Moo
Well now, what I have to say is that I am deeply sorry for the wait. I had originally intended for this to be out in December or January but my computer died on me back then, so I was slightly angered so I decided to work on 'Ten Thousand Fists' instead. Another reason why this took so long is because I was being slothful and I had to finish off my senior year in high school.
Yep, I am now a high school grad that works on his parent's sheep farm until September! Yay for me!
Anyway I hope you like this chapter, though it is shorter than some of my other chapters I hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but low self-esteem and my favorite earless sheep Frosty.
XxXxX Restless XxXxX
Since that day more than three years ago, a strange happening occurred to young Namikaze Naruto. The young man lost all capabilities of dreaming. At first, he thought nothing of it but the dreams that were lost had been replaced with another, more cruel and punishing event. Namikaze Naruto gained the ability to see across time and space, to see that which would have happened, that which had happened, and that which was happening. He saw things that would have happened if he had not 'died' that day; he saw himself taking part in the Chuunin Exams, he saw himself fight his brother, Mr. One, and he saw his other brother betray him for power and hollow promises. He saw many things...some full of pleasure, some full of things that would make a lesser man want to kill himself.
It was not until a much later date, a date at which he unified his family and settled into a routine to train in order to gain strength, that the power of this 'gift' turned into his most deadly and unforgiving curse. It was later that these 'nightmares' took flight behind his eyes as he slept. He saw things, horrible, unspeakable, things.
One night, he would see a mad man, cloaked in black, as he screamed his Hellish triumph to the storm-ridden skies. At the man's shrouded feet was a mutilated corpse, also shrouded in a Hellish darkness, but as the serpents of lightning and the roars of thunder filtered across the sky, the corpse's face became viewable; its eyeless sockets gazing and bleeding crimson tears while its mouth was wide in a silent pain-filled scream. Again, the man roared into the sky, and again the symphony of the storm echoed to his ears but with one more flash of lightning, the surrounding area was illuminated. Corpses, thousands upon thousands littered the surrounding field, some whole while others were in pieces. Corpses of those he knew and those he would never know. Men, women, children, elderly, youth, friends, enemies, rivals, lovers, black, white, Konoha, Cloud…there was no difference…they were all dead, mutilated in the name of power and sick dreams…
Another night he was watching himself, staked to the ground by strange black rods with a man of orange hair standing before him, preaching of true pain. The man was a madman, insane in his prospect of teaching all people his ideals of pain and horror. It was then that a woman intervened, her hands flashing with speed and her eyes seeing all. The words she spoke were muffled, inaudible, but then she charged the man of orange, charged him with all of her strength, and even as he yelled; no, screamed for her to stop, she continued until…until…the sound of an explosion was heard and the woman was crushed to the ground by some unforeseeable force. The man of orange raised his hands high above his head, a dagger of some sort situated in his palm. And with a quick downward motion, the sound of tearing flesh and bone chimed. Words were spoken next, but they were not important, nothing was important now with what just happened…
Another night…
Another night…
Yet another night…
Sleep came more fitful after those nights for all they held were nothing but illusions, grief, and hatred. Visions of self-made Hells and forged Heavens, Naruto could no longer take the visions after several weeks, long agonizing weeks, and had taken the initiative to wean himself off of sleep in order to save himself from the horrors that waited to ensnare him in the night. At this point in time, all he needed to operate properly with was two nights of seven hours of sleep a week, and unfortunately, this day was one of the two that he had scheduled for his rest.
Even though this 'ability' was his greatest curse, he soon found out, by way of his Demon, that it was actually a blessing given to only a select few Kyubi. It was said, as Kyubi told the tale of his kind and society, that only the greatest Kyubi's of all time had the ability of Premonition. Therefore, to have the ability meant that some kind of turning point in history would be centered around the Kyubi with this ability, but was it worth the thought of having some type of time-altering occurrence happen to him if he had to relive all the horrors of the past, present, and future at once?
As consciousness began to leave him and the chilled hands of sleep ensnared his soul, he hoped the answer to his question, whether this gift was truly worth its backlash, would be answered.
XxXxX The Past: Part One XxXxX
He was so sore, so very, very sore. But why was this? He couldn't remember training this intensely the night prior… oh well; remembering things like this always seemed to slip his mind at these times in the morning. The sun wasn't even out yet, if the lack of light striking against his still closed eyes was any clue as to the time of day. Naruto then tried to roll over in his lumpy bed to catch just a few more winks before he would rouse himself to start the day…but found that he could not more from his position on his back. For that matter breathing was beginning to become harder too…like some type of weight was on his chest, but why?
It was at this moment that memories of the day prior flitted into his mind, the day at the bridge and the fight as well. It was then that he remembered the outcome of the battle, the sharp, piercing needles to his heart and jugular vein. It was at that blip in time that he realized what happened while he 'slept', his mind moving with surprising precision and agility in order to unravel the truth behind his absence. As much as he wished it not to be true, he could not deny the fact as he shot his eyes open in horror only for them to be doused with stone and gravel, and even as he opened his mouth to scream in terror, only for it to be clogged with soil and earth, there was no way around the fact that…
…Uzumaki Naruto had, unknowingly, been buried alive by his very own team and teacher…
Desperately, he began to wriggle his body this way and that in order to give his hands some room to work on excavating the earth around him in hopes of digging himself out of his 'coffin'. He tried to scream again, in hopes that the surface world would hear him, but another hand full of soil filled his mouth and clouded his throat. His eyes watered and burned, oh how he wished to claw out his own eyes to alleviate the pain of the gravel. His eyes shot open again in pain as he realized that his left leg had been broke during the burial process and even more soil invaded his ocular senses. He tried to roar in frustration and agony but that caused earth and stone to crash into his mouth and storm down his throat yet again.
His mind grew hazy and it was then that Naruto realized the first signs of suffocation beginning to take affect. His thrashing, and by association his pain, grew with new fervor. This was not how he wanted to die; no, this was not it by far. He was to die a Hero and a Shinobi, clad in White and Red. Not like some type of criminal, buried alive for the enjoyment of his warden and guards. Clenching his fists in defiance he began; for a lack of a better term, to get pissed. Very, very pissed. His rage built itself on the thought of his Teacher and Team, his new 'family', burying him alive, abandoning him like some type of trash. The pain of his leg, his eyes, and his clogged mouth and throat, fueled his fiery wrath. No, this was not how he was going to die! His rage began to build and, subconsciously, he began to drain the massive reservoirs of the being that slept within him.
His body began to shake under the strain of the intake of power. His eyes, widened in hatred and fury, began to glow with an unholy crimson light, pulsing and withering with influence of the beast that was held within his belly and soul. He began to grit his teeth under the strain of the energy coursing through his body; the stones between his jaws were quickly ground into a fine dust. The power that he drew from his slumbering tenant began to heat his body significantly, unknowingly burning up what little oxygen he had left, and shortly after the increase in his body temperature the hazy feeling began to encompass his mind again.
No, no, his mind continued to yell at him as he began to fade from the waking world. No, no, screamed his limbs even as they began to loose their jerk and their protest. No, no, howled his silent voice as he tried to growl and roar his defiance. No, no, bellowed his eyes as they began to burn harsher, even as the edges of his vision began to fade. It was no use though because soon, soon the heat from his body died down to no more than a wetted fire, his limbs moved more like a sleeping infant's, his voice like that of a muted storm, his vision like a aged widower. This was how it was going to end…
"No, no…" whispered a voice.
The heat redoubled itself until a fine layer of red plasma-like substance enveloped his form. The heat roared within the small area that was Naruto's tomb so much that the stone and earth that covered his form began to melt and form glass, as crude as it was. His eyes began to flash like a dying light bulb, flickering between sapphire to crimson and back twice more. Strength returned to his arms and his legs, strength that was unmatched by any who walked throughout Naruto's past life, his limbs beginning to quake and shiver as if his entire body was being shook by some type of engine or motor. His maw grew wide in malice; fangs tore his gums, leaving his lips slick with his own blood. Stone that tried its hardest to burrow into his lungs and gullet by ways of his throat and trachea turned to ash and molten stone in an instant.
"No, no!" barked the voice.
The nails on the teen's hands exploded, leaving the tips of his fingers nothing but massacred stubs until the power of the beast took affect. Seconds later, the blood that cover his stubbed fingertips coiled around said stubs and condensed until its density was greater than the best folded steel and formed claws, rending, ripping, killing claws. His shattered left leg stretched itself to its fullest, twisting and shaking, forcing the bone into alignment with a sickening snap. The aura of the beast mended the bone and tissue seconds later. His heart thundered within his chest, stormed against his sternum and ribcage like a hundred soldiers armed to the teeth, soldiers threatening to break its sturdy buttresses.
"NO, NO!!" roared the voice.
The power escalated, rose to a point that the being within the Seal thought not possible, but all the same it was the needed level. Eyes flashed from within his prison, maw opened in triumph, a fearsome roar tore the air and ripped the ceiling of the cell and mind. His tails struck the bars of his cage, struck and struck again until a steady beat was achieved, like the chinking of cups within a high security prison. The tempo increased and the roars joined the chorus rocking the prison. Power erupted forth from the cage and swept down the corridors of the Jinchuriki's mind like a bloody typhoon.
Suddenly, one single tail, rippling with unrelenting power and will, pierced between two of the bars of his cell. It wriggled within the 'fresh air' of the outside like some type of severed limb, savoring the small smidgen of freedom that he was able to achieve. The jerking and twitching stopped as it then jammed itself deep into the concrete and water covered floor of the sewer-like mind, its influence seeping into the being of Uzumaki Naruto.
"NO, NO!!" the voice shook all that existed.
Bars of crimson malice and knowledge exploded across the floor, walls, doors, pipes, and bars from the tail that now rooted itself in the floor. The energy, the malevolent Chakra, lit everything up like some type of large, bio-computer coming online. As the bars of energy disappeared into the dark abyss of Naruto's mind, the Heavens of said mind began to glow as if morning had come, blood red and shimmering with heat. The time was now, and only now!
"Coordinates set! Demonic Art: Art of Instant Transmission!!" bellowed the voice of the mighty Kyubi no Kitsune.
"MARK!!!"
On the outside, Naruto's body began to glow with such a light that not only had the soil surrounding him been turned to glass but also it was now flowing over and around his form like reddened water. The earth that encased his boiling body now shook. Above ground, trees quivered and swayed like elegant dancers of nature. The wind picked up, adding to the mayhem that was taking place, bringing fallen leaves and loose dust together into a fearsome tornado of rage. Clouds darkened, lightning crackled, and thunder erupted into vengeful roars. To the people of the Land of Waves, it seemed as if the world and God had begun to rage because of the unjust deeds that had befallen the young Uzumaki.
With Naruto, his eyes had all but transformed into search lights as they, literally, began to glare two baseball shaped holes in the 'roof' of his 'coffin'. His mouth was wide in a silent and wild scream of defiance and deep within his body, it churned the molten stone and soil that had tried to choke him. If anyone were to gaze upon his gaping mouth, one might suspect that the young man was indeed part devil as he now seemed more Hellish than ever before.
It was at this moment that the animalistic Uzumaki heard one word as it exploded within his clouded and devolved mind. "MARK!!!" Once that word broke through the obstructions of Naruto's mind, it caused his world to explode in a universe of blinding light, deafening sound, and unimaginable pain. In that one instance, a tear in time and space occurred directly in the center of Naruto's being; pulling him, contorting him until he fit within its small space, and finally spiriting him away from his would-be grave and eternal resting place.
All that was left as evidence of Naruto's time as a living corpse was a space of solidified glass, so strong that the earth above the now empty space stayed as it was; never to alert anyone of the now missing body. Above and around the grave of the 'Hero of Wave', all was now quiet. The storm that had all but instantly ravaged their small land vanished as if it was never there. The earth no longer quaked, as if shook by the steps of a mighty giant and the trees and foliage no longer waltzed like elegant Dukes or Duchesses, but stood silent and still like ageless sentries.
All was quiet, and all was still.
XxXxX Elsewhere XxXxX
Their mission went off without a hitch. All was fine, and it was a good change in scenery to be able to get out of their village, seeing as they rarely got out anymore. It was like being trapped within a bar-less cell, prisoners without a prison to live in. The stares they received, the glares that seared their backs when no one thought they knew. Everyone knew of their burdens, knew of their inner monsters, and yet they still hated them, feared them to no end. No matter what they did, nothing warranted their 'freedom' or their acknowledgment. They only saw what they wished to see, not that which was there.
The older of the two men sighed as he thought over these truths, and looked over to his partner. He was a large man, standing like a giant amongst men. He looked like he was built of stone and iron, and his voice was like thunder and cannon fire. However, the older man knew better. He knew better then anyone that would ever come across this imposing figure. The old man knew of how the Goliath of a man wanted nothing more than to sit on the mountainside near their village and to talk to the stones, gossip with the trees, laugh with the birds, and sing with the wind. He knew that, given the chance, the beast of a man would play with the children and, one day, forge a family of his own. Another sigh escaped the older man's lips. For now though, the Stone Golem would have to suffice with stroking the fire with a small tree branch.
Nevertheless, who was he to speak of others deep thoughts and dreams when he let no one know of his own? His dreams consisted of sitting near a trickling river, not a care in the world, as he fished day in and day out. It seemed that the older man also wished for a life of peace and comfort like his brother. He wished to be left alone to live out his life, maybe take a wife when the time called for it, and just exist. Exist until his life ran out, and then die quietly. Was that too much to ask?
Apparently, it was too much to ask for.
It was at that moment when the wind silently began to pick up. At first, it was just a slight breeze that caused their small fire to dance and to giggle, but it soon caught the dust and small stones, tossing them about. Before long, the wind transformed into a violent torment of blades, slicing and tearing apart the nearby land and trees.
The older man jumped to his feet in haste, seeing that this was not an ordinary wind, he could tell. It was not just the velocity of the wind that made him think this, for winds of this magnitude were not uncommon in the Land of Stone, but it was the presence that flittered in and amongst the air and wind. Even though he himself did not know the presence, his inner beast seemed to be all in a dither over its appearance. It was not often that the great Yonbi grew this agitated, but whatever this wind held within itself could not be considered a good thing. The younger man was also on his feet with his eyes wide in fear and awe. He, like his comrade, had never felt something such as this. Neither when they stood in front of the Tsuchikage,, nor had they felt something quite like this when they stood before the gates for their respected beasts. This power, this presence, was in a class all its own.
The younger man quickly came to his partner's side as the sky darkened and the Heavens broke into a chorus of flashes and explosions. The older man chanced a look upon the younger man's face and was surprised. The younger man's eyes showed extreme fear within them. Just like a frightened rodent, his head snapped from one direction to another as the sky boomed and the earth was tore asunder from the bitter wind. The older man grimaced at the look. Even though he held more control over his beast', the Yonbi's, power, his comrade, the Jinchuriki of the Gobi, held more power then he did. To have him be frightened by this presence and power did not hold well with the older of the two.
"Roshi…" said the man 20 years Roshi's junior, "what in God's name is happening?"
Silence was all that greeted Roshi, and by now, the earth was beginning to quake, and the sky was darker than any of the moonless nights. Roshi had no idea what was happening. His beast was telling him nothing as it paced back and forth in its cell. Its four mighty tails swished back and forth almost in anticipation. Why would his beast switch from being agitated to now being anxious in less then two minutes?
"Roshi…?" the younger man was now sounding anxious himself as lightning began to strike the ground not far from their position.
"What does the Gobi have to say about this, Kurogane?" Roshi hissed as he brought his arms up to protect himself against the small stones, and now tree branches, that were begin tossed about like paper in the wind. "The Yonbi is telling me nothing!"
Kurogane batted away a thick branch that flew towards him. Just like Roshi said, his beast was also telling him nothing. It, too, paced its cage, waiting. "Nothing," Kurogane shouted over the roaring wind. "It's like he's waiting for something…"
"Aye…same here," Roshi liked this situation less and less. Not just because their demons were now waiting for something, a clear sign of something bad, but also because Iwa's Black Ops had yet to be seen. Not saying that the Black Ops had any chance of stopping whatever it was that was about to appear, but if two high level Jinchurikki were afraid of what was about to happen, then a couple of Black Ops would most likely slit their own wrists, and drown in their own incompetence due to the level of power and intent that permeated the air.
"But the question is… what are they waiting for?" asked Roshi as he eyed the crackling sky, Kurogane nodded in agreement as he set his gaze upon the vortex of wind and debris that surrounded them.
It seemed that their answer was close to revealing itself as the power that made its home within the air increased to a level that caused the two Jinchuriki to go down to their knees. It was not a vile power, but a power that dwarfed their own to the point of making them feel no more than ants in its midst. It was a feeling that the two never wanted to experience again, but as the power increased, so did the tremors in the earth and the lightning in the sky. To Roshi and Kurogane, it seemed like the Devil himself was making his way onto the land of the living.
Suddenly lightning converged upon one spot a little more than three meters from where Roshi and Kurogane were standing. The lightning struck not once, not twice, but nine times in one place, scorching the earth and setting the nearby trees ablaze, leaving the spot barren of growth. In the place where the lightning had struck, the earth rose up, crumbled, and shattered to form a crater several meters in diameters and many centimeters deep. Next, came the roaring wind and as it swirled inside the crater, until it created a tornado, swirling and twisting like some sort of protective serpent as it defended the crater.
Finally, an explosion tore through the small camp of the two Jinchuriki that caused Roshi and Kurogane to be blown off their feet. The tornado was torn asunder with a horrid screech, like the wounded serpent that it impersonated. The trees that had somehow survived the nine devastating lightning strikes were uprooted and tossed aside much like a child discarding a toy from his or her younger days. The earth was literally blown to pieces. The explosion sent chunks of stone and soil dozens of meters in all directions, destroying even more trees and crushing the fire that Kurogane had been tending to moments earlier. Utter mayhem was what the small campsite was reduced to.
The sky suddenly cleared, revealing a full moon. Its light made all that was within the devastated zone as clear as if it were day. Its pale sheets of light caressed everything, from the large stones that were strewn about, to the decimated trees and foliage. However, what caught the two staggering Jinchuriki as they gazed upon their destroyed 'home' was not the up-turned trees or the human-sized rocks that were thrown about like dolls, but the shivering form that was just visible through the rippling smoke and dust.
A gasp was heard from Kurogane at the sight of the small figure. Ignoring Roshi's startled cry, Kurogane bolted towards the struggling form. His feverous steps crushed strewn stones beneath his massive feet as he rushed forward with Roshi close on his heels. Kurogane's heart pounded within his chest as he thought of the small child-shaped form within the smoke and debris.
Roshi knew that Kurogane loved small children and wished to have some of his own when the time came. In seeing, though not clearly, the form of a child, Kurogane's mind screamed at him to assist the child and to tend to its wounds. Both arrived at the crater, at the same time, to see what they never would have expected to see; the struggling back of a child after what had just taken place.
Kurogane slid down the slope and towards the child as he struggled onto his hands and knees. Roshi stood at the top of the crater, his analytical eyes taking in the form of the male child, even as Kurogane slid to a stop next to him. The boy had horrendously blonde hair; that was obvious even without the bright moonlight. It was one of the brightest heads of hair he had ever seen…well next to the man that destroyed his former Squad during the Third Great Shinobi War. Though the man was his Village's sworn enemy, Roshi, and all other Shinobi of Iwagakure, held the man's power and ability in high regards, but Namikaze Minato deserved that respect. Another of the things that Roshi noticed was how the boy's clothing was dirtied as well as horribly burnt. These were sure signs of either torture or some other type of similar acts. Before Roshi could examine the boy anymore, Kurogane's fear-filled cry brought him out of his inspection.
"Roshi!!" Kurogane's scream cut the air. His eyes were wide in shock and horror as he held the quaking boy by the shoulders, "I need some help here!!"
Roshi didn't hesitate as he heard his friend's plea. Swiftly, with strength that betrayed his age, the Jinchuriki of the Yonbi leapt high into the air and landed directly across his brethren. He looked at the boy and saw why Kurogane was in such a distraught state of mind. The boy was currently choking, and even though Kurogane was a lover or children and an excellent Shinobi, he was horrible at medical techniques and knowledge.
Suppressing a slight smile at how Kurogane could get worked up over something that was rather treatable, Roshi raised his hand high above his head and struck the back of the young boy with much strength. Kurogane gasped at the action that Roshi committed and was about to reprimand the older man for his senile action when the boy shuddered greatly and began to vomit. However, another surprise awaited the two as the boy began to clear his throat and stomach.
The coughing and heaving of the boy that associated itself with vomiting brought something forth from the boy's gullet that the two were not expecting: molten stone. Kurogane and Roshi jumped back in surprise, alarmed at what was now pouring from the child's mouth. As the molten earth spewed forth, it began to burn a decent sized hole between his quivering arms. It seared the earth and ate away at it as if it were nothing more than a painted canvas. Again, his body wrenched as more lava came forth. Tears began to pour from his eyes as his body quivered, a pitiful sob broke forth from his charred lips, and never in his life had the boy felt so pathetic and useless. For a third time, another wrench attacked his body, but this time the last of the molten stone came up, and with it came what little his stomach contained.
Quivering evermore, the blonde-haired boy fell onto his side and rolled several rotations away from the molten earth and vomit. For the first time in a long, long time, the boy wept. He wailed and he wailed, for he had never felt so relieved and so pathetic. His relief was because he was no longer within that earth-bound tomb, but at the same time, the action of vomiting as much as he did left him feeling as pathetic as a fevered child who had no one to care for him but his loving mother. Problem was, he had no mother that would care for or look after him, and this caused his feeling of weakness to skyrocket. He curled up into the fetal position, taking no account that his eyes no longer burned from the invading soil, or that his leg no longer throbbed from being broken and continued to weep and wail.
In all honesty, besides feeling pathetic from his prior action, he felt exceedingly frightened. It had been a long time since he had felt this frightened. Not even when he fought against Zabuza or his apprentice Haku, did the blonde ever feel this frightened. He had probably experienced one of the most traumatic events in his short life, and now he had no idea where he was, but even in his frightened and disheveled state, he was still aware that there were two other people near him.
He continued to weep though. He had tried to be strong in the past, to never cry again, just as he told Inari to never cry unless one was happy and joyous…but to be honest, once again, he didn't give a damn. He felt weak; he felt betrayed; he felt angry and he felt alone. He felt so many things that his mind could do nothing to cope with them but to weep. Why did all these things have to happen to him? It wasn't fair! He sucked it up until now…but why did it have to be him? Why couldn't there be a family for him? Why had God not gifted him with a family?! His weeping suddenly increased as he started to get angry. He wanted to damn God! He wanted to scream at God! He wanted to scream into his face that it was all unfair. He wanted to scream that he did nothing to deserve this!
…But…but…he had learned long ago that it did not help screaming to God or shouting to the Heavens. Nothing changed. Therefore, he lay there, even as the two unknown individuals came closer to his writhing and quivering body. He no longer cared. Why should he? He was most likely in enemy territory, and being in enemy territory, he was forfeit. Therefore, he just laid there and waited for whatever God had in store for him; whether it was good or bad; more than likely the latter of the two…
A soft hand touched his shoulder and the boy curled in harshly. The boy tried to quiet his tears and cries but he could not, and for an instance, the hand withdrew itself from his shoulder. However, the hand returned, and as it did, the young blonde screwed his eyes shut, in hopes that the invaders would go away and leave him to his despair. A sense of vertigo struck the blonde as the hand on his shoulder rolled him onto his back and soon another hand gripped his other shoulder. With the two hands, he was hoisted into the air and was crushed against a steel wall, or what felt like a steel wall.
The boy's eyes shot open and he tried, vainly, to free himself from the steel cage that he was trapped in. His sobs grew as he realized that he could not escape. He thrashed, he bit, he screamed, he wept, he kicked, he punched, he did all he could think of to free himself from the cage that held him. Finally, he reined himself to his fate and lay there within his cage, weeping with all his being.
"What is your name boy?" the voice was as if it was spoken from within a deep, dark cave.
The boy tensed and lay still, hoping to not be seen. The voice, though deep and mature, caused the boy more fright, and deep down, his self-loathing increased. He was a Shinobi of Konohagakure and yet he was reduced to this; captured and frightened like some type of woodland vermin. Within his steel prison, he curled upon himself even as the deep voice asked again, he ignored the thunderous voice. Yes, he was a Shinobi! As such, they would get no information out of him, no matter how hard they tried! Not even his name!
A sigh and the sound of something padded striking the ground sounded not to far from the boy and his steel cage. "Kids these days," a voice, not quite as deep as the one earlier, but deep with age, spoke. "Can't even return a kind hug, let alone give his name to his two saviors. What is this world coming to?" another sigh resounded before the elderly sounding voice continued; "It would seem that the boy needs some time to himself, Kurogane. You can release the boy from his 'prison'…"
The blonde child was then released from his inescapable steel prison and fell, curling up on the ground in the most pitiful of states. The boy's eyes were still screwed shut, and the older of the two chuckled wistfully as he saw the young blonde curl even more into himself. His chuckling stopped though as the boy shifted within his curled position, bringing to light something that the elderly man did not know. The shifting of movement caused the blonde to tense even more and the sound of footsteps nearly made his heart stop. Soon, the foot falls ended centimeters from his curled up form. The sound of the new intruder stooping reached the blonde's ears and, if it was even possible, the boy folded in on himself even more.
"Ah…so that explains a lot…" the older man's voice was quiet yet it still held no malice. A poke to the boy's slightly exposed forehead caused said boy to whimper. Another sigh, mixed with a weary chuckle sounded near the blonde, and the one that assaulted the blonde's forehead seemed to retreat.
Seconds passed and all that was heard was hurried whispers from the two men that had come to the boys 'rescue'. The boy still said nothing as he lay there on the cold forest floor. By now, all of his tears had dried and the wails were quieted, but the fear was still there, lurking beneath his skin. There was a sound of movement, and once again the boy tensed, fearing the worst. Were they going to take him to their village? Were they going to take him somewhere to be interrogated? Or were they going to start the interrogation now? Were they even Shinobi?
Another sigh, again from the older of the two men, echoed within the boy's ears, "This is getting us nowhere…" another sigh and the sound of a match being lit came soon after.
Were they going to start by burning him alive in order to get what they wanted? Oh God, he hoped not! It was not unknown for enemy Shinobi to set their enemies ablaze. Hell, there were Fire Release techniques that helped with that! Suddenly, the smell of sweet tobacco slithered across the young blonde's nose and a sense of comfort fell over the boy's shoulders like a heated blanket. The smell of tobacco reminded the blonde of his surrogate grandfather.
"Ok… how about we start," said the older man as he took a deep drag off of the pipe that was now grasped between his teeth. "My name is Roshi. The man that hugged you earlier, well his name is Kurogane. We are both Shinobi of Iwagakure." The boy gasped loudly and curled further in on himself, but the man, Roshi, took no heed of it and continued, "We are both Jounin of said village." With that the man finished his small introduction. "Oh, and for the record, we don't plan on hurting you…" he added, as a side note.
Once again, seconds passed and all that was heard were the sounds of the man named Roshi as he continued to smoke his sweet-smelling tobacco and the sound of the other, much larger, man named Kurogane pushing about a strewn stone with his boot. The petite blonde, though still frightened, slowly sneaked his head up from his self-made home and observed his two saviors.
The first he took note of was the large Kurogane; never in his lifetime had the blonde child ever seen a man as gargantuan as he. Most of the giant's body was incased in a red, Samurai-like armor. An armor that cascaded down the man's massive arms to tuck underneath his black leather gloves, as well as crept up and hid the mans face from view, identically to how Kakashi's mask hid his face. It incased his legs finely and tucked into his buckled black boots, while a gray, sleeveless yukata top was tied loosely around his waist. Upon his head, was a strange hat. It reminded the blonde of the drunken bridge builder's hat; shaped like a wide cone, and, if wanted, could be pulled over ones eyes to either shade them or hide them. But unlike the man from the past, this hat was not constructed of straw and bamboo, but of the same red metallic material that covered the man's body. A smoke-like cloth flowed down from the odd hat, hiding the Goliath's ears, and pooled about his neck as well, giving the Goliath that much more of an imposing visage.
The next thing that the young blonde noticed was the mannerism of the Goliath. He sat upon a peculiarly, or at least it seemed to be placed peculiarly close to the blonde, stone several meters away from him. His elbows were placed roughly on his knees, fingers interlaced as though he was contemplating some kind of unknown offence. His head was downtrodden, thus allowing his cone-like hat to hide his eyes from the blonde. However, seeing how the Goliath of a man pushed a small rock to and fro with his boot-clad foot, it reminded the boy of how a child looked once scolded by his mother.
Were the Giant's feelings hurt? Was he saddened? The blonde ducked his head back into his arms and scolded himself. What did it matter if the larger man's feelings were hurt? Were they not planning on torturing him for information? A part of the boy reminded him that the older man, Roshi, had said that they were not going to harm him in any way. But the alert side of the blonde's mind kicked in and reminded himself that they were Iwagakure Shinobi, enemies of his home village. By all means, all that they said to this point could most likely be a lie. Heck, the names 'Roshi' and 'Kurogane' could be in fact aliases!
Speaking of the older man, the blonde chanced a glance at him. He sat on a large stone, similar to his comrade, one leg crossed over the other. His arms were crossed over his chest while one hand supported the opposites elbow while the hand attached to said elbow cradled his earthen brown smoking pipe. What caught the child's eye first, even before the billowing pipe, was the brightness of his hair. While the boy could honestly say that he had the brightest blonde hair on earth, this man could easily hold the crown for the brightest of the red heads. Not only was the hair tied tightly in a ponytail at the top of his head, but it also made it look as if flames were sprouting forth to consume all; the hair also encompassed most of the man's face. This was a sight that the boy had never seen before. In his home village, facial hair was rare and sparse; not many man found the need for such an adornment.
Though the boy did admit that he had seen at least two cases of slight facial hair, it was not like the mustache that hid all of his upper lip, or the beard that flowed from his temples down to his chin. It looked like the man was part beast with that amount of hair, but the boy wisely kept the thought to himself. The unique headpiece that displayed the man's village symbol was the next to catch his attention. It looked like a leather crown at one point, which was situated directly in the center of his forehead and the other two points were positioned directly parallel to the man's ears. Unlike the Goliath, Kurogane, the older man's choice in attire did not pique the boys interest: not the magenta, wide sleeved shirt, with a brown leather breastplate nor his gray utility belt, or his earthen brown Shinobi style pants and least of all his black, open toed sandals.
The blonde was not the only one observing his 'opponent'. Roshi, as he puffed on his cherry tobacco therapeutically, took quick, fleeting glances at the huddled boy. The boy was small and roughly around 13 to 14 years of age, give or take a year. Though his clothes were burnt, Roshi's keen eyes were able to see that his arms, legs, and over all muscle mass left much to be desired; which was odd considering his village's affiliation. On closer inspection of the child's hair, Roshi noticed that, not only was it as blonde as Namikaze Minato, the hair also had an uncontrollable and fur-like quality to it.
Roshi shifted his eyes away once the boy peaked out from the protective 'keep' that was his arms, least he be found spying. Seconds passed, and finally Roshi chanced a glance at the blonde only to see that he was inspecting, rather indiscreetly, Kurogane. Quickly, he continued his study, not knowing the instant that the boy would start inspecting himself. The blonde's eyes were eerily blue, and Roshi could not help but see a glimpse of that long-dead blonde, Minato. The likeness between the two, Roshi concluded, was damn near frightening. One thing the younger blonde had that the older, and dead, blonde never did were the six 'whisker' like slashes on his cheeks. Another interesting thing that the young boy possessed was what appeared to be claws, similar to those that Inuzuka possessed; it's hard to forget claws like that when similar claws had taken a rather large chuck of flesh out of one's arm in the last Great Shinobi War.
He then saw the boy slowly turn his gaze towards himself, so Roshi took a contemplating pose as he thought over the newly acquired information. If he were to be honest with himself, then Roshi would say that this boy was almost an exact replica of Namikaze Minato. All that made the child stand apart was his 'whiskers' and his 'claws'. One thing that was bothering the redhead was the fact that the child had yet to introduce himself like how Roshi introduced Kurogane and himself. Well…given how the child had all but 'appeared' out of thin air, almost literally, the boy did have some leeway on manners. However, it was quickly beginning to grate on the 40+ year-old man's nerves.
With a clearing of his throat, albeit a rather loud clearing, Roshi muttered, "You know, it's good manners to introduce yourself once your hosts have introduced themselves…"
As though a second wind had caught the blonde's masts, his emotions kick started. Rage trampled into his mind as well as his eyes, causing the normal placid sapphires to boil red with wrath. Before the boy knew it he was to his feet, jabbing an accusing finger at the two men. When he spoke his voice was a roaring volume that the boy never knew he was able to reach. "You're not going to get anything out of me!" he barked out spitefully, "You're Iwa Ninja, my…no, our sworn enemy." He pointed towards his forehead protector with much enthusiasm and pride…but, honestly, all that the flimsy plate of steel held to the boy was the proof that he was Ninja, not of the Village, but of the practice. "I don't care if you torture me, poison me, or starve me, none of that matters. You will get nothing form me!" by the end of his proclamation, the boy was panting and promptly fell backwards onto his rear rather ungracefully. His crimson eyes fizzled back to their brilliant blue.
The two men stared at the boy for several more seconds until the older man threw his head back and roared with thunderous laughter. "Torture?" he asked between gasps of air and laughter, "Torture? Now why would you think that we would torture you?"
"It's because I'm a Konoha Ninja and you are a Iwa Ninja," the boy fired back, though as he did his voice held much uncertainty.
Roshi continued to laugh even as his coal like eyes focused on the blond. "Are we?" he asked. "Let me tell ya something kid. Having grudges in our line of work will get ya killed rather quickly." The boy looked into the elder man's eyes in awe, "I can't tell you how many times I have teamed up with someone that I should hold a grudge against…but if I had continued to hold a grudge at that one point in time, I would most likely be dead right now…" the man trailed off at the end, and the blond child could not help but look back on his own life.
Unfortunately, he could not find an instance where he had to team up with someone that he hated or loathed. But…maybe, just maybe, the boy did know of what the man named Roshi spoke of. As the boy thought this he subconsciously placed a gentle hand on his navel.
The boy looked back at the wise elder only to see him once again smoking his pipe and looking off into the distance. Again he looked from Roshi's contemplative form to Kurogane's downtrodden figure. Both did not seem to hold any ill motives towards the blond, in fact the larger more stoic Kurogane looked more worried then Roshi when it came towards the blond. Kurogane, if the blond were to speak honestly, actually looked worried for the boy's health as he sent the boy fleeting glances and apologetic stares.
Sighing, the boy quietly showed the two men his gratitude. "Naruto…" he began.
The two men once again glanced his direction and the now named Naruto took their show of interest as a sign to continue. "My names Uzumaki Naruto…"
XxXxX End: 'The Past: Part One' XxXxX
With a gasping breath, Naruto's eyes shot open and his body sprang forth like a startled cat. His eyes shot from one side of the small cave-like room to the other, rolling in his skull like the eyes of a frightened horse. For several eternal seconds, his breathing was sharp and erratic, nearly causing him pain with each intake of air. His heart felt as if it was tearing into thousands of pieces with each thunderous pulse that it made.
Fisting a hand over his troubled heart, Naruto took several deep and cleansing breaths in hopes of calming himself. It took several seconds, but before long, Naruto's mind found itself able to place two coherent thoughts together. Sighing with relief, Naruto placed his head in his calloused hands. He truly hated nights such as this. He hated the Premonitions. No, they were not Premonitions; they were night horrors.
Unexpected rage filled Naruto's calmed mind like some type of roaring storm. Before he realized it, Naruto found a pillow gripped firmly in his hand, only to be thrown through the adjacent stonewall. A growl came from his throat as he swung his legs over the side of his queen-sized bed, and soon after, he was prowling out of the decent sized room in a foul mood.
Why must he be plagued by such obscene events? Why must he have to endure the troubles of the past? The present? The future? Another growl made its way out of his clenched teeth. He struck another wall with his closed fist, sending spider web-like cracks along its harsh surface. With his fist still pressed against the stone wall, Naruto released more frustration by racking the wall with his claw-like nails across its surface; leaving deep, violent gouges.
Sighing in a hiss-like way, Naruto stalked down the hall he was currently punishing. He hated these moods. He hated being angry and scared. He hated fear in general. It was always like this once he woke up. He always felt like a newborn child who woke up from a nightmare, crying out for his mother to comfort him. Another growl was released from his closed maw. He needed something to take his mind off of these thoughts, these dreadful, dreadful thoughts. He needed a distraction, and a really good one at that.
With his mind on autopilot, Naruto found himself knocking a heavy wooden door off its iron hinges. It crashed into the brightly lit room, knocking over clean wooden tables, throwing neatly stacked surgical and blacksmith tools to the stone floor, and soon, found itself reduced to sawdust by the man standing before an 'X' shaped rack. The man was dressed in a black tee shirt, black pants, and a white laboratory coat that cascaded down to his polished black shoes. He lowered his closed fist even as he continued to gaze at the clipboard that was grasped lightly in his left hand. Nodding his greasy crimson-topped head at the contents of the clipboard, the man turned his crimson eyes lazily towards the severely angered man.
"Must you always destroy my door when you're angry, Naruto?" asked the man as he turned his eyes back to his silver clipboard. "I mean, honestly, that's like the," he paused and began to count on his fingers as he measured the times of random destruction, "seventh time this calendar month."
Naruto ignored the man and made his way to the 'X' shaped rack. Once there, he laid himself down upon the steel surface of the 'X', never once noticing the chill that it held. The red-haired man continued his ranting about 'blondes that could not respect other people's property' even as he helped the young blonde strap himself into the steel device.
"I mean, not only do you force me into this Doll, albeit painfully, but now you're making me do a surgery that hasn't been done in over 4000 years?" spoke the greasy crimson-haired man as he looped the sturdy leather cuffs around the blonde's arms.
"Shut it, Slipper…" hissed the restrained man. "I don't give a damn about your likes or dislikes at this moment…"
'Slipper', as the mighty and fearsome Kyubi was now referred by, looked up from the leg he was restraining. Silently, he went back to his duty and with two more tugs, the cuff was secured. The boy, for he would always refer to the man before him as a boy, had been like this even before he became a Konoha Shinobi, and it troubled Slipper. Sure the boy could be quiet, secluded, and arrogant in some aspects, but this sudden change to the boy's normal 'sunny' disposition troubled the demon.
"So…which Premonition was it this time…," asked Slipper as he walked to the nearest wooden table and took a recount of the metal plates, surgical tools, wrapping, and other such implements. Slipper knew of the Premonitions, though he was not gifted with the miracle-like ability, unlike his father. His father…his mother…his sister…he shook his head, sending his greasy hair into his face rather unpleasantly. Those were thoughts for a different time.
Naruto did not answer right away, but instead, turned his head to the right, away from Slipper and his table of toys. He felt almost ashamed. In looking into the past, he had to relive the emotions that he had all but suppressed, the same emotions that plagued him on his way into Slippers 'Dungeon of Horror, fear, and other such Unpleasant things' (Indeed, not a very good name…but then again, Slipper was never very good at being creative…hence why he was not in charge of torture, or cooking…)
With his face still turned from the stereotypical 'mad-scientist' Naruto muttered one word that stopped Slipper as he began to test a scalpel with his thumb, "…burial…"
Slipper turned to look at the blonde even as he refused to meet his gaze; burial, which was the incident that started it all, as it had come to be known between the two of them. It was also, by far, the worst experience of the young boy's life. Sleep barely came for the blonde for many months afterward, it wasn't until a rather unique red-haired catalyst came into the picture did sleep finally come again. With a nod of understanding, though, Naruto could not see it from his position, Slipper turned back to his table of toys.
"You ready for this, boy?" asked the weakened demon. It was a promise, albeit unspoken, that they would not discuss the incidents held within the Premonitions unless Naruto wished to speak of them. Furthermore, since some of the Premonitions were of the future, retelling them to the outside world could cause a disturbance in the timeline and make the event never happen, happen earlier or later, or even happen far worse than what it originally was.
Naruto looked back into the face of his soon to be surgeon, torturer, and creator. A beast-like grin wetted his lips, pushing aside his shame and brought his ruthlessness to the forefront. "Let the distraction begin," he breathed.
"No, no," laughed Slipper as he dug his scalpel into Naruto's right palm and slowly began to drag it down the flesh of his arm, "let the rebirth begin. The rebirth of the Black Armed Shinigami…"
XxXxX End XxXxX
That is my chapter. I hoped you liked it. Again I apologize for the length. I had originally intended to have this chapter containing all of the flash backs of Naruto's life prior to meeting Hinata and the team from Konoha but I decided against it because I was lazy and I wanted to get working on 'Ten Thousand Fists'. But do not worry the other flash backs will be sprinkled throughout the story like any good author would do.
Anyway, I have a little challenge for my dear friends and readers:
At the end of this chapter I placed in a little cookie, the clue is in the last paragraph. The first reader to tell me where the cookie is from and who wrote it, for it is a manga series, will get not only a preview of my next chapter of 'Rumors of the Shadow Fox III' but also a preview of a new story idea I have thought up recently…
The race is on! So be kind and please PM me when you believe you have the answer.
Also if you have ideas or thoughts on my story, please relay them. I like getting help and making this a story worth reading so do not hesitate. Reviews welcome but I just wish that you enjoy this work of words, that's all that matters to me. :)
Last of all I wish to thank my beta's. I rarely see anyone do this with their stories but I hope that I can start a trend with this. Also thank you to a man that-will-not-be-named as well as the following beta's:
Beta Notes (Warper): Well If you've read the notes in chapter 3 of Ten Thousand Fists then you know I'm one of Evilsheeplord's minions. Not a great one, but a minion nonetheless.
Really, I'm glad to be able to beta for such a great writer. In truth, the most I'm able to do is fix some very minute, almost unnoticeable, grammar errors. I hope to be able to beta more for this guy, but so far, I'm just a lowly minion who does what he's able to.
ALL HAIL THE EVIL LORD OF THE SHEEP WHO SPEAKS IN COW! MOO!!!!!!!!!!!
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Animeawesome: you might as well call me the fine-tooth comb. Tiny inconsistencies in grammar/spelling is all I fix. Ah well, I may be a fine-tooth comb, but I'm a fine-tooth comb that's been to JAPAN!!!
LET US ALL CONSPIRE TO SAY MOO IN TOKYO!
Thanks for reading and have a great summer!
Evilsheeplordthatsaysmoo