Shin was calmly resting in his chess room, where he could easily contemplate the paths that his plans would take. One board in particular was of importance right now. The board between him and the god of the moon. He smiled a bit as he looked at the sudden shift on the board, pieces moved impossibly, it showed the direct interference of the divine. He shifted to move a piece, to attempt to change things the proper way.

It was as sudden as a bolt of lightning, as violent as an earthquake, and held the force of a long sleeping volcano. To the naked eye it looked as if the realm of the lord of death was flashing between a deep purple, and bright yellow. The ground shifting, moving, and rolling. He could hear Kushina's frightened shouting. The Shinigami was frowning however, as he looked to the board. With the exception of the pieces that had been removed, they had returned to their starting positions.

"What's going on!" Kushina shouted as she looked to the Shinigami from the now open doorway. Shin smiled a bit, he'd felt this kind of power before. It surprised even him, a divine being, that such a thing could exist like this. He couldn't explain it to her, not yet at least. The world of the divine was one of secrets, and this one was closely guarded.

"It seems, that fate has a few cards of her own to play." The Shinigami smiled a bit as the rumbling died down, and the world slowly began to right itself. "She is a fickle one at times, but this time…she's put her chips down in a most interesting way."

He looked to the board representing Fate and himself, though they rarely used it, she held on a single piece. She was Fate afterall, those she chooses are meant for great things. It was then he noticed, it was true that these tables were merely childish representations of his own choosing, but the feeling he was getting from that board…it was different.

"Come we have more training to do."

"Sweet! I love training." Kushina said, as she moved off to go collect her things, the Shinigami looked worriedly to the board.

"This is a most…interesting development. History is quite interesting to watch at times."

Naruto: Shinigami's Folly

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

[Battle Theme: Are you dead yet?- Children of Bodom]

Naruto screamed out as he charged forward, his eyes flashing red, his arms swinging downwards as he collided with the metal user. Mizuru was laughing they clashed, expecting to merely cut through the child. He was coughing a moment later when he was twenty feet away, smoldering from the electric shock.

Sakura for her part, was in shock. The power of the red chakra, mixed with Naruto's own rage was crushing her very heart in pain. It was only for a few moments that she stared in awe at the display, power in waves crashing against the sobbing teen, until she collapsed, unable to take anymore.

The mercenaries weren't even looking down at the fight, their eyes glued to the sky above. The fearsome power gathering taking shape into the maw of a massive fox, a single red eye could be seen for a moment, before it broke away with the wind, mixing with the lightning that seemed to be perpetually jumping around Naruto.

The form that rested behind him now, was merely a pair of massive blue and red masses of lighting that seemed to move, and act like arms, or perhaps tails. Shifting only every moment or so, as Naruto began to stalk towards the gathered forces. "Die."

Mizuru groaned as he stood, amazed that a child could create such a monstrous power, his dark eyes bearing down on the boy, as a single spear of metal grew from his palm. "Die, you piece of fucking trash. Sonic Spear!" he shouted as the spear of metal shot towards Naruto with incredible speed, and power. It took only moments to reach the blond, who merely raised his hand to stop it.

The devilish chakra seemed to melt away from his hand as he raised it, as if repulsed from the very act he was preforming, until the spear suddenly shot backwards with far more force, throwing the rogue ninja into the herd of terrified mercenaries.

It was then that they saw the true form of the objects behind the boy. They were not tails, or arms. No. They were wings of blue, and red lightning, flapping slowly in the mist morning light. The men began to scream, as they realized what was coming out of pure instinct. "Please! Show mercy!"

"No." in that instant one of the wings seemingly disappeared, shooting forwards like the mass of electric power it was. The wing's power was so great that only a scorch mark remained of the horrific damage that more than half the mercenaries suddenly received.

Zabuza and Kakashi were both in a state of shock. That kind of power was purely unreal. "This kid of yours Kakashi…what did you say his name was?" Zabuza wouldn't normally admit that a child could make terror crawl up his spine, but as he watched the second wing slowly lower, to face the gathered men, he had to know.

"Uzimaki Naruto…" Kakashi's weak force was able to gasp, though his life was not threatened, he was in no condition to fight against Zabuza, or try to stop Naruto's rampage. He slowly was able to stand back up, as he looked over the girl that he'd accidentally killed, and recognized her scent easily now, that was the smell he'd noticed on Naruto. He looked to his student with saddened eyes, and let out a sigh.

"I-I wo-won't die like this!" Mizuru shouted as several of the mercenaries had already leapt over the side of the bridge, not wanting to die, and deciding to chance the fall, and swim than the boy. Naruto growled in rage, before the second wing was gone, this one seemed to screech against everything, the world seemed to be screaming. Now only two forms remained, Mizuru's slowly standing form, and the quivering, terrified Gato.

"Yes. You will." Naruto growled out, before slamming his clawed fist into Mizuru's stomach. It took only a moment before he began to scream, louder, and louder as lightning began to arc from the metal man. Another wing forming from the power that Naruto released. "Shine Brighter…" he grumbled and the lighting seemed to be blasting out from the man now, shattering he flesh like it was glass, leaving gaping holes from every inch it touched. "Shine Brighter…" Now there was barely enough left of the rogue ninja to scream, as he looked into the demonic red eyes of his enemy, and shivered in shear, god fearing, and paralyzing dread. "Sky Reaver."

In a flash of light, Naruto's hand was clasped around a metal spine, the flesh melted on the ground beneath his feet, as the fox-like maw seemed to appear for a moment, devouring the skeleton of metal. Naruto's eyes locked on Gato, who watched his boat speed off, his only safe escape stolen from him. "Gato." The man barely had time to look back, and scream as he was devoured by the lightning, his body falling to the sea in bits, as the lightning began to die down.

[End Theme]

Naruto turned allowing Zabuza, and Kakashi to see the blood red tears, and demonic red eyes that the blond possessed. His steps moving towards them, and Zabuza took a step back out of sheer fear. Kakashi was barely able to stand thanks to that spear in his back.

Naruto's steps stopped as he reached down to cradle his fallen companion, friend, and first love in a sad wail he buried his face into her chest. Zabuza moved to stop the boy, but Kakashi's raised arm stopped him, as Naruto continued to cry into the dead girl's chest. Kakashi's eyes showed his sadness as he covered up his sharingan, and looked back and noticed the village people approaching, and smiled.

The oppressive feeling slowly disappeared , but as the people looked towards the blond a flash of lightning obscured their vision as if some greater power intervened and hide the final moments from them. All that was known about it was, every living person who looked back at the light merely remembered a warmth filling them, as if they'd been touched by something more. In that moment the sick, became the heathly. Even the blind could see. The wounded were healed, as long as they were still alive. Even Kakashi felt something change within him, something just felt right, and the gathered people witnessed a miracle.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Haku's voice was weak, but she was breathing again. Zabuza, whose arms and body were healed looked down at his partner, and smiled behind his bindings. He slowly reached down, and realized that the blond was unconscious, but said nothing more for a moment as he took Haku, and looked to Kakashi.

"I wouldn't tell the boy everything, Kakashi. I have to go. May we never meet again." He muttered to the Jonin, before quickly departing the area, as a pair of voices asked at the same time, each one sounding a bit lost.

"Kakashi-sensei?" The silver haired jonin looked to his other two genin, and smiled. Tazuna was on his knees crying and looked to the jonin who merely shook his head, and the village gathered, and whispers spread of a divine miracle, from the ninja of Konoha.

[Three Days Later]

Nobody spoke of the miracle much, after it happened, as Kakashi mentioned that such things could be undone with a simple word or two if misused. Using the superstitions most held, he managed to keep the strange happenings to minimum. Kakashi had been trying to figure out what the light had done to himself, and found that several old, and rather annoying injuries had suddenly just disappeared, as if they'd never been. Naruto had been asleep the whole time. His genin were training, and the bridge would be finished, and dedicated tomorrow. He planned to leave the moment Naruto awoke, and he could judge how the blond was fairing.

Kakashi was worried, and a bit bothered. He knew that he'd struck a vital blow, and with his lightning blade no less, that girl was mostly dead before she hit the ground, her heart stopped. He couldn't believe that Naruto could have brought her back, there were some rumors of such things but the costs were never simple and small. He hoped that it was some sort of true miracle.

"Kakashi…sensei?" Naruto's weak voice asked from the jonin's side, and he looked over quickly, jumping a bit. The boy's bright blue eyes were only opened a sliver, before they closed for a moment. "I feel…tired."

"You've been asleep three days."

"What…happened?" he asked confused, and Kakashi blinked a bit and smiled behind his mask. He expected some kind of intense trouble from Naruto's memories, but it seemed whatever happened literally he had lost whatever memory of it he had.

"We won. It's over." He whispered, and gave him an eye smile, before moving to head out of the room. "Tomorrow, we're heading home. Get some sleep." He finished before exiting, and preparing to have another message sent out. It was going to make the Hokage happy to know what was going on. He was still worried, but that could wait.

For now.

He looked around as he stepped out of the house, and pulled out his favorite book. He needed to unwind a bit before heading out to tell the others of Naruto's awakening. He also thought on Zabuza, and Haku's leaving. It was just too complicated. He giggled a bit perversely as he read a particularly invoking line, about the main character and the brothel maiden.

Naruto however, wasn't as tired as he was only moments ago. He was frightened for a moment, and slowly he felt a heavy weight of melancholy settle over himself. He remembered the scene of his Haku, laying down bloody, and the blood. So much blood. He sighed a bit, and looked to his seals on his arms, and found they had mostly recovered their power as he rested. It was good, he figured at least something was working. He couldn't believe he'd failed her in the end. He'd failed…

He looked forwards, eyes hard and determined.

"I will protect my precious people, no matter what, in your memory. Haku-chan!" he declared before pulling himself out of bed, and quickly dressing. He had one thing he had to do. Something he thought was important, and he was sure she and her master would appreciate. So he opened the window, and silently ran off, to a nearby grove. He quickly dug up in a barren part two large mounds, and filled them with rocks, before finding a couple of straight branches to mark them with, and smiled a bit sadly as he pressed his hands together and prayed.

"I won't fail again. I am so sorry. I love you, Haku-chan. Goodbye." Without another word, Naruto turned his back on the makeshift graveyard, and smiled a bit. He'd do better, and prove that he would be the best shinobi in the world. For her, and the memories she had with him.

Quietly, a bandaged swordsman watched from afar, his visage only noticeable for a single moment, before he was gone, and not even a rustled leaf left to say he'd even been there.

[Realm of the Gods]

It was a massive palace, but it existed nowhere and everywhere all at once. It was a neutral ground for the divine, where they were completely equal from the lowest to the highest; only Kami herself was in power here, as the creator. This being her realm, though she has not been seen from her throne in so long some of the divine believe she has left the world. There were few rules that were as important as the rules of this place. There was no battle here, and only the divine themselves may show themselves. The Shinigami was almost an exception as Kami's Executioner he occasionally broke that rule, but it was rare, and only when she asked. He was now standing in one of the many grandiose hallways,that mere words could not describe. He was met only a few moments of waiting, with the features of the annoyed moon god. His eyes were borrowing into Shin's who merely stepped forwards.

"What did you do? Did you dare to break a tenant of your own position, Shinigami!" he shouted and the Shinigami's eyes narrowed, he was not in his guise at the moment, so he pushed up his glasses and shook his head. "Then why did you call me here?" Tsukiyomi demanded, and the Shinigami frowned a bit.

"You called me here." He responded in a clipped tone, and the moon god's eyes seemed to shine with rage for a moment before a sharp, but playful giggle filled the hall.

"Silly children, calm your selves. I called you both." The woman that was fate was impossible to discern as she changed herself almost constantly, but her essence was always the same. Enigma, even from her fellows. "This has been interesting to watch, however as a reigning elder, with permission to overview such things, your conflict can no longer continue as it has. So we will be deciding rules now. By we, I mean I. No more direct intervention. No more of the attempts to impeach on my purview. Finally, no more games. Mortals are not your toys, keep you manipulations to your chosen pieces, or be prepared to face the consequences." She growled before looking at the other two, and smiling.

Both the Shinigami and Tsukiyomi were elder divine beings as well but only a few had the purview that allowed them to do as fate had. The Shinigami merely agreed before disappearing, and fate left a moment later.

Tsukiyomi frowned a bit before turning away. "Too late. I've already won. This war you started will cause you to lose more than you imagined, and even Fate will see the brilliance of the Moon's madness!" then his insane laughter filled the halls, and the world began to weep.