Naruto held on tight, shooting through the skies like a falcon. When they evened out, below a cloud, he raised his arms and trailed them through it.
"WAHOO!"
Atlas smiled.
"You see why we dragons love the sky now?" He asked. Naruto answered with "Hell yeah!" The former Dragon Slayer rolled his eyes. Kids these days. Then again it had been years since he was a kid so he couldn't talk. Times were constantly changing.
For the last 2 months, Naruto had worked to the brink of collapse so he could perform his Secret Arts well enough to be able to refine them later. Atlas had taught his son all but one of all the lesson he needed. The one he would begin to teach him today was the final one. That lesson was... Dragon Force.
"When will I be able to fly?" Naruto asked, like a little kid.
"One day, you won't just fly. You'll soar above the clouds with unending grace. Like a true dragon. And I hope I can fly beside you."
"I'd love that Dad!"
For hours, they flew through through the sky. A roar sounded in the distance.
Out of nowhere, something slammed into Atlas. Naruto was thrown from his back, helpless, falling though the sky. The Hellfire Dragon, seeing his son, falling fast, cried out.
"Naruto!"
He faced down, tucked in his wings, and dived. Firing up his Talons, he shot down. Reaching Naruto, he grabbed the boy with one flaming hand and pulled up steeply.
Now, normally such a manoeuvre would tear a dragons wings apart. However, Atlas enjoyed the privilege of being made out of flames except for his skeleton. As such, he wasn't as limited as the rest of the dragons. Regaining his altitude, he faced his opponent.
"You save a human?! I believed he was a snack which I would steal. But it appears the rumours are true. You are not a true dragon! You are an imposter! I knew it! You're a Dragon Slayer, aren't you Atlas Flame?!"
"And what of it Ferrous?! There is nothing you can do about it! You know Igneel, Enryūō, had forbidden us Fire Dragons from harming Dragon Slayers!" He snarled back.
"Pah! The fool has been influenced by that fleshbag he protects, teaching it our magic! I will no longer stand for this foolery! I will kill you, then that human in your grasp! And then the human who has turned our king!"
"You touch my son and you're dead!" Atlas roared.
"Die you imposter! Karyū no Tekken!" Ferrous thrust forth a fist with fire raging around it. The Hellfire Dragon countered with his Talon, for fear of Naruto's safety. Angered, he unleashed a nasty hit on the Fire Dragon, smacking him with a tail wreathed in hellfire.
"Gōkaryū no Tērurasshu!"
"Arghh! You'll pay for that! I'll scatter your flames to the four corners of the lands!"
Naruto snapped out of his shock. That dragon had threatened his father. No one did that and ever, EVER lived to regret it.
"Dad, let me fight!"
"Absolutely not! Ferrous is amongst the strongest of all Fire Dragons. He is on par with, if not stronger than me! However, I fight him, for I was always a shade more skilful."
"Wishful thinking Atlas Flame!"
"Dad, We're Dragon Slayers! This is what we were born for!"
"You are not ready! You haven't even achieved one of the distinctive marks of a True Dragon Slayer whose training is complete! Let alone them all!"
"GAHHHH!"
Naruto kicked his way out Atlas' grip. Falling again, he screamed, louder and louder. At the last possible moment, flames erupted from his feet and he fired up at Ferrous. By some incredible luck, he rammed right into the Fire Dragon's throat, shocking it, as he let loose his Scorch Horn.
"Stupid brat!" Atlas cursed. "He never listens!"
Rushing into the fray, the former Dragon Slayer saw something completely unexpected, even for his high expectations of the boy. Something he recognised.
"Dragon Force?! But I haven't taught it to him yet?" He was astonished. Even that was an understatement. Scales rushed from the fingertips of Naruto's left hand and spread all the way up his neck, across half his face, one or two just past the bridge of his nose . "No! This feels different! It's like he's in the middle of a... a rampage caused by anger! _... _!" He uttered the name of the darkest Dragon Slayer technique.
Another thing caught his attention. Things weren't going his way right now!
'Damn! It had to be happening now! I can't afford for Naruto to find out about that!'
"I'm ending this now!" He bellowed. "Metsuryū Ōgi: Shiranui Gata: Guren: Supairura Doragon!"
Twisting as he fell, Atlas began a violent, lightning fast rotation. Driving into Ferrous, he aimed to kill him in one blow. A massive explosion. After it subsided, Atlas and Ferrous fell and hit the ground, many, many metres below. When they hit the ground ground, Naruto fell out of Atlas' hand again and rolled on the ground, finishing near Ferrous.
"It's... over."
"... I will admit... That one hurt!"
Ferrous rose. Atlas remained motionless.
"But now I am gonna kill you fleshbag! Slowly, painfully! NOW DIE!"
The Fire Dragon pounced, tearing Naruto's human flesh apart in the most vicious and painful way possible. Or it would of, but for the other dragon that tackled him. The new dragon was bigger than Ferrous. And much stronger. It threw the weaker dragon back and stood protectively, poised to strike, in front of Naruto.
"Ferrous! Have you forgotten the law against harming Dragon Slayers?! Do you mean to anger me?! Anger Igneel?!"
The dragon that had saved Naruto's life was the Fire Dragon King! Igneel!
"Those fleshbags aren't worthy of our magic! They are parasites!"
"For slandering mine, Atlas' and my son's names, I will destroy you."
Igneel charged into Ferrous, not giving an chance for the lesser Fire Dragon. Grabbing its wing as, the flying reptile attempted to take off, he wrenched hard. The wing was torn off and thrown aside.
"You're not getting away."
Holding the Fire Dragon by its throat, Igneel gave him a painful but quick death. He plunged his hand into Ferrous' chest, grabbing his heart. The flurry of fire that erupted from his hand burnt the Fire Dragon's innards to ash.
"Karyū no Saiga!"
He pulled his hand out of the cauterised hole and dropped the corpse. Igneel sighed.
"He never agreed with me."
Atlas awoke then. Seeing Igneel standing over the clearly dead Ferrous relieved him. It seemed that his king had come for him. Igneel swiftly chopped Naruto on the back of the neck with his tail, knocking him out, so that he could talk without restraint. The scales faded away and the boy fell into unconsciousness.
"The time is nearly upon us. Has he learnt everything?"
"Nearly everything, he still hasn't achieved Dragon Force." Atlas answered.
"That complicates things. We don't have long until that time is upon us."
"He does know Drive. The two are fundamentally the same, he can learn it in time."
"That sounds like wishful thinking Atlas. I allowed you to move him out there, away from civilisation, so that he could learn faster without distractions. You took a huge risk today, that is unacceptable. You should have stayed in that cave. He still hasn't realised you moved him. He needs access the Dragon Force for the plan to be successful."
"Please. Give me a little more time. I'm begging you Igneel."
"A week. You have one week. Teach him in that time. After one week, I will summon you with my Enryūō no Otakebi, regardless. You don't have long left but you will live long enough if you force his Dragon Force to activate. But you must hurry, the Dragon King Festival approaches."
"Thank you. I will have meet your expectations."
Naruko crept, silently, across the corridor, to her brother's room. Nine months. Nine months had passed since her brother ran away in the night, without any indication. As she walked into his room, she looked around. Everything was tidy. There was barely anything on the shelves. There was a knife, seemingly stabbed into the wall.
Going over, she say a piece of paper, folded up, pinned by the knife. Taking out the knife, Naruko laid it on the dresser below its place in the wall. Unfolding the paper, she read it.
Naruko,
If you're reading this, then you actually care enough to find out why I ran away. This was written for me by my new foster father, for I was never taught to read or write by our parents.
Why do you think yourself so above me? Why do you hate me so much? What kind of sick, twisted pleasure to you get by torturing me, day to day? Why do you enjoy telling your friends to bully and shun me? Are you happy that I'm gone? Do you feel proud of yourself? I've asked myself these questions countless times over the years I languished in the prison that was my life. But they made me realise something I should have know long ago.
I hate you.
That's right. I despise your very existence. I always have. My darkness. My pain. My agony. My suffering. My spite. My hatred... of you. So in return, hate me. Despise me, now and forever. Maybe now you will feel a mere fraction of what I endured in all those years. Just one thought. That was all I had the two years leading to the moment of my escape. One thought. And it was...
I was never loved. And I never loved.
I thrived on that thought. Hatred itself is my existence now. From the bottom of my empty heart, I sever all ties to your family and village. I have chosen my path. It leads into the darkest depths of Hell. If you believe you are above darkness, continue to tread you straight, narrow path of 'light' and 'purity'.
Attached to this is a letter for your father. Give it to him so he may know my path too.
From the brother who never loved you,
Naruto Flame
She sobbed. And screamed.
Naruko's scream woke up the entire house and the parents ran into Naruto's room, seeing her weep into one of the shirts he left behind. When they asked her what was wrong, she wouldn't answer, just kept weeping into the shirt. Minato found the two letters on the floor. He skimmed through the one Naruko had read then opened the second one. It read,
Namikaze,
I know everything. Your plan to make me a weapon against your enemies. I'm not a fool, that's your job. I remember everything. From my birth, to the masked man to the sealing of the Nine Tails. I know everything. My life is my own. Not yours.
You arbitrarily sealed my will, without thinking of the consequences, you instantly decided I was worthless as a son at my birth. All I was good for was a way to control the chakra of the Nine Tails, wasn't I? You took everything from me so I've taken things from you. I escaped your control and stole your prized Flying Raijin and Rasengan, all the Uzumaki Sealing Scrolls and inheritance I should of had. And a copy of the Forbidden Scroll. You are worse than the Hyuuga, placing seals to control my very actions and will.
The Nine Tails says I'm far too forgiving of person. But, even in the bottom of my void of a heart, I can say all you and Kushina ever gave me as parents was broken heart! I hate everything that personifies you! One day, I will take everything from you as you did me. I wish you were dead!
Hating your guts,
Naruto
P.S: I know about Grandfather.
P.P.S: Always wanted to say this, SCREW YOU!
The letter dropped to the floor as Minato flashed to the place where records of every jutsu were kept, Hidden Leaf original or otherwise. What Naruto had said was true, the scrolls containing his prized Flying Raijin and Rasengan were gone! As were several Lightning Style, Wind Style and Water Style! Even... Kakashi's Chidori!
Kushina picked up the letter and read it. Their son hated them! Her breakdown was instant, and she was crying alongside Naruko. Her lament allowed her to look back on the night he ran away. Why had she only warned Minato of attack? Why didn't she stop the fight? These questions tormented her for hours. Naruto's face and eyes during the battle, as one-sided as it had seemed, had been pure hate and longing for freedom. He was willing to give up his right arm for his freedom. That was proof of how far he was prepared to go. She was a terrible mother. And she might never get a chance to say she loved him.
He was gone, maybe forever. And he went hating them. He had claimed his path led to the deepest depths of darkness. Was he that angry at them he would give his own life away?
Waking up in Atlas' new cave Naruto saw the storm outside. The landscape had changed and they were now out at sea.
"Where are we Dad?"
"Out at sea son. You weren't safe where we were."
"I don't understand, why would Igneel appear now of all times? Doesn't he have his own Slayer to raise?"
"He does, but as the Fire Dragon King, he has duties beyond his own son. You have your own concerns my son. It is time you learn Dragon Force. But I will be speeding it up for you. But I also need your oath."
"My oath?"
"A Dragon Oath. The most unbreakable. A Dragon Oath that you will do what ever I tell or ask of you. No matter what. You know the words."
"I, Naruto Flame, swear upon the Lost Magic I wield and the blood of dragons before me, I will follow the guidance of my father, Atlas Flame, without question from this day forth."
"Good. Get some rest, you learn tomorrow."
Staring out to sea, Naruto saw the raging whirlpools. They seemed angry. The rain fell heavily, like he'd never seen before. It was like the sky wept and the sea longed for something it lost. Whirlpool. Uzushio. The dead home of the Uzumaki, the Land of Whirlpools.
A waterfall covered most of the entrance to the cave. He was peering out around it, but now he stood. Naruto put his head under the waterfall and raised his right hand.
'This arm. It's been three years since I got it. It makes me think of my real arm, probably in some display case at the Leaf. Makes me think of what I left behind.'
Diving though the waterfall to the slippery rock outside, he used Tree Climbing to walk up to the top of the massive sea stack where they were. Once on top, he spread his arms wide and took it the rain. It pattered and splashed against his skin, leaving little rivers running down his bare uppers half and feet. The rain. The tears of the whirlpool.
Lightning crackled in the sky above, mirroring his hand. The sound of chirping birds echoed in his ear. Within the dark storm, the Chidori illuminated the spot where he stood. 1,000 birds chirped away.
But, in the rain and the storm, nothing, no sea creature or sea life, saw his own tears. He liked the rain. Because no one could see him crying.
AN: Here's the first part of the the Christmas Special. One thing I have to ask you guys. Would you prefer me to use the Japanese names for spell, jutsu and the like? I'm fine with it but I really want to know.
Karyū no Tekken=Fire Dragon Iron Fist
Karyū no Saiga=Fire Dragon Crushing Fang
Gōkaryū no Tērurasshu=Hellfire Dragon Tail Lash
Metsuryū Ōgi: Shiranui Gata: Guren: Supairura Doragon=Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Hidden Fire Form: Flame Lotus: Spiraling Dragon
Enryūō no Otakebi=Fire Dragon King War Cry