FORGEMASTER NARUTO by RavenKnight013 and Darkshot Lestat
DISCLAIMER: I, the author, do not own Naruto. Likewise I do not own the concept of the Devil Arms. That belongs to Capcom, as it came from the infamous DMC games. However, I do own the Devil Arm Forging stuff, since as far as I know, it's unique. If I do own anything else in this story, I will let you know.
Chapter 3
The next day, after getting an adequate amount of rest, Naruto was ready to face the test. But before he did that, he had a question he wanted to ask someone. Thinking of his pendant, he took a lateral step left in reality and wound up in that same timeless realm where the Shinigami rested from his eternal labor.
Looking up at the figure, he smiled and said, "Good morning, Master Shinigami. How are you today?" in a gratingly cheerful voice that he knew the Death-god hated.
"Brat. I should rend your soul for that. What do you want?" asked the irritated death god.
"Well, I'm on a genin team, and I'm a forge master now and all. I was wondering if there were any restrictions on what I did with the weapons after I forged them."
"Nope. After you create them, that's it. They become yours, so you could give them away, sell them, or even create a really weird statue out of them if you wanted. Why?"
"Well, I was just gonna make a gift of a weapon to my teammates if we passed, that's all. I can say I found them or something. Anyway, that's only if we pass. But, I gotta go, I have one last test before I can become a fully-functional field genin. Later, Master Shinigami!" said the cheerful teen as he stepped right in reality, returning to his own world once again.
"See you later, Naruto. Good luck," said the powerful divinity softly as he went back to sorting souls into heaven, hell and snack piles.
Back in the world of the living, Naruto stretched himself out and moved over to his equipment rack. Putting on the sheathes for the four swords, he adjusted it to rest comfortably on his back, then hooked some scroll cases to the sides. They weren't likely to get hit there, and stored there, they were hidden from any opportunistic pickpockets.
He had decided last night to treat this as a full field mission, meaning he packed the full kit in scrolls, including basic meds and rations. Spare weapons went into another, while a bedroll, small tent and spare cash occupied a third. He was happy that he had found the sealing scrolls.
Once he had gotten some of them, he had put his kit, several kits actually, together and stored them in scrolls. This made it much easier to carry and use. The medic and rations scroll went on the left side, the weapons scroll went on the right, and the living arrangements scroll rested above the sword holsters. Sure, he'd need a teammate to get that one, but if he did that, it would be out of the way.
Moving quickly once his gear was stored away, he arrived at Training Ground Seven two hours early. Since he didn't have to be anywhere, he sat down and meditated.
In the Hokage's office, Kakashi was meeting with his esteemed leader. He had a couple questions for old Sarutobi. Like where the boy had developed the smart mouth and tough attitude. Or where he had gotten those blades. Even just by the hilt, they were high-quality and valuable. He had heard about what happened in the Academy from rumors at first, and had checked with iruka.
He had gotten a detailed account of events, including opinion and interpretation from the Chunin instructor. He had wondered about the poison Naruto had used, where it had come from and what it was. So he had decided to ask the Hokage.
Well, Sarutobi was old, but he wasn't stupid. He knew that Kakashi would come to him for information after seeing Naruto deal rather harshly with his jonin instructor. Scrying crystals are wonderful things, thought Sarutobi. He listened to Kakashi as he pondered how much to tell the man.
Kakashi saw the abstracted look on his leaders face. He thought the Hokage would tell him the information, given that he was Naruto's jonin sensei. If he knew, he could make accurate plans based on the information.
"Kakashi, what I am going to tell you falls under the S-class law that I made before, about Naruto's 'tenant'. You remember the law, and it's penalties?" asked the Hokage.
Kakashi knew what he was talking about. He knew that Naruto was the container for the nine tailed fox demon, but that was no matter. He had grown up here in Konoha, he had proven his loyalty to Konoha by defeating Mizuki, and had let him live to boot. All of that spelled 'Not a Demon' to Kakashi. Besides, he liked the boy for himself, though he wouldn't admit it. He did have his pride, after all…
"I understand, Master. What is it?" asked the intrigued Kakashi.
"Well, you remember that he was placed in a coma the night he defeated Mizuki, right? Well, this is what he told me when he woke…" began the Hokage, deciding to tell all.
In Training Ground Seven, Naruto was brought out of his meditating by the arrival of Kiba and Akamaru. The dog barked joyfully, running over to Naruto, begging for a treat with the dreaded 'puppy-dog eyes'. Naruto looked at Kiba to make sure it was alright, and when he got the nod to go ahead, he laughingly pulled out a doggy treat for the eager pup.
Kiba was happy that Naruto had brought that along with him for Akamaru. Not many people would have done that, after all. He sat next to Naruto to await their remaining teammates.
"Ready for this, Kiba?" asked Naruto.
"Of course. Me and Akamaru will ace this test. Right, Akamaru?" the wild-haired lad asked his oldest partner, who looked up briefly from his treat, barked affirmatively, then attacked the chewy bone again.
"I believe you, Kiba. Of course, it would go easier with teamwork, right? And is that your stomach rumbling, or is there a stray bear running loose?" he asked teasingly.
Kiba groaned. He hadn't thought it was that loud. "Sorry, I'm just hungry. Why isn't your stomach rumbling?" he asked curiously.
"Easy. I've had a light snack that will have been digested by the time Kakashi shows up. If you eat one now, it'll be gone quickly." explained Naruto.
"Really? Aw, dammit. Where the hell am I gonna get one now?" Kiba asked plaintively. He was hungry, dammit! He wanted food! Sighing a bit, Naruto reached into his coat and drew a scroll out, red on the ends and tied with a silk cord. Untying it, he unrolled it a ways and poof, there was a small pouch there. Taking it up, Naruto tossed it to the hungry Inuzuka.
"What's this?" he asked, looking in. Seeing several crunchy bars inside, he hungrily pulled some out and devoured them. Naruto laughed at his teammates reaction. It was a good thing he had several more snacks handy in the scroll, otherwise he'd be in trouble.
"Where'd you get that?" asked Kiba, clearing the crumbs from himself after he had eaten three bars. He found things much more bearable with the high-energy bars inside him.
"Heh. Sealing Scrolls are wonderful things. I have three on me right now. One is replacement weapons and suchlike. Another is eats and medical gear. The last is a tent and bedroll. All the basic kit we were taught at the Academy, and no bulky backpack to hold it all… How much more convenient can you get, really?" asked Naruto, somewhat rhetorically.
Kiba was shocked that he had brought the full kit. "Why'd you bring the full kit, dude? We're right here in the village."
"For now, Kiba. There's no guarantee that we're staying here, after all. If I brought it all for nothing, then so be it. At least I was prepared in case we had to leave." stated Naruto calmly. Kiba was again shocked, this time at himself for not realizing the same thing. Seeing the look, Naruto said, "Don't worry, in the scrolls, I have enough for three people, in case my team forgot theirs, or had incomplete kits."
Seeing Naruto close his eyes and begin meditating again, Kiba sighed. Akamaru, seeing the boy an unsuspecting target, moved over and lifted his leg. He stopped when he heard the boy who smelled like foxes and gave good treats say, "Akamaru, if you follow through with that, I will remove important bits. Without anesthetics first. And I would think you'd like to be a father someday, right?" Akamaru, hearing that and understanding it totally, quickly rethought his plans. He found a bush, some ways away from Naruto, before dealing with the pressing business.
Kiba just laughed at his partners hang-dog expression.
In the Hokage's office, Kakashi was stunned by what he had heard. Naruto had forged those works of art? Himself? And he had learned how under the direction of the Shinigami?! He had never been quite as stunned as he was now.
"Hokage, sir, I don't…" he trailed off, completely confused.
"Be at ease, Kakashi. His loyalty to Konoha is assured. Nothing about him has changed aside from his outlook on life and he has gained a new ability. That is all. He is a proud Shinobi of this village, remember?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage. He is that. And he is incredibly blunt, if I may say so. He threatened to punish me if I was late again. And what's more, his teammates agreed with him, right in front of me!" said Kakashi, laughing a bit as he remembered.
The Hokage also laughed. He didn't think Naruto would go too far in his punishments, but better safe than sorry. So he felt compelled to warn Kakashi, "In that case, shouldn't you be seeing to your students? You're already an hour late as it is, and Training Ground Seven is a ways away from the tower, if I recall right." he said, with a wicked twinkle in his eye. Kakashi's eye widened, then he hurriedly bid his leader goodbye as he leapt out of the window. Sarutobi let out a heartfelt laugh at the panic the jonin displayed.
Waiting a bit, he pulled out his scrying crystal and watched.
Naruto was fuming. He had warned Kakashi to avoid being late, and here an hour and a half had gone by beyond when he told them to show up. "Master Kakasi better have a good reason for this," he said to his team. They nodded in agreement.
Soon after that, their sensei showed up, crouching in a tree out of convenient punching range. He looked at his team of genin, and saw them united in their irritation for his tardiness.
"Well, sensei? Why are you late?" asked Naruto in a deceptively calm voice. Like the calm right before a massive tsunami wave blasted through.
"Eh heh, well, I got lost on the road of life this morning and…" he trailed off, seeing that they didn't buy it. No way was he going to announce to all three that he had been talking to the hokage about Naruto.
"Sure ya did, sensei. And I've got some nice beachfront property to sell you, right here in Konoha…" snarked Naruto. If Sensei wouldn't tell the truth, he would be punished.
"Well, let's get on with the test, shall we?" asked Kakashi. Hopping down from his tree, he moved over to the three young ninja. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out two bells. The three genin wondered what the bells were for. He tied them to his belt, and then pulled out two meal boxes, fresh and ready to eat. Putting these on two of the three posts that were placed there, he then turned to the genins.
"Okay. You have until noon to take these bells from me. Two of you will get the bells and the meals. The other will be tied to the post until the meal is done and will be sent back to the academy. Come at me with the intent to kill, otherwise you will fail. Any questions?"
"Yeah," said Naruto. "Why are you trying to divide the team up already? It doesn't make much sense. After all, the whole point of having a team is to use teamwork, right? And here you stand, trying to make us forget that fact."
Kakashi was surprised. He didn't think they would see that. "Irrigardless of my motives, my rules are absolute. Got that? If there are no more questions, begin!" he cried, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
The three genins quickly hid themselves as well. Naruto had kept track of where his teammates went, and made his way over to them. Finding Kiba first, he crouched there and said, "Hey, Kiba, I've got a plan for this…"
Twenty minutes later, Kakashi was reading his little orange book, supremely unconcerned. Well, he was until Kiba and Shino appeared. Sighing, he put the book away to deal with the overconfident genins. "Where's Naruto? Didn't want to work together, in spite of his talk about teamwork?" he taunted, hoping to get a rise out of them.
Shino looked back calmly. "Naruto is not necessary here. We are more than enough." Silently, he hoped Naruto would forgive him for that. It was all part of the plan, after all.
"Oh, confident, aren't we? Well, that's alright. I'll fix that quickly enough," said Kakashi, though he couldn't help but wonder where Naruto really was. It didn't make any sense at all. He figured that he'd be right up front, charging in wildly.
What he didn't know was that Kiba was holding Naruto. Naruto had become a kunai, and was waiting for his chance to strike. Seeing Kakashi drop into a taijutsu stance, Kiba and Shino both attacked. Kiba using his superior speed and agility ran in close and took a swipe at him with the kunai he held in hand.
Kakashi ducked the swipe and kicked him back. As Kiba was flying back, he threw the kunai, which Kakashi calmly dodged. His attention was distracted by Shino coming up and taking some swings at him. He was busy dodging and blocking the young Genin when he felt two slashes on the back. Eye widening, he found he was frozen stiff, right where he was, caught in mid-swing. Hearing the bells jingle, he watched as Naruto walked out from behind him and handed his teammates the bells.
Looking back at Kakashi, he smiled. Putting the swords away, he drew a different one. Moving back to Kakashi, he drew the orange book Kakashi had been reading. Flipping it open, he read a few lines, then looked back at Kakashi.
"You do realize that this stuff with corrode your mind, right? So, in the interest of saving whatever of your mind remains, this book has to go," said Naruto with a wicked gleam in his eyes. Kakashi's eye widened as Naruto tossed the book into the air, then slashed it with the sword. Kakashi watched in horror as the small book was slashed into pieces, then even more as those same pieces erupted into flames. And the worst part was the anguished scream couldn't even escape his throat where it was trapped.
"That was for being late. Now then, I'm sure you want to get free of the paralysis that you're stuck in, right? Well, master Kakashi, fortunately for you, I have the antitoxin right here, in a handy syringe. Just inject it like so-" he said, jabbing the sharp needle into Kakashi's arm, "- and soon after, the effects will be counter-acted."
Indeed, it went as Naruto said it would. Kakashi soon regained full use of his limbs. The first thing he did was fall to the ground, crying uncontrollably for his lost book. Naruto gave his partners an I-don't-want-to-believe-this look, then crouched near the sobbing jonin. Patting his back awkwardly, he attempted to comfort the bereaved ninja. "Master, was that book so special?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, it was… It was a super-rare copy, only twenty are in existence and- AND it was an advance order… Now I'll never get to read it…" bawled the Mirror Ninja.
Naruto sweatdropped. All that for a book? Wow, that was… pathetic. Unfortunately, Naruto didn't see the gleam in Kakashi's eye in time. Before he knew what had hit him, he was tied up like a hog ready to be slaughtered. "Well done Naruto. But you still get tied to the stump. And for destroying my book, I might leave you there all day." said Kakashi vindictively.
Kiba and Shino where surprised at Kakashi's abrupt reversal of attitude. One minute he had been a sobbing wreck, the next a triumphant conqueror of his personal bane. Needless to say, they had no intention of leaving Naruto to suffer that fate.
Dragging Naruto bodily to the stump, Kakashi made sure he was securely bound before handing the food boxes to Kiba and Shino. "Eat up guys, we have some training to do while our former teammate gets ready for the Academy again." he said, keeping up the illusion. He wanted to see what they would do. If Kiba did what he thought…
Actually, it was Shino who did something. He walked over to the tied up Naruto and cut him free. Turning back to Kakashi, he said calmly, "You cannot send him back to the academy. Simply put, if you send him back, you would send me back as well." At Kiba's loud agreement, Kakashi smiled.
"Good answer. It's true that to send one back means sending everyone back. And you did work as a team. Congratulations, Team Seven. You have passed my test!" he said cheerfully. Shino smiled happily, while Kiba jumped around like a kid in a candy store. Naruto simply nodded and stretched, loosening up the muscles that had stiffened from being tied up like that.
"Okay, guys, good job. Shino, Kiba, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Naruto, I'd like a word with you, if I may." said Kakashi, getting everyone's attention. Kiba and Shino looked to Naruto, who nodded and waved them off. He'd be fine, of that he was sure.
After the two young shinobi had left, Kakashi looked at Naruto. Naruto returned Kakashi's hairy eyeball with one of his own.
"Master, is there a purpose to keeping me here, or is this for destroying the book?" he asked.
"Actually, I wanted to ask you about the swords you carry."
"What about them? Don't ask where I go them, I won't tell you. Sorry, but that's how it has to be. If that information got out to the village at large, I'd have no rest at all." said Naruto with a scowl.
"I didn't intend to tell the villagers, Naruto. How you received those swords from the Shinigami is your business." said Kakashi, earning him an intense glare.
"Who told you that?" hissed the young blond. "That information is too damn personal to be bandied about!" His glare at his jonin Sensei was fierce enough that Kakashi was glad it was just a look and not a weapon, or he'd be dead.
"Easy, Naruto. Calm down. The Hokage told me after I asked him. He also ordered me, flat out ORDERED me, not to tell anyone else anything about it. I wanted you to know that I know some of the deal, but I was hoping you'd be willing to fill in a bit more. I understand if it's too personal, and I didn't mean to upset you." said Kakashi apologetically.
Naruto fumed for a second, then used willpower to redirect the anger. Punching one of the nearby posts a few times, he worked it out of his system. Once he was done, he turned and sat against the now abused post and said, "what did you want to know, master Kakashi? If I can answer I will."
"Well, I was wondering how it worked, what you could make and so on… kind of a general overview I guess." said Kakashi, wondering if he could learn it.
Naruto knew what Kakashi was wondering, he could just tell. "Unfortunately, Master Kakashi, I doubt you could learn how. Well, anyway. To answer your questions, each forging is unique. You never create the same weapon again, that's the big thing. I can forge most any weapon, so long as I know what it is beforehand. Basically, I hunt and defeat rogue demons from the borderlands between our world and the demons world. Once I defeat them, I harvest their vital energy, maybe some bones and suchlike, and transmute them into the weapon. I forged these swords myself, so you can see my level of skill in this art. After all, I practiced hard for four months to learn this." he said, drawing the lightning blade to show Kakashi what he meant about his skill level.
"Four months? How? I thought you were in a coma for about forty minutes, max?" asked Kakashi, confused as hell.
"True, I was in a coma for that length of time here, but in the Shinigami's realm, it was a long four months, let me tell you. Here, master, take this a minute," he said, passing Kakashi the devil sword he had recently drawn. Kakashi took it, feeling the handgrip and the balance of the sword. It was easy enough to wield, but wrong for him. Standing up, Naruto removed his coat and, holding his arms out wide of his body, said "Attack me. Cut my torso with that sword. I promise, you're in for a surprise."
Kakashi was dubious about this, but he obliged his students request. Taking a stance, he swung the sword in an attack that would have chopped Naruto apart at the level of his floating ribs.
That is, it would have done that had his sword cut through Naruto. What actually happened was the sword stopped like it had hit a brick wall once it made contact with the weird shirt Naruto wore. Naruto grunted at the impact, but took it stoically. He had felt ribs snap at that, but the Kyuubi quickly mended that.
Taking his blade back, he looked it over and noted that the blade was perfectly fine. He also noted that the lightning powers hadn't activated, for which he was thankful. If they had, he would have been in a lot more pain. But, since Kakashi wasn't the designated wielder of the sword, it was just a regular blade in his hands.
"Why did the blade stop? Is that a property of the sword itself?" asked the curious Jonin.
"Nope, that's a property of my shirt. Made out of flexible dragon scales, earned by achieving the second rank of a forgemaster. Good for stopping most any physical attack. Doesn't do too much against certain things, like drowning and suchlike, but it stops most weapons dead. After that, it's mostly just practice with the various types of forging. Anything else?" he asked, wanting to get this over with.
"No, not right now. Thank you for taking the time to explain this to me, Naruto," said Kakashi, bowing to show his respect to a master of his craft. He wondered if Naruto would be willing to make him a weapon or vest like his shirt.
Naruto, for his part, wanted to make up for destroying Kakashi's book, so he in turn asked, "What's your fighting style like? And can I see the vest? I've never had a chance to look at a jonin vest before," he said, giving a plausible reason for the desire to examine the vest. In reality, he just wanted to find out what size vest to make.
"I fight with two short weapons, like kunai for example. Why?" asked Kakashi as he pulled his vest off to show it to Naruto.
Quickly looking it over and noting Kakashi's vest size, he handed it back, saying, "Thanks master. Oh, I was just wondering so I'd know how to back you up in a fight, that's all." he said, inventing yet another reason for the curiosity.
"Ah. I see. Well, if that's all the questions we have for each other, why don't we go back and get some ramen, huh?" asked Kakashi, smiling at his students sudden exuberance. Some things never change, even with a near-death experience under your belt, thought Kakashi.
An hour later, filled with Ramen, Naruto went to see the Hokage to vent his spleen on the man for spilling secrets. That could be so damn dangerous, Naruto didn't even like to think about it.
Arriving a the old man's door, he knocked and, hearing the command to enter, walked in and confronted his oldest mentor. "Okay, old man, spill. Why on Kami's sweet earth did you tell Kakashi what I told you?!" demanded the irate teen.
Sarutobi was a bit taken aback by the lads vehemence, and bemusedly answered, "Naruto, he is your Jonin sensei, and he should know about the abilities you've gained, true?"
"Maybe, so far as my ninja abilities go yeah, but did it never occur to you that I might have wanted some privacy about this? I'm already just about persona non grata as it is to Konoha at large, and this might just be enough to make me Konoha's Most Hated Individual, Ever. Not exactly what I wanted for my birthday, I might add." said Naruto grumpily.
"True enough, Naruto, and I am sorry about this breach of privacy, but I cannot undo what I have done. Now, since you're here, why don't you tell me your impression of the team you are on."
So Naruto did just that, giving facts and impressions to the leader of the village. He also gave his opinion of the other genin teams, based on what he was able to observe at the Academy. And he finished up with the test his team had beaten. And during the course of that, he lamented that he had destroyed such a rare copy of Kakashi's book when the Hokage surprised him.
Reaching into his desk, he pulled out a small orange book, exactly like the one he had destroyed. Looking at the Hokage in shock, he asked, "What's that, old man?"
"It's a replacement for the book you destroyed. Kakashi will recognize it. While he was correct in that it is indeed a super-rare book, and extremely hard to come by, I know the author, and he would not mind me making a copy to give to someone who lost their's so tragically. Though he would be less than impressed with you, my boy, for destroying it so casually." said the old man, with a humorous twinkle in his eyes. Old he may be, but stupid? Never. The day he was truly stupid was the day they buried him in the dirt.
Naruto picked up the slim volume and smiled. With the gifts he intended to make his team, and this, his night was complete. Thanking the Hokage, he left, ignoring the glare of the foul-tempered watchdog- er-hrm, Secretary, Naruto mentally corrected himself- before heading home.
Once there, he stepped left again, visiting the Shinigami once more. "Hey, Master. Miss me much?" he asked the snacking death-god. The Shinigami quickly swallowed the screaming soul he had been contentedly munching on and glared at his apprentice.
"What, brat? Don't you have better things to do than bug me all the time?" he asked, in a foul mood. The new poison lord was giving him a hard time. Finally, to shut the mewling beast up, he had to resort to a base threat of unleashing Naruto on him if he kept bugging the death-god. That had sent the cowardly thing scurrying back to it's hole.
"Well, I was hoping you'd do me a favor…" said Naruto in a cajoling manner.
The death god just groaned to himself. Kami hated him. That was the only explanation.
A/N: Hashanah. Kakashi got his precious book obliterated! Hah, take that, pervy-sensei! Seriously, I think Kakashi is bi-polar here. One minute he's totally devastated, the next he's full of piss-and-vinegar. Ooops. Oh well. It all goes good, so far… Well, Team Seven has passed. And Kakashi knows about Naruto's "little" secret. Let's hope the village full of sludge-brained civillians and C²CO ninja's (Those who read Rogue Warrior novels will understand that… If you don't know, I ain't telling…) . Anyway. What is the mysterious favor that Naruto need's the power of the death god for? Is he planning a take-over? Or is that take-out…? I can never remember.
