Alright, time for Part 2. I apologize for not getting this one up sooner, but I was contemplating on adding another scene at the end. I decided to save it for later. Also added like 500 words to it. Anyway, here's the chapter.

A Brush with Death

April 15, 20XX

After School

Yongen-Jaya

Naruto and Akira emerged from the subway station. It had been an awkward subway ride, as people had continuously stared at Naruto's battered frame and awkwardly bent arm. The Uzumaki had sent them all a vicious glare to make them look away, but it hardly stopped the strange looks. Naruto sighed and looked around at the small little suburban pocket. "It's been a while since I've been here," he muttered to himself. The last time he'd found himself in Yongen-Jaya, his health had been in much direr straits. Still, he wasn't fond of having to go visit the clinic again. He shook his head. "Come on Akira; the clinic's this way," he said walking forward.

"Remind me again why we are going to this clinic instead of a hospital?" Morgana asked as he popped out from one of the bags Akira was carrying.

"I have a few reasons," Naruto replied. "But it's mainly because the hospital would probably keep me in lockdown for a few days, and we can't afford that with Kamoshida. Besides, I trust Takemi-sensei. She did a pretty good job last time. Now come on!" Akira shrugged and followed the blond around a couple corners to a small hidden entrance.

"Not very advertised, is it?" Akira said, looking at the small sign on, stating "Takemi Clinic," on the wall. Naruto ascended the steps.

"She prefers to stay off the radar," Naruto replied. He opened the door and stepped into the small clinic's waiting room. The décor was sparse to say the least, with basic white walls, a few plastic red seats for patients, a couple charts, and a wall of various brochures and memos. At the window sat a punk-rock looking woman. She wore a lab coat over her short black dress. Her messy blue hair was cut short in a bob cut, with bangs framing her face. She wore multiple necklaces around her neck, as well as a small black choker. Her brown eyes were staring down at a clipboard she was fiddling with. Upon hearing the bell above the door ring, she looked up with a semi-bored expression.

"Welcome to the Takemi Clinic. How may I …?" She trailed off as she saw Naruto's sheepish grin in the doorway.

"Hey Takemi-sensei; long time no see," he said rubbing the back of his head. The woman put down the clipboard and crossed her arms.

"It has been a while, hasn't it Uzumaki-san?" she replied. She spotted Naruto's awkwardly bent arm. "I suppose you are here for another 'off-the-record' check-up?" Naruto nodded. The woman sighed. "Didn't I tell you half a year ago not to get into trouble again?" she asked in exasperation. The Uzumaki gave her a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't help it this time Takemi-sensei," he replied. "I still don't want be poked by those doctors at the hospital. And you did a pretty good job last time. So, can you help me out or what?" Takemi shook her head and shrugged.

"Fine; it's not like I'm going to turn down another chance to look over such a unique physique. Go ahead and proceed to the examination room." Naruto nodded and headed to the back of the clinic, with Akira following close behind. The examination room was just as small as the waiting room, with a single cot by the wall, and a desk with various papers and articles strewn about. Takemi was sitting in her rolling chair with crossed legs, waiting for him. She notched her eyebrow when she saw Akira. "I've seen you around at LeBlanc. Sojiro's looking after you, right?" she asked the teen who nodded.

"My name is Akira Kurusu," Akira replied with a polite bow. The doctor smirked.

"I guess I should formally introduce myself as well. My name is Tae Takemi. I'm the owner and sole doctor of this clinic. I've heard him grumbling about how he'd taken on a troublemaker. I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're acquainted with Uzumaki-san then." The curly haired teen looked away, his face flushing a bit. Naruto scowled a bit at the jab.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Just what I said, Uzumaki-san," Takemi replied. "Now, I'll need you to take off your shirt so I can examine you properly." Naruto tried to shed his school jacket, but winced as a fresh throb of pain jolted through his arm and side. He sighed and turned to Akira.

"Little help here?" he asked. Trying to hide a grin, Akira nodded and gingerly helped the blond take off his jacket and shirt, leaving him topless. Without his shirt, the lump around his elbow and the extensive bruising around the left side of his ribcage were both evident. Akira's eyes widened as he saw the injuries. Morgana also stared in amazement.

"You've been walking around like that?" Akira asked.

"It's not that bad." Naruto tried to pass it off. Takemi crossed her arms.

"You have a clean fractre in your left arm that's nearly broken the skin, and probably two or three rib fractures. And that's just what I can see at a glance." She leveled a glare at Naruto. "What exactly did you do to gain these injuries, Uzumaki-san?" Naruto wilted under the intense stare. He was reminded a bit of the look Tsunade would level at him after a few of his more disastrous missions.

"I might…have jumped off the school roof in order to save someone," he replied meekly. "But we landed in a pile of fertilizer which softened our fall!" Takemi gave him a flat stare.

"You jumped off the school roof?" she repeated in disbelief. "Do you even have any form of self-preservation?" The woman palmed her face. She sighed and began carefully examined the injured spots with a soft touch, gingerly feeling each bruise. Naruto tried not to flinch as best he could, enduring the slight flashes of pain as she felt around the broken bone. "So how did you land after you jumped Uzumaki-san?" Takemi asked as she worked.

"I fell on my left side. My arm was underneath the person's body," Naruto replied. Takemi finished her inspection and moved back to her desk and jotted down a few things.

"So you appear to have a complete fracture in your left humerus, a partial fracture in the left radius, as well as three ribs with hairline fractures. I suspect you probably have some bruising on your hips and legs as well." The doctor shook her head. "Any normal person who'd gone through the same experience would probably have suffered much more severe injuries, but you fortunately have an incredibly resilient body. Honestly I shouldn't be all that surprised after your last visit. Still, you know you really should be going to an actual hospital to get looked at, correct?"

"Yeah, but you know why I can't do that, doc," Naruto replied. "Are you able to do anything about it?" Takemi sighed.

"I suppose I can help patch you up a bit and set the break so it heals properly," she replied. "Unfortunately, I don't have any anesthetic to dull the pain when I set your arm. You're just going to have to grit your teath and bear it." Naruto nodded.

"I can take it, Takemi-sensei." The doctor stood up and walked around to Naruto's side. With a brisk jolt, she realigned the broken bone. Naruto managed to push down a scream of agony as a massive bolt of pain zapped his nerves. Takemi swiftly began applying some liquid analgesic to the bruised skin. She then pulled out some gauze and skillfully wrapped the break.

"I don't have the material for a cast, but I can at least bind the injury and provide you a sling to hold it in place," she advised as she worked. She pulled out a blue sling from a drawer and helped set Naruto's arm in it. "I'll provide some extra wrappings. She glanced down at Naruto's waist. "As far as your ribs go, all I can do is bind them to keep them steady and help them heal on their own." She applied the same analgesic to the bruises on his waist and wrapped them as well. She went to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of pills. "I'll prescribe some of my personal brand of painkillers for you as well, though knowing you, you probably won't need them much." Naruto nodded.

"Thanks, Takemi-sensei." He reached out for the bottle, but Takemi moved it away.

"Just a moment Uzumaki-san," she said. "I never said I was doing all of this for free. In exchange for helping you and keeping quiet, I want you to return a few more times after this so I can perform some experiments and examine your physique." Naruto eyes widened. Flashbacks of Kabuto's menacing grin flitted through his mind.

"Wait, what?" he asked. "You want to experiment on me? No way!" Takemi's eyebrows rose at his protest.

"Oh?" she said with a casual shrug. "Then I suppose I'll just have to advise the hospital about this special patient I found. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to examine his miraculous recovery and blood samples." Naruto's eyes narrowed; he should have figured she'd kept a record of his last visit. The doctor's lips quirked in a smile. "Don't worry, I don't plan to put you on a table and cut you open or something like that," she assured him. "I just want to see what makes your body so special for my own understanding. And I promise I won't be sharing my findings without your permission first." Takemi held out the vial back to him. "So, do we have a deal Uzumaki-san?" Naruto sighed.

"It's not like I have much of a choice anyways," he replied taking the medicine. "We've got a deal then Takemi-sensei." Takemi nodded.

"Very well then; I expect to see you back early next week for a check-up." She chuckled a bit. "I look forward to being able to study you further, Uzumaki-san." As Naruto was about to roll his eyes, time seemed to slow down around him again. In the back of his mind, the sound of another chain link snapping clicked. The eerie feminine voice he'd now heard several times echoed in his head.

I am Thou… Thou art I

Thou has obtained the power of rebellion to break the yoke of oppression shackling you.

Through the bond with Death, thou has begun the path to defy destiny.

Time seemed to resume once more. Naruto mentally shook his head and masked his confusion. "Just what the hell is that voice?" he wondered. He shrugged off the event; there was nothing he could do about it right now. The blond put on his clothes as best he could with his injured arm. "Thanks again Takemi-sensei," he said gratefully. Akira gave a slight bow.

"It was nice to meet you, Takemi-sensei," he said.

"You as well Kurusu-san. Feel free to stop by if you ever feel unwell." Naruto and Akira left the clinic. The sky was glowing a dusky red as the street lights now illuminated the road. Naruto turned to face Akira.

"Well, I guess I'd better head back to Shibuya. Iwai's probably wondering where the hell I am," he said. His stomach rumbled deeply. "And it looks like I need to get some grub in me too," he added. Akira smirked.

"Why not get a bite at the café I'm staying at before you go?" he offered. Naruto shrugged. He didn't have anything pressing to do back at Untouchable.

"Eh, why not?" he agreed. Naruto followed Akira to a small restaurant near the main street. The word "LeBlanc" hung over the entrance. Akira opened the door to the café. Naruto quickly glanced around. The place felt…calm. The atmosphere seemed very homely and peaceful. There were several booths aligned on one side, with an island bar in the center and the kitchen in the corner. As it was late, the café was empty, save for a solitary middle-aged man cleaning a glass behind the counter. The man wore half-moon spectacles and had a pointed beard, similar to Asuma. He was dressed in a pink shirt and khakis, with a black apron tied in front. He looked up as the doorbell rang and scowled at Akira.

"About time you showed up," he said gruffly. "I was starting to wonder if you had gotten in trouble again." Akira shook his head.

"No Sakura-san," he replied. "I was just with a friend of mine from school. He hurt himself during gym practice today. Since I remembered you;d mentioned Takemi-san had a clinic nearby, I offered to bring him there." Naruto was a little surprised at the fluid ease with which Akira spun the believable tale. Still, the man did not seem convinced. He looked over Akira's shoulder at Naruto.

"So, this is the friend you mentioned?" he asked. The man glanced over Naruto's appearance. "Hmph; looks like a troublemaker." Naruto tried not to scowl at the comment. He was used to hearing that term used to describe him.

"Actually Sakura-san, he's been helping me stay out of trouble and fit into school," Akira advised. Naruto stepped forward and offered his good hand.

"Pleasure to meet you Sakura-san," he said with a small smile. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki." Sojiro stared at Naruto for a few more moments before taking his hand and shaking it.

"Hmph; at least you're polite," he commented. "The name's Sojiro Sakura. I'm the proprietor of this café." He turned back to Akira. "Since you're here, I'm taking off. You'd better not raid my pantry or make a mess of the place. Be sure to lock up once your friend leaves."

"Understood, Sakura-san," Akira agreed. Sojiro hung his apron on a peg in the back wall and walked towards the exit. As he opened the door, he glanced over his shoulder.

"By the way, there's some leftover curry in the pot on the stove," he mentioned gruffly. "There should be enough for you and you friend to have a plate, so make sure it doesn't go to waste." After Sojiro had left, Naruto turned back to Akira.

"Jeez; he sure seems like a barrel of laughs." The curly-haired teen shrugged.

"He's alright once you get to know him…I think." He walked over to the kitchen and loaded a couple of plates with some rice and curry. He set one of the plates in front of Naruto. "He was at least nice enough to give me a place to stay after the mess I got into." Naruto grabbed a pair of chopsticks and tried the curry and rice. His eyes widened at the perfect blend of the rice and the mildly spicy, but succulent curry.

"Man; this stuff is actually pretty great! Much better than the crap I find at convenience stores." Morgana hopped out of his bag.

"Hey, where's my plate?" the cat asked with a pout. Akira chuckled and went back to scoop of the remains of the curry into a smaller bowl for the cat and set it on the ground. Morgana gave it an experimental lick.

"Mm, this is good!" he purred. The feline dove into the bowl with gusto. As Morgana was occupied with his meal, Naruto turned back to Akira.

"So, how did you end up here anyway Akira?" he asked in between mouthfuls. "I knew Kamoshida was having Mishima get the rumor mill kicking, but I want to hear it from you." Akira nodded.

"Alright, but only if you agree to share a bit of your past as well," he agreed.

"Wait, you want to hear about me?" Naruto's eyes widened as he swallowed the bite he currently chewing. "I'm just your typical teenage troublemaker," he replied hastily. Akira gave him a deadpan look.

"You live in the back of a shady model gun shop, you possess exceptional perception, and you clearly have quite a bit of combat experience," the teen listed off one by one. "And I just saw you take a three-story fall in order save someone and not only walk away with fewer injuries than most people after the same experience, but still have enough energy to confront Kamoshida. That's hardly the résumé of a 'typical teenage troublemaker.'" Naruto sighed. He should have figured Akira would pick-up on the string of the more obvious anomalies he'd shown. He could admit hadn't done the best job of masking his prior skills or connections to the past. However, the truth was frankly in the realm of insanity.

"It's not like I can just tell him, 'Oh, I'm just a super-powered ninja from another dimension who crash-landed in Tokyo after facing a primordial goddess threatening to wipe out civilization.' That will sure go over well." he thought in exasperation. Akira noticed the blond's hesitation and raised a hand.

"I'm sorry Naruto; I didn't mean to pry into something really personal. If you want to keep it to yourself, that's OK." He gave Naruto a small smile. "Regardless of your past, you've already shown me you're a pretty great guy." The whiskered blond's eyes widened as he could feel the warmth of Akira's sincerity. It had been a long time since he'd felt such genuineness from anyone. He made up his mind.

"Actually, it's alright Akira," Naruto said shaking his head. "It's only fair I share some of my background too. I'm pretty sure I can trust you. Though I can't tell you everything; I've got to keep some secrets." Akira nodded.

"I'm open to anything you want to share; it's all safe with me." Naruto grinned.

"Thanks, man. Now where to begin…" He set down his chopsticks and looked away. "So, I was raised in a small village, which you definitely won't find on a map. You'd probably think it was pretty backward. The place was kind of like a town for mercenaries, which thrived on missions for the people in the surrounding towns which could range from investigation to escorts to even just odd jobs."

"A mercenary town?" he asked. "Sounds like something from the Meiji era." Naruto smirked as he compared the rustic feel of Konoha to the bustling, hi-tech metropolis known as Tokyo.

"I guess it was pretty old-fashioned," he admitted. "From a young age, most of the town's kids are taught the art of stealth, deception, and combat, so they can complete the missions the village receives." Akira's brows shot up. "Now hold up; it's not what you think," the blond said quickly seeing his friend's reaction. "It sounds really bad, but it's not like there was much else in terms of career options. Besides, we all wanted to become powerful mercenaries. Everyone saw it as a chance to be kinda like heroes and make names for ourselves. Myself included. I was actually one of the loudest ones." Naruto fondly remembered his proclamations in Iruka's classes of saving princesses and defeating evil warlords. "I was determined to prove to everyone that I was going to be the greatest ni-er, mercenary ever to walk the earth and prove that all their expectations of me as a worthless dead last were full of shit." Akira crossed his arms.

"After seeing you fight, I find it extremely hard to believe anyone would call you worthless." Naruto chuckled.

"Well, I wasn't all that good when I first started. I often got by on the skin of my teeth. But I desperately wanted to show everyone I wasn't the evil menace and abomination they thought I was." Naruto's smile fell into a scowl as he remembered the hateful glares and harsh whispers he'd heard as a child. Akira frowned.

"Evil menace?" he repeated. "I can definitely see you being a prankster, but I think calling you an abomination is pushing it." He glanced at Naruto's pensive face. "Unless… was it something else?" The blond nodded.

"On the day I was born, a really awful tragedy happened which killed a lot of people in the town. And I was somehow tied to the tragedy. Because of that, everyone treated me like I was a monster, some despicable beast waiting to attack them. Even though I wasn't in any way responsible for the deaths which occurred." Naruto sighed. "That's why I couldn't stand around and let the same thing happen to you without doing anything." The two of them sat there in silence for a moment. Naruto's thoughts were engulfed by the slew of old memories brought to the forefront of Naruto's mind, some happy, and some tragic, but all reminding him of the life he no longer had.

With a herculean effort, Naruto ripped himself away from his memories. He flashed Akira his usual foxy mask to hide the turmoil. "Anyways, enough about me, Akira," he said straightening up in his chair. "A deal's a deal after all; so what's your story?" Akira stared at Naruto for a couple more moments before shrugging.

"It started while I was walking home one night," he began, "I heard a woman's screams and a man arguing with her, so I ran over to see what was happening. I found a drunk bald man trying to force a young woman into his car. He was babbling something about her needing to shut up and follow him. I could hear the sirens of a cop car echoing through the neighborhood. The bald guy noticed me and told me to leave." Akira looked down. "I didn't really know what was going on, but I felt like I couldn't just leave her alone. Before I really understood what I was doing, I'd stepped between the man and the woman. The drunk man got startled, which made him stumble back and fall to the ground." He sighed and shook his head. "And that's where everything went down the drain." Naruto's eyebrow rose a notch.

"OK, now I'm curious," he said. "You were just trying to protect the woman; how'd that turn into assault?"

"Well, when the man got up, there was a cut on his head. He was absolutely pissed, shouting at me saying how he'll sue me. The woman tried to put up a brave front and said she'd confess about something the bald man must have done. The man just laughed, saying he could pin everything on her, despite her protests that she was just following instructions. He then ordered her to tell the police that I had attacked him, threatening her if she said anything else." Naruto's eyes widened.

"You're kidding me!" he exclaimed. "The guy's so plastered that he falls on his own, and yet he tries to pin all the blame on you just because you decided to stand up for the woman like any decent human would do?" Akira nodded grimly.

"And it worked too; when the police came to investigate the disturbance, the woman told them I'd randomly shoved the man to the ground." A rare scowl formed on his face. "I'm pretty sure that man must have had some political clout; he told the police when they arrived to make sure his name didn't show up in the mess, and they immediately agreed. Next thing I know, I'm in handcuffs and being shoved into their car." The frizzy-haired teen sighed deeply. "Because of the woman's testimony and the man's injury, no one believed me when I tried to explain myself. After a few hearings, I was put on probation and shipped to Sakura-san, since my old school had expelled me. He's apparently acquainted with my parents, enough to do them this favor and put me up for a year until my probation is over."

Naruto shook his head in disgust. Even in the Elemental Nations, corrupt officials weren't uncommon. There were at least a handful of the self-serving bastards in every Daimyo's court, scheming to make their own ends meet without any regard to the costs others might pay. Anko-chan once mentioned she'd learned from one of her interrogations some of those officials hired missing-nins, or shinobi from less scrupulous villages like Kusagakure or Amegakure, to hide evidence of their misdeeds and frame others for their crimes. Konoha never accepted sabotage requests from people like that since it could potentially damage their reputation. Still, Naruto felt nothing but distain for the bastards. The Uzumaki growled deeply, startling Akira.

"Damn, that bald asshole sounds like an absolutely major douchebag," he said harshly. "And because of Kamoshida-teme's little vendetta against anything that will tarnish his reputation, the entire school now believes in an embellished version of something that's already a big fat lie. And almost no one's willing to look past the surface at you either." Akira nodded his agreement. Naruto couldn't help but draw more parallels between Akira's situation and his past as a jinchūriki. A chuckle escaped his lips at the irony. Akira shot Naruto a strange glance.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"It's not you; I just realized the two of us are a lot more alike than I first thought. We're both outcasts, having to deal with a false label put on us by idiots who don't understand the truth." Akira's eyes widened for a second before he too let out a laugh.

"I guess that is true," he admitted grinning. As Naruto felt the bond of kinship between him and Akira strengthen, he swore he heard the crack of another chain link in the back of his mind. Though this time, the mysterious voice did not spout any mystic talk about the yoke of rebellion. Naruto shrugged it off as maybe being a trick of his mind.

"You know, I don't really blame that woman for her choice," Akira continued. "She didn't think she could stand up to the man since he had so much power. Trying to fight back against someone in authority isn't an easy choice. All the same, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had just kept walking past her." The teen clenched his fists. "Now a similar situation is playing out with Shiho-san and Kamoshida, and I still refuse to sit by and watch, especially now that I have the ability to change things." Naruto chuckled.

"You sound just like me. If I can do something to help another person in trouble, there's no way I can ignore it, despite the trouble it might get me into." He checked his phone for the time and grimaced. "Ah crap; it's getting pretty late. I'm gonna miss the subway if I don't leave soon." Naruto quickly got up from his seat and grabbed his bag. "Thanks a lot for the grub, Akira. I'll have to come and visit you later and hang out sometime."

"You're always welcome to come by if I'm around," Akira replied smiling. The blond nodded and looked around for Morgana.

"Where the hell did that cat get to?" he asked in confusion. Naruto and Akira looked at the empty bowl of curry. The bowl had been licked clean, but there was no sign of the cat. Naruto shook his head. "I swear; Morgana is pretty cool, but he can be pretty annoying at times." The sound of soft purring alerted them. They looked over into the booth behind them, and found Morgana curled up into a ball asleep, snoring gently. "Of course, he's fallen asleep," Naruto muttered. "And it takes forever to get him up." He turned to Akira. "Mind if he sleeps here tonight Akira?" the teen nodded.

"That's no problem. I'll bring him with me tomorrow."

"Awesome! Thanks a lot, man!" Naruto headed for the door. "See you tomorrow Akira! We're going to bring Kamoshida's shitty castle down on his head!"

And that's a wrap! Again, sorry for the delay in the chapters. With school picking up and a midterm around the corner, I can't guarantee another chapter within my usual 7-10 day window, but I'll try my best to have it up by the end of next week! I'm also going to post a new original Naruto story hopefully this week. I had actually begun this story prior to this one, but hadn't posted yet. It'll be more sporadic releases, but I encourage you to check it out! Also, while I hesitate to say this, if anyone else plays Destiny 2 on the PS4 and would like to support my growing addiction to the game, feel free to send me a message! My PSN name is InfernoDragoon. I love getting to play with other people.