Name – Goddess (The Remix)

Genre:

Romance – The (beginning of a) romantic relationship between two characters of any gender.

Dark Romance – The (beginning of a) unhealthy, criminal, abusive or obsessive romance (that may be unrequited or one-sided) between two characters of any gender.

Avdenture/Action – The story contains fight/action scenes and/or the characters are travelling throughout a fictional world/place.

Fantasy – The story contains magic, including magical worlds, magical creatures and people who can use magic. There are also other elements that do not exist in the real world.

AU – Stands for Alternate Universe. This story does not follow the actual storyline of Naruto (Manga or Anime).

Overall Warnings: This story contains or will contain in later chapters;

Gender-bending – Some characters are of a different sex. Sasuke, Neji, Iruka, Kiba, Haku, Gaara and Hidan so far are female. Tenten is male.

Het – The (beginning of a) romantic and/or sexual relationship between members of the opposite sex.

Yaoi – The (beginning of a) romantic and/or sexual relationship between two males.

Yuri – The (beginning of a) romantic and/or sexual relationship between two females.

Character Death – Characters will die in later chapters.

Mature Content – (Later) chapters will contain violence, swearing and sex scenes.

Summary – Uzumaki Naruto, son of two legendary heroes, was born with a monstrous secret that threatens his dream of following his father's footsteps. He's living in times of war, discrimination, secret organizations and dangerous affairs. History itself has been tainted with lies and deceit. He will need more than dreams just to survive. Especially when he falls in love with the enemy.

Chapter VI – The Reckless Woods

Why do they call it the Reckless Woods

Cause if the trees and flowers could

They would bring you the finest cherry wine

And speak of those who were left behind

Why does the wind sound like it's weeping

Cause deep below there's a sorrow sleeping

So it cries for the restless and distraught

For the heroes that the world forgot

"So why is this place called 'the Reckless Woods'?" Naruto asked, trying not to fall asleep as he ate breakfast together with Lee and Chouji.

"Because when the four kingdoms of ancient times collapsed the world was engulfed in a dark age where major battles where fought over land and power. After numerous plagues, disasters and poverty these woods were one of the few places suitable for building new civilization. The warlords and their followers who were fighting over it were called 'the reckless' as, despite being fertile and filled with clean lakes, these woods also housed many dangerous creatures who would sometimes slaughter entire armies before they even arrived at the battleground." Chouji said while stuffing his mouth. "The early Konoha settlers named the place 'Reckless Woods' in honor of those who died fighting over it."

Lee nodded. "The ground is littered with corpses. A lot of people also think it's haunted."

Naruto stared at the trees outside. "So the plants here basically grew up on blood. Nice."

"Most people in Konoha have a soft spot for the Reckless Woods. It's one of our best defenses. Not a lot of people are willing to venture through it."

"Definitely didn't stop the Uchiha clan."

"Well, it's like the smart ones said. They studied Konoha before attacking. They knew what kind of dangers lurk between the bushes and prepared accordingly."

"As should we." Neji said, interrupting their conversation. "Time to get dressed. We leave in thirty minutes."

Naruto stared grumpily at her back as she walked back over to Shikamaru and Kakashi. "She's just a peach, isn't she?"

"She's not a bad person. She's just very professional." Lee said, jumping to Neji's defense.

"Got a crush on her?" Naruto teased.

Lee blushed and abrubtly stood up. "I'm done eating."

Naruto blinked. "Well, damn, he really does have the hots for her."

Chouji nodded slowly. "Yep. Unfortunately, she's not too interested in him."

"I'm not surprised. She's a snob of the highest degree and he's a nobody in clan society. Doubt if anyone here is good enough for her."

"That's where you're wrong." Chouji whispered. He leaned forward slightly. "There is a certain canine whom her father would love for her to marry."

Naruto almost choked on his water. "No way."

Chouji smirked at his reaction. "Oh yes. From what I've heard, Hyuuga Hizashi has been trying to matchmake the two since Neji came of age."

So there was another reason as to why Neji joined their team. "Why hasn't Kakashi responded?"

"He has. Just not the way Hizashi wants him to."

"So he rejected the marriage idea. Why?"

"Rumor has it that Hizashi is demanding an insane bride price in return for Neji's hand. Kakashi is not willing to pay that much for a young woman he doesn't love. And, you know, the man's been alone all his life. Can't just expect him to settle down with the first woman to offer herself to him."

"Neji's the first? Somehow I find that hard to believe." Naruto said, glancing at Kakashi. The man was good-looking in a rough warrior sort of way, he was the last living student of Konoha's greatest king and he build his own reputation as the Lone Wolf. Plenty of women had a warrior fetish so Naruto imagined that Kakashi had more groupies than he could handle.

"Oh, she's not the first. Kakashi is one of the most desired men in all of Konoha, but few women ever get to see him in real life, let alone establish some kind of contact. Neji's the first to actually stand a chance since he's buddies with her father and stuff." Chouji said softly. He wiped his mouth with a clean cloth. "Between you and me though, it's probably not going to happen. She's not really his type."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Not his type? She's gorgeous, powerful and intelligent. She's rich and she's a member of the most powerful clan in Konoha. What more does he want?"

"He likes the domestic women, you know. The housewife-type. He's not that into warrioresses."

"Are you two done flirting? We're already behind schedule." Shikamaru yelled.

000

Naruto stared at the equipment in front of him. He recognized most of the things, but some were just foreign objects to him.

"Lee, why don't you help Naruto pack?" Kakashi said casually. "He's never left Konoha so he's unfamiliar with some of the gear."

"Of course." Lee said. He picked up the fancy-looking armor and held it out to Naruto. "This is a specialized armor that Kakashi and I put together for you. It makes your energy signature more difficult to trace for people, provides extra protection against seal magic and nature-elemental attacks. It's very light-weighted and flexible, but it's not very effective against physical attacks."

"Seal magic? Never heard of that type of ability before."

"It's the only known ability that affects Tailed Beasts." Lee explained shortly. "Your mother was famous for it. She was the only one in Konoha capable of doing it."

Naruto didn't know how to reply to that. He didn't like the idea that his own mother sealed the king of Tailed Beasts inside of him, but Kakashi was right. She was the only one capable of doing so, but why? Maybe, if she had done it, her reasons were not malicious. Maybe she had known something no one else did.

"Right." Lee put down the armor and picked up a strange device that looked like a mechanical dragonfly. "This is a warlock. It's essential in a group mission. Never go anywhere without it and don't lose it. If it gets damaged, you need to get it fixed as quickly as possible. Go to either Shikamaru or myself."

"What does it do exactly?" Naruto stared at it. It was kind of cute.

"Various useful things." Lee said. "It can store up to fifteen different energy signatures and provides a map on which the location of the owners of these energy signatures will be displayed. It can scan new areas, adding them to its world map, but it can also scan objects and people. It even acts double as a communication device and can send information to its siblings. It also keeps track of your inventory."

"Cool." Naruto smiled at the warlock as it started buzzing around his head before landing on his shoulder.

"I'll teach you how to use it later when we set out." Lee grabbed a leather bag, "This is your medicine bag. Seeing as we don't have a healer in our group, it's very important so don't lose it. Your warlock can tell you which medicine heals or cures what if you're injured, poisoned or sick."

Naruto nodded. "Got it."

"Your weapon pouch contains a limited number of kunai, shuriken and bombs. If you run out of bombs we can make more, though they won't be as strong. But we can't make shuriken and kunai. If you run out of them, you'll have to wait until we reach a town or city with a weapon shop. Keep that in mind. There's also a vial of poison in here." Lee pulled out a small glass vial with pink liquid. "It's very potent so you only need a little. You can dip your kunai in it, but be careful. You only have one bottle of antidote."

Naruto poked his warlock distractedly. He knew that it was important, but he was beginning to feel like a small child. He had gone to KWA. He wasn't completely stupid.

"And that's about it. If you need help or something and we're not around just use your warlock. I'll leave you to get ready."

"Where's your armor?"

Lee smiled. "I don't wear armor. It just slows me down."

000

Naruto followed Lee through the forest. The guy was fast. He felt confident in his new gear and was ready for some action. Kakashi had put them into pairs. When he had suggested that Neji go with Shikamaru, she had not looked pleased and had launched into a rant about how she was more compatible with Kakashi. Lee hadn't looked very happy when they finally set out.

Naruto shrugged. It wasn't his business. Besides, he would only make things worse. Lee deserved more than the snob. There were plenty of young women in Konoha who would love to have someone like him.

"You've heard of dryads before, right?" Lee asked after a moment of silence.

"Sure have. They live in large trees. The bigger the tree the more likely it's housing a dryad."

"Are they friendly creatures?"

Naruto blinked. So Lee wasn't familiar with magical creatures. "That depends. They're nice until you start stomping on flowers or cutting down trees. They're not big fans of people, but they'll leave you be as long as you don't set fire to the forest or something."

"Really? That's odd." Lee frowned. "I've heard stories about the dryads here. There are rumors that they're not like other dryads."

"Now that you mention it, I read a book about the wildlife in the Reckless Woods when I was younger." Naruto began to walk a little slower. "The dryads were, like you said, much more violent."

"Yeah."

"But I'd be more worried about gorgonsires."

Lee looked surprised. "You've heard of them?"

"Watched a lot of animal documentaries and stuff." Naruto said, shrugging. "Don't know a thing about clan culture, but I can tell you almost everything about animals and magical creatures."

Gorgonsires were creatures that disguised themselves as trees. They couldn't move once rooted to the spot, but that didn't make them any less dangerous. Once something got too close it's top would split open to reveal a huge gap filled with rows of sharp teeth. It would use it's powerful branch-like tentacles to grab its prey and lift them up to its mouth.

They were incredibly difficult to kill and almost impossible to distinguish from actual trees. They were also notorious for holding on to their prey even after death.

"What about Others?" Lee said. "They kill the most people."

Naruto shivered. Others had given him nightmares as a kid. They were hideous humanoids with long, thin limbs that could imitate any sound they heard. Their eyes were hidden beneath a layer of clear skin, making them appear eyeless, and a majority of their face consisted of teeth. It was also remarkably intelligent, imitating a child's cry or a woman calling for help to lure in prey which made it all the creepier.

"We also need to watch out for Maragarakis." Naruto said, quickly changing the subject to less terrifying creature. "They steal stuff and sometimes even kidnap people while they sleep."

Maragarakis were white ape-like tricksters with a love for shiny objects and beautiful people. They were misschievous, powerful and traveled in groups. Although generally harmless, they would kill people who attempted to retrieve their stolen item or rescue the person they kidnapped.

"And cults." Lee whispered.

"Cults?"

Lee looked uncertain. "I'm not sure if I should tell you this, but..."

"But what?"

"There are groups living outside the borders, mostly in uncharted, desolate areas, who worship demons and the Tailed Beasts. There is a particular large cult living somewhere in the Reckless Woods and the demon they worship is-"

"Kyuubi." Naruto finished for him.

'Well, how about that. There is a little harem just waiting for us. How nice.'

'I'm not interested in a harem.'

'Yes, you are. You are curious.' Kurama purred. 'You want to meet them.'

'No, I don't. People who worship demons are never good people. They're evil.'

'What is evil? Who decides who is evil and who is good? Do you? You think you can draw a line between what is good and what is bad? You are in denial, little one. You deny that you distrust the world as much as I do. You deny your thirst for power. You deny your lust for the Uchiha bitch, both bloodthirsty and sexual. You deny your fascination with the cult. But denying it is not going to change anything. Denying it will not make you good.'

'I'm not denying anything. I feel none of those things. Stop trying to confuse me. I'm not you. I know what's right and what's wrong.'

'You can lie to yourself, but you can not lie to me.'

"You talk to it? The demon, I mean?" Lee said cautiously.

Naruto blinked. For a minute, he had forgotten about him. "Yeah." He left it at that.

"What do you talk about?"

Naruto hesitated. He didn't know how Lee would react if he told him that half the time Kurama was trying to convince him to abandon them, go on a killing spree, screw every female in sight and conquor the world. "We usually just argue."

Lee glanced at him. "About?"

"Everything, really. Kurama doesn't trust anyone."

Lee nodded. He seemed to understand that the subject was still a sensitive one to Naruto. "May the Goddess protect you and aid you in your struggle against the demon."

Naruto snorted. "The what? Goddess?"

Lee raised his eyebrows, looking genuinely surprised. "You've never heard of the Goddess? Have you never attended church?"

Naruto's amused smirk faltered when he realized that Lee was religious. Very religious. "Uh, no. My neighborhood didn't have a church." Naruto lied.

"That's a shame. It helped me through some dark times. I was harboring an unhealthy amount of anger towards the world before my teacher found me. It made me realize that I was never alone, unwanted or unloved. The Goddess loves all her children equally. She cries for all of us."

Naruto stared at him, wide-eyed. Lee had just gotten a whole lot weirder. He had never expected him to be so... dedicated to his faith. Or even that he had faith in... this goddess creature thing.

"Truthfully, I'm not religous. No offense, but I just don't buy it."

Lee smiled. "I already figured that. Don't worry. Like I said, the Goddess loves all of us."

Riiiight. Naruto returned the smile awkwardly. He never really knew how to behave around religious people. They seemed to take offense to the strangest things.

'I told you he was an idiot.' Kurama grumbled.

'Oh, shut up. He is not. Just because he believes in a Mother Goddess?'

'No, because he believes she is a loving one.'

000

Sasuke was not used to having such a large body. It made her clumsy. She could not afford to be clumsy. She threw the ring away as soon as she felt like she had put enough distance between herself and the hideout. She hoped it would take at least a few hours before Itachi discovered she was gone.

Sasuke paused on a tree branch, analyzing her chances of capturing the Nine-Tail's vessel. From their second encounter, it was clear that he would not attack first. He didn't seem to know what was going on, just who he was dealing with or how to handle certain situations. All it took for him to drop his guard was her batting her eyelashes at him. By all means, the guy was a rookie with an apparant weakness for women. The only real threat was if the demon took over his body again. It hadn't done it the second time. She could only guess it was because she hadn't said or done anything to provoke it. Or maybe the vessel was holding it back. Either way, it was going to be tough to capture him without angering the demon.

And then there were his allies. She didn't know how many of them there were, who they were or what their powers were. If the vessel had told them about her it was unlikely that they'd let him go anywhere alone again. So she had to be prepared to fight at least two people.

Sasuke scowled. The more she thought about it the more she realized that she was at a disadvantage, but she was too proud to admit that going after him alone was a mistake. And returning to the hideout would only result in her brother throwing a fit.

"Help me!"

Sasuke glanced to her left. She would have to watch out for Others. She was in their territory after all. She narrowed her eyes when the creature continued to scream which was followed by a large blast and yelling. Someone was fighting it. And that someone could very well be the demon child.

She headed towards the direction of the fight, stealthily staying out of clear view. Once she got close enough, she realized that it wasn't just one person. It was a group of seven people. Four women and three men. Two of the women were hiding behind the bushes, looking terrified while the rest battled against two massive Others. The demon child was not among them. But she saw something else which intrigued her.

One of the males looked extremely similar to the male disguise she had used to attack Konoha.

000

Naruto recognized Sakura's battle cry instantly. It was a word she had made up during her teens to express her aggression during battle and it was usually followed by one of her earth-rattling punches or kicks.

"Are you okay?" Lee asked, "You don't have to worry. It's probably a group of warriors sent out to track the Uchiha clan."

Naruto shook his head. "No, that's my fiancée."

Lee blinked in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. No other woman in Konoha says 'shannaro'." Naruto frowned in worry. "She's in trouble. We have to help her."

Lee nodded uncertainly. "Alright, but we can't take her with us. It's too dangerous."

"I know." Naruto said, already on the move. "We'll figure out what to do next after we save her."

When Naruto and Lee arrived at the scene neither of them were prepared for the chaos. He stood frozen in shock on top of the tree branch as he surveyed the area.

Sakura was trying her best to protect and shield Iruka and the blond girl he'd saved during the Uchiha attack from three ferocious-looking women armed with spears. A young man whom he recognized as Hagabuki TenTen was fighting two massive Others together with Hyuuga Hinata. An anbu assassin was battling a slender old man wielding a large scythe alongside of someone who looked exactly like the slender Uchiha who destroyed his father's memorial room.

"I don't know what's going on, but we have to do something."

Lee gave him a hesitant look. "I don't fight women."

Naruto stared at him. "Are you kidding me?"

"I'll fight the Others. You protect your fiancée."

A high-pitched scream caught off Naruto's response. One of the Others had copied Iruka's shocked cries. The sound had almost made his heart stop. He shivered.

"Look out!" Lee yelled.

The old man had spotted them, and for whatever reason, he immediately abandoned his fight with the other two and launched himself towards them. Naruto jumped back, preparing himself for a fight.

But it never came.

The old man was not an old man at all. It was a young woman with pale skin, short white hair and purple eyes. She was wearing a pair of loose-fitting white pants and nothing else, revealing her well-endowed front. Her body was decorated with piercings and elegant tattoos. She appeared almost angelic. She didn't seem to want to fight him.

"I found you, master." She purred.

Naruto's guard tenfolded. This woman was part of the cult Lee had been talking about. But what freaked him out the most was that, despite Kurama's earlier enthusiasm, it was now growling at her.

'What's wrong? I thought you liked the idea of a harem?'

'This woman calls us master, but she has no intention to serve us.'

'It sounds like you know her.'

'I do.' Kurama growled, 'She is trouble. Avoid her at all costs.'

'Avoid? Why not just kill? Like you always say.' Naruto joked.

'She is immortal.'

'Oh... shit.' Naruto was getting nervous. All of his attention was on the woman. She was waiting patiently for a response, giving Lee a warning glance every now and then. Now that he thought about it, the woman had been fighting an anbu assassin for who knew how long and she didn't look tired at all. 'Is she powerful? What is her intention?'

'Do not engage in battle with her. We cannot win as we are now.'

'What does she want?' Naruto pressed. He was getting more and more anxious. The longer she stared at him the more his gut told him that something was seriously wrong with her. Despite her angelic appearance the air around her was revolting. Her energy was vile. Similar to Kurama's in many ways, but it was unfamiliar which made it seem darker. 'And what is she?'

'Do not let her capture us.'

'Answer me, Kurama!'

"Kurama, there is no need to be so secretive. He will find out eventually." The woman swooned. Her gaze turned predatory. "My name is Hidan, little master. I mean you no harm."

'Do not let her seduce you.'

'Don't worry. She creeps me out too much.'

Kurama was not convinced. 'She will trick you if you succumb to her lies.'

'What is she after?' Naruto tried again. 'Does she have something to do with my parents' death? Is that why you're not answering me?'

Kurama ignored him. 'Let me take over.'

'What? No way.'

"Master, you must come with me. Your destiny awaits you." Hidan purred.

"What destiny? What are you talking about?"

"I will tell you if you come with me."

"No, I don't trust you."

"But you trust a known demon sealed inside of you?"

Naruto flinched. "Kurama would never hurt me. I can't say the same about you."

Hidan pouted. "I was hoping you'd be more cooperative. You're forcing me to spill your precious blood, master. Please reconsider."

Naruto frowned at her. She didn't seem to be too upset about the idea of spilling his blood. She even licked her lips. The bitch was crazy.

'Trick her.'

Easy for Kurama to say. Naruto swallowed. "You'd attack your master?"

"It's for your own good."

"Maybe if you told me more about this destiny I have, I will think about it."

"If I told you now, you wouldn't believe me. I have to show you."

"And you can't do that here?"

Hidan was losing her patience rapidly. Her face seemed to morph into a cracked porcelain mask with the strain it her took to keep her smile up. "Pagans do not deserve to witness such wonder, master."

Naruto was running out of ideas. He had no idea how he was supposed to trick this woman into leaving him alone and if he didn't hurry she might snap. Hidan shifted, causing the sunlight to shine on her face which made her appear angelic once again. "Are you an angel?"

Hidan gave him an genuine smile that caught him off guard. "I am a divine messenger of the Firstborn, I carry on the will and desire of Jasshin, son of the Goddess."

"Jasshin is a fallen god." Lee yelled, making Naruto jump. "He was punished for bringing sin into this world. You are a false prophet!"

Naruto blinked. 'What are they talking about?'

'It does not matter. Run while the idiot distracts her.'

'I can't leave them behind.'

'You must. She is dangerous.'

'Well, maybe if you tell me what she's after-'

'This is no time to be stubborn. You must not be captured by her. The destiny she speaks of will have you wishing you were back in the lab with the scientists and magicians.'

Naruto's blood ran cold. His face went numb as sheer terror overtook his body. 'D-don't joke around like that.'

Kurama growled shakily. 'Get as far away from her as you can.'

Naruto stared wide-eyed at Hidan. He was petrified. He couldn't feel his legs. Hidan seemed to notice and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"It seems I have to force you, master. Forgive me." She laughed sweetly. Her energy flared abrubtly, giving Naruto a preview of just how powerful she was.

"You will do no such thing." None other than Uchiha Sasuke revealed herself. She landed on the tree branch next to Naruto. "He's mine."

"I will not have it." Neji landed next to Lee. Naruto saw a blur shaped vaguely like Kakashi run towards Sakura and Iruka.

Sasuke glared at the two other women. "Anata wa watashi no keikaku o dainashi ni shita. Watashi wa anata o korosu."

Hidan smirked. She twirled her scythe and licked her lips. "I will wear your skin, pagans."

Naruto watched numbly as the three women leaped at each other's throats. A moment later he was tackled to the ground by Lee who quickly guided him to a safe spot.

"Are you okay?"

"Give me a moment." Naruto said. His legs were still shaking slightly. "We need to wrap this up fast, Lee. That cult woman is dangerous. By the time she notices we're gone, we have to be in freakin' Suna."

"What about the dryad king?"

"Screw the dryad king." It had been a long time since Naruto felt fear like this. He had been foolish to think that he'd follow in his father's footsteps. He had been foolish to believe he'd grow old with Sakura. He had been foolish to trust Kakashi.

Kurama was right. He should've run when he had the chance.

"Naruto, calm down. You're hyperventilating."

Just when he thought he had made it everything changed. Everything had been fine until the Acceptance Tournament. Since the attack on Konoha, reality had been slapping him in the face almost nonstop. He had suddenly found himself in the middle of a war. At the time, the adrenaline and his concern for his two ladies had kept him on his feet.

His success in KWA had made him overconfident. Kurama's presence had made him arrogant. And now he was deathly aware of just what was unfolding around him. He had become wanted by the Uchiha clan, a demon-worshipping cult and even his beloved Konoha was after his blood. They probably weren't the only ones.

He should've listened to Kurama. There had been so many signs that something wasn't right. The mystery surrounding his parents and their death, the rumors about his mother, the orb which the Uchiha clan stole, the ancient tales of a cowardly king and passionate queen with very familiar names, the presence of an immortal creature with an obsession with Kurama, and whispers of a Mother Creator.

Something terrible was going to happen. And he was going to be in the center of it all.

How was he supposed to face opponents like Hidan, who had battled the King of Tailed Beasts long before he was born, or the Uchiha clan, who killed thousands of warriors and destroyed an entire capital within less than three hours? How was he supposed to trust his so-called allies?

'Kurama... '