Listen people i just want to say to everyone that i'm sorry that i waited so long to update. To tell the truth i had about 3000 words for this story weeks and i'm taking about back in March. But then i decided to go back ad update all of my stories that i haven't worked on in a while and i got caught up with them.
I would find myself at time switching between working n this story to working on Kamen Rider KabutoX Young Justice Crossover story from the poll. I would like to say that it will be out soon.
Also i fixed chapter 1 I re-read it and i found a mess up that i had involving Kurama I had him as a fox kit and then i had him in chapter 2 be part of the Jubi.
This chapter came out longer... alot longer then thought it would be.
I had a Satsuki bit i was going t put in this chapter, but then i took it out and decided to place it in the next chapter and replaced it with the Sarutobi and Konoha bit.
Chapter 4 New Friends and First Blood
It had been a year since Nero first left Konoha and hasn't regretted it since. Nero who was now seven had gotten stronger as the month's passed Kurama had taught him how to properly use him in his Devil Arm form and had also taught him some Jutsu, though Nero hardly used Jutsu and only used it when he really needed it since he excelled using Kurama's Devil Arm form. He would practice Taijutstu with Kurama who would be in his human form in his mindscape and the two would spar for hours.
Kurama in human form had long orange reddish hair that went down to his shoulders and a pair of blood red eyes that were slited and had a very thick set of whisker marks on his cheeks. He would wear black pants and a red kimono shirt that had a picture of a golden kitsune with nine tails on it. Even though he was good in Taijutsu he felt much more comfortable with a weapon in hand then using Jutsu, though that didn't mean that he was a slouch in Taijutsu, since his demonic blood awakening had increased his body's strength, stamina, and healing factor.
He had learned how to harness and control his now demonic right arm. He had learned that the arm could also make large ethereal projections of it and be used to grab demons that were far away from him. Nero saw it as a weapon that was literally attached to him and had decided to give it a name. The Devil Bringer.
Nero was now seven had grown taller as the months passed as and was well built for someone his age. Nero had travelled around the nations earning a living through people who needed jobs done also worked through killing demons as well. His bond with Kurama had grown over the months and in Nero's eyes he was a father, and Kurama had returned those feeling and had treated Nero as a son. They would argue at time but they would eventually get over it and make up.
They had heard about how Sarutobi had told Konoha about who his parents were and how many civilians committed suicide and others grieved over his death. The only thing that Nero could feel was anger because of their actions. Minato had told them before he died to see him as a hero for containing Kurama and yet they completely ignored his final wish for what they believed was the right thing. They had beaten him and treated him as if he scum and now that they knew who his former parents were they grieved for his 'death'.
It seemed that they would only honor a person's dying wish if they had the blood of someone that was considered a hero to them in their veins. It seemed as though that they would rather ignore what's in front of them then follow their own irrational emotions at times. If they truly loved the Yondaime like they claimed when they were beating up and torturing him then they would've listened to his wish on the first place instead of trying to kill him.
When they heard about the punishment that his former godparents Tsunade and Jiraiya had to go through because of their negligence to their duties as his former godparents before he 'died' when he had lit his old apartment complex on fire and left Konoha, Nero couldn't help but smirk as he listened to what had happened to them. Two of the strongest ninja in history being demoted to the lowest rank and in a way forced to start back at the beginning. In a way it was nice to know that Sarutobi still had a backbone, but Nero wished that it had shown itself earlier on instead of his supposed 'death'. Another part of him though was unsatisfied with the punishment. They were supposed to watch him and protect him, but they left him on his own and they never bothered to check up on him once.
If he had the chance he would make them pay HIS price. To him it kinda seemed like a slap on the wrist, because if they were there they could've made all the difference to how hard his life was. They had went off and did what they wanted and ignored their duties as his godparents while he was forced to constantly look over his shoulder and make sure that their wasn't someone there with a knife that they were ready to stab into his back.
If he ever had a confrontation with them then he would make sure that they get just what they deserve for ignoring their duties and leaving him to rot in a place that wanted nothing less from him then his death in the most painful way possible.
They had also figured out something else about the tattoo. Not only allowed did it allow Nero to tap into Kurama's power, but it also allowed Kurama to come out and appear in his fox form since he had willingly let Nero use his soul. Normally if a demon were to willingly give up there soul then they would only be able to talk to the person that has there soul. Kurama thought that it might have had something to do with the seal that was prison because he still felt a connection to Nero even though he was no longer in the seal and allowed to move freely. It would make sense since the seal was made by the Shinigami, the God of Death himself.
Right now the two were near a small village named Kawara Gai with the intent to pass through and then continue on their way. Nero's still had his hair in the same shaggy style that he had when he left Konoha since he liked his hair the way it was now. Nero was wearing a black jacket with a red shirt underneath and wore blue pants and black shoes.
Kurama was in his fox form on Nero's shoulder taking a nap as they got closer to town. Kurama then sniffed the air nudged Nero with his paw. Nero looked at Kurama curiously and asked, "Kurama what is?"
Kurama in his fox form he looked like a red fox the size of a puppy, he could stay out in this form as long as he wanted or until he got seriously injured and was forced to go back into the tattoo to recover.
"I smell blood," Kurama answered. Nero's body tensed as he pulled Guardian out of its holster just in case.
"Is it a demon's?" Nero asked.
"No it smells human, but it's different from a human's as well."
"Can you take me to where the smell's coming from?"
"Yes follow me," Kurama said as he jumped from Nero's shoulder onto the ground. Kurama then ran off, following the source of the smell. Nero wasn't far behind as he ran as fast as he could.
They had ran for a while when they came across a hill with a large cross on it with a figure on it. As they got closer Kurama didn't stop until he stood next to the cross and was a little surprised by what he saw.
Nero stopped running as his eyes narrowed at the sight as he clenched his demonic hand into a fist as the rest of his arm glowed brightly. The figure on the cross was a person…a person around his age. Nero quickly ran toward the cross, hoping that the person was still alive. When he got closer he saw that the kid was around his age and was only wearing a pair of black pants. His skin pale, not to the point of corpse's, but like a person that loss a little too much blood that contrasted his dark black hair.
Nero saw the slight rise and fall of his chest, causing him to breathe a sigh of relief. Glad that the person was still alive.
"Hey buddy you still alive up there?" Nero asked.
The kid opened his eyes and Nero saw that he had a pair of amber eyes. The kid saw him and his eyes narrowed at the sight of him.
"What do you want? Come to mock me," he asked.
Now why the hell would I mock a person who's been crucified,"
"The people of the village mocked me when they did this to me why would you do anything else?" the kid asked rhetorically.
Nero didn't say He could see it. He could the pain that he had gone though for years. It was as if he was looking into his own eyes except that they were a different color. He could tell that just like he was in Konoha they had treated him the same way that most of Konoha had done to him. There was more to it though. He could see that they didn't just beat him and torture him. They had done something that was unforgivable to him.
Nero closed his eyes as images of his past as Naruto appeared in his head. All the beatings that he had suffered because of their fear. He then opened his eyes as he balled his human hand into a fist.
"I'm not them," Nero said as he lifted his concealed Devil Bringer and opened his gloved hand and whispered, "Kurama." Kurama's body was lit on fire and as jumped to Nero's arm. When he landed heis body changed into his Devil Arm form, causing the kid's eyes to widen in surprise at the sudden appearance of the weapon. Nero wasted no time and quickly swung Kurama unto the base of the cross, easily cutting through it.
The kid let out a grunt when the cross landed on the ground, causing the kid to grunt when it crashed onto the ground. The demonic weapon then disappeared in a swirl of flames as Kurama returned to his fox form. Nero moved toward the stake imbedded in his feet and grabbed it. He was surprised to feel a burning sensation and hissed in pain as he pulled it out. Blood poured out of the wound as the kid hissed in pain from it being removed.
Kurama was surprised to see that Nero hissed in pain when he touched the spike and he knew that something was done to both the spike and knew that the boy was different.
Nero looked at his human hand and was surprised to see that his hand had a light burn on it, as if he placed his hand over a fire pit and let the flames touch it.
"What are you doing?" the kid asked through the pain still watching him with narrowed eyes. He couldn't understand why someone was helping him. He couldn't understand why Nero was pulling the large stake out of his feet. He couldn't understand why he was helping him when he was just a stranger.
"I'm getting you down," Nero said casually as he climbed up the cross towards the kid's left hand.
"You should just leave me up here. You'll just get in trouble if you do and you might end up like me because of it," the kid told him.
Nero glared at him in anger, surprising the kid as he pulled out another stake. "I don't give a damn what they try to do to me. I was like you once treated like a demon, a monster. The people called me a monster and would openly attack me and try to kill me. Do you honestly that after everything that I had suffered do you honestly thing that I'm going to stand by while you suffer just like I did!"
The kid's eyes widened at Nero's rant, seeing that he wasn't lying to him. Nero then looked at the second stake and began to pull it out. Nero hissed as he felt the burning sensation return again.
"Caim," the kid hissed through the pain. He could see that Nero must've been feeling a burning sensation as well. Ever since those villagers had crudely nailed him to the cross he had felt nothing but burning where the stakes had penetrated him.
"What?" Nero asked, not understanding why he said the name.
"My name. It's Caim," the kid now known as Caim said as he looked at Nero.
"Nero. Nero Sparda," Nero said as he moved toward the other side of the cross and pulled the stake out as quickly as possible. When he pulled it out
Caim first hissed in pain but then it changed into a small relaxed smile. His entire body ached from the pain that the stakes have done to him, but it was starting to go down ever so slightly.
Nero placed his bag on the ground and pulled out some bandages. Even though he could heal very quickly it never hurt to have them just in case for when he ran into someone. He first started too wrap some of the bandages around his hand that he had just pulled the stake out of and then when we was finished he broke the bandage and then began on his other hand. When he was finished with his hands he then began on his feet and after he finished bandaging them. He looked at Caim and asked, "You think that you can walk?"
"Give me a few minutes and then we'll try," Caim replied. Nero nodded his head and then placed his bag back on his shoulder and after a few minutes he then helped Caim stand up, causing Caim to seethe in pain when he stood up.
Kurama then looked at the staked that were embedded into Caim's body. He then made his way to the nearest one and sniffed it to see why it would be burning Caim and
Nero when he tried to remove it. He quickly recoiled from the stake and took several steps away from it.
'Holy Water,' Kurama thought to himself as he recognized the scent on the stake anywhere.
He then followed the two into the forest as he looked at Caim and his eyes narrowed as he stared at Caim's back. He knew that there was something different about him. Now the only question was what was he really?
Konoha
In Konoha Sarutobi was in his office working on a large stack of paperwork, but unlike before the paper work that he was dealing with now actually mattered. The paperwork that he was working on now would deal with the academy and other important matters that dealt with Konoha's military actions. Some of the papers that he was working on now would reduce the power and influence that the civilian council had. While they would still have a voice their power was now severely limited since they could no longer have a voice in military matters and only vote on matters that concerned the village's economy.
The reason that there was a civilian council in a shinobi village was because one of his sensei's Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage of Konoha had felt that the civilians didn't have a voice in the village and thus allowed civilians a place on the council.
When he announced the plan to the council the civilian council, he noticed that he had gained looks of approval from the Shinobi Council and surprisingly enough Danzo of all people. Danzo had been enraged when he heard that Naruto had died, not out of pity for the boy, but for the fact that they had loss the Kyuubi's power. When he had announced that Naruto was the Kyuubi Jinchuriki Danzo immediately called for him to become the boy's 'guardian' so that he could train him to be a mindless weapon for Konoha.
Sarutobi had immediately denied, but it was put to a vote that would decide Naruto's fate for the future. The shinobi council had outvoted the civilian council and if it wasn't for them then Naruto would've ended up in Danzo's hands, since the only thing that he really enforced was the S-rank law that he had made to hide Naruto status from him and the younger generation.
Looking back on the old curriculum plan that was in place before Naruto had died made Sarutobi sick to his stomach as he looked at the plan and was surprised that even more people hadn't died because of it.
The old curriculum plan dealt with the basics and JUST the basics. While it would be enough to deal with low missions like D-ranks, but there was still a good chance that they could die on C-ranks. The reason for the old curriculum plan was because of the Kyuubi attack seven years ago had killed a good number of their shinobi, crippling their forces greatly in the process. The civilian council had thought that it would be a good way to quickly rebuild their forces.
The new curriculum plan would not only reduce the death rate of the Genin that went out on their first mission outside the village, but it would also insure stronger generations of shinobi. The plan now allowed student to learn Kenjutsu and Bojutsu and learn how to fight with a sword or a staff if they wished to learn.
The people in the shinobi program would learn nothing but the truth about what it meant to be a shinobi and they wouldn't talk about the glory that one would receive or the fame that they would get. No, they would learn the nitty gritty details about what it meant to be a shinobi and nothing less.
They would also be required to go on a C-rank mission that was supervised by several Jonin and Chunin to take a life so that they wouldn't freeze out in the field on their first kill. It was a traumatizing event for people that killed for the first time and if they were out in the field they couldn't afford to have them freeze up since it would cost them their life in the end.
They would also be required to learn at least two C-rank or higher jutsu in order to graduate from the academy. He had also added Tsunade's medical program into the academy, thus allowing some people to become medics and save their comrades from dying while out in the field. The reason why that it wasn't put into place years ago was because the civilian council had denied it and decided that it would be best to conserve money.
Looking back at the old casualty rates he couldn't help but sigh as he blamed himself for their deaths. As he thought about their deaths and looked at the one that he wanted to use now, he couldn't help but wish that he had implanted it sooner.
He wasn't just implanting the new system to build up their forces, but also to prepare the next generation for what might appear in the future. He had received reports months ago that they encountered creatures that could only be described as demons. He had a feeling that they were only the beginning of what's to come in the future.
The only drawback for the new curriculum was that now it would take a little longer for people to graduate the academy since the main graduation age now would be sixteen, but they would have stronger shinobi because of it and would now follow other the other shinobi villages example by having them graduate at a later age.
Tsunade and Jiraiya were at the moment Chunin since they ran out on missions almost all the time. He wasn't surprised that they were already Chunin considering the fact that they had years of experience under their belts.
Tsunade had to go to Inochi for therapy for weekly sessions to deal with her past and also to deal her hemophobia (fear of blood). The reason that she had developed her fear of blood was because of her fiancé's death when she tried to heal him and also from all the battles that she had witnessed during the Second Shinobi World War.
Her fear had stunted her abilities to heal others because if she needed to operate on someone she would merely watch from behind and let her apprentice Shizune do it while she oversaw the operation. She still had some issues, but it wasn't as serious as it was before the therapy.
He also thought about the new prophecy that Jiraiya had told him. The old one had happened after Naruto's death. Did that mean that Naruto was the child of Prophecy for the old one?
As images of Naruto appeared in his head so did images of Minato and Kushina. He then stood up and left his office threw the window. He needed to visit the graves of people that he had failed in life and hoped that they found peace in the afterlife.
Nero
Nero had gotten him deep into the forest and placed Caim on a nearby log. Caim let out a breath of relief, the pain that he had subsiding.
"Feeling any better?" Nero asked.
"A little, but not much," Caim stated honestly.
"Not surprising, considering that you were crucified for however long you were up there."
"This would've been my second day on that damn cross," Caim muttered darkly.
"Well at least you're of that damn thing," Nero commented
"True enough," Caim replied as her started to relax.
"Can you do me a favor and look for some people for me in town?" Caim asked.
"Sure, who are they?" Nero asked. He had planned to go into town anyway, he didn't see a problem with looking for some people.
"There are two people that you need to be on the lookout for. The first would be my mother. Her names Yukiko Tendou she has blue hair, pale skin and hazel eyes. You can tell that it's her if she has a golden necklace with a large oval shaped amber in it. If you can't find her then go outside of town and enter the forest and about a mile or two in you should find a cabin. The other is a friend of my mother's and his name is Tezuka Hongo. He is a older man and has short grey hair and silver eyes. He lives in a apartment complex on the other side of town on the third floor. Room 3-E."
"Alright I'll look for them," Nero said.
"Thanks for doing this for me. Be careful in town and don't mention me in public. If they find out that you helped me then we're both gonna have a angry mob after us that wants both of us dead," Caim warned.
"Wouldn't be the first time a angry mob wanted to kill me," Nero remarked. "You mind watching him Kurama?" Nero asked.
"I'll watch him and protect him if it comes down to it, but what if you run into some trouble?" Kurama asked, surprising Caim as he looked wide eyed at the small fox.
"Did that fox just talk?" Caim said, staring at Kurama wide eyed. Nero pulled Guardian out of its holster on his thigh and spun it on his finger.
"Yes the fox just talked," Nero said calmly as he placed Guardian back into its holster on his hip.
"Oh and if I were you I would call him by his name if I were you," Nero said turned around and made his way to the town, leaving Kurama and Caim alone in the forest.
Town
As Nero walked closer to the town he pulled his hood up over his head, hiding most of his face from view. When he entered the town he walked calmly, but he made sure to keep his eyes open and watch out in case any of the villagers tried anything. Nero's eyes darted from one spot to another and saw that some of them looked at him with suspicion while others simply ignored him.
Nero acted as if he didn't notice and placed his hand next to Guardian's handle in case he needed to pull out. The people here they reminded him of the one's in Konoha to a lesser degree, but instead of glares it was looks of suspicion.
Nero ignored them as he continued making his way to the other side of town to find the apartment complex that Tezuka lived in.
When he arrived at the apartment complex it took him a while to find the proper building since he didn't want to ask anyone where it was and have them ask why he was looking for Tezuka. If Caim trusted Tezuka and the people knew that they would probably follow him to make sure that he didn't try anything and may try to kill him because he was helping Caim.
When Nero finally found the right building he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as he entered the building and went towards the stairs and walked up the stairs to the third floor of the building. When he was on the third floor he saw at the end of the hallway room '3-E'. Nero walked toward the door and when he stood in front of the door he knocked on it. Nero heard someone walking toward the door and when it opened he saw a man in his late thirties or early forties. He had short brown hair and had some stubble around his chin and upper lip.
But what caught his attention the most was all the bandages that were wrapped on his arms and the band aid that on the side of his head and his bloody lip. Nero could see that the man had been attacked by someone or something a while ago and had a feeling that it was some of the villagers.
"You Tezuka?" Nero asked.
"Yeah I'm Tezuka and you are," the man now known as Tezuka asked.
"Nero Sparda. Caim told me you lived here," Nero replied and he saw the man's eyes widen for a second before he opened the door and let him inside the apartment.
"You know Caim?" Tezuka asked. Nero didn't miss the edge that was in his voice.
"Yeah I found him outside of town crucified to a cross," Nero explained.
"What they crucified him!" Tezuka yelled as he quickly stood up wide eyed.
"You didn't know?" Nero asked, a little surprised that he didn't know.
"Kid I just got out of the hospital a few hours ago! Some bastards yesterday jumped me and beat me in unconsciousness," Tezuka explained.
'That would explain how he doesn't know,' Nero thought to himself, accepting the answer.
"He WAS crucified to a cross. I got him down and took the stakes out of his body right now he's in the woods with a friend of mine that's looking after him," Nero explained.
"If you're lying to me then you're going to regret it kid," Tezuka said as he glared at Nero, in a intimidating manner.
Nero looked at Tezuka and instead of feeling intimidated by that glare he felt relief. Nero let a small smile on his face as he looked at the man. He could see that he genuinely cared for Caim and willing to fight for him. He might not have been very strong but he was willing to fight for him and that spoke volumes about the type of man that he was and what he would do if it came down to it.
"I'm not lying old man if I were I wouldn't be here now would I," Nero replied rhetorically.
"No you wouldn't be here if that was the case. I can see it in your eyes you've lived a tough life. A life that most men twice or even three times your age would break from and want to die just so that they could be free from their pain. Yet despite all you've been through you've preserved and pressed on and for that you have my respect. And for the record kid I'm not that old. I'm only forty one for heaven's sake," Tezuka said with a small smile.
Tezuka then went over to the coat rack and put on a brown coat and a grey kangol hat over his head covering his hair from view. He then placed his hand inside of his coat pocket and pulled out a black switchblade from the pocket.
"You always carry that on you," Nero asked.
"Yeah, I've had her for years and she has served me well since I first got her," Tezuka said.
"Can you take us to Yukiko's place?" Nero asked.
"Of course I can. It's a bit of a trip, but we can make it," Tezuka told him.
"Alright then, lead the way," Nero said.
Tezuka then opened the door and the two left the apartment and made their way out of the building. They had caught the eyes of several people that watched them suspiciously from their place. They ignored the looks as they made their way to the forest. They had walked for a little over a hour when they came across a house that seemed to have been recently attacked.
"What the," Tezuka muttered as he quickly ran toward where the door should be with Nero following right behind him. The door wasn't attached to its hinges layed on the ground. When the two stood in front of the doorway they saw that the inside of the house was ransacked. There was shattered glass everywhere on the ground and bit and pieces of wood.
Tezuka made his way inside the house with Nero following right behind him. There were obvious signs of a struggle in the kitchen. He then made his way to another room in the house and saw. Unlike the hallway and the kitchen the bedroom seemed to be untouched aside from the picture that was placed down on the nightstand.
Nero grabbed the picture and saw a picture of who he guessed was Yukiko since she matched the description and a man with long black hair and amber eyes and slightly pointed ears. He was wearing a black shirt along black cloak and black pants and he had a sword next to him. The sword was a blood red double edged broadsword and had a V-shaped guard and black hilt, the pummel of the sword was a blood red demon head with horns.
Nero pulled the picture out of the frame and placed it inside of his pocket. While it might not mean anything to him it might mean something to Caim. He then looked at Tezuka and saw him pull something from underneath the bed.
Tezuka pulled the he object from underneath the bed and it was revealed that it was a box. His eyes narrowed at what was inside. Nero saw him pull out a golden necklace with a large oval shaped amber in it that matched the necklace that Caim described.
"That necklace looks just like the one Caim told me about," Nero commented as he looked at the necklace.
"What did they do," Tezuka asked himself as he looked at the necklace in his hand.
"What do you mean?" Nero asked, though he had a feeling that he wouldn't like the answer.
"Yukiko wouldn't leave her necklace here. It was a gift from Caim's father before he died and she wore this ever since he gave it to her. For her necklace to be here mean's something's happened to her," Tezuka explained as a cold chill went down his spine.
He wasn't the only one though as Nero grimaced at what he had said and felt a cold chill go down his spine as well.
"Damn it!" Nero cursed. "Let's head back to Caim then."
"Yeah," Tezuka said as he placed the necklace inside his pocket. "Lead the way kid."
The two then made their way back to the village as they ignored the looks of suspicion that some of the people sent their way. They tried to move as quickly as they could without bringing suspicion to themselves. If either of them had paid any attention to some of the people in the background then they would've noticed the looks of hate that some of the people sent their way or more specifically Tezuka as they started to follow the two through the crowds.
When they made they got to the other side of the village they ran as fast as they could into the forest, no longer caring if they brought attention to themselves since they were no longer inside the village.
When he was close to where he was he cupped his hands together and yelled out. "Hey Caim! Kurama! You there!"
"Nero is that you?" Caim yelled back. It was then that Kurama appeared after he passed through some bushes and nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"Caim is that really you!" Tezuka called out.
"Tezuka," Caim replied as he emerged from the forest. He was now wearing a red shirt along with a fresh pair of long black pants and a pair of black shoes. Nero recognized the clothes that he now wore because they were really his. He didn't mind really since he probably needed to change his clothes anyway.
"Caim is it really is you!" Tezuka said happily as he kneeled down to Caim's level and hugged him.
"Tezuka it's good to see you, but where's mom?" Caim asked.
After he said that Tezuka's face dropped and took a deep breath and sighed, preparing himself for what he was about to do. He then pulled Yukiko's necklace out of his pocket, making Caim stare at it in disbelief as he took it from.
"Caim when we arrived at your house the front door was busted down and the inside f it was ransacked. We think that some people in the village might've attacker her," Tezuka explained.
"Isn't this a surprise not only do we find the demon brat, but we also found you Tezuka," someone behind them said, making them all tense as they turned toward the source, Caim slipping his mother's necklace into his pocket.
They quickly turned around looking for the source and saw four men from the village standing across from them, all of them holding a long knife as they glared at Caim and Tezuka.
"What the hell! Where did they come from!" Nero exclaimed as he glare at the men.
"Damn it, they must've followed us!" Tezuka yelled out.
"Those bastards were among the people that had me crucified to that damn cross earlier!" Caim exclaimed as he looked at the men angrily.
"Well then this will be good for you since you can get some payback for that!" Nero exclaimed with a grin on his face.
"And I'm gonna enjoy every minute of that payback!" Caim yelled out.
"Why are you two defending him? Can't you see that he's a demon?" One of the village's questioned.
"A demon huh," Nero said as he held his arm out and Kurama burst into flames as he changed into his Devil Arm form, surprising the others except for Caim since he already saw Kurama change. Two of the glared at him, but the third started to sweat as he stared at Nero's Devil Arm.
Nero pointed Kurama at them and said. "He looks like a human to me and that's enough for me. A demon would just violently lash out and kill for simple enjoyment. Who are you to decide if he's a monster?"
"His father was a demon and that is proof enough that he is a monster," one of the villagers said as he glared at Nero.
"So his blood decides that he's a monster? Did his father ever attack you? Did he ever treat anyone as f they were scum? Or is it just because he isn't human? A person shouldn't be treated based on their blood…They should be treated based on their actions!" Nero yelled out angrily.
"Why you little shit!" One of the men yelled as he ran at Nero angrily, the other men also rushing to attack. Nero ran at one of the men and swung Kurama, the man making sure to keep his distance from Nero as he attacked him.
One of the men sloppily tried to stab Tezuka, but he dodged the blow easily as he ducked and punched the man in the jaw. The man stumbled from the blow Tezuka pulled his knife out of his pocket and quickly pressed the button, making the blade pop out. When the man tried to stab him again he dodged his blows easily, stepping from one side to the other. When he saw a opening he grabbed the man's wrist and cut his wrist, making the man hiss in pain as he then stabbed the man in the stomach. He then threw the dead man's body to the side and dodged another attack from one of the men.
Caim punched him in the stomach, making the man grunt in pain, but that didn't stop him completely. The man punched Caim in the face, making him fall onto the ground. He then rolled to the side avoiding the man's knife and punched him in the face. The man grabbed him and pinned him to the tree, pressing his forearm against his neck. As Caim struggled to breathe he pushed with all of his might against the man's arm.
While Caim was dealing the man Nero dodged the stab from one of the men and used his size and speed to his advantage and ran past the man and swung Kurama at the man head, hitting the man on the back of the head with the blunt end of Kurama, making the man pass out onto the ground unconscious. Nero then looked at Tezuka and saw him holding the two men of and then looked at Caim.
Nero saw that that the man was going to stab Caim with his knife. Nero's body quickly reacted from his past fight with demons and pulled Guardian out of its holster and pulled the trigger. Before the man could stab Caim the chakra blast flew into the man's back causing the man's chest to have a large hole and blood to splatter onto Caim's body.
Nero's eyes widened at what he had just done. He killed someone. His entire body shook as the gun slipped out of his hand. Nero's body shook as he looked at his hand. He had killed demons many times as the months, but this was the first time that he had killed a human being. He felt sick and felt like he was going to hurl. He dropped Kurama, the Devil Arm making a clanging noise when it hit the ground. Kurama then burst into flames, returning into his fox form.
The last man growled at anger at what Nero had done and charged at him as he said, "You Bastard!"
He then ran past Tezuka, running towards Nero, his eyes filled with hatred and the intent to kill the silver hared half demon.
Caim stared at Nero and when he heard the man's war cry and saw that he was charging at Nero he quickly stood up and ran at the man. Before the man could attack Nero, Caim had tackled the man into a tree.
Kurama quickly turned around and ran the man with narrowed eyes. The man punched Caim and tried to get him off of him. It was then that Kurama appeared and bit on to the man's next. The man screamed out in pain as the fox demon mauled the man's neck.
When he was sure that the man was dead he stopped and turned towards Nero, Caim doing the same. When he looked at the young half demon he saw that he looked very green and then barfed onto the ground. Kurama then walked toward him, going to comfort the young half demon, because of his first kill. When Nero was done puking he wiped what puke he had around his mouth. It was then that he felt a paw on his thigh and saw Kurama.
"Nero it's alright, you did what you needed to do," Kurama told him.
"I saved Caim, but I killed man to do it Kurama," Nero told him.
"It was him or Caim. If you didn't kill him then he would've killed Caim," Kurama answered
"Maybe, but there could'-" Nero
"Did you enjoy it?" Kurama asked, interrupting Nero.
"No I didn't enjoy it. I don't want to do something like that again!" Nero answered hotly.
"It's good that you didn't enjoy it. Killing is wrong and is never supposed to easy, but sometimes one must kill to protect those they hold close to them. If you had to make a choice between killing that man and saving Caim or wounding him and letting Caim die which would you choose? Would you choose the lesser of two evils and killing a would be murder and protecting a innocent person. Or would you choose to wound the man and let Caim die in the process?" Kurama asked.
Nero was quiet as he took in what Kurama said. He had taken a life, but it was the lesser of two evils that he had to choose. He could've wounded him, but then Caim might've died because he didn't go for the kill. He couldn't shoot him in the hand, while he has been practicing with Guardian for almost a year now he wasn't that good of a shot yet. He could've shot him in the shoulder, but there was still a chance that he would be able to
Caim was also quiet as he thought over Kurama's words. Ever since he first Nero his life had been changing. Nero had done nothing but help him even though he was a stranger and saved him from people that wanted him dead. If Nero hadn't used his weapon on the man then he could've died because of it.
"Your ancestor Sparda killed his own kind to protect others, even though he knew that it would brand him a traitor in their eyes, but he did it anyway because he believed that it was the right thing to do. He didn't care about what people thought about him because he did what he believed in. You had killed a human to save someone that much is true. But you did it for the right reasons you. You did it to protect someone."
"I had killed him and it'll probably haunt me for the rest of my life that I won't deny. But I will also remember that because of that action I had saved someone because it. If it comes down to me having to kill others to save innocent people then I'll do it." Nero said as tears went down his eyes and his Devil Bringer glowed brightly underneath its sleeve. Nero then looked down at the Devil Bringer and pulled the sleeve and glove off of its cover revealing it to everyone there.
"I don't care what other people will think of me. Whether people think of me as a monster or not I won't care. I'll do what I believe is the right thing to do. Even if it means making people see me as the devil himself!" Nero declared. He then raised his demonic arm in front of him and clenched his fist, causing it to glow even brighter at his declaration.
Kurama looked at Nero and even though it couldn't be seen because of his fox form he was smiling at him. Nero was growing into a fine young man. He was growing stronger learning the difference between right and wrong and learning that sometimes one must commit evil for the greater good of others. He couldn't help but feel proud of him.
Tezuka tipped his hat in approval of the kid. He didn't like that someone so young had to take another's life but he understood the difference between killing, blindly, and for personal enjoyment then those that kill to protect others like soldiers do in times of war. He wouldn't hold that man's death over his head and call it wrong when he did it to protect someone.
"There is also something else that you need to know it involves Caim," Kurama said, motioning his head towards Caim and surprising them.
Tezuaka just blinked as he stared at Kurama. He then turned to Nero and Caim and said, "Did that fox just talk?"
Kurama's eye started to twitch as he exclaimed "Yes I can freaking talk! Get over it you over grown primates!"
"What do you mean?" Nero asked as he rubbed his arm over his mouth.
Kurama took several deep breathes, trying to calm down. When he was finished calming down he cleared his throat and explained, "I figured out why they were trying to kill him and why the stakes burned your hand when you were removing them."
"Wait if they were coated in holy water and burned me when I was just touching then do you mean that he's like me?" Nero asked.
"Yes I'm sure of it. I had suspected the possibility when you removed the stakes from his body but I was sure of it after I sniffed him to get his scent while you went into that town. He's like you Nero. He's a half demon," Kurama answered.
Everyone's eyes immediately widened after they heard that as they stared at Kurama in surprise.
"His scent it's familiar to me, but I can't say for sure who his father is," Kurama said. He knew that scent was familiar, but he couldn't place the demon that had this scent.
"My old man was a demon," Caim said to himself.
"Well that's a surprise I always knew that Modeus was different, but I never thought that he was THAT different," Tezuka commented.
"Modeus! That's his father!" Kurama exclaimed with wide eye.
"Kurama who's Modeus?" Nero asked, wondering why the name got such a reaction out of Kurama.
"Modeus is a very old demon that existed during Sparda's time. He was once Sparda's student along with his brother Baul. Sparda had apparently left his power and as some have said that he also inherited Sparda's true will. They were Sparda's students and soon became demon lords under his tutelage. They trained together with Sparda until he rebelled against Mundus and left for the Human World," Kurama explained.
"So I'm the son of a demon," Caim said to himself.
"Apparently so, we're similar to each other but at the same time we're different. You're the son of a demon while I'm descended of one," Nero told him.
"What's the difference?" Caim asked, not really seeing a difference between the two.
"The demonic blood inside of me was diluted by all of my human ancestors so it got to the point where it was almost gone. I got so angry one day that I guess I taped into Kurama's chakra and it charged up the demonic blood inside of me," Nero said. They had never really figured out if that was what really happened to awaken his ancestor's blood, but they guessed that it was probably that.
"Well doesn't matter to me," Tezuka said as he placed a hand on Caim shoulder surprising the young half demon. "To me your still Caim and no matter what Modus was won't change that to me."
Caim stared at Tezuka for a minute until tears started to gather around the corner of his eyes. He then tackled Tezuka and hugged him as tightly as he could. Tezuka was a little surprised but then smiled as he returned the hug.
After they hugged each other Tezuka went to the unconscious men and felt his neck for a pulse, when he felt a pulse he was slightly relieved. While he wanted to kill the man for his attempt to kill them they needed at least one of them alive so that they could get some answers. When he saw the man staring to come around he gripped his knife just in case the man tried something.
"Good your awake finally I can get some answers," Tezuka said as he held his switchblade against the man's neck.
As Tezuka started to interrogate the man, Caim saw one of the dead villager's knives and picked it up. He looked at the blade in his hand and saw his reflection in it. He then looked back at the man ad glared at him as he began to walk toward them, and unknown to him his grip began to tighten on the knife.
"Listen we want some answers and you can give us them, we want to know to Yukiko Tendou," Tezuka said.
"You want to know what we did to Yukiko," the man said.
"What did you do to her!" Caim roared as he moved in front of the man and lifted the knife, ready to stab the man's head if he didn't get a answer.
"We killed her for loving that monster and after she was executed we gave her a proper burial and placed holy water on her coffin at her grave spot," the man explained.
"You buried her?" Caim asked in a unbelieving tone.
"She may have betrayed the village by falling in love with that demon, but we will not deny her a proper burial," the man said.
Caim wanted to kill the man and all that were responsible for what they did. Before he could do anything Caim felt someone place a hand on his shoulder and saw Nero looking at him with a frown and saw Tezuka looking at him with a frown as well. Tezuka then shook his head, knowing what Caim was thinking about doing. Caim then reluctantly dropped the knife onto the ground.
If he killed him he wouldn't be doing it to protect others. He would be doing it out of vengeance.
If he killed the man then that wouldn't make him any better then those that had taken his mother from him. He then gave Guardian back Nero and then turned back to the man and glared at him as fire started to gather around his fist. He then punched the man as hard as he could, knocking the man out cold. He then turned toward Nero and Tezuka and said. "Let's go to the graveyard."
The way that Caim had said it left no room for argument. Tezuka sighed and said. "Alright let's move, before it gets to dark out and we can't look."
"Lead the way guys," Nero said as he hefted his bag over his shoulder. The others didn't need any other encouragement as they quickly ran toward the direction off the graveyard, Nero following them.
It took them a half hour at most when they arrived at the graveyard, they had used the forest to get to the graveyard since they didn't want to risk any of the other villagers attacking them. When they arrived at the graveyard Tezuka was breathing heavily, using the fence for support.
"We're here," Tezuka said as he opened the gate.
"Any idea where they might've buried her?" Nero asked as he stepped into the graveyard.
"No idea," Tezuka commented as he looked at the graves, none of them were Yukiko's.
"It doesn't matter we'll just split up and look around, it's got to here somewhere. When we find it we'll just call the others," Caim said, leaving no room for argument.
"Alright, just be careful, in case some more of those people followed us," Tezuka said, Caim nodding his head in agreement. He then ran off in one and Tezuka went another way. Nero then made his in the other direction, looking at graves as he passed by them.
Nero's eyes kept darting from place to place, looking at the names on the graves. As he looked at the grave's he couldn't help, but wonder if the man was really telling the truth. If he had died in Konoha the Hokage and a few people in Konoha would attend his funeral and he had no doubt that people the there would defile his grave and leave his rotting corpse out in the woods for the vultures or the maggots to eat.
As Nero made his way deeper and deeper into the graveyard he saw a grave with a large cross and walked toward it, having a feeling that this might be the grave that they were looking for. The name on the grave said Yukiko Tendou.
"Found it," Nero muttered to himself. He then turned around and called out. "Guys I found it!"
The others quickly raced toward him and when they arrived they all looked at Nero and then at the large cross that said Yukiko's name.
"Yukiko," Tezuka said to himself as tears began to gather around the edge of his eyes.
Caim looked at the grave and tears immediately gather around his eyes and quickly poured down his cheeks as he looked at his mother's grave.
"It's not fair," Caim said to himself. He then got down onto his knees and his tears started to hit the ground.
"It's not fair!" Caim yelled in a sad yet angry tone.
"Why did she have to die! She just loved my father and she had to die because she loved him! Damn them! Damn them all to hell!" Caim yelled as he began to bang fist onto the ground repeatedly. As he banged his fist onto the ground fire began to appear around his arms.
Neither Nero or Tezuka tried to calm him down, thinking that it would be best for him to let it all out now rather then later. They both watched with somber expressions as Caim angrily banged the ground with his fist.
Nero didn't know what to say since he didn't really understand Caim's pain. He had never lost anyone important to him, but he did understand the pain of loneliness. Nero had never really known Minato and Kushina and had never really felt any sadness to hear that they were dead. He respected them, but held no real love for either of them. He respected Kushina for her willingness to sacrifice herself to protect her child and he didn't hold any real hatred toward her, but he didn't lover her either. The bond that once existed between him and Kushina was never nurtured to the point that he could never trolley care for her due to her death.
Minato on the other hand was a different case.
He respected Minato for protecting his home and doing the ultimate sacrifice that a person could make, but also hated him for what he had to go through because of him deciding to be selfless and giving his own life up when he could've let Jiraiya or Sarutobi who begged him to let them do it in his place. He had chosen to let others
He might've been a hero and saved thousands of lives, but he also damned him in the process. How could he truly love a man and call him father after all the hell that he went through because of him and his foolish?
He couldn't.
The scars that he barred because of him were not only mental, but were physical as well for a short period of time. Kurama had healed his body before his change and made sure that his body would recover from the most severe of injuries. The scars might've been gone, but he still remembered the pain that they inflicted on him.
People would always remember the pain that they have gone through, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional pain. They would always remember the pain that they have gone through and nothing could change that.
Tezuka then walked up to Caim and placed his hand on his shoulder and said. "It's okay Caim. Let it all out."
Caim nodded his head and screamed out in agony as tears started to pour out of his eyes and drop onto the ground. Nero closed his eyes as he listened to Caim's screams as images of his own screams of anger a year ago appeared in mind. Knowing that just like he was with Konoha, Caim has had enough of this village and for what they have done to him an d taken from him and would be leaving it soon.
A Hour Later
"So you're leaving the village to Tezuka?" Caim asked, having calmed down from his sadness awhile ago. He also had a grey bag next to him. He had decided after his screaming earlier that he would leave the village and go with Nero.
"Yeah you and your mother we're the only reason I stayed in the first place. If it weren't for you two I would've left it a long time ago," Tezuka answered as he looked at the two kids in front of him.
"So old man what are you going to do after you leave this place?" Nero asked, wondering what the man would do after he left the village.
"I'm going to travel and see the world like I did when I was younger. Meet up with a couple friends of mine and reconnect with them," Tezuka said with a content smile.
"You know the world is pretty dangerous. You don't only have to worry about ninja but you also got to worry about demons nowadays old timer. You think you can take them on?" Nero asked with a smirk.
"Hey I didn't get this far in life by my good looks you know," Tezuka said with a smirk as he pulled out a different switchblade from his pocket.
"That's not the same knife that you had before," Nero noticed as he looked at the knife. The switchblade that he now had had a simple brown handle with gold along the top and near the bottom of it and had well sized silver blade.
"Your right I bought it in town before I came to see you guys off," Tezuka said as he placed the brown switchblade in his pocket and pulled out the black one and held it out for Caim to take.
"Caim consider it a going away," Tezuka said with a smile.
Caim stared at the black knife in Tezuka's hand and then quickly closed Tezuka's hand around the knife.
"Tezuka I can't take this," Caim said.
"Nonsense kid it's going to be a while before we meet each other again and this way you'll have something to remember me by," Tezuka said as he opened Caim's hand and placed the knife on his hand and closed Caim's hand around it.
"Are you sure I can have this? I mean you've had her for years and now you're giving her to me."
"She served me well and know that no matter where ever you go in life that I will always be cheering you on every step of the way," Tezuka said as he placed his hand on his shoulder and looked at him with a reassuring smile.
"You're gonna need something else aside from that knife to fight with considering what we might come across. I'll teach you how to use Guardian later on," Nero said, Caim nodding his head in understanding.
Tezuka then hefted his bag on his shoulder and said. "Well I guess this is the part that I say goodbye. Just know you two that no matter how long it's been since we last saw each other I'll always be your friend."
He then turned around and began walking away from them. Before he left he looked over his shoulder and waved at them in goodbye with a smile on his face.
Caim had a few tears traveling down his eyes as he watched the man he could call the closest thing that he had to a father walk onward.
"You alright?" Nero asked.
"Yeah let's just move on," Caim said as he turned away from them heading toward the nearest town in the opposite direction with Nero soon following him in silence.
Caim never once looked back at the place that he was leaving behind as he fiddled with the amber necklace around his neck as he walked down the road.
So here's Nero's first companion. And yes Tezuka is the Morrison of the story. Will this be the last time we hear (or Ead as the case may be) about Kawara Gai the answer to that is no it will re appear later on in the story.
In a way this chapter showed just what human's could do and the evil that they can do along with the good in a way in my opinion. Don't flail me alive if you think otherwise.
Also this story will have a grey Naru/Nero.
So far this story is mainly a Naruto/Devil My Cry Crossover.
And it will have elements from Bleach and and some certain books from Nier. I'm probably gong to add some other elements, but they probably won't appear until the time skip.
Yes Caim is Modeus's son. I always like Modeus from the DMC anime and decided i would include him. So Ignore the Anime people and done' burn me about Modeus being alive. I thought why not since it was said in the anime that he had inherited Sparda's true will. We will also find out later on in the story about what happened to Modeus.
Anyway i hope that this chapter fulfiled your desire with a update for now.
Last thing on my profile will be a pole for
Anyway i hope you like it.