life of a shinobi. She wore a light green ink closed at the waist with a grey sash tied at the back in a small bow.
Both women were rather talkative while they ate. Well, the younger girl was talkative. She would bounce ideas for medicinal herbs mixtures and techniques she felt she could improve on using this herb or doing this instead of that, etc.
She had even tried conversing with him but he had no knowledge on medicine like the young woman. She seemed oddly disappointed but had pushed him another direction. "Well have you ever considered learning medicine?"
The thought had made him pause in thought. Did he want to learn medical techniques?
He thought back on past experiences where knowing how to heal would have helped him. A minute of thought where Should sat quietly letting him think on an answer brought realization to him. If he had learned medicine early on he could have helped more in wave. He could have saved Zabuza and Baku. He could have healed himself in the forest of death. He could have even saved Sandayu in Snow country. All if he had known medical jutsu. Yes, he wanted to learn it very much.
Naruto looked at Shizune and gave his answer "yes". Shizune had gave such a warm smile he couldn't help but give a smaller one in return.
Shizune clapped her hands together her smile still in place "Great Naruto-kun, I'll gather some of my books for apprentices after we finish eating, is that alright." She seemed almost giddy to teach. He had only seen that look in the eye of his first true sensei. Her eyes were practically sparkling at the thought of teaching.
Tsunade who had stayed quiet till that point abruptly stopped eating and looked at Naruto. Seeing her teacher's sudden action made her nervous. Normally Tsunade wouldn't deny anyone the knowledge of medicine. If anything she usually supported it. But the now serious look made her freeze while shooting both her and Naruto looks of anxiety.
Tsunade just eyed him with an 'I know' glare. "Alright gaki, I've been patient with you. I've let you rest and now I want answers." When she finished she crossed her arms over her bust with her glare intensifying.
Naruto, to his credit, only twitched to indicate he knew what she was referring to. "I don't know what yo-" he was cut off when Tsunade brought down a fist onto the table they were eating at. The table only cracked under the force of the impact but the lack of effort she put into the hit scared him.
"I don't want to hear that shit kid. Now I know you're not a civilian, you'd have to be as oblivious to your surroundings as Jiraiya at the women's hot springs to not notice the output of your chakra. Now who are you really and why did I find you chugging alcohol like you were last night." Even though it was asked so calmly it was obvious she demanded an answer. One Naruto wasn't sure he was willing to give. But it was impossible to hide the fact he was a shinobi now. She already said it was impossible to not miss the fact he was practically radiating chakra.
With a sigh of defeat he pulled his knees into his chest. He couldn't find the strength to lift his gaze to Tsunade when he began speaking. "My name really is Naruto, but my last name is… correction, was Uzumaki N-Namikaze." The moment his last name was said he closed his eyes tight. He could feel the surprised look boring into his forehead. "I was a genin of Konohagakure no Sato. I left because of…. Personal reasons. That's all I'm willing to say." All was quiet while the two women processed what they learned.
"T-they told me you were dead." He opened his eyes to look at Tsunade. He thought he misheard her. But when he saw the look of horrified realization, accompanied by the fact she was shaking, he had to believe he heard right.
"What do you mean 'that told me you were dead'? Why would you need to know about me being alive?" He could only tense when he saw her climb to her feet. He watched her every move from that point on as she drew closer to him. With each step anxiety built in his chest. He knew he couldn't get away from her. She was obviously an older more experienced kunoichi.
He felt his heart about to beat out of his chest when he saw her get within arm's reach of him but she just stood there staring at him. The pressure became too much and just as he was about to bolt she fell to her knees and grabbed both cheeks of his face with both hands. It wasn't harsh, it was actually rather gentle, like he was made of glass and would shatter if she put too much pressure on him. The situation itself greatly confused him.
Before he could delve further into his confusion he was forced to look into Tsunade's eyes. Pools of honey brown gazed into sapphire blue. Tsunade's gaze held a haunted yet hopeful glaze. Almost as if she were looking at a long thought dead family member. His own was shadowed in confusion and she could see the emotional scars that darkened his eyes to a darker blue than should be there.
She sat there looking into his eyes for what felt like hours to Naruto. What she was looking for, he didn't know. He just stayed quiet and hoped that however this ended did not end with him being thrown in a ditch weighing less than he had minutes before.
He almost reacted violently when he saw her eyes widen in a kind of realization but her next words froze him in place "Y-your really him. You're really alive." Then he was pulled into a bone crushing hug. At first he struggled in her arms panicking at the violation of his personal space but Tsunade just hugged him tighter. When he began to calm down he noticed the wetness that had formed on his shoulder. Getting a better feel for the person hugging him he noticed it, Tsunade was crying.
A thousand questions swam through the elder blonde's mind. Many of which centered around 'why was he struggling? What did they do to him?' when she felt him calm down she allowed herself to just sit and hold him. "I'm sorry" she tightened her grip on him trying to pull him closer "I'm so sorry".
Naruto felt his confusion grow. Why was she apologizing? For that matter why was she hugging him like this?
"I don't know what you mean. Who are you?"
Hesitantly, she released her hold on him and sat back on her knees. Her head angled down with her blond hair falling over her face. He could see her lip quivering and how her hands were clenched around the material of her shirt. "M-my name is Senju Tsunade, I was meant to be your godmother….."
"..."
Silence. The temperature dropped while the atmosphere became tense. Naruto's features were unreadable. His bangs fell over his eyes keeping them from being visible. His mouth was set in an expressionless line, he wasn't even tense. "Is this some kind of joke?"
Tsunade sat stunned at the question. Joke? He thinks this is some kind of joke? Why the little….
"If this is some kind of joke I'm not laughing." He abruptly stood up with Tsunade still sitting there looking up at him in stunned silence. "First those people at the village claim me as their son, now a member of the Detsu no sennin is my godparent? Heh, what's next? My uncle is the shinigami? Grandpa was Kami? Maybe the Tsuchikage is my grandmother who likes to crossdress. Is that it? Is that funny enough for you people!?" He was screaming at this point on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Tsunade who had sat quietly listening to his ridiculous sarcastic theories could only wonder what had happened to him to drive him to this point. Shizune who was listening to Naruto rant was both disturbed at how close to insane the young blonde sounded and amused at the thought of the feared Oonoki of two scales as a cross dresser.
Naruto was pacing back and forth at this point mumbling more gibberish under his breath, and if one looked close enough they could see just how close he was to going off the deep end. Tsunade seeing the symptoms of a psychotic breakdown immediately stood to her feet and grabbed Naruto by the shoulders roughly.
Naruto just stared at her, his eyes were slightly glazed over yet distant look in his eye. Even then she could see his pupils shrinking as madness took a firm hold. She violently shook Naruto to shake him from his episode of insanity.
Naruto's eyes fluttered several times to clear the fog that had settled over his mind before trying to struggling out of Tsunade's grip. Keyword being tried. She held firm as the boy thrashed and squirmed trying to get free. "Naruto please, I know you're hurting but please at least let me explain. Let me try to fix this!" The struggling stopped.
Looking down at the boy in her arms brown eyes met blue. "Fine, one chance Senju… one… chance and if I'm not satisfied you'll let me leave and you'll never see me again." Tsunade stiffened at the tone. Usually when people make a threat there is an underlying hesitation between every word used. But a promise is something that is without hesitation. If someone makes a promise of pain with absolutely no hesitation in what they say they have every intention of going through with it. What Naruto said wasn't a threat, it was a promise.
Tsunade nodded in understanding and released Naruto.
The moment he was free Naruto stepped away from Tsunade and settled back in his seat.
Tsunade glanced at Shizune who had been silently watching the entire time. "Shizune!" Said student perked up at the commanding tone in her master's voice "Go out into the village and take the grocery list. We need some time to discuss a few things."
"Hai, Tshnade-sama" Shizune takes the plate she used and puts it in the sink to be washed later before grabbing a slip of paper from the table before leaving the room with a click from the door.
Godson and godmother stare the other down for a tense few seconds before Tsunade sighs in resignation to her fate. "I was first asked to be your godmother by Kushina. At the time she seemed so happy when she asked me that I couldn't refuse her. It was a day before you were born that she asked me. Right before I left on a border peace negotiation assignment. It wasn't until after the negotiations had finished a week after I left that I heard about what happened during the Kyuubi attacked." Sorrow dripped from her lips like water, it was obvious she was upset about bearing of the Kyuubi attack as late as she did.
"When I finally got back to the village…." Tsunade gripped her head in an effort to stop herself from breaking down. "I was told your parents bodies were never recovered. When I asked about you they… they told me you had died during the birthing procedure. I was told that your mother became too stressed and accidentally suffocated you before you could be removed from the womb, it was he same with your sister."
Tears were spilling from her eyes while she quietly sobbed. "I should have checked the records. I know i shouldn't have trusted them. Just like I shouldn't have left knowing Kushina would have given birth at any time. I'm sorry I failed as your godmother Naruto." Tsunade bowed to him, her head touching the floor.
"I just got so absorbed in my grief that I couldn't stand being in Konoha anymore. It hurt thinking about everyone that I failed to protect. It hurt thinking that so many of my loved ones died there and left me so alone."
During her explanation Naruto had remained silent. His face going through several emotions at once to the point it was unclear what he was feeling exactly. For one he felt a mix of relief and anger, relief because she hadn't abandoned him willingly, and anger because of how naive she was to trust whoever it was she trusted at the time. Not counting she did have a point when she said she shouldn't have left when she did. But that could be counted as a human error. He would be lying if he said he didn't have his fair share of errors.
Finally he took a deep breath to calm the emotional storm that was his mind before looking at Tsunade calmly.
"I… forgive you" the moment the words were uttered he found himself almost crushed in the woman's hug. He could hear her muttering 'thank you over and over again in the hug and decided to, if hesitantly, return it.
The moment Tsunade felt his arms wrap around her torso she tightened her hug. They just stayed like that with Tsunade absorbed in his embrace.
When she finally let him go she had hopeful look in her eye "what about your sister, if you're alive what about her?"
The change was obvious. The previous look of emotional control was barely intact, but the icy look in his eye still managed to seep through his defenses. "Alive" was the only uttered word. It was obvious something had happened between the two.
Tsunade herself found herself almost regretting asking about her. Whatever happened between the two must have been bad if that look in his eye was any evidence. "What happened" the glare she got almost made her flinch.
"I may be able to forgive you for not being there for me Tsunade-sama, but don't mistake my forgiveness for acceptance. If you want to know go talk to her back in Konoha. As far as I'm concerned you're just a stranger, even if your somewhat closer." Forgive his attitude and the temporary drop of his mask. But he did just mean to give Tsunade a chance to become closer to him. He wasn't about to accept her as his godmother when she was technically never there for him. It would take much longer than one heartfelt conversation to make him see her as anything more than an acquaintance.
The message was clear, 'none of your business'. It hurt knowing he didn't trust her but at least he was willing to give her a chance. Something that nagged at her was the way he was acting. It completely contradicts the way he was acting when he first woke up. He went from a loud obnoxious goofball to a cold calculating persona. She didn't even think he realized he slipped. A mask would be the only explanation. What had the poor boy gone through to not trust others with his true personality?
"Alright Naruto, I'll be patient." Then a glint, not unlike the glint that had previously been in Shizune's own, eye shone through. "You said you wanted to learn medicine right?" At his hesitant nod she continued "why don't I teach you medical Jutsu? It will take some work but I feel it's the least I can do in order to make up for missing out on your life."
For the first time in a long time Naruto's lips twitched up into a small, genuine, smile. "Thanks… Tsunade-sama." Again she was disappointed at the formality he chose to address her with but accepted it nonetheless.
"No problem brat, and here" Tsunade puts white scroll in Naruto's hand. "A little something to work on in your spare time if you're interested. I won't help you learn it but I will give you a tip. The best of all plans are always executed at the last possible second."
Naruto's brow furrowed at the cryptic hint before glancing back down at the scroll. Curious he opened it and was promptly shocked "T-this is" Tsunade chuckled seeing the shock cross his face.
"Call it my way of apologizing for not being there for you when you were younger."
"Thank you" His tone was almost blank and his bangs shadowed his eyes making it impossible to see his eyes.
"I know it'll take me a while to truly apologize but-" "Tsunade" Naruto cut her off before she could finish.
Looking at her Godson she took notice of the almost unnoticeable streak of tears that trailed down his cheek. She was shocked when she was pulled into a meaningful hug from Naruto. "Thank you, for this Tsunade." his shoulders were shaking from suppressing his tears. 'Its strange, I've only known her for a day… and she already treats me better than everyone in Konoha ever did.'
Tsunade felt his shoulders shaking and gently hugged back. Whatever this poor boy went through back in Konoha left him scarred, that much was obvious. She inwardly vowed to make sure his life from this point on was experienced to the fullest. Even if it killed her.
There moment broke when a mechanized snap rang in the room followed by a brief flash of light. Looking at the source in alarm they saw Shizune standing there, a camera in her hand with a photo of the two hugging sticking out of the lip.
Said woman was giggling "Just the first of many". Tsunade smirked at her apprentice in amusement. She was always the most family oriented of the both of them.
Flashback end: Naruto will now be referred to as Snow. Enjoy
Tsunade may not have known it at the time. But she gave Naruto his first true lesson as a shinobi that day. 'That best of all plans are always executed at the last possible seconds.' Those words stayed with him. It was those words that bolsted his confidence now. As he stood facing the charging behemoth.
Both eyes locked gazes, one of animalistic fury, the other with a burning determination to win.
Time seemingly slowed as the massive creature approached. Each foot fall left a dent in the metal floor, the beasts glare holding an unrivaled amount of hatred for him, foamy green drool leaking from its dagger like teeth.
Snow pulled back both arms with one hand holding the pin and just as the beast was on top of him aiming to tear him apart Snow pulled the pin out and with a defiant roar he threw the small sphere of destruction down the beasts gullet.
The act of something that wasn't food hitting the back of it's throat reflexively made the beast swallow the orb. But the act did more than that, although the beast did land on Snow it didn't bite him in two. It was more confused than anything. What had it swallowed? Snow lay with his arms being crushed by the weight of his captor. But the smirk on his face showed anything but worry.
The creatures followers all barked and howled in victory believing their leader had finally defeated the human that had dared challenge it.
Before anything else could happen the large beast's body shook violently while it hacked out a glob of blood that fell directly on Snow covering him in crimson liquid. Then it began choking and whimpering on it's own blood, that flowed out of its maw like a waterfall, in agony as whatever it had swallowed tore it apart from the inside. The beasts agony was temporary before it choked to death on it's own blood.
When the beast fell silent it fell to its belly crushing Snow from the waist down. Snow's mouth fell open in a silent scream of pain before his head lolled. He looked towards the little girl he had risked so much to rescue only to see her still surrounded by the dingo like monsters.
'please…' he had always hated being too weak to do anything. 'Help her…' he hated relying on it to help keep his promises. 'give me just enough so I can. Keep my promise.' But he would never risk someone else's life just because he didn't want to rely on a hated enemy's power.
The last conscious thought was on the overwhelming warmth spreading through his coils, and the monstrous hatred that followed it…
Well guys here it is. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out but I had been distracted a lot during the course of writing it. Now I'm sure some of you are wondering when this is taking place. Most won't figure it out because I had to change something for what I wanted to work right. I had to have the mission to the land of Snow come before the Chuunin exams. But so far that's the only change I made.
Now obviously this is also just before Tsunade returns to Konoha, more on the Konoha situation will come in later chapters, but this also isn't before the Chuunin exams. This takes place in the break between the 3rd and 4th part of the exams. I'm not gonna say much more on that though.
Now for my followers, I have been thinking hard on writing a Naruto Gaea story. Greek goddess of the earth. Won't go into specifics but I thought it would be interesting. Also I've been considering doing another rare pairing between Ursa from the last airbender series and Naruto. I know I'm obsessed with Naruto fanfiction but it's my most knowledgeable subject in fanfiction so it's easier to write aside from fairy tail.
In the story Ursa is banished and is forced to go into hiding, but she makes her way to the elemental nations during a terrible storm where she washes up on shore of sea country where a certain Jinchuriki finds her and nurses her back to health. During the months of her rehabilitation her and Naruto grow to love each other. When she is finally able to walk again the two stay together on Naruto's journey to attain enlightenment through the Rikudo sennis's teachings in Ninshu. Hearing about his goal Ursa suggests the air temples back in the bending countries. Naruto agrees and so starts a glorious adventure between two souls seeking companionship in each other.
Well tell me what you think, R&R and all that. No flaming but I love constructive criticism, give me your opinion on the possible story that I don't have a name for.