AN: Okay, new chapter, coming up. Let's go.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Prototype.
"Speech"
Bijuu/Jinchuuriki/Elemental form
Thoughts
Inner being to outer being
(underlined) Jutsu/Technique being used
Chapter 8: Teamwork and a spar gone horribly wrong
(Next morning)
Naruto strolled into Training Ground 7, grinning broadly. The memory of Hinata's words still filled him with immense happiness. 'I don't care if you were the Kyuubi itself...I will stay by your side...I will never betray you.'
Is this what having a friend is like? He wondered.
I wouldn't know. I don't really remember the other Bijuu that well, and the other minor demons just ran away for fear of being killed by me. Kina replied.
Alex, on the other hand, had a different answer. Yeah, it is. It's also the feeling of knowing a person's complete loyalty and devotion. And their love. He thought, keeping the last bit from reaching Naruto. The boy was not ready to hear about the girl's true feelings for him just yet. Although, he might have some idea of it already. He's not a total dumbass.
Naruto became aware of the presence of his teammates. The two of them were staring apprehensively at him; he realized he was still grinning. The expression quickly slid off his face. "Er...hi!" He said brightly, "When did you get here?"
Sakura drooped in annoyance. "We've been here the whole time, baka! You're late!" she snapped. She looked at Sasuke adoringly, "Right, Sasuke-kun?" She asked.
Sasuke made a suffering face at Naruto, who just chuckled.
"You're in a good mood." The Uchiha noted, "I would have expected some blistering retort about timing."
The heterochromic boy snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot that!" He exclaimed. He smirked at Sakura. "You may be on time, but our sensei has yet to show his face. Who's the bigger baka, the one who follows what sensei says, or the one who knows his habits?" Having delivered his rebuttal, he walked over to the training posts. He noticed that one had a sizable dent in it, about the size of a fist. This must be the training ground I was using before. He thought. He sat down, knowing it would be a while before Kakashi got his shit together.
(One hour later)
Kakashi arrived in a Shunshin. "Yo-" He began. *Snap* "Argh!" He'd Shunshined directly onto a bear trap. Sasuke and Sakura both stared at it, then at Naruto.
When did he put that there? They thought.
After a few moments of Kakashi extricating himself from the steel jaws (they were not very tight so it was easy), he took up position by the training posts.
"Right then," He began, "We're going to be having our Genin test in a moment-"
"Hang on!" Naruto interrupted spectacularly, "What are you talking about; we already took our Genin test! What gives?"
Kakashi's eye twitched. "I was getting to that." He growled, "The test you took was just to see if you had the potential to take the real test. If you pass this, you will truly become Genin."
Naruto groaned. Why am I not surprised. It seems that there's always one more step to becoming a ninja.
Mah, don't worry! You'll blaze through this with no problem! Kina said bracingly, sending him a mental thumbs-up.
Yeah, but be careful. There is another meaning to this test. Don't expect your sensei to fill you in on it, though. Alex cautioned.
Got it. Naruto replied. He returned his attention to his sensei, who had pulled out a pair of bells and was showing them to his students.
"This is your test. You must find a way to take these bells from me."
Sakura raised her hand. "But sensei, there are only two bells."
Kakashi eye-smiled. "Think of it as incentive: the person who doesn't get a bell will be tied to the post and won't get any lunch."
That must be why he told us not to have breakfast. Sasuke thought.
"Also," Kakashi continued, "The loser will be sent back to the academy. If you want any chance of defeating me, you'll have to come at me with the intent to kill. You have until 12:00." His eye-smile turned sinister, "Good luck."
In an instant, Naruto charged at his sensei, a kunai in his hand. He made a dive at the silver haired man, but in a blur of speed Kakashi stood behind the blond, pinning him in place by holding his arm tightly.
"Mah, mah, I didn't say 'go' yet." The one-eyed Jonin admonished mockingly.
Naruto snorted and whipped around with surprising strength, breaking the man's grip on his arm with little trouble. "I didn't think it would matter if we were supposed to go for the kill."
Kakashi chuckled evilly. "Fine then. Begin."
Sasuke and Sakura immediately leaped away, disappearing almost instantly. Naruto, however, stayed facing Kakashi. "You know, most people would have run away and set traps by now."
"Yeah well, I'm not in the mood to do that." Naruto said lazily. Keeping one eye closed, he glared at Kakashi with his brown eye. "Besides, how am I going to get a bell if I just run away? While those other two might get sent back to the academy if they fail, I won't. Last time was my last chance; this is my last chance, and I will pass it, no matter what!" With that, he ran at Kakashi again, faster this time. Kakashi barely had time to dodge as Naruto took wild swings at him with his kunai. Seeing an opportunity, he caught one of the blond boy's punches. He quickly realized what a mistake that was; the fists felt like hammers.
What kind of strength does this boy have? Kakashi thought. Perhaps it had been a mistake to hold back...he vanished in a blur of speed. "You shouldn't turn your back on the enemy." His voice lectured from behind Naruto.
The boy turned his head and saw his sensei crouched behind him; his hands placed in the Tora seal.
"Konoha Secret Taijutsu," Kakashi intoned darkly, "Sennen Goroshi!" At this, he jabbed the fingers that were still held in the seal into Naruto's orange-clad behind.
There was a long pause, then, "GYAAAAH!" Naruto leaped high into the air, hands clasped to his backside in pain. Log damn it, I did not become a ninja in order to be ass-raped by my sensei! He hollered at Alex. There was no response.
Meanwhile, in the trees, Sasuke and Sakura watched in confusion.
"Secret taijutsu?" Sakura asked herself, "He just poked him."
Kakashi watched as his wayward student writhed in pain on the ground. "First lesson: Taijutsu." He said.
Naruto glared up at him and climbed laboriously to his feet. "You really shouldn't have done that." He growled. He ran at Kakashi, reaching for the bells; but Kakashi was ready for him. He grabbed the boy's hand, stopping it before it reached them. Naruto merely grinned and began to glow.
Oh shit. Kakashi thought.
"Bunshin Daibakuha!" There was a flash of light and the Kage Bunshin erupted with the force of an exploding tag. In the resultant fireball, the silver-haired Jonin vanished, revealing that he too was a Kage Bunshin.
"W-what!" Sakura gasped. If that sensei was a fake, then the real one could be nearby! She dashed off into the trees, looking over her shoulder for the Jonin.
In some part of the forest, Naruto winced as the clone's memories hit him. Ugh, that was painful. Note to self: never let Kakashi get in that position. He sighed; Looks like it'll be pretty difficult to get those bells on my own. I should have known I couldn't take on a Jonin by myself.
Then why don't you round up your teammates? Alex suggested, If you work together, the three of you might stand a chance.
Got it. Naruto raised his hands and made two seals "Ninpou: Karasu Teisatsu!" A green-eyed crow appeared on his shoulder, looking at him intently. Your orders? It seemed to say. "Go look for Sasuke and Sakura, and then let me know where they are."
The crow nodded and took off.
(Meanwhile)
Sakura stood in a clearing, trying to come up with a strategy. That baka, Naruto had tried rushing in with no plan and had ended up rather humiliated. Serve him right, the rude bastard!
"Sakura." Someone whispered. Sakura whipped around to find herself face to face with Kakashi.
"Magen: Narakumi no jutsu." Kakashi intoned, looking the pink-haired girl in the eyes. He vanished, a swirl of leaves beginning to spiral around her as she stood there, her eyes becoming cloudy.
"Huh?" Sakura blinked. She thought she'd seen her sensei standing in front of her, but there was no one there. She started to leave.
"S-Sakura..." croaked a voice. Sakura perked up at the sound of it; that was Sasuke-kun's voice!
She turned, smiling. "Sasuke-ku-" She choked on her words in horror. Sasuke was slumped against a tree. He was missing an arm, there were numerous wounds all over his body, and weapons were sticking out of some of them.
"H-help me...Saku...ra." Sasuke gasped.
The air was rent by a piercing scream. A few feet away in a tree, Kakashi watched as the girl fainted from the sight of her dying crush. "Lesson two: Genjutsu." He told the unconscious pinkette. He shook his head; the silly girl hadn't even checked to see if what she was seeing was an illusion. She will definitely be a problem if she doesn't start taking being a ninja seriously.
In a nearby tree, a green-eyed crow watched both man and girl with a look of corvine disgust on its face. It shook itself, dislodging a feather from its body. As the feather drifted downward, it vanished in a tiny wisp of smoke.
(Back with Naruto)
Naruto looked up as a flash of memories hit him from the crow. He grimaced as he reviewed Sakura's performance. It seemed that, unless she improved later on, she might become a liability. Although, that voice of hers could provide a good distraction...
A few minutes later, he received another signal from the crow. It seemed Sasuke had put up a better fight against Kakashi than his female teammate had. He'd come out, challenged the Jonin and, during the fight, displayed knowledge of a high-ranked fire jutsu: the Goukakyu. Unfortunately, even with that, the last Uchiha was no match for his Jonin-sensei, and had ended up buried in the ground up to his neck. Naruto supposed he would have to go help the duck-butt. Sighing resignedly, he bounded off through the trees. Within moments, he came upon the clearing where the dark-haired boy was trapped. Looking at Sasuke, he couldn't help but laugh; he looked ridiculous with just his head sticking out of the ground.
"What are you doing here, dobe?" Sasuke asked through gritted teeth. Great, now he's laughing. I'll never live this down. He thought.
Naruto stopped laughing quickly. "Actually, I wanted to ask you if we could work together. I think it's safe to assume that none of us can beat him and get the bells on our own. What do you say?"
Sasuke's Uchiha pride wanted to tell the blond with weird eyes to go shove it. The part of him that had been humiliatingly defeated and buried told him that cooperating couldn't be that much worse. He opened his mouth to answer, but at that moment, Sakura wandered in. She caught sight of Naruto and scowled.
"Naruto-baka! What are you doing here?" She shouted. "You're supposed to be trying to get a bell, not standing around doing nothing! By the way, I saw that 'secret Taijutsu' that sensei used on you. Also, what the hell were you thinking were you doing, blowing yourself up like that?"
Naruto's eye twitched. "Are you going to keep talking, or are you going to actually let me say something. And don't talk to me about losing, Miss 'I-can't-tell-when it's-a-Genjutsu'" He snapped. Sakura drew herself up
"Oi." Growled Sasuke. "As much fun as it is to watch you two duke it out, I'm still stuck here!"
Sakura, having just noticed that he was there, let out a gasp. "Sasuke-kun! What happened to you? Why are you in the ground?" She rounded on Naruto, "You did this, didn't you?" She hissed, pointing accusatorily at him.
Pointedly ignoring her, Naruto casually created a Kage Bunshin which, at the snap of his fingers, Kawirimied Sasuke out of the hole before dispersing. The Uchiha nodded gratefully at him before turning resignedly to Sakura. "He didn't put me in there, Kakashi-sensei did. He used some sort of jutsu to tunnel underground before pulling me down."
"You didn't happen to get the name of it, did you?" Naruto asked, suddenly interested.
Sasuke blinked, bemused. "Uh...yeah, it was Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu."
Naruto nodded slightly, committing the name to memory. Then he looked up at his two teammates. "Alright, we're gonna need a plan if we want to pass this."
"Why should we work with you?" Sakura demanded to know, "Sasuke-kun and I can pass this on our own! And when we pass, it'll just be the two of us on the team!" She gave Sasuke an eager look. He looked quite horrified and then frowned thoughtfully as something occurred to him.
"Wait. Genin teams have always had four people. If one person got sent back, there would only be three, and I doubt the Hokage would allow that. That means that we're all supposed to pass."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I came to that conclusion as well. Also, if we all have to pass, that means we're supposed to work together, instead of trying to get a bell of our own. Seems sensei was deliberately trying to mislead us."
"So, what's our plan?" Sasuke asked.
"Well..." Naruto began. He filled them in on what they were supposed to do. Sakura would try to steal one of the bentos. Kakashi would obviously catch her in the act, leaving himself open to a surprise attack from Naruto and Sasuke.
"Why do I have to steal it?" Sakura complained. She didn't want to get tied to the training post.
"Because you were the only one who was stupid enough not to eat breakfast." Naruto said firmly. "We don't have much time to do this; 12:00 is coming up fast. We need to go now! Move it, Pinky!"
Sakura bristled at the insult, but ran off. Sasuke started to follow, but Naruto put a hand on his shoulder. "Wait a moment, Sasuke. You're going to stay back."
"Why?" Sasuke asked.
"I've got something in mind for you." Naruto answered, handing him a kunai.
He looked down at it and then back at Naruto. "Uh, thanks...how will this help, exactly?"
Smiling, Naruto told him what the knife would be used for. Sasuke was impressed by the plan; back in the academy, Naruto hadn't been so smart. He was always yelling loudly and disrupting the class with his pranks, so it wasn't much of a surprise that he'd had the lowest grades of the academy. But now he was being serious and coming up with legitimate plans! What could have caused this change of behavior? Sasuke didn't know, but he didn't have time to think about it either.
A few minutes later, Kakashi stood near the clearing by the training posts, Icha Icha in hand. He giggled to himself; he was at the part where Hirosuke was about to return Hitomi's love...the sound of unwrapping plastic reached his ears. He looked up irritably and saw Sakura crouched by the posts, one of the bentos in hand. It seemed that she'd succumbed to hunger from not eating breakfast. Well too bad, she'd interrupted his reading time! Forming the handseals, he Shunshined over to her.
"Well, well, well." Sakura flinched at the sound of her sensei's voice. Slowly, she looked up into his one eye, which was gleaming with malice. "I had expected someone to try to steal it, but I didn't think it would be you." He advanced on the now shaking girl, enjoying himself immensely. Suddenly, there was a battle cry behind him. He wheeled around to witness a pair of Naruto clones charging towards him, brandishing kunai in their fists. With little effort, the Jonin intercepted the Bunshin, grabbing them and lifting them into the air by the collars of their jackets. "Don't interrupt," He told them ominously, "Unless you wish to die."
"Death doesn't really mean much to us, asshole." One of the clones said snidely. He pulled out a kunai and tossed it onto the ground next to Kakashi, on the side where he kept the bells.
Concealed in a nearby bush, Naruto nodded to Sasuke. "Do it."
Sasuke smirked and made three handseals. "Kawirimi!" He declared. Instantly the air rushed past him as he switched places with the kunai. Normally it would have been impossible to switch places with such a small object, but earlier, when Naruto had given him the kunai; the other boy had told him to charge it with his chakra, making it easier for Sasuke to find and Kawirimi with it. Sasuke found himself starting to respect the blond for his ideas; he was certainly no moron if he could come up with stuff like this.
Sasuke's technique left him on Kakashi's left side, right next to the bells. Since the man's left eye was covered by his hitai-ate, he was unable to see the dark-haired boy appear next to him. Sasuke casually reached out and snagged them. Too easy. He thought.
Sakura caught sight of him and gasped. "Sasuke-kun!"
Sasuke cursed as Kakashi's head snapped around to lock eyes with him. The possessed man dropped the clones and stalked towards him, looking murderous. He had a feeling that, whatever he did, Kakashi would still outclass him. And if he tried the Goukakyu again, he might hit Sakura; and while he might not like her, he didn't want to burn her to a crisp. He turned and ran, hearing the Jonin tearing after him, with the clones not far behind. "Naruto!" He roared, "A little help would be nice!"
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the air seemed to flicker and with a rush of air, Sasuke was back behind the bush with Naruto. Looking around, he saw that Sakura was also there, looking as bewildered as he felt. He turned and saw Kakashi surrounded by four clones.
"Very clever." The silver-haired Jonin called, having calmed down a bit. "But you'll have to do better than that if you want the bells."
Sasuke snorted and glanced at Naruto. "Should we tell him we already got them?" he whispered.
Naruto shook his head. "Nah, there's still a few minutes left." He replied, "I still want to get him back for that ass-poke." A large crow flew out of the trees and perched on his shoulder, surprising him. What the... He'd thought the thing would have dispelled by now. Either way, it saved him the trouble of having to make another one.
"What's that supposed to do?" Sasuke asked.
"This." Naruto raised his arm and pointed at Kakashi. "Tori Ya!" (Avian Arrow) He shouted. Instantly the crow took off towards the Jonin at high speed; as it flew, its shape changed, becoming longer and thinner, the individual feathers hardening and blending together.
Kakashi looked around and saw a large black arrow speeding towards him. With a speed as befitted his status as an elite Jonin, he dove out of way. The arrow streaked through the place where his chest had been, struck the training post and stuck, quivering, in the log directly beneath the alarm clock he'd set up. At that moment, the alarm rang, signifying the end of the test.
"Alright guys, you can come out. It's over!" Kakashi called shakily. The three Genin strolled out of the bushes toward him, Sasuke and Naruto talking to each other.
Naruto sighed. "Damn."
"Heh, looks like you don't get your revenge after all, dobe." Sasuke laughed.
The other boy just shrugged noncommittally. "Ah, no big deal. There'll be other opportunities." Then he frowned, watching the black arrow. "Actually, I didn't even expect that to work; I just made it up on the spot." Care to explain how that happened, Alex?
Alex cleared his throat. Well, He began, It's a kind of trait of the Gormim and the Blacklight; you just tend to make up techniques as you go along. You just need a name and an idea of how the attack works, and it will.
Not that, Naruto rolled his eyes, I mean, how did the crow change shape? I can tell that wasn't a Henge, its features changed without any smoke. Also, why hasn't it dispelled yet?
Oh, as to that, when you made the crow, you took a large amount of biomass and mixed it a little chakra, right?
Right...
Well, in terms of your energies, biomass is matter, the body, if you will. When you used the jutsu, the biomass took on the shape you wanted it to. Then the chakra mixed in with it gave it life of its own. It probably hasn't dispelled because biomass doesn't return to the void until told to. And since it has a consciousness, it probably won't go away until either you tell it to or it receives a fatal blow. It's kinda like those clones you spar with: they can take an enormous beating until you actually break their skulls.
And it changed because?
Even if it looks like a crow, it is composed entirely of biomass, meaning it can shapeshift into anything it wants, whether it is organic or not. Although, if you tell it to become something specific, it will probably listen to you, as its creator.
Naruto mulled this over as they sat down by the posts.
Kakashi looked at them critically for a moment and began to speak. "Well, you three did pretty well, but you didn't get the bells. It looks like none of you pass-"
Sasuke wordlessly held up the two bells, showing them to his sensei before tossing one each to Naruto and Sakura.
Kakashi blinked, bewildered. When did he...? He thought back. When would the Uchiha have had the opportunity to grab the bells? Then he remembered when Sasuke had appeared next to him a few minutes beforehand. It must have been then. Damn blind spot! "Good work," he told Sasuke grudgingly, "But you do realize that you'll be sent back to the academy, right?"
"Nope." Naruto spoke up, "We know that you were bluffing. You don't have the authority to say you'll teach just two of us, only the Hokage can do something like that. This test was about teamwork, and we've definitely shown that."
"Yeah!" Sakura chimed in. She had to admit, while she had been used as bait, the plan had not been half bad. If only Sasuke-kun had come up with it. Why'd it have to be Naruto-baka? She thought resentfully.
Kakashi glared down at the blond-haired brat. He would pay for insulting him like that. "Are you sure about that?" He said. As he spoke, storm clouds filled the sky, darkening the atmosphere. "You don't know that for sure; you've just been guessing. Would you be willing to risk your lives on that conviction?" He asked threateningly.
Sasuke and Sakura cringed at the sight of Kakashi, whose lone eye was glaring down at them. Naruto just rolled his eyes. "Oh, cut the theatrics." He said lazily. "We passed and you know it."
Kakashi's face darkened further. "If that's your final answer..." He raised arm as if to strike. Sakura cowered behind Sasuke. Then he dropped his arm and eye-smiled. "Yep, you passed."
Both Sasuke and Sakura sighed with relief, while Naruto nodded, satisfied. "Great. Now that that's done, can we eat? I'm starving!"
Kakashi nodded absently, and they got the bentos out. Sasuke ended up having to share with Sakura, since he had been left without a bell and thus, did not get a bento. Kakashi glanced at the arrow, which was still embedded in the training log. "Naruto, what was that attack earlier? It didn't look like any jutsu I've seen before."
Naruto just shrugged. "I made it up. Good thing you ducked, though, it probably would've skewered you otherwise."
I don't doubt that. Kakashi thought.
Naruto, having finished his lunch, stood up and grabbed the black arrow. It seemed to be made of some hard material that was not quite wood. At the end of it, there was a clump of black crow's feathers. With a yank, enhanced by his Blacklight strength, he pulled the arrow out and looked at the head, which closely resembled a crow's beak. It seems that this thing is obsessed with crows. He thought.
That's probably my fault. I've always had a bit of an affinity for them. It must have gotten that from me. Alex admitted.
Suddenly, the arrow twitched and began to shrink. Naruto found himself clutching a large black bird in his hand. The bird squirmed out of his grip and fell on the ground. It righted itself quickly and, glaring at Naruto, changed into a cat. The rest of Team 7 stared at it for a moment.
"Uh, dobe?" Sasuke said oddly, "Your crow just turned into a cat."
"That it did." Naruto acknowledged. He held out his arms and the cat jumped into them. "Well, I've always wanted a cat." The feline looked up at him with green eyes that had crossed pupils. "I'll see you 'round!" He told his team, walking away.
"Wait, Naruto." Kakashi called, getting over his shock at Naruto's new pet. "Report here tomorrow morning, alright? We're going to start missions."
Naruto nodded to show that he'd heard and continued walking.
I have the feeling things are going to become very strange around here. Kakashi thought dismally, What kind of bird changes its shape like that?
What a weirdo! Sakura thought, staring at Naruto's retreating back.
(Later)
Hinata sat on a bench, wondering when Naruto would appear. They had made the bench their normal meeting place, since there were no people around to overhear them.
"Hi, Hinata-chan!" Hinata looked up and saw Naruto walking toward her with a cat.
"H-hello, N-Naruto-kun." She replied, blushing. "H-how did your t-test go?"
"Oh, we passed, obviously." Said Naruto proudly, sitting next to her, "I'm assuming your team do it too. Did you pass?"
"H-hai. There w-wasn't much of a problem and we m-managed to work together to f-find Kurenai-sensei. Although, Kiba k-kept trying to put his hands on me, which was r-rather annoying."
The cat yawned and jumped from Naruto's arms to the back of the bench, becoming a crow again. Hinata stared at it. "Ano...N-Naruto-kun? Y-your cat turned into a b-bird..."
"Yeah, I know." Naruto shrugged. He told her what had happened during the test, as well as what Alex had told him about the crow. Hinata was intrigued by the idea of a jutsu that could create indefinitely living things.
"H-how did you figure out what the purpose of the t-test was?" She asked.
"Alex told me." Said Naruto.
Hinata frowned slightly. "And...how did h-he know, if he is sealed inside y-you?"
Naruto scratched his head thoughtfully. "I told you, he's been to multiple versions of this world and read about it."
She blinked. "R-read about it? Nani?"
Naruto. Alex said suddenly. Let me explain it to her.
How? Naruto asked.
There is a jutsu. It will allow me to speak directly to her. He showed Naruto the hand signs.
"Alex wants to tell you himself." He explained to a confused Hinata. He made four hand seals. "Ninpou: Onsei DensÅ!" (Ninja Art: Voice Transmission) A string of chakra extended from his body and attached to the crow. The bird stiffened and twitched for a moment. Then it opened its beak and spoke in Alex's voice.
"Much better, thanks Naruto." It said. The crow turned to look at the Hyuuga girl. "You have your questions, right?"
Hinata gaped in surprise. It wasn't every day a large bird spoke to you.
"Hello?" The crow prompted.
"Oh, s-sorry. Um, Alex-san, w-what do you mean when you say you've r-read about this world?"
The crow bobbed its head. "Alright Hinata-chan, imagine this: for every book or story out there, there exists a corresponding world and vice-versa. This world is no exception; there are hundreds of thousands of versions of it in existence, with one original story-world, known as 'canon.' One of the purposes of the Gormim is to find and infiltrate these worlds, do what they can to find powerful things or people, and memorize how they work so they can be reproduced."
"R-reproduced?" Hinata asked curiously.
"Well, for an object it's easy. They observe how an artifact would work and recreate it. Sometimes they improve on its designs a little. Hell, they once copied a whole warehouse full of powerful artifacts. For things like a jutsu, a Gorem would ask to learn it from its user. Things like a bloodline, however, were practically impossible to gain. The most they could do was try and copy the elemental bloodline jutsus, with varying degrees of success. Then they found me."
"What d-do you mean?" Asked the blue-haired girl.
"Well, as Naruto no doubt told you, one of my abilities allows me to consume a person, or part of one, after killing them. Doing so provides me with their genetic code. Since everything about a person is recorded on their DNA, I am able to do anything that they could do when they were alive, including using their bloodline. This obviously thrilled the Gormim, since I could share my obtained power with them."
Hinata thought about this for a moment and then looked at Naruto. "Ano, if you are g-going to gain the same p-powers as Alex-san, N-Naruto-kun, doesn't that mean that you will become a G-Gorem?"
Naruto raised his eyebrows. "Ya know, I never thought of that." He frowned at the crow, "Well, Alex? How close is she?"
"Dead on, kid." Replied the Blacklight-possessed bird. "Once your own Blacklight powers get to a certain point, the Scattered Foundations will acknowledge you and give you a Negative Infinity. Probably not a full one, though. For that, I'd have to mark you myself and induct you fully into the Blacklight, when your powers were fully realized."
"W-what then?" Hinata asked. A sensation of dread was dawning on her. "What will happen once you fully b-become one?"
The real Alex looked away sadly, though they couldn't see him. He knew what was worrying the girl, and it did not bring him pleasure to confirm her fears. Finally, he said, "When he becomes a Gorem, he will be able to stay around in this world for a while. Eventually, however, he will have to return home to the Scattered Foundations."
Naruto's mismatched eyes widened. Hinata paled and started to shake. Naruto? Leave? Leave her behind! "A-Alex-san?" She asked quietly. "W-what if someone w-wanted to g-go with N-Naruto-kun?" Inwardly, she cursed her stutter. It seemed to have worsened again; just when it was starting to improve!
Alex smirked, though it didn't show on the crow (Crows don't smirk). She said 'someone,' but he knew she meant 'I.' "If a person wanted to follow Naruto that badly, they would have to become a Gorem themselves. However, the only Gorem currently present in this world is myself; meaning you would need to become infected successfully by the Blacklight virus and that won't happen too easily."
Hinata, who had been listening intently, scowled. "Why not?" She growled at the bird, her voice back to normal. Naruto couldn't help but grin to himself; she looked so cute like that!
Wait, where did that come from? He thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Alex was answering her. "The virus is something that should not be passed lightly; it could have catastrophic effects on the infected and all those near them. Naruto was an exception due to our situation but for anyone else, the risk is great. As such, I will only infect a person with the virus when the voice directs me to."
Naruto, who had been deep in his own thoughts, snapped his head in the crow's direction. "Wait, wait, wait, what? What voice?" He asked. Alex had never said anything about a voice before!
The Blacklight glanced at him through the crow before answering. "It is what drives the Gormim to do what they do. Nobody knows what it really is or where it comes from. All we know is, when there is some major moment or choice to be made, there is a voice that tells us what to do 'in order for events to progress as they must' for that world." The black bird shook its feathered head. "The last time I listened to that voice, I got sealed in you."
"Nani!" Exclaimed both Naruto and Hinata.
"On the night of the Kyuubi attack, the voice appeared and told me to make the Shinigami mad at me. So I did."
"W-what would happen if you didn't l-listen to it?" Hinata asked.
"I don't know, but we do know that if we don't...it will not end well."
There was a long, ominous silence at these words. The two Genin looked at each other, not knowing what to make of this information.
"I see I have disturbed you." Alex said apologetically. "I suggest you work it off with a good spar. It's no good to sit around and think about it all day, these are just questions that cannot be answered. A good fight ought to put it out of your minds." With that, the crow hopped down off the back of the bench and transformed back into a cat, which curled up and stared at the two of them intently.
Naruto sighed and stood up, stretching. "I guess he's right. What you say to a sparring match, Hinata-chan? Taijutsu only." He asked the Hyuuga girl.
"If-if that's what you w-want." Hinata replied, getting up herself. "But I should warn you." She got into the standard Jyuuken stance, "My clan specializes in T-taijutsu."
(An hour later)
Hinata panted heavily, barely dodging another punch from her blond opponent. For a while she had had the upper hand; her Jyuuken skills, substandard though they were, had forced Naruto on the defensive. Then his eye had changed; she watched as his brown eye, the eye he'd gotten from Alex, became a bright green with a crossed-pupil, the same as the eyes of the cat/crow. Then, with his increased speed and already immense strength, he forced her to desperately dodge all of his swings, kicks and punches. Is this the strength of a Blacklight? She briefly wondered in awe. It had been tough, but with her natural flexibility, she'd managed not to get hit with the full brunt of the attacks. But now she was exhausted, it was getting harder to avoid his attacks and he looked like he wouldn't be stopping any time soon. How in the Log's name did he not even look tired! Sooner or later, her reflexes would give out and a blow would land. Unbidden, tears came to her eyes. Is this all I can do? She thought despairingly, Am I weak enough that I can only dodge like this? She saw him come at her, green eye blazing and fist raised. She knew she couldn't dodge this next one, she was too tired. She shut her own eyes, tears trailing down her cheeks, waiting for the powerful fist to land. Nothing happened. Tentatively, she opened one eye, then the other. Naruto stood in front of her, both hands by his sides. His head was hung and he looked absolutely ashamed of himself.
"I'm sorry." He said sadly. "I went too hard on you. I shouldn't have used the eye. I should have realized you weren't having fun." As he was fighting, Naruto had felt exhilaration. Fighting his clones was an exciting way to exercise his power, but it was a good change to fight someone different. The look on her face as she had dominated the beginning of the fight had been one of triumph, enjoyment at having the upper hand. Then he had gone into the Blacklight Adrenaline Surge and turned the tables on her. For a while that had been fun, but then, as he was about to punch her, he'd seen her crying. What am I doing? He thought, horrorstruck. There was no way she could take one of his punches; she'd be hurt badly. Shame filled him as he realized what he had nearly done.
"It's-it's alright." She told him, quickly wiping away her tears. "I should have r-realized I couldn't keep up with you."
"But I was getting too into it!" Naruto argued. "I should have stopped! It's my fault."
"N-no it isn't." She retorted. Before he could argue further she put up her hands. "L-look, why d-don't we just agree that no one is to b-blame. It was j-just a sparring m-match that g-got out of hand."
Naruto sighed grumpily. "Fine. If you say so." Then he looked up at her sternly, "But you get a free hit. It's only fair!"
Hinata stared incredulously at him. He couldn't be serious! But she knew it was the only way to get him past this. "If you ins-insist." Taking a deep breath, she walked up to him. Then, with every ounce of her remaining strength, she head-butted him. *Bang!*
Naruto stumbled back, dazed. "Ah, that was a good one." He groaned, eyes shut against the pain. He heard a quiet thud and a whimper. His eyes snapped open to see Hinata lying on the ground, her hands pressed to her forehead. Quickly forgetting his own pain, he knelt down next to her. "Hinata-chan! Are you alright? What happened?" He asked concernedly.
"You...you have a hard head." Hinata groaned, staring at him with half closed, unfocused eyes. "My head hurts..." with that, she went limp and passed out.
"Hinata-chan!" Naruto shouted. Alex, what do I do? She knocked herself out!
Alright, alright, calm down. Alex said reassuringly. If you transfer some biomass to her, she ought to be okay.
Without answering, Naruto leaned over her face, gently prodding it with his finger. Eventually, she opened her mouth, allowing him to stick the digit inside. Then, concentrating, he imagined biomass pouring out of him into her body, healing the girl.
A while later, Hinata opened her eyes. She felt weird, like her whole body had been filled with very thick cotton. Her head didn't hurt anymore; on the contrary, she felt rather nice. She could vaguely make out a yellow shape above her, staring down at her with blue and brown eyes. On her other side, a black shape with green eyes peered at her in interest.
"Are you alright, Hinata-chan?" The yellow thing asked her. Dimly, she realized it was Naruto.
"Oh hello, Naruto-kun!" She said, smiling. "I wondered who you were."
Naruto was starting to get worried. She was awake, but her eyes still had a glazed look to them. Also, something seemed kind of off about the way she was acting. "Um, how are you feeling? Does your head still hurt?" He asked tentatively.
"Nope." She said cheerfully. She sat up, swaying. "I feel good."
Naruto frowned at her. There was definitely something wrong with her. "I think you should go home and lie down."
She pouted. "But I don't want to!" She whined.
Naruto blinked at her incredulously. Yep, she's definitely way out of it. "I'll carry you if you want." He said carefully.
Hinata smiled dazedly. "Okay!" She said, a slight drag to her words. She tried to stand but her legs kept folding underneath her. It seemed that her muscles wouldn't respond to what her brain was saying. She giggled to herself, imagining a brain trying to direct a pair of legs that were lounging on a chair.
Naruto reached down and, with his strength, easily pulled her up onto his back. She happily latched her arms around his neck as he put his arms under her thighs, supporting her.
"Mmm, you're warm." Hinata mumbled, nuzzling the back of his head.
Naruto couldn't help but blush at the feeling of her soft chest on his back. Note to self: Hinata gets drunk on biomass. You know, you could've warned me this would happen, Alex! He said irritably as he set off, the black cat trotting alongside him.
Alex bristled. Hey, I didn't know about it either! I'm about as surprised as you are; though I'm probably more amused.
Before Naruto could tell Alex to shut the fuck up, he was brought back to earth by a sensation behind him. Hinata had started chewing on his hair. "Hinata...what are you doing?"
Hinata's answer was muffled by the hair in her mouth, though he was sure he heard the word 'taste' and 'lemon.'
As they walked through the village, trying to find the Hyuuga Clan compound (Hinata wasn't being very helpful in giving directions), a lot of funny looks were directed at them from nearby villagers. They didn't seem to recognize him, their attention being riveted to the delirious dark-haired girl on his back.
When she started singing about apple pies and the universe, Alex burst out laughing inside Naruto's head, while Naruto was just confused and weirded out.
"What the hell are you doing, dobe?" A voice asked. Naruto turned to see Sasuke staring at him.
"I'm trying to take Hinata home." Naruto explained. "Though I haven't had much luck. She's really out of it."
"I'll say." Sasuke agreed, watching the humming Hyuuga. There was an unnatural iridescence in her pupil-less, lavender eyes. "What the hell happened to her?"
"We had a sparring match and she tried to head-butt me. It didn't work out very well." Naruto explained. "You wouldn't happen to know where her clan's compound is, would you?"
Sasuke frowned for a moment and pointed. "I think it's that way. Don't hold me to that though; the Uchihas and the Hyuugas didn't really like each other, so I never really went there."
"Right, thanks." Naruto grunted, wandering off.
"Bye, Duck-butt!" Hinata called.
A while later, Naruto still hadn't found the Hyuuga compound.
"Hey, Naruto-kuun." Hinata drawled.
"Yes?" Naruto asked tiredly.
"You have a nice cat." She said sweetly, "Wha's his name?"
Naruto closed his eyes. "He doesn't have one." He said, his voice as strained as his patience. "Got any ideas for it?"
Hinata hummed for a moment, then said, "He's got some pretty green eyes. How about Midori?"
He frowned for a moment, thinking about it. "That's a bit long. How about Mido for short?"
"Yay!" Hinata cheered childishly. "Mido the shape-shifting cat-thingy!"
The newly dubbed feline looked up at her with a deadpan expression.
And so the trio continued through the village. At one point, Naruto wondered if they were going in the opposite direction of where they were supposed to be going. Hinata was being even less helpful, her whispered babblings becoming steadily dirtier. She started asking Naruto to do things to her that he repeatedly told her they were too young to do, unfortunately.
"And how much of this is written in your diary?" Naruto asked, trying to embarrass her into silence.
"Not all of it." Hinata admitted, smiling perversely. "I'll write it down when I get home, though. Maybe you could come over some time and help me reenact-"
"Onee-chan!" Naruto looked up and saw a girl running up to them. She was incredibly short, with the same pale, pupil-less eyes as Hinata and long brown hair. She didn't look happy. "Where were you, Otou-san wants to see you."
"Hiya, Hanabi-chan!" Hinata said thickly. "Why are you so blurry?"
Hanabi blinked at her in shock, then glared at Naruto. "What did you do to my sister!" She asked threateningly.
Naruto slumped, crying anime tears. "I don't know, but I really want to undo it!"
"Hey! Don' yell at Naruto-kun!" Hinata slurred. "Tha's not nice, Shorty."
"Sh-short?" Hanabi bristled. "I'm not short!"
Naruto snorted. "Hate to tell you, but..."
"Shut it Blondie." She snapped at him.
"Hey! What'd I tell you 'bout yelling at my Fishcake?" Hinata interjected.
"ENOUGH!" Naruto yelled, finally losing his patience with both sisters. He looked at Hanabi. "First, the sooner we get to your house, the sooner she can sleep this off. Your yelling is not helping, got it?" The younger girl nodded quickly. "And you," Naruto craned his head around to scowl at Hinata, who looked scared. "My name is Maelstrom, not Fishcake."
"O-okay." She said, looking alarmed.
"Follow me then." Hanabi said nervously, leading them down the street.
"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. Her stutter seemed to have returned. "Are you m-mad at me?"
"A bit." Naruto said, "You've been very annoying and you called me Fishcake. That's not okay."
"I'm s-sorry." She whispered. Naruto was dismayed to feel a warm wetness on the back of his neck. "I'm s-sorry for annoying y-you." She said, crying now.
"No, I'm sorry." Naruto said quickly, trying to reassure her. "I've just had a very trying day. It's not your fault." This did not cheer her up and she continued crying weakly into his jacket.
Nice going, Jackass. Kina said disapprovingly.
Naruto said nothing but continued following Hanabi, feeling ashamed again.
Later, the three people plus one cat stood in front of the Hyuuga mansion.
"Come on, Onee-chan." Hanabi said gently, "Come inside and sleep. I'll tell Otou-san you'll talk to him tomorrow."
Hinata had climbed off of Naruto's back but clung to his hand, refusing to be separated from him. She stood next to him, her face still streaked with tears, her lip trembling.
"Go on, Hinata-chan." Naruto said quietly, rubbing her back comfortingly. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
The dazed girl sniffed and nodded, letting go of his hand and stumbling after her sister, zigzagging back and forth on unsteady feet. Naruto watched her go sadly, then turned to leave. The voice of a guard stopped him in his tracks.
"That demon-brat's done something to Hinata-sama." The Hyuuga mumbled to the Uzumaki's retreating back.
Naruto spun on his heel and gave a snarl of fury, lashing out. A pair of black biomass spikes flew out of his sleeve, embedding themselves in the wall on either side of the shocked sentinel's head. "My best friend is upset because of me." He snapped at the man, pinning him in place with his KI. "I am not in the mood to tolerate any demon bullshit from you! Come on, Mido." He turned to go again, his cat leaping up onto his shoulder.
When he got home, he did not sleep well.
(Scattered Foundations)
Blair Souse wandered the space between the drifting demesnes. Storia had told her that she was to gather a team of Gormim for the Chunin Exams of the Naruto-verse she would be going to. The trouble was, she didn't have the faintest idea of who to look for. Maybe I should look for someone who does know. Or at least point me in the right direction. She thought suddenly. She turned and strode in a different direction through the space.
A few minutes later, she reached a small temple surrounded by trees. She sighed with relief as she touched down on the solid ground. It seemed that her target was present. Walking inside, she was greeted by the sight of a tall, black-haired man. He wore brown pants that were a little too short in the leg and a tattered gray shirt, over which was a double bandolier full of brass darts. Hanging around his neck was a disk of dusty blue glass. "Hello to you, Blair." The man said in a deep voice with a Russian accent. "It is nice to see you."
"Which part of me?" Blair asked, crossing her arms under her well-endowed chest.
The man chuckled. "All of you, but the front especially."
"Nice to see you too, Vaga." Blair replied, smiling. "Listen, I have a favor to ask you."
"Of course." Vaga nodded acceptingly.
The water elemental told him of her mission to gather three suitable Gormim. At the end, Vaga nodded again. "You wish for me to help you find these candidates?" He asked.
Blair shrugged. "No, just point me in the right direction of one of them. I know that's within your power."
"That is true." The dark-haired man admitted. "But I will require payment for my Finding."
She sighed. "What do you want?"
"Nothing too major." He said evasively. "I just want the coordinates to this universe to which you are going. Its voice is calling to me, telling me that I am needed there."
Blair nodded seriously. "Take it up with Storia, he'll understand. For a fellow Magia such as you, he might be more accommodating."
Vaga smiled and lifted up his glass disk, peering intently into it. Blair watched it too. Soon, points of red light began to appear inside it, filling it up.
"Stop that." He told her suddenly. "You are interfering."
"Oh, sorry." She looked away.
After a moment he looked up again and pointed to the side. "You shall find your first team member in that direction."
Blair bowed and left. After a moment, Vaga exited the temple. As his boots touched the ground it shot away underneath him, their magic propelling him across the abyss. He had a historian to visit.
AN: Chapter 8: complete. And about time, too. I thought I'd never finish this. Poor Hina-chan, knocking herself out on Naruto's skull, falling into delirium, and getting upset enough to cry. I hate seeing Hinata cry.
Another Gorem has been introduced: Vaga Farwalker. He acts as a messenger for the Gormim, with his ability to always end up where he needs to be and find what needs to be found. He is also the keeper of the Messenger Darts, which can be used to quickly send messages. These darts have been modified to allow them to fly from world to world if necessary, even into the Scattered Foundations. His name is based on the word Vagabond or wanderer. His last name is based on the book The Farwalker's Quest.
The poll stands thusly:
Glass/Living art (female) 24
Metal (male) 19
Technology (male) 16
Ice (male) 8
Lightning (male) 6
Sound (female) 4
Stone (female) 2
Keep up the votes!
Well, I'll see you next time! By the way, people; I know you're all reading this so why in the Log's name won't you review! It won't kill you. Seriously, just leave a comment saying what you think. Maybe some ideas
Next time: Beginning missions.
