Chapter 4 – A Open Doorway
The Konoha Arena was a huge fortress like structure, it not only had the most advance technology protecting from without but also the most intricate wards and runes keeping the out outside safe from the things inside it, summoning a demon was never an easy or pleasant thing but for the demon hunters it was a necessary action to make sure their hunters in training were truly prepared for the life that lay ahead of them. In the great dome the wall were twenty feet solid concrete reinforced by steel and inscribed with thousands of protective runes, the only entrance way was a huge metal shutter that was made of three foot thick steel with its own runic protection making it immovable from within the domes interior.
Around the high walls windows sat for views to see in behind the thick bulletproof glass seats were assembled for views, Naruto knew that somewhere Iruka would be sat with his students watching as today's exam was going to take place. He was stood with Sakura as the instructors spoke to this years group of initiates, their was thirty or so all within their mid teens and all looking as green as fresh cut grass. Sakura had joked how she'd bet her kirkgur at least twenty would fail and be passed over, Naruto hadn't taken the bet he didn't want to lose his side-arm on such a one-sided bet. He turned a glance to the young hunter he'd been teamed with for guard duty, the young raven didn't look much older than the initiates and something about the ravens cold manner ticked him off slightly. He'd been introduced by Tsuande as Sasuke Uchiha, the Uchiha named had pinged a bell in Naruto's brain and he recalled the fabled hunter clan that had been decimated by a possessed clan member. He'd tried to be friendly and open conversation with the raven but when he'd received cold single word answers.
When he'd first set eyes upon the small slender raven he'd mistaken him for one of the initiates, when Lady Tsuande had pointed out to him that Sasuke was a fellow full fledged hunter Naruto offered the raven a handshake as formal introduction.
As Sasuke shook his hand Naruto watched at the uncomfortable look that crossed the ravens features, it was subtle but Naruto caught it easily. As the pair stood to the side and waited for the rest of the teams to be organised Naruto leaned up against the arena wall and pulled out his Kirkgur, Sauske joined him and pulled out his own weapon to check as the pair spent a several moments in silence.
"So who was your teacher at the academy?" Naruto asked as glance over at the raven, he saw how new and polished Sasuke's kirkgur was and as the raven slipped his sword out of the sheath he also saw the absence of customisation upon it.
"Iruka Sensei." Sasuke responded as he balanced the weapon on his palm and with a flick of the wrist spun the blade around his hand to catch it with his other hand, Naruto wondered how green this scion of the Uchiha clan still was.
"When did you graduate?" Naruto continued trying to get the raven to open up, he felt himself growing slightly worried that his team mate wasn't that into teamwork, a dangerous trait not only for Sauske but for anyone assigned to work with him too.
"Last year, I was stationed away for the passed seven months." Sasuke said coldly as he practiced unsheathing his sword repeatable.
As Naruto was about to ask another question he became aware of the familiar figure that approached them, Shikumaru lazily stretched his arms as he moaned about something in a mumbling voice.
As he had also been teamed up with Shikamaru, Naruto at least he felt safe that he had one trusted, experienced hunter with him, the guard duty for today's exam was simple. A creak would be opened and a number of demons would be allowed to come through so the initiates could kill them and earn their mask all Naruto and his team had to do was make sure the initiates weren't overwhelmed and killed. It would have been a more dangerous job if not for the fact that only weak demons would be able to get through the creak, far above them on the walls six massive four barrelled 60mm hell-fire cannons were currently been manned to help out if the teams got overwhelmed.
"OK remember if you get overwhelmed, call us for help. We're a team so we have to work together." Naruto said loudly and looked over at Sasuke whom he had expected to have responded to him. When he saw the raven was still fiddling with his kirkgur he grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to face him.
"You listening? I don't need any lone wolf bullshit getting us all killed today! You Understand." Naruto said as he watched Sasuke bow his head slightly, inside his mind the raven heard his voice repeat the names of all those hunters he'd see die. Naruto was still waiting for an answer having grown irritated by the fact that Sasuke's fringe had fallen into his face, Sasuke nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt Naruto use one of his hands to brush his hair back and reveal his face.
Deep within him a memory long dormant stirred and Sasuke looked up at the taller Naruto in a trancelike state, then he felt reality come flooding back and swatted the blonds hand away.
"I understand." Sasuke said as he turned away and slid his sword out and took up a fighting stance, Naruto satisfied that the raven was willing to be a team player turn3ed his atttion to his own he checked his kirkgur one last time and slipped Old Red from its sheath, he felt rather than saw Shikamaru summon the shadow like blade he used to fight. Naruto remembered the first time he'd felt the sting off been cut by those slender tentacle of darkness, it had burned like hell and the cut had blistered and froze like frostbite instantly. Shikamaru wore a kirkgur on his belt but it was rarely necessary for him to draw the weapon, his shadow blades were more than enough for his skilled mind to out manoeuvre and dispatch his foes with ease. As the spell that would open a creak was slowly coming to an end Naruto looked around at the other hunters, all were already prepared for the first demon to emerge and as Naruto glance around he saw the young raven by him had also drawn his kirkgur and had his hand gripping his blades handle. At that moment a voice came over the intercom that surrounded the Arena's inner dome.
"Creak opening in three...two...one..." The moment the last syllable was uttered in the centre of the arena a strange light seemed to emanate from thin air and after a moment the light took shape like a creak in a wall, after a moment of silence a screaming sound came out of the creak and from it poured forth a number of twisted monstrosity. A the Initiates raced forwards and began their exam the other hunters waited and observed ready to step in if more demons poured forth or the initiates looked to be in trouble.
Two hours later...
Sasuke sliced the demon that had drew close to him, his blade had been a flash of light as he withdrew and sheathed it in the blink of an eye. The twisted mound of flesh that had multiple pairs of eyes and a mouth that looked like it belonged on a shark, as it fell away screaming in pain its dark green blood steamed up and disappeared as it turned to ash. As Sasuke turned a larger demon had somehow crept up behind him and moments from been impaled on he felt himself been pulled back, Naruto ran his short blade into the demons head and fire a single round from his kirkgur into the demons chest.
"You OK?" Sasuke didn't answer the blonde question as he raised his own side arm up and fired three rounds, the bullets skimmed passed Naruto's head to take out the seconded demon that had appeared and was about to take the blondes head off.
"I'm fine watch your own ass!" Sasuke snapped as he flipped back to his feet and pushed passed the blonde to decapitate the fallen demon he'd just shot, as it turned to dust he looked around and saw that the exam was not going well. Nearly all of the initiates had failed and been removed from the fighting, a few had been mortally wounded and more simply hurt lucky know were in the risk of dying just yet, the creak was been slowly closed but as the smell of blood filled the air the demons had come pouring through.
"OK people were ready to close the creak..." Sasuke felt the creak as the hunter in the control room started the spell to remove it, the demon's felt it too as they raced towards the creak knowing their death would be certain with it's disappearance.
"Go on, run you little bastards!" One of the surviving initiates cried as he watched the demons retreat, he'd managed to kill three and was gloating at his successes.
As the creak started to grow smaller and smaller the room filled with the hunter's cheering and heckling, Naruto and even Shikamaru joined in as the creak became a tiny dot of light. The cheering stopped when it stopped getting smaller and started to get bigger again...
"Alert the creak is not closing...It's reopening..What do you mean its.." The intercoms voice cut our as the creak exploded in size.
In disbelief the hunter watched as two ape shaped hands with wrists the size of watermelons grasped the edges of the creak and literally pulled it open, as the hands retreated back into the light of the creak a singular demon raced forwards screaming. From the creak a tendril of black smoke appeared and wrapped around the demon as it screamed reaching out towards the hunter almost begging them for help, as the black smoke pulled the screaming, howling thing back into the light the intercom burst back into light.
"Alert something is coming through and its signature is massive!" At that moment the smoke re-emerged from the light like a big bellowing cloud and started to take shape, as it twisted in on itself it contorted to the general shape of a man then a figure stepped out of the black smoke.
Naruto looked at the man that stood before them, he was young looking and was obviously European. He had short black hair that looked slightly unkempt and a chubby face with round cheeks and a sharp defined nose, his eye burned a brilliant violet and they peered around in a more curious than threatening manner. He wore a pair of black workman's pants with a black polo shirt, on his feet were a pair of scuffed boots. He looked like an average man in his mid to late twenties.
"So this is where Abaddon's scouts have been disappearing too." The voice was not so much a spoke voice but one that entered Naruto's mind like a hot burning needle, the man's lips had moved and Naruto had caught sight of his pearly white teeth but he hadn't spoke Japanese yet the blond had understood him perfectly.
From behind the man a great lumbering demon appeared, it had the body shape of a man but thick coarse fur covered it as well as knot of muscles that bulged in its flesh. It had an apes head witch was three times to small for its body, the eyes were a burning red and its mouth had three overhanging fangs that jutted out over its lower lip. It stood for a moment a good ten foot tall and looked down at the small man at its feel, then the man moved...
It was like watching smoke shift in the wind as his body seemed to turn to smoke and reform, one second he was stood under the great demon the next he was at the wall of the dome. As he placed a hand on the concrete the smoke swirled around and touched every inch of the domes edge all the way to the top as it swirled in a huge mass of smoke, as it passed over Sasuke the raven felt a cold feeling be sent chills down his spine ye t it also felt slightly calming and pleasant at the same time.
After a while the hunters took a few steps towards the ape demon at the creak, as it turned an eye towards them it seemed to regard them with uncharacteristic calm. Most demons would race at the chance to taste human blood but this one simply stood and looked at the small humans that were approaching it with raised weapons, then the smoke man returned and stood in-between the hunters and the demon.
"Now, now lets be civil, there's no need for bloodshed." The man said with a smirk crossing his pale face. "After all you did invite me, right Lady Tsuande?" The man's eyes looked straight up at one for the windows his smirk still present. At that moment a cloud of smoke emerged from the man and shifted into the form of a table and chair, in the blink of an eye the smoke solidified and became a solid pair of chairs and a table. The man sat down and put his hand together as he looked around smiling, an uneasy silence settled over crowd of hunters as he began to hum to himself.
TBC