Naruto – Cybernin
Disclaimer: This will be a Naruto and Transformers/Beastwars fanfiction. However, please note that Transformers/Beastwars component will cover a wide range of series from G1, Beastwars, Animated, Michael Bay Movies, Cybertron Games, Prime and so on. Also, there will be a couple of twists necessary for the two series to somehow fit which will hopefully not ruin the fanfiction.
Chapter 3: More Than Meets the Eye
"My name is Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots!"
Laying down Naruto, Bumblebee swore as he took a closer look at his injuries, "Primus, I'm no medic but this kid looks really messed up, even without his injuries!"
Concerned, Dog turned his attention to the yellow giant and asked, "Is Naruto going to make it?" One of the few people to care for Naruto, the silver-haired ANBU with a dog's mask returned to be of any help for the boy as quickly as he could once he placed Metaru away from harm in a safe location, under the personal watch of a certain Snake Mistress. By the time he returned, the giants with red insignias arrived to help them for some reason which he has yet to know.
Turning his attention to Dog, Bumblebee said, "So, his name's Naruto huh? As for your question, I have no scrapping clue. Like I said, I'm not a medic and even if I was I wouldn't know how to treat organics, of half-organics in his case. Pits, I'm not sure if even Ratchet can fix him and he's like the best medic I know!"
Hearing Bumblebee's explanation, Dog turned his attention to the other ANBU and said, "You two, go and get us a medic-nin here ASAP. The rest of you, help the giants with the red insignia drive off those fliers!"
"But sir, can we really trust them?" asked a rookie ANBU.
Glaring at the rookie, Dog growled, "Considering that the ones with the red symbols are helping us deal with the purple ones that wanted to blast us to ashes earlier, I say trust them for now and worry about long-term alliances later. Now go!"
Not wanting to anger Dog, the rookie ANBU went off in a hurry while Bumblebee grumbled at Dog, "Hey, we do have a name you know!"
Suddenly, an explosion of energy erupted nearby, causing Bumblebee to shield Naruto with his own body, an action which made Dog decide that the red ones, or at least Bumblebee, are indeed their allies for the moment. Looking at the yellow giant, Dog said, "We can have a proper conversation later. For now, we have more immediate concerns!"
Scene Change
Meanwhile, Starscream mentally cursed, "Damn these Autobot scum, and those organic-ninjas as well for that matter!" Tapping onto the side of his face to activate his communicator, Starscream growled, "Soundwave, what happened to the probes? They were supposed to warn us about the Autobots' approach!"
"… Soundblaster… interference… recommend retreat…"
Listening to Soundwave's reply, which showed obvious signs of communication interference from the static, Starscream knew that his Seekers had lost this battle as he shouted, "Seekers, transform and retreat! We will deal with them in another time.' Smirking cruelly, Starscream added, "But before we do… Shockwave, send them our "welcoming gift"!"
Scene Change
Meanwhile, as Starscream and the rest of his Seekers transformed into their alternate forms to flee, Shockwave sent his command to his own troops, "Lugnut, commence bombardment!"
Scene Change
Hearing Shockwave's given command, a particularly large diamond-shaped flight form with green and purple plating which was flying above the Ninja World's orbit responded, "Understood." Changing its flight course, the being known as Lugnut spoke, "For the glory of the Decepticon cause, for Lord Megatron!"
Scene Change
Seeing the enemy fliers flee, Dog turned his attention to Optimus Prime and asked, "So did we win this fight?"
Turning his attention to the ANBU ninja, Optimus Prime replied, "For now at least. Unfortunately, I doubt that any of us will see the last of them."
Suddenly, a voice spoke out, "Optimus Prime, hate to break it to you but the Seekers are coming back with company, and it's Lugnut!"
Narrowing his eyes, Optimus Prime tapped onto the communicator on the side of his head as he turned his attention back towards the sky and said, "Soundblaster, transwarp Sparkplug to my location, now!"
Understanding what Optimus Prime is planning, Soundblaster spoke through the communicator, "You got it, one transwarp coming right up!"
"Okay, what's going on?" asked Dog.
"Let's just say that the enemy are returning with another one of their own," replied Prowl who bore an injured left arm while the blue female giant walked beside him while nursing an injury on the right side of her abdomen.
"Just one more of their own, how is that supposed to give them the edge to win?" asked a female ANBU with a cat-mask who was obviously confused. After sending an apprehended Mizuki to the care of a certain scarred leader of the Torture and Interrogation Division of Konohagakure, Cat returned only to end up fighting alongside with the blue female giant.
"If that one extra soldier is Lugnut, it will be more than enough to reduce this entire village to ruin," answered the rotund green Autobot who bore an impressive array of battle scars from shrugging off enemy attacks. It was obvious to anyone that the green one preferred to withstand attacks like a wall unlike Prowl or his female counterpart who preferred to dodge attacks.
Shocked, Dog was about to ask how it is possible when Optimus Prime explained, "Lugnut is a flier just like the Seekers that we have fought off earlier. However, he is bigger and more heavily-armed than them."
"Special emphasis on heavily-armed, with a Pit-lot of explosives!" exclaimed Bumblebee who was keeping an eye on Naruto. Left unsaid was that Bumblebee was honestly confused and unnerved by some of the humans who seem to look at Naruto as though considering the merits of killing him here and now, spitefully at that.
Realizing what was going to happen, Dog was about to inform his ANBU to have everyone evacuate the site when Hiruzen appeared beside him and asked Optimus Prime, "I presume you have a plan to counter them then?" Standing beside him was a large white-furred monkey known as Enma who was nursing his singed fur and was cursing the Seeker responsible for it.
Nodding in affirmative, Optimus Prime turned his attention towards a portal which looked just like that one which brought the Autobots to Konohagakure. The humanoid that dashed out of the portal, presumably Sprakplug, was not what the ninjas had expected. While even the smallest of the metallic giants were at least twice the size of a normal adult human male, the humanoid that appeared was no bigger than Naruto's classmates. Bearing coloration similar to that of Bumblebee, Sparkplug looked more like a child to the giants rather than a fellow soldier of their race.
Staring at the small humanoid, Hiruzen had to ask, "And how exactly is he supposed to help, pray tell?"
Grinning, the grey and yellow metallic newcomer said, "By doing this, Powerlinx!" Leaping onto Optimus Prime's back, Sparkplug transformed into an attachment of some sort. Upon attachment, the newcomer obviously gave Optimus Prime a power boost of some sort as Optimus Prime's right arm-cannon became even more massive than before.
Staring at the apparently upgraded weapon, Dog had to ask, "Will that be enough to take them down?"
Shaking his head, Optimus Prime explained, "No, not all of them. But it will suffice to at least take down Lugnut before he bombards this place. Even if I fail in this endeavour, as long as I'm here with Sparkplug, the Decepticons will focus their attacks on me, especially Lugnut."
Realizing what Optimus Prime was about to do, Hiruzen said, "As much as I appreciate your assistance in defending our village, to the point of self-sacrifice no less, I will remain here with you. It is my duty to defend this place, and its people." Inwardly, Hiruzen sighed as he glanced at Naruto, "However tragically misguided they can be at times."
Gazing at Hiruzen, Optimus Prime nodded in understanding, "Very well. However, would you be able to help me fend of the Seekers while they try to intercept me from stopping Lugnut or his weapons? I may not know much about organics but even I'm aware that you're old by your race's standards."
Smirking, Hiruzen summoned a gigantic staff made out of adamantite and said, "I may be old but I'm considered the strongest ninja in this village for a reason!"
Scene Change
Lugnut, with Starscream and his Seekers as his escort, spoke, "Starscream, why did you order for the destruction of the village if you have not already acquired the Minicon? Lord Megatron demands it!"
Starscream would have rolled his eyes if he was in his humanoid form as he grumbled, "That's because the Minicon is no longer like the rest we, or even the Autobots for that matter, already have in possession. I would explain further but we don't have the luxury or time to do so in a way that even you can understand. Besides, better that we lose the Minicon than let the Autobots have her or that accursed boy, assuming that he still lives and intends to fight another day!"
"You speak as though the organic is a threat to us," replied Lugnut.
"Former organic," corrected Starscream who then added as Konohagakure came into view, "Regardless, time to terminate the village!"
Descending at increasing velocity, the enemy fliers flew straight to the village with the intention to completely wiping if off the map. Suddenly, the enemy fliers saw a flash of blue light and the Seekers shared on common thought before they broke formation, "Scrap!"
Unable to change directions as readily as the other fliers, Lugnut was barely able to avoid receiving a nose-full of ionic plasma energy as he did a barrel-roll to avoid the attack. With the left wing damaged to a near-crippling point, Lugnut cursed, "Accursed Autobot, you will not deny me of accomplishing this mission for Lord Megatron!"
As much as Starscream hated the single-minded fanatic, he knew better than to speak out his personal opinion about him as he ordered his Seekers, "Seekers, accelerate and remove the threat!"
Scene Change
"Uh, are you sure you folks want to do this?" asked the green giant who revealed his name to be Bulkhead. The reason for his hesitation, he is going to do what a certain spandex-clad jounin, an elite-ranked ninja, dubbed as, "Dynamic Entry, Fastball Style!"
Nodding, Hiruzen reassured the green giant, "We will be fine, Bulkhead-San. We ninjas are much tougher than we look and we have our own tricks to stay alive."
Having noted the ninjas' abilities, Prowl nodded in agreements as he spoke, "They have abilities similar to mine and Arcee's own cyberninja training. As such, I can vouch for their capacity to accomplish the task at hand."
Narrowing her eyes, Arcee noticed the incoming Seekers and said, "Better hurry boys, because here they come!"
Transforming his arms into a massive array of guns, the heavily-armed red giant known as Ironhide said, "Time for round two!" Ironhide and Arcee then proceeded to fire their energy weapons.
"As much as I'd love to help you guys, I've got my hands full keeping an eye on Naruto and taking him to Metaru." Having received directions from Dog, Bumblebee plans to find Metaru and keep both children safe. Personally, Bumblebee would have preferred to take Naruto back to base so that Ratchet can try to fix him, as it was apparent that the human medics were either unsure of what to do or were unwilling to even try to save the boy. However, Bumblebee cannot do so without receiving approval from Optimus Prime, or more accurately from Hiruzen who apparently cares for the boy and yet cannot afford to leave him under the care of non-human strangers, regardless of being allies at the moment. Considering the circumstances, especially as the boy was apparently healing at a rate which is obviously not humanly possible, Optimus Prime decided it would best to honour Hiruzen's request that the boy remains in the village. On the other hand, Hiruzen made it clear that the doctor who told him that Naruto's life is not under any immediate danger that he will answer to him personally should Naruto perishes due to the wounds he had received from the Seekers. Hiruzen also allowed Dog to tell Bumblebee how to find Metaru, although the yellow giant would be under the watch of any ANBU ninjas that the Hokage could spare, as he might know how to help her.
Nodding in understanding, Bulkhead said, "Well, you better get going. We'll get Ratchet and Red Alert to take a look at them once we're done here!" As Bulkhead spoke, Optimus Prime fired a second shot which reminded Bumblebee of heavy artillery.
Grinning despite the incoming danger, Bumblebee said, "Just try not to get your aft scrapped while I'm not around to watch your back, Bulkhead!" Carrying the boy in his arms, Bumblebee set off to find Metaru.
Seeing the yellow Autobot taking Naruto away, Bulkhead turned his attention to the incoming Seekers and offered his hand for Hiruzen to get on as he spoke, "Hope you folks know what you're doing!"
Scene Change
Forced to dodge the incoming energy blasts and missiles, the Seekers dispersed even more as they tried to shoot down Optimus Prime or at least the Autobots guarding him. Growling in displeasure, Starscream was about to order Ramjet to ram into Optimus Prime when he saw a certain elderly organic appear with a massive staff in his hands. Surprised, Starscream was barely able to dodge the staff which would have smashed off one of his wings.
Cursing his poor luck of being unable to disable one of the fliers, Hiruzen breathed a fireball which was shaped like a dragon as it sought to burn the Decepticon. Hitting Starscream's rear end, Hiruzen was almost amused as Starscream shrieked, "Hot, hot, hot, HOT…!"
Seeing the human leader attack Starscream, Sunstorm internally smirked as he asked, "So, you want to play with fire, eh?" Intent on killing Hiruzen, Sunstorm shouted, "Let's see which one of us is the bigger hotshot!"
"D-Y-N-A-M-I-C ENTRY!"
Sunstorm screamed in pain as something impacted against him with enough force to badly dent the bottom side of his arrowhead-like flight form. Losing his balance, Sunstorm cursed his luck as he spun out of control and crash-landed into the trees surrounding the village.
Scene Change
Seeing Sunstorm go down, Bulkhead whistled as he swore, "Remind me to get that guy's name. He would have made a fine Wrecker if he was an Autobot!"
Staring at the impressed giant, Dog was comically horrified as he thought, "Please, for the love of Kami, don't tell me that you have anyone like him in your ranks!"
Scene Change
Sunstorm, having reverted back to his humanoid form, was shaking his head to clear his vision when he saw a ninja dressed in a green spandex, bore a shiny-black bowl haircut and the most ridiculously big eyebrows he had ever seen. Granted, Lord Megatron has some impressive brows himself but at least his made him look imposing rather than ridiculous. Glaring at the organic, Sunstorm growled, "Who in the Pits do you think you are organic scum?"
Glaring at Sunstorm, the spandex-clad ninjas said, "My name is Might Guy, the Sublime Green Beast of Konohagakure!" Moving at blinding speed, Guy delivered a kick to Sunstorm's "nose" and added, "And I will defeat you, with my burning Flames of Youth!"
Shocked that the organic could move at a speed which actually reminded him of a certain blue Autobot known as Blur, and that the blow could actually knock him back, Sunstorm nevertheless smirked as he asked, "Flames of youth?" Snickering, Sunstorm then wreathed himself in flames as he added, "Then let's see whose flame is hotter!"
Scene Change
Meanwhile, Naruto found himself in what looked like a cross between a sewer and a technologically advanced subway with glowing power cables overhead. Staring at his surroundings, Naruto who was in his original human body was confused as he wondered, "H-how did I get here?"
Suddenly remembering about the giants and Metaru, Naruto was understandably worried as he spoke his thoughts aloud, "Damn, I've got to get out of here and help Metaru-chan before those giants take her away!"
Running blindly down the tunnel, Naruto soon found himself standing before what looked like a massive jail cell held in place by a piece of paper which was placed over a circular lock. Staring at the cell, which has gaps more than large enough for his body to comfortably move through, Naruto spoke, "Okay, is that the way out or is that supposed to keep something locked in?"
"Why don't you take a guess, brat?"
Shocked, Naruto stared into the cell apprehensively as a pair of massive blood-red eyes glared at him malevolently followed by a row of very sharp teeth. As his eyes looked deeper into the cell, Naruto realized who was inside, "I-it can't be, you're the Kyuubi no Youko!"
Chuckling, the enormous nine-tailed demon fox known as the Kyuubi no Youko spoke, "The very same demon that attacked your village on the day you were born, the same demon that killed so many including your beloved Fourth Hokage!"
Stepping back from the creature, Naruto asked, "But how? You were supposed to be dead!"
Cackling, the Kyuubi no Youko answered, "Fool, do you truly think that a mere human could slay me, one of the nine Bijuu? We are immortal and can never be truly destroyed!" Smirking malevolently, the demonic fox asked, "So the question you should ask yourself is, "Where am I, and why is the Kyuubi no Youko here"?"
Staring at the Kyuubo no Youko, Naruto knew that he would not like what he was about to hear as he asked, "We're not in Konohagakure, are we?"
"No, we're inside your puny mind. So tell me, what does that imply when I'm inside of it?"
Although not the brightest person around, Naruto understood the implications well enough as he eyes widened in horror and spoke, "No… it can't be."
"That right, I am the reason why the puny humans of your accursed village hate you, I am the true target of their hatred, I am the demon that lives within your very soul!"
Falling onto his knees, Naruto could feel his heart and mind were close to breaking as he recalled every spiteful glare, hateful word, and malicious actions against him. Now understanding why everyone hates him, Naruto fell onto his knees and was close to despairing to the point of suicide when he asked, "B-but why?"
"Like I said before, we can never be truly destroyed. However, we can be sealed away, including inside human vessels. So try and guess what your beloved Fourth Hokage had done to the both of us!"
Although aware of what the Kyuubi no Youko was implying, Naruto could not bring himself to fully believe it as he asked, "He… he sealed you inside of me, to save the village, didn't he?"
"And damned you to a life of lonely suffering as a result, so to speak," was the demon fox's callous reply as he cruelly thought, "Just a bit more and I will be free once again!"
"Why… why did you attack our village in the first place!" demanded Naruto as he angrily continued to speak while tears flowed freely from his eyes, "If you'd never attacked our village, everyone that died that day would be still alive and I would not have been hated by everyone because of you!"
Narrowing his eyes, as he had expected Naruto to despair rather than be furious, not that the response was completely unexpected, the Kyuubi no Youko snorted as he argued, "You speak as though everyone that died on that day were innocent and underserving of an untimely death!" Surprised by the Kyuubi no Youko's response, Naruto did not know what to say as the fox drew himself closer to the cage bars, thereby revealing his hand-like clawed paws and his snout. The fox then snarled with obvious disgust in his voice, "You humans are all the same, claiming to be righteous and innocent while enslaving and oppressing anyone and anything you could for the sake of your own survival, power, and self-gratification! You of all people should know how the humans of your village hate you just because I'm inside of you without even considering if we're really one and the same being. Are you really willing to actually consider them innocent even for their blatant stupidity and their ultimately unjust crimes against you?"
"And what right do you have to criticize us? You're nothing more than a monster that destroys everything around you!" argued Naruto.
"Please, if that was true, my siblings and I would have reduced your Elemental Nations into a wasteland long before your accursed ninja villages ever came to be! Besides, we Bijuu are at least willing to admit that we're capable of evil, unlike you pathetic hypocrites!" As much as the Kyuubi no Youko desired freedom, whether by having Naruto be consumed by despair or rage, the demon fox was also a proud being and refused to be considered a mindless monster.
Suddenly recalling about the fact that the Kyuubi no Youko is one of the nine Bijuu, Naruto realized the fox actually did have a point about his first argument, assuming that it is even true. As for the second argument, Naruto chose not to argue against it as he knew that people can indeed be hypocrites, or at least be selectively kind to anyone but him. Glaring at the fox, Naruto asked, "And just how long have you and your… siblings been around?"
"From the time not long before the Sage of the Six Paths died from his old age."
Shocked, Naruto asked, "Wait, THE Sage of the Six Paths, the saviour of the world and the true god of shinobi? T-that's like hundreds of years ago!" Naruto usually does not pay much attention in history class unless it involves powerful ninjas such as the four Hokages of Konohagakure, the leaders of other ninja villages, the three legendary sages of Konohagakure, and the Sage of the Six Paths, the one person believed to be responsible for creating ninjutsu as the modern ninjas presently know it.
Smirking smugly, the Kyuubi no Youko haughtily corrected Naruto, "Over a thousand years actually. More than enough time to ruin this world if we so choose to do so!"
"Then… why didn't you?" Blinking, the Kyuubi no Youko stared at Naruto as the boy continued to ask, "If you really hated humans and wanted them gone, then why didn't you just do it so many years ago?" Inwardly, the boy guiltily added, "I know I would have at least considered it…"
Not expecting Naruto's rage and despair to be momentarily replaced by apprehensive curiosity and even a bit of guilt, the Kyuubi no Youko was hesitant as he looked away and replied, "That is… none of your business."
Staring at the Kyuubi no Youko, Naruto hesitantly asked, "You… didn't always hate humans, did you?" Hearing no response, Naruto pressed on, "Then, what happened that made you hate us so, to attack the place which is my home?"
Hearing Naruto's plea for answers, the Kyuubi no Youko sighed as he realized that he had lost his chance to free himself and reluctantly replied, "I'd… rather not talk about it." Deciding to change the subject, the demonic fox added, "Right now you'll have to worry about keeping us both alive." Seeing Naruto's confusion, the Kyuubi no Youko explained, "Our lives are linked together, if you die I would die as well and although I would be able to resurrect myself a few years later, hence why my kind cannot be truly killed, I would be nothing more than a wild animal until I regain my memories and sentience. As the mightiest of the Bijuu, I will not suffer this humiliation!"
"Wait a minute, does that mean that you'll actually help me if it will keep you alive?" asked Naruto.
"What makes you think that I'm not doing so already? In case you haven't noticed, you've suffered more than enough wounds from those metal giants to kill just about any normal human. Also, it is thanks to my power combined with your… metal components from touching that metal-brat that we even got the enhancements necessary to fight them at all. If anything, you owe me for it especially after considering that your death is permanent unlike my own!"
Hearing the Kyuubi no Youko's explanation, Naruto then said, "I guess I should thank you for helping me out but… I'm not sure if I can forgive you for being the one to make my life so miserable, at least not until I know why you attacked my home all those years ago."
Surprised that Naruto would even consider forgiving him, the Kyuubi no Youko hid his surprise as he haughtily spoke, "Please, all I did to you after the Fourth Hokage sealed me into you is to live in silence inside your damned ramen-filled stomach. The ones you should blame are the Fourth Hokage for putting me into you and those idiots for choosing to hate you."
Smirking, Naruto admitted, "Okay, you have a point here, but even so I can at least understand why they did it. I mean, a precious person's life isn't something that can be replaced like a toy you know." Thinking about Metaru, Naruto quietly added, "Not even a strange or monstrous kind of life."
Peering at Naruto, the Kyuubi no Youko replied, "Touché. Now be gone and make yourself more miserable by helping those worthless hypocritical ingrates. I plan to recover my strength after being forced to keep your miserable mortal life alive in the meantime so you better not come back begging me to help you again anytime soon!"
Nodding in understanding, Naruto turned around and left…
Scene Change
"Papa… papa…!"
Opening his eyes, Naruto saw a tearful Metaru looking over him. Reaching out his hand to comfort her, Naruto saw a metallic black claw which responded to his mental commands and mused, "So that Fuzz-Butt was right, I really did get enhanced, whatever that means."
"M-Metaru-chan…" Naruto was surprised and a little unnerved by the distorted mechanical nature of his once loud and cheerful voice. He then noticed his reflection in her eyes and saw that he had changed even more than he realized as he saw a monstrous metallic face in place of his once-human face. "Dear-kami, what happened to me?"
While Naruto was hesitant to touch Metaru, the girl held not such hesitation as she simply hugged him as tightly and cried into his shoulder. Surprised by her action, Naruto reached out to awkwardly pat the girl comfortingly as she cried, "Papa… I was so scared that you were gone!"
"Are you… not scared of me?"
Looking at Naruto's new face, and seeing the unease his in blue eyes, Metaru sniffled and admitted, "A little, you do look scary. But you're still my papa, right?" Looking down at the torn flesh on her chest which revealed her metallic body with glowing blue lines within, the girl feared that he would reject her because she is, as Mizuki put it, a "Metal Freak".
Unable to hold back his relief and love for the girl, Naruto held her in a close embrace as he spoke, "Always, Metaru-chan."
Blinking the tears which welled in her eyes, Metaru then cried tears of relief as she hugged back as sobbed, "I'm so sorry…"
"It's ok, it's not your fault," said Naruto as he gently patted her.
Suddenly hearing a loud crash, Naruto looked around in alarm while Metaru tried to squeeze herself into his arms when a young woman with purple hair tied into a spiky ponytail, brown eyes, and a rather inappropriate manner of dress including a fishnet suit, a tan trench coat and a miniskirt, appeared before the two children and said, "Hate to break the tearful family reunion kids, but we need to move out and get you two to safety. Those Cons' are getting too close for comfort here!"
Raising a metallic eyebrow, Naruto asked, "Cons'?"
"Decepticons in short," explained a yellow metallic giant with horns on his head.
Alarmed, Naruto growled viciously as he quickly assumed a crouching stance and was ready to either fight or flee. Seeing his obvious unease, the metallic giant raised his hands and said, "Wait a nano-cycle! I'm one of the good guys, honest!"
"Yeah, and my ex-crush and one of my teachers wanted to hand Metaru-chan to those winged bastards so that they can take her away and hurt her!" shouted Naruto.
Frowning, the young woman said, "Look, I get that you don't want to trust anyone after what Mizuki-teme pulled off but that Yellow-Bot over here just carried your busted ass here when he could be fighting with his comrades against their enemies so that he can find your little girl and keep you two together under our watch."
Confused, Naruto took a look at the yellow giant and realized that he has a different symbol on his chest. While the Seekers have purple symbols with pointed ends, the yellow giant has a red symbol which a more squared appearance. Recognizing the importance of having different symbols for different factions, including ninja villages, Naruto was willing to listen to what the yellow giant has to say as he asked, "Who are you and why did you help me?"
Relieved, the yellow giant introduced himself, "The name's Bumblebee, scout of the Autobots. As for why I helped you, why not?"
"Because practically almost no one in the whole village would ever want to help me, especially because I have the Kyuubi no Youko in my gut!" shouted Naruto.
While both Bumblebee and Metaru were confused, the young woman was alarmed as she asked, "How did you find out?"
"Simple, I had a talk with Fuzz-Butt after I became like this," was Naruto's curt reply.
Now understanding how Naruto could have found out about his burden, the young woman warily asked, "So what do you plan to do now?"
"Right now, I'm more worried about keeping my precious people safe and finding out what really happened when the Fourth sealed that fox into me as well as who my real friends are. After that…" Naruto was silent as he wondered if he would still wish to remain in the village.
Seeing his uncertainty and understanding his circumstances due to her own painful past, the young woman sighed and said, "Okay, I can respect that, but the only way you can do any of these things is by staying alive long enough to do so and you'll need to cooperate with us to have any hope of even living through this mess, understood?" Although reluctant, Naruto knew that the young woman has a point and nodded in acceptance. Seeing his response, the young woman smiled and said, "Now come on, we need to get you two out of here before the Cons' find us. And the name's Mitarashi Anko by the way."
Nodding in agreement and acknowledgement, Naruto carried Metaru and took a few steps before he fell to his knees. Even with the worst of his injuries healed, he was still badly injured and exhausted. Seeing that the boy cannot walk by his own capacity and that Metaru was getting distressed, Bumblebee asked, "You need a hand here?"
Grunting in pain, Naruto replied, "No, I'm good. I just need to rest a bit."
Not convinced, Bumblebee argued, "That's a whole lot of scrapping frak and you know it!" Not bothered with Naruto's or Metaru's protests, Bumblebee quickly took both children into his arms and said, "Hope you kids like fast rides…" Before anyone could ask what Bumblebee meant, the yellow giant transformed into a four-wheeled vehicle which they could best understand as a self-driven carriage which is later known as a car. With Naruto and Metaru placed into the hollow cavity of the car, which is usually reserved for carrying supplies, messages or even the occasional Minicon, Bumblebee said, "…because I'm the ride!"
Staring at the shiny vehicle, Anko had to ask, "You got room for one more?"
Scene Change
Lugnut was raising himself from the crater he had made as a result of his crash onto the ground. Although much tougher, if significantly slower, than the Seekers, Lugnut was nevertheless significantly damaged by Optimus Prime who was able to shoot him down before he could bombard the village. Growling in obvious displeasure, the massive purple and green-plated giant with a single red eye swore, "I will not fail in my mission for the Decepticon cause, not while my spark still lives!" Consumed by his desire to succeed his mission, Lugnut never noticed a certain rounded yellow car speeding behind him, at least not until the said car drove up a ramp and landed onto his upper back thus comically knocking him down as a result.
Scene Change
Naruto and Metaru were terrified by the speed Bumblebee was driving and were hugging each other for dear life while screaming at the top of their lungs. Anko on the other hand had no such fears as she stood on top of the car's roof and was whooping loudly in glee as she shouted, "Faster, faster!"
Smirking internally, Bumblebee said, "And that's score one for Bumblebee against that big rusty pile of lug nuts!" Suddenly, a powerful blast of energy exploded behind the car, thus causing Bumblebee to almost lose control as he swore, "Scrap, he's shooting at us!"
"Gee, what was your hint?" was Anko's sarcastic reply.
Scene Change
Sporting a pair of tyre tracks on his back, Lugnut growled, "You will pay for this, Auto-brat!" Shooting another explosive missile, Lugnut cursed as he missed again.
Taking aim, Lugnut was about to shoot another missile when he suddenly felt an excruciating degree on pain on his left leg. Falling onto one knee, Lugnut was shocked when he saw a certain Dog-masked ANBU whose right hand was coursing with electrical power. Glaring up at the giant who now suffered a deep hole in his left leg, the ANBU swore, "Not under my watch!"
Scene Change
Sunstorm glared furiously at Might Guy as he cursed, "By the Pits, he's even worse than Blur while high on Turbo-En!"
Armed with a bow and arrows augmented with explosive tags, Might Guy smirked as he continued to dash around the giant and shoot another volley of explosive arrows around him. While an eccentric man who loves challenges, he is nevertheless a capable ninja and a professional when necessary to vanquish his opponents.
Scene Change
Having shot down Lugnut not long ago, Optimus Prime set off to take down Starscream who was currently engaged with Hiruzen and his monkey-summon, Enma.
As for the rest of the Autobots, Prowl, Arcee, Bulkhead and Ironhide were still dealing with the enemy Seekers alongside with the ninjas of Konohagakure. Thanks to their combined efforts, the Seekers could not inflict any significant damage on anyone. However, the leader of the Autobots knew better than to relax his guard as he armed his arm-cannon and shot an energy blast at Starscream who was barely able to dodge the attack, only to end up getting pinned to the ground by Hiruzen's adamantite staff.
Scene Change
Iruka, along with the students of the ninja academy, were uneasily waiting for any word that the enemies have left the village when a yellow metal vehicle, a shiny one with red lines at that, appeared with Mitarashi Anko riding on its roof. Relieved to see a friendly face, even if she can be completely crazy at times especially when it comes to dango, her favourite food, Iruka asked, "So how's the situation?" Having fled with the children for shelter not long after the giants led by a red and blue giant known as Optimus Prime drove off the Seekers who then returned with a bombing aircraft, Iruka was honestly worried for Naruto and Metaru. Never in the scarred man's entire life did he ever suspect that his friend, Mizuki, would actually do such a horrible deed to the little girl, hence why he was not suspicious when Mizuki decided to leave the classroom to find the two children after the boy decided to act on his own and fled with Metaru. It was therefore not surprising that he was shocked by what Mizuki had done and wished that he could have stopped him.
Hopping off the car, Anko replied, "The good news, those enemy giants are getting their asses kicked and will probably be leaving soon. The bad news… well, Naruto knows about his burden and so do Metaru and this yellow chap here."
Shocked, Iruka asked, "Are you certain that they both know?"
Nodding, Anko said, "Yeah, and Naruto's not exactly too happy about it either. Also, you better have a private word with him and keep him away from the others. He just went through hell today and he certainly looks the part."
Understanding what Anko meant, Iruka nodded and asked, "Can I talk to him while he's inside the…"
"Car, we call this vehicle mode a car, and the name's Bumblebee by the way," explained the yellow vehicle who then added, "And for your information, I can open the back for you to talk with them in private, relatively speaking anyway."
Surprised that the transformed giant could still talk despite not having a visible mouth, Iruka said, "Much appreciated… Bumblebee."
Stepping around to the back of the car, Iruka saw the hood open to reveal a frightened Metaru and an equally scared robotic monstrosity as he curled protectively over her and muttered, "Don't ever ride in him again… don't ever ride in him again…"
Raising an eyebrow, he turned his gaze at Anko who shrugged and said, "What, we were in a hurry back there!"
Sensing that the way out of the car was opened, the boy quickly crawled out of it and comically fell off onto his back with an equally shaky Metaru lying on top of him. Feeling the hard ground beneath him, the boy exclaimed, "Sweet solid ground, I'm never leaving you ever again!" Metaru could only nod vigorously in agreement with him.
Despite the serious situation, Iruka could not help but drop a sweat at the silly sight before him before he coughed to get the boy's attention, "Naruto, is that you?"
Blinking, the boy then turned his gaze to Iruka and his expression became considerably glummer as he spoke, "Oh, hey Iruka-sensei…"
Pained to see the usually happy and optimistic Naruto so physically mutilated and emotionally depressed, Iruka asked, "Are you… alright, all things considered?"
Rising to a sitting position, Naruto looked away from Iruka's face as he replied, "I… guess so."
Not sure how he could cheer him up, Iruka nevertheless tried as he spoke, "I'm sorry for not stopping Mizuki from trying to find you two, or from hurting Metaru while I wasn't watching him. I never thought that he would do such a horrible thing."
Narrowing his eyes, Naruto viciously snarled, his voice becoming even more distorted and mechanical, "Not as sorry as he will be when I get my hands on him and tear his chest apart to see what kind of heart the bastard has, assuming that he even has any!"
Unnerved by the vicious snarl, especially with Naruto's new appearance, Iruka nevertheless tried to calm him down as he spoke, "Hokage-sama has already dealt with him from what I've heard and he will most likely be convicted for his crimes."
Glaring at Iruka for a moment, Naruto quickly calmed down as he spoke, "He better be. I may forgive anyone that hates me for having that fox but I'll never forgive anyone that hurts Metaru-chan, especially just because she chose to love me or is not completely human, believe it!"
Although unnerved by Naruto's vicious conviction, Iruka was nevertheless glad that he chose to forgive the people that hated him and would only refuse to forgive those that dare to hurt his precious people. Considering the possible alternatives, Naruto's current state of mind was better than expected. Still, there is the complication that the boy must keep the fact about his burden a secret from the younger generation and the fact that the boy had undergone a drastic physical change. That is not even counting the fact that Metaru is in fact related to the metal giants and that Naruto is fiercely protective over his adopted daughter. Sighing, Iruka said, "Look, I understand that realizing about the Kyuubi no Youko is a big shock to you but Hokage-sama made a law that it is to be kept as an S-ranked secret from not only you but from your peers as well so that you have at least some semblance of a normal life."
Glaring at Iruka, Naruto bitterly snapped, "Well that didn't exactly go as planned now, did it?" Before Iruka could explain, the boy cut him off and said, "And you don't have to tell me that a lot of people died or lost their loved ones on that day the Kyuubi no Youko attacked, even I know that much, and I can understand why they cannot easily forget about the precious people they had lost that day. Hell, look at me! I was willing to go this far to protect Metaru-chan and I now can't even think about Mizuki without wanting to hurt him for what he has done to her!" Naruto's expression saddened as he concluded, "So please, don't talk like I don't understand what it is like to almost lose your precious people or to be powerless to save them…"
Seeing the boy's expression, Iruka nodded in solemn understanding as he spoke, "Alright, I understand." Squatting down, Iruka then said, "And, for your information, you're not the fox, not any more than a sealing scroll is the kunai that is sealed within. Also, I'm sorry for not seeing things that way before I became your teacher."
"…Who did you lose?"
Hearing Naruto's hesitant query, Iruka answered, "My parents. I was pretty much a lonely attention-loving orphan like you when I was at your age."
Looking away, Naruto guiltily said, "I'm sorry…"
Shaking his head, Iruka patted Naruto on the head, while avoiding the pointy bits, as he spoke, "Don't be, you went through a hell even worse than my own for a crime that was never your own. And, all things considered, I'm proud that you chose to love and care for others instead of giving in to their hate."
Shaking his head, Naruto said, "I did give in, or almost did at least, when I saw Metaru-chan get hurt."
"Kid, not to say that it is fine to be pissed off at anything and everything all the time, but anyone would get angry when they see their loved ones get hurt or worse. So stop being so mopey about getting angry at those assholes and be glad that you actually managed to protect her," said Anko.
"She has a point, even Optimus Prime can get angry and he's like the most patient and kindest bot I've ever known!" said Bumblebee who decided to add his own opinion into the subject.
Feeling a little better, Naruto smiled slightly as he spoke, "Thanks… for actually trying to understand me."
Smiling, Iruka said, "Now come on, your friends are worried about you."
Hearing about his classmates, Naruto froze as he held Metaru even more closely with a panicked look on his face. Realizing his unease and why, Iruka was about to try reassuring the boy when Bumblebee spoke, "He can stay here with me." Transforming into his humanoid form, the yellow giant added, "And don't worry, I will protect the both of them."
Seeing no other easy choice, Iruka nodded and turned his attention to Anko who said, "Don't worry, I'll stay here and take care of the brats." Thanking her, Iruka quickly made his way back to his students and their parents…
Scene Change
Seeing the Decepticons retreat, whether by flight or by portal, Hiruzen asked Optimus Prime, "I'm assuming that they won't be returning anytime soon?"
Nodding, Optimus Prime said, "At least for now."
Appearing beside Hiruzen, Tiger reported, "Hokage-Sama, Mitarashi Anko and Bumblebee have successfully brought the two Uzumaki shildren to the shelters. And it seems that the all of them already know about Naruto's burden."
Shocked, Hiruzen asked, "Are you certain, Tiger?"
"Positive, but the boy is fortunately taking it better than we have feared."
Sighing, in both relief and guilt, Hiruzen said, "Very well, have everyone search for survivors. We will need to start rebuilding our village as quickly as possible!"
Bowing his head, Tiger said, "Understood, Hokage-Sama!"
Seeing Tiger suddenly disappear in a swirl of leaves, Optimus Prime had to ask, "And what of this burden which you speak of? Unless I'm mistaken the boy has been forced to bear that burden long before we ever set foot on your world."
Turning his gaze to the red and blue giant, Hiruzen replied, "While that is indeed true, I'm not obligated to tell you any of our village's secrets, at least not until we can finally understand who or what you are and if we can trust you." His serious expression changed into a wry smile as he added, "Although, helping us out would certainly make a convincing argument that we might be able to trust you."
Smiling in return, Optimus Prime replied, "Very well, I will respect your need for secrecy, at least until I tell you our side of the story. But make no mistake…" Turning his gaze skyward, Optimus Prime grimly spoke, "The war for your world and its inhabitants has only just begun…"
-Chapter Fin-
Note: I have just watched Transformers Prime from Season 1 to the Human Factor episode in Season 2 so I was pretty pumped for some good old Transformers nerdy-ness. But be rest assured that I will write my other stories now that I've calmed down a bit.