PA: I really don't have much to say here unlike normal, umm but I guess this was actually a pretty difficult chapter to write at parts, some hard choices needed to be made, but it should all work out in the end. Also many of you will be happy with this chapter mostly for the little part at the end.
Mejciu: I hope you enjoy this one just as much, the Uchiha armour will be his most prominent clothing, sometimes he may just wear a coat or cloak over the top, the japanese names are a bit of a pain, but I have to agree it does give a much better feel to the fight.
Codegeassfan23: Kurenai kind of sums up everything Naruto wished he could be, a normal jounin, oblivious to the dark side of the shinobi world. Her choice as team 7's instructor is because Minato had seen how affect Naruto was when he focused on his chakra control, thus he is hoping for the same results from Natsumi, Naruto is helping to train Sasuke in the Uchiha clan's techniques meaning that the chakra control lessons he gets from Kurenai will help improve the control he has over his jutsus power. Sakura well I am still unsure as to what I will do with her, any training she receives will be an improvement though.
Cerulean Knight: Yeah Naruto is a funny character, he doesn't exactly seem like the type of person who can just be switched to the bad side so to say. Sakura's story will come in after the Chunin exams, or maybe during the training month. Yeah I meant flashlights, but it doesn't really make sense that they wouldn't have them, I mean they have wireless communication devices but no flashlights? I really think they need to get their things sorted. Yeah I will be honest, don't bother reading Shrouded in Twilight or Shadow Dwellers, I bombed out big time writing those, while I still like the idea and concept behind the stories, I really need to go back and do a re-write. The new upcoming stories though are something that should be interesting, I mean with the way the pole is at the moment, it seems that I will be writing the Bleach/Naruto and Fairy Tail/Naruto.
The ideas behind them are a little uh different, but if I am able to portray the characters right, they should turn out to be good stories (hopefully).
Also there is a small line of foreshadowing in this chapter, those of you who are up to date with the Manga will know what I am talking about hopefully.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Doom Project One is just loosely based around that title.
Walls exploded out around him, embers flying through the air, the siege had begun.
Naruto slowly stood to his full height, four Kiri-nin dropping down around him. "Knight-san, Is it time to move?" One questioned bowing to Naruto.
With his outfit in place Naruto nodded taking a step forward. "We should make haste."
"Remember to leave the fighting to us, no matter what happens, you need to save your chakra for your fight." Naruto gave a grunt in response to the statement, he would not forget something so quickly.
His team quickly moving through the shadows, shuriken and kunai raining down around them, not a single one coming close to Naruto, the job of the Kiri-nin around him was to make sure he didn't lift a finger, at least until he had to fight Yagura. His group made record time through the village, quickly approaching the Kage tower.
Naruto let his eyes narrow, it was much to easy to arrive here. His suspicions were confirmed when a group of jounin level-nin dropped down around them, one of his guards looked to him for a moment. "We will hold them here Knight-san, please continue your mission."
"The mission always comes first!"
"Taichou, this is going to be to the death ok?"
"We will hold out here until you get back,"
Flashes of the dreaded mission played through his head, Naruto grimly nodded to his escorts, moving quickly into the tower, none of the jounin even attempting to stop him.
The tower was surprisingly empty, his guard stayed raised. He came to a long hallway, the door at the end opening seemingly inviting him further into the Kage's den, with caution he proceeded, the final door slowly creaked open, in the middle of the room, standing ontop of a small pound was his target, childlike appearance, white hair, pink eyes with a scar under his left. The childlike Kage was clad in mesh armour, a green cloth sprawled across his shoulders, a grey one piece like suit was over the armour, a staff on his back. "They sent you? I should have figured, their 'secret weapon' The Black Knight. Tell me, does Konoha know you are here Uchiha Naruto?"
Naruto pulled his hood down, quickly sealing the outfit away, leaving him wearing his Uchiha armour. He cracked his head to the side, pulling out the three gold clips letting his hair fall naturally. "You have no idea how uncomfortable that outfit was, our bijuu are resonating, their memories slowly being inflicted upon our own. It was no surprise that you knew who I was." Naruto walked forward, standing on top of the water, Yagura's control over it was amazing, the Uchiha almost found himself lost in watching it whip around him.
"Have we had enough talk now?"
"I guess we have, for the moment anyway." As soon as the words left Naruto's mouth he was forced to dodge backwards, a large tendril of water crashing down where he just was. In a display of his acrobatic abilities, Naruto sprung to the side, rolling onto his hands before leaping into the air, narrowly avoiding the incoming spears of water, his blood red eyes darting around the room, taking in all of the positions, this the environment was clearly both with and against him.
Being completely surrounded by water Naruto smirked, his hands weaving through signs faster than most dojutsu could process "Raiton: Idai na Satsugaidenrixyuu." (Lightning Release: Great Murdering Current.) Slamming his hands into the water a slip of lightning flowed out of his mouth, sparking the beginning of his jutsu.
Mei looked up as the large explosion sounded, seeing the Kage tower now in flames, smoke billowing from the gaping holes as water poured down its sides. Two blurs quickly moving from the smoke, dashing across the landscape, she bit down on her lip. "Why isn't he heading to the agreed point?" Looking around she saw Ao and Kunkaru thinking along the same lines, both giving a small nod, giving chase to the fast moving objects.
A white and black blur stopped them in their tracks. "You will only get in the way if you head over now. Knight needs all of his attention on the fight, he doesn't need the distraction of trying to protect you ningens." Tai-Long spoke harshly, his long tail whipping around behind him, Mei attempted to move forward, the tiger leaning down and giving a small growl.
"Let us past Tai, we can help him."
"No, I will stop you with force if I need to."
Yagura panted on top of the lake, that raiton hit him hard. Looking down at his left arm he noticed the amount of burns it now carried, even after reflecting it back, it seemed some still managed to crash into him. He was brought out of his musing as Naruto dropped down in front of him, a neutral expression on his face. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to use a jutsu above your level?" The Uchiha's tone was one of mocking.
"Your damned bloodline is all that has kept you alive UCHIHA!" Taking his staff into his hands, Yagura started spinning it forward. Sending lines of coral forward, the attack caught Naruto completely by surprise, managing to scrape against his armour, his eyes narrowed on the childlike Kage.
"The reason I am still alive, is because of the pure difference in our power, you are an ameture, trying so despretly to hold onto your throne, wiping out all that could pose a threat to it." Naruto took a slow step forward, lightning coursing around his right fist.
"I will show you a difference in power Uchiha." The white haired man spoke coldly, three tails coming from his back, his form hunching down.
"Kit, he has entered second state." Kurama spoke from within Naruto, the Uchiha nodded his head in understanding.
"Let us hide in the shadows, ONI!" Naruto shouted out, his black suit quickly rushing over his body, if the child wanted to bring out inner power, so would Naruto. "Raiton: Seiteki Shuushuku." (Lightning Release: Static Crunch.) With his arms and legs now covered in lightning, Naruto felt very little resistance with his movements, plus the added speed boost from his Oni suit helped, Yugao was just barely managing to keep up with the armoured Uchiha.
Every now and again the pair would part, one of them being knocked back, skidding across the water for a little. Naruto bumped his fists together, the lightning around them growing in intensity. He quickly moved forward across the water, lightning arcing from his back, propelling him even faster, waves of water splashing around from the power the two combatants were radiating. A solid right hook landed on the scared side of Yagura's face, a resounding crunch splitting through the air. Naruto did not relent, a quick elbow smashing the childs head down to the lake, a lifting kick to bring him up into the air, where Naruto showed him the power of his lightning, combo after combo taking the duo higher. The pressure getting to an almost unbearable level, Naruto give one final push, placing himself above the current Mizukage.
Looking at the clouds around him, he knew he would be fine for this technique, raising his right hand into the air, a sad smile covered his masked face. "Kirin. Be extinguished in the thunder clap." Bringing his hand down a large dragon tore through the air, carrying the young kage with him to the lake, exploding on impact. A sigh left Naruto's mouth before he noticed something.
"KIT WE'RE FALLING!"Screamed his tenant, Naruto was already well aware of the fact, his body descending towards the water at a rapid pace, because of his height, he was able to see a large shadow beneath the water, it broke the surface.
"Why do I always get the people that just won't die."
Yagura had fulling transformed into the sanbi, which was heading straight for Naruto, the Uchiha was caught in the air, unable to move fully, watching as the beast opened its jaws. He brought his right hand down, in an attempt to summon Sakura, it proved to be useless, It was strangely odd he had never had an issue summoning her before. "I am not going to be breakfast to some stupid turtle." His left side exploded with fire, pushing him off to the side, his body clipped the side of the beasts mouth causing him to gasp in pain, pushing off with his legs he headed for the water, blood flowing freely from his left side.
"Kit!"
"Kurama, I know ok, please, I am trying to work here, just stop the bleeding." Naruto bit back at the fox, his right hand currently holding where his left arm should be, he looked up to see the turtle on its return trip. "Kurama, remember that technique you banned me from working on?"
"Naruto don't, I doubt your body can keep up at the moment."
"Kurama, if we don't stop him, who will?"
The large fox grunted, quickly diverting his attention to reduce the rate at which Naruto was losing blood, the black haired Uchiha dashing across the water, making some distance between himself and the sanbi. His Oni suit falling away to reveal his broken and battered Uchiha armour, blood running from the corner of his mouth. His right hand was a blur, running through the insane amount of seals he needed for this technique, not to mention having to add more because he was using one hand, meaning he had to mold it inside his body.
Naruto had to channel large amounts of chakra to his feet just to stay afloat, the Sanbi returning to water displaced much more than he had originally thought. The beasts head reared above the water, a heavy concentration of chakra forming in front of its mouth, slowly compacting into a dark ball.
Naruto having finished his hand seals breathed into his hand, a large green/white rod appearing, its form wavering from the winds around it, slowly but surely it formed into a large spear. "Kamino Genshi no Namida." (Atomic Tear of God.) Naruto shuffled forward, building a large amount of momentum , taking a final step he threw the spear, putting his entire bodyweight behind it.
It shot of like a rocket hurtling straight towards the Sanbi, a bright green streak left in the sky, the Sanbi's attack having just finished charging as Naruto's spear impacted, pushing the ball back into the beast's insides, its thick shell, slowly falling away, its stomach, rupturing as chakra desperately tried to escape, finally in a big flash, it was all over.
Tai-Long frowned as he looked at the people before him, having just received word from Naruto what he was planning. "Naruto's next jutsu will be the end of the fight, one way or another, you can not stop it in time so, you can pass."
Without even needing to be told again Mei shot past the tiger, not even noticing as he burst into black flames. Mei tore through the trees, able to hear the loud roar of crashing waves. She appeared watching as Naruto pulled back to throw the spear, against the Sanbi. She had never seen a bijuu so close before, she was scared even when it's attention wasn't aimed at her, she could only wonder how Naruto must feel, the turtle's attack being pushed back inside of its body, the look of fear present on its face.
The Sanbi lurched forward, its stomach buckling under the pressure before finally giving way, exploding upwards in a beautiful green light that pierced the clouds that loomed above, from the corner of her eyes she saw Naruto flying through the air, her body moving at speeds she didn't know she possessed, barely reaching him in time before he crashed into the ground, Mei attempted cushion his fall, completely forgetting about the fact that he weighed more, plus he was wearing armour and currently flying through the air, her body was tossed aside like a ragdoll.
Naruto's momentum too great for her alone to contain, his travel was slowly broken, along with the many trees that slowed him to a stop. Mei hurried to where he landed, almost falling to the ground in shock. His body lay still inside the trench he had caused. It was only now that she noticed his missing arm, running down to slowly pull him out. His armour was near destroyed, barely holding onto his body, blood slowly oozing from his wounds, his 'flight' having opened up his arm again.
She rested him on her lap, sitting there, unable to do anything, she didn't have any medic training, Naruto was the one that did. If only their positions were reversed, she knew he would be able to fix her in no time. Ao and Kunkaru both arrived later, grimacing upon seeing the scene before them, thankfully, they had thought to bring a squad with medic training, they quickly removed the man from Mei's hold.
Said woman did not agree nor make it easy for them to take him away, put it happened nonetheless, Naruto lay on a stretcher, four sets of green hands hovering over his body. "He is going to be unstable for quite some time, moving him now could very well kill him. Also, without his arm, there is no way we can attach it."
"Those not working on healing him scout for the missing arm." Mei ordered, the ninja gulped but moved out quickly.
"Mei we all saw that explosion..."
"I don't care Ao, if there is a chance, thats enough. How is the fight going?" She asked nervously, her eyes not leaving the form of the Uchiha before her.
"With Yagura out of the way, we should be entering the final stages." Ao stated clearly, giving a small bow.
"Ao, can I trust you to watch over the medics and Naruto?" Her question caused many to open their eyes wide, thinking that she would stay by the side of the Uchiha.
"I can, but wouldn't you prefer to?"
"Hardly, how could I live with myself If I let Naruto-kun fight all my battles for me?" She raised her eyes up and looked at Ao, giving him a small smile.
"I can do just that Mei."
"Thank you Ao. Naruto-kun, don't you dare die on me. Kunkaru lets go." Mei took off into the trees, the silver-haired man behind her. Ao slowly sat down, looking towards the Uchiha as the medics frantically fought to keep him alive.
"It would be best if you lived Naruto, the world needs people like you, those that aren't afraid to do what it takes, no matter what it may cost themselves." His words distracted the medics, their heads slowly turning to the man. "Get back to work, you lot are just going to let a hero die because I preach a few wise words?!" Ao roared at them, putting a jump back into their routine. A loud roar split through the air, it was from far away but the presence it gave off was frightening.
Naruto slowly sat up, instantly noticing that the grass he was laying on was much softer than any he had ever felt. Sakura petals danced in the air around him, "Where am I? Did we win?" Those were the first questions out of his mouth, ignoring the fact that someone was tapping their foot impatiently behind him.
"Oi,Oi,Oi,Oi. Get off your ass Naruto!" The black-haired Uchiha spun around quickly, completely forgetting that he was still injured and down a limb, in the end he managed to tumble splendidly along the ground. "Do I seriously have to do everything for you?" She stalked forward, picking him up and placing him shakily on his feet, his form swaying from side to side.
"Who are you?" Naruto questioned, her strange waist length pink hair along with her black robes, were not enough of a connection for the Uchiha at the current time, her silver eyes narrowed on him and she frowned deeply, such a frown looked so out of place on her porcelain white face.
"16 years and you don't even know me, what the hell is wrong with people these days."
"16 years... Sakura?"
"Bingo baka, some great partner you are, don't even know me when I appear for you in a time of need." Seeing that her partner was about to fall over again she moved forward, chucking his good arm across her shoulders, tightly holding onto his waist so as to stop his futile attempt at overcoming gravity.
"Time of need? Why didn't you help me against the Sanbi then?" Naruto nearly roared at the girl, sadly his body would not let him do such an act.
"Simple, you were panicking, I don't want some loser who can't keep their head in battle touching me, but you made it through and here we are, good job by the way." She flicked her long hair out of her face, hefting Naruto across to a group of chairs, gently putting him down. "Do you want some tea or anything?" Sakura motioned to her hands where she made a small kettle and a few cups, Naruto gladly nodded, reaching forward to take one only to have his hand slapped away.
"What was that for?" Naruto questioned looking at the hand she had hit away.
"You have no manners, when a lady pours tea you wait for her to give it to you, don't just go snatching things." the pinkette gave him a deadpanned expression.
"This has got to be the stupidest thing I have ever done." Naruto moaned, trying to bang his head on the table, only to find a pillow where he had attempted the action.
"Jeez your telling me, here I am being all nice, offering you drinks helping you to walk, yet you can't even show something as simple as manners, you haven't even said thank you yet."
"Why would I thank you? All you have really done so far is scold and insult me."
"For helping you walk, are you even listening to me Naruto?" Sakura groaned out, slowly pushing his tea across to him.
"This is tiring, how do I get out of here, there is a fight going on outside if you haven't noticed." Naruto looked across to the pinkette who seemed more than content to just sit there and drink her tea.
"Oh you can't leave until we are done talking, also the fighting is over, some lady called Mei is just sleeping beside your hospital bed now, she is pretty, are you two dating?" The pinkette questioned innocently. Seeing the look in Naruto's eyes she sighed. "Of course you aren't, you are still trying to repent for what you have done, has anyone ever told you how much of an idiot you are?"
Naruto slowly rose his brow, looking across at the woman that claimed to be his sword. "No they haven't, also how would you know what I am or not doing?"
Sakura tightened her fists, slamming them down on the table and leaning in close to Naruto, a deep glare on her face. "BECAUSE I AM A PART OF YOU IDIOT! FUCK! I THOUGHT YOU WOULD HAVE NOTICED BY NOW!" The two started at one another, Sakura taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Naruto's incredible ability to enrage her was ever present at the moment.
"Ok what do you wish to talk about then?" Naruto breathed out with a sigh, while this was a new experience, it was beyond tiring.
Sakura let out a small groan, letting her head strike against the table. "I want you to remember, remember the words you spoke so long ago. Thats why I have been making you relive your changing point. You have lost your drive, the thing that kept us bound together, we can not fight together like this."
"What do you mean, I have been able to use you fine, your legendary ability to cut anything is still working fine." Naruto questioned, looking across at Sakura the pinkette still had her head against the table.
"Wow, you can use a sword to cut things, isn't that something special." The black clad female bit out, not bothering to look up. "Naruto, you are an idiot, I was honestly hoping you would figure out how to talk to me by yourself, but no, you became focused purely on your own skills, never wondering if I could be something more than just a sword." A pang of sadness ran throughout her words, her finger tracing a circle on the table.
"I understand, you are not just some standard blade, I can quite clearly see otherwise." Sadly Naruto was unable to hear the tone of her voice, his remark came across as sarcastic to the pinkette.
"Well what am I then smartass?" Upon not getting a response from her wielder she sighed, slowly lifting her head to look at the Uchiha. "I'm a demon blade you jackass, my kind has been around since before humans walked the earth, we are ancient, self-repairing blades of incredible strength. The fact that I seem to have been branded with an idiot for a wielder saddens and infuriates me greatly. Zabuza has a better relationship with his sword than you do, his is just a piece of special metal, pelted with chakra, I am made from about the same amount of youki as the Ichibi."
Naruto slowly nodded his head, not understanding what she was saying at all. "So you're ageless?"
"Is that really all you took from that?"
"Sakura you are going to have to forgive me, I think I may have been given something to help with the pain, my mind is all muddled and unclear. Gomem Sakura." His words caused her silver eyes to widen, her body slowly breaking apart and forming in his hand again. "Sakura? What's happened?"
"I liked hearing that from you, so now you will have to say it whenever you wish to summon me." As she was speaking the pink seal on Naruto's forearm came to life, its formula rearranging its shape, finally settling on a petal, the pun was not lost on the Uchiha.
"So to summon you, I just say Gomen Sakura, correct?"
"Yep." Replied the blade in his hand.
"We still aren't cool are we?"
"Not even close, you are a royal asshole, a pain in the ass and even a loser at times, but for now, I will still work with you." Her words caused Naruto to lower his head, remembering Yugao running away from him, tears rolling down her cheeks. Seeing the expression on his face Sakura let out a small sigh. "Hey Naruto, I didn't really mean it."
"No you are right." He was never able to ask the most important question. With a new fire burning in his eyes Naruto looked at the sky around him, its form slowly changing.
"You ready for this?"
"Lets make this the final time. It is a nightmare that I don't care to keep repeating." With a hesitant nod Naruto strode forward, deep black tendrils exploding from the air and wrapping around him tightly. Sakura falling to the ground as Naruto vanished, slowly transforming back into her human form.
"Its up to you to remember Naruto, please return to what you were." Her eyes closed slowly, her right hand extending into the air, slowly breaking apart into her namesake.
Project One
Naruto's team tore down the halls, they were completely exhausted, but the laboratory was clean. The piles of bodies became more and more numerous as the reached closer to where Crusher's squad was.
His black hair flowing behind him as he crashed into the room, Sarashi, Kaname. Both dead, their necks broken, chests torn open. Naruto bit back the feeling behind his eyes. His choice had lead them to this. His feet felt so heavy, lifting them across the ground, searching for his long time friend. "Rusty? Rusty you ok?"
The sound of heavy breathing alerted him to someones presence, quickly he moved across to see the pained face of Rusty. "Hey*cough* Naruto, you missed one hell of a party here." Naruto laid the man down on the ground, his hands glowing green as the moved across his body. Rusty weakly brought a hand up and pushed them away.
"Rusty you are going to be ok, just let me finish healing you." Naruto pleaded only for the slim man to give a small smile.
"I'm already dead, but atleast I was able to give the others time to escape right?" The boy finished with a rough cough, Naruto didn't even look back, he stayed looking at his friend.
"I haven't seen them so you did a good job Rust." Naruto lied, the action caused Rusty to frown.
"You never could lie to me, in the end I guess it was hopeless after all, oi Naruto, make sure you look after your squad, for me yeah?"
Naruto could only nod to his friend, a small trail of tears broke through his defenses falling down and splashing against the boys face causing his eyes to go wide, slowly he broke out into a small pained laugh. "Never thought it would rain inside. I guess I must be seeing things eh Naruto?"
"You must be Rust, I promise though, I will get them both out of here."
"I know you will keep it Naruto, after all, a Uchiha never goes back on his word right?" They both chuckled weakly, Naruto sucking his lips tight and nodding.
"Yeah Rust, we always keep our word."
"After you get out of here, try living for yourself for a while, maybe take a little break, work on your jutsus a little, you know, the fun stuff."
"I already know what to live for Rust, thanks for everything, friend." The pulse had left the body in his arms, Naruto took a deep breath closing the eyes of his friend, slowly putting him down on the ground. A loud crash ran through the room, a hulking behemoth walking through a cloud of dust.
"Hey Taichou, it looks like the mission is complete, why don't we go, report in?" Crusher's voice had gotten deeper, his figure larger, his skin darker.
"Sadly Crusher, I was asked to make sure nothing escaped, you have indeed become something... more than Crusher." Naruto tried to summon lightning chakra around his hands, only to find his reserves were next to empty.
Crusher clenched his fists, the shuriken launcher being crushed under the pressure, leaving the projectiles in his hand. "I told you this junk is useless, in a battle between shinobi, it is skill and power that will prevail, not technology, looking at it now though, we are both out of chakra, so what are you going to do Taichou?"
Naruto let a smirk spread over his face. "You're right, I am out of chakra, you simply gave yours up, but that won't stop me from keeping my promise." Naruto tightened his fists, looking across at Crusher, seeing a smirk slowly spread across the mans face.
"You mean to keep these two alive?" The large man bending down and picking up to bodies, tossing them across the room without a care for their safety. "They are still alive, but if you lose, I will have some fun with them eh?"
"You're a monster, were you always this way Crusher?" Naruto spat, his eyes darted over to the two girls, his thoughts in turmoil.
"You need a monster to kill a monster Taichou, didn't your parents ever tell you that? Oooops." With a small chuckle the man dashed forward, rearing his fist back and sending it down at the unmoving Naruto, the young Uchiha rose his hand catching Crusher's strike, the floor buckling under the pressure.
"Kurama, he is a monster that you can't even compare to, yet even he has his standards, now you shall fall prey to his power, as I said, I am out of chakra." Naruto brought his free hand up, pulling it back and launching it forward, Crusher's body bending from the force as he was sent flying back. "I am going to need you to keep this coming Kurama, I won't be able to beat him with my reserves."
"Give him hell Naruto, show him what we are when we work together."
The words of the large fox filled Naruto with confidence, an orange aura flying around the Uchiha, burning the ground beneath him, he slowly strode forward, watching Crusher pull himself out from under some rubble. "Is this what makes you so fearsome Taichou?" Crusher snapped his head to the side, the sound resonating through the room.
"Hardly, this is the second time I have had to use this power, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but then again, watching loyal Anbu being turned into monsters that no longer care for their comrades tastes much worse." Naruto let his eyes close, flames exploding from his body, slowly reeling in and covering his form, like a flaming avatar.
"Show me what you got Taichou, I ain't going to make this easy." The monster charged forward, intent on striking Naruto down, the Uchiha was completely un-phased by the action, at the last moment he moved his body to the side narrowly dodging the strike.
"Crusher, I just thought I would let you know, you will die here, I will walk away. Taking my team to the surface and escaping this cursed place. This is because I have a promise to hold onto, a new lease on life, I WILL PROTECT MY NAKAMA!" Faster than he had ever moved, Naruto slammed a fist into the beast before him, lifting him into the air, vanishing and appearing above him his leg raised into the air, bringing it down with blinding force sending the creature to the ground.
Naruto appearing above the man without giving him a moments rest, his flame covered body pounding Crusher into the ground, deeper and deeper, with a sickening roar to the heavens Naruto's hands moved to the creatures head, gripping it tightly, snapping it right around before tearing it off completely, holding the head in his hands he slowly stood up, his form staggering as the fire died down, he dropped the skull to the ground, bringing his foot down on top of it, the final parts of the flames leaving a moment later, fragments of bone were able to be seen in Naruto's hands and feet.
Nevertheless he dragged his body forward, picking up Hanayuki and Kagemena, looping their arms around his neck as he carried them forward, his arms felt like they were about to drop off, but that didn't matter right now. He would keep his promise to Rusty.
They made it out of the labs, all he had left to do was report in, he heard voices on the other side, he pressed his communicator on with his shoulder, sighing in relief as the ramblings became loud, putting strain on his hearing, at the moment though, it was gladly accepted. "Captain Oni reporting in, mission complete."
"H-hai Taichou, we will open the doors right away."
"We're going to need a med-" Naruto fell forward, his body no longer able to keep up, he saw the door slide open and blurs of faces around him. 'I did it Rusty, just like I said I would.' He gladly let the darkness take over, he was too tired to resistance any more.
Beeping, sterile and bright lights. Naruto groaned as he slowly came to, figuring he was in a hospital, no other place would call all of this crap helping people. A tall blonde haired figure was standing at the edge of his bed. Naruto's eyes slowly became clearer allowing him to make out the form of his father.
"Captain." The Hokage stated giving a small nod of the head.
"Hokage-sama." Naruto replied back just as quick, even though his throat was dry, causing it to come out much softer.
"The events that you remember, never happened, forget about them. This disaster is to be labeled Project One. A Black Op, the majority of its contents will be removed, so it is best if you just forget it." The serious tone in Minato's voice was one not many would question.
"Why that name?"
"There was only one survivor. They didn't make it Naruto." Seeing the defeated look on his sons face Minato left, he didn't know how to comfort him, nor did he feel it was his place, the two had grown so distant that he would probably cause more harm than good.
Naruto's fists clenched tightly balling the bedsheets up as he slammed his hands into the bed, finding even though he was in such a state, he felt much stronger than before. "I-its not fair, we were right there, WE WERE RIGHT FUCKING THERE!" The Uchiha roared no longer able to pretend to be strong, he let his emotions take over, slowly crying himself to sleep.
Present Time.
Naruto felt something prick at the back of his eyes, he slowly looked around finding himself back where Sakura had been before. "Are you happy? I remembered my words, I remembered the helpless feeling. Is this what you wanted?" Naruto roared, no longer caring if he went mute because of it, Sakura quickly appeared in a swirl of cherry blossoms.
Standing in front of the Uchiha with her arms crossed under her chest. "When you fused with Kurama, even though it was for such a sort amount of time, you felt invincible correct?" She didn't even bother looking up, he was going to be angry for quite some time, that was understandable.
"What I am trying to say is, if you keep focusing on your own strength, you will never become as strong as you were then, allowing Kurama and myself to help you is where you will gain your strength, stop trying to shoulder everything by yourself." Slowly she walked forward, putting her arms around Naruto.
"You hate me don't you?" Her question seemed so innocent, spoken by her soft voice.
Naruto slowly raised his right arm, letting it circle around Sakura holding her tight, causing the girl to flinch. "Hate is such a strong word, I am livid at having to go through that again, but not at you, it wouldn't be fair, instead my anger will be directed at a certain snake."
Her arms tightened around his injured body. Causing a small gasp of pain from the Uchiha. Her silver eyes looked up and fright. "Ah gomen Naruto." She squealed out, his look of pain slowly turned to smile.
"Gomen Sakura, Gomen Naruto. Should those be our phrases to one another?" His question caused her head to tilt to the side.
"What do you mean?"
"I apologise when I summon you, you apologise when you lend me power." Naruto stated simply, looking down at his partner.
"What makes you even think I can lend you my power? Plus why would I say sorry for helping you?" Her questions caused Naruto to smile wider.
"You said allowing yourself and Kurama to help me, is where I will gain strength. This makes me think that we too can enter a stage like Kurama. If we can, it will hurt like hell, much like Kurama's did, seeing it was an invasion of his demonic chakra, you said you were a demon sword, making me think you would carry the same, is this true?"
Sakura had the decency to look away sheepishly. "Even when you are drugged, your mind is sharper than you lead on. Yeah we can, and while it will hurt, I still think your phrase is silly, but I accept. Time for you to go back Naruto, it's almost time for you to wake up, also, I may have a solution to your arm later down the track." Sakura didn't give him a chance to respond before sending him out of her world.
Beeping, bright lights and sterile smell, he was in a hospital again. His eyes slowly drifting open, Mei was asleep on his sole remaining arm, he gently moved it without waking her, looking over his body for a few moments, moving to the side and turning off the machines, slowly pulling the plugs from his body. Now that he was awake he would be able to heal himself much faster than they could anyway.
He quickly made sure that his hospital gown was done up so he could move through the halls, finding the task rather difficult one-handed, but it was completed nevertheless. He slowly opened the doors and walked down the hall, leaning against the wall every now and again so as to not fall over, he found a few nurses talking to each other, making sure to let them know he was approaching. "Hey, I was wondering if I could get some food? I am a little hungry."
One of the nurses looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "Room and patinate name?"
"I don't know the Room number, but I'm Uchiha Naruto?" He rubbed the back of his head waiting for a response.
"I am not impressed with your joke, Uchiha-san helped us greatly, please do not diminish his efforts." Her statement caused Naruto to walk forward, looking down at her level, his burning red eyes meeting her brown ones that slowly widened in fear. "Gomen Uchiha-san, here let me help you back to your room."
"There is no need, I really just want something to eat, also how long have I been out?"
The nurses crowded around him, forcing him back into his room, much to his protest, he was informed that he had been asleep for nearly a week. A tray was rolled in quietly, Naruto quickly eating, doing his best not to disturb the still sleeping Mei. He didn't know how long she had been there for, so for now he would let her rest.
After a quick bite to eat and some Q and A from the nurses Naruto asked them to leave so he could get dressed, saying that while he appreciated their help, he has never been a fan of hospitals. They nodded in understanding leaving him to dress himself, Naruto found it was a task that was much harder than it should be, he looked around the room and gave a drawn out sigh.
Gently he woke Mei, her eyes widening in shock. "I know this may be a little sudden, but can you help me get dressed?"
Mei merely nodded her head, thinking it was just a dream, slowly standing and helping him take off the gown, his groin and upper legs were wrapped tight in bandages so she had no chance of seeing anything inappropriate, he moved his legs to make the task easier, her gentle hand slowly pulling his pants up, his hand moved down and tied them off, when Mei saw him only using one hand she sighed. "If this was a dream, you would still have both your arms."
Naruto took notice of the sad look on her face, he gently cupped her cheek and guided her to look at him. "Hey, don't look like that. Smile a little." His voice and words did little to cheer her up.
"If we had have been faster, or even if we had, I don't know but you should have ended up like this Naruto." Her eyes couldn't meet his, constantly drawn to where his other arm should be.
"I went up against a bijuu, we should be thankful that I am alive, only losing an arm, well when the Sanbi reforms he will be angry, being taken down by a human, must be such an insult. Also Sakura says she might have a way around it, but for now I will be stuck with it. So stop being so gloomy, I hope you haven't spent all of your time in this room, after all your side just won the rebellion didn't it?" He saw her smile just a little, but for now that would be enough.
A few months later.
"Hokage-sama, a message from Kiri." The chunin left the scroll on the desk, leaving the room quickly. Minato slowly picked it up, tearing open the seal. He unrolled it, it was a declaration from the new Mizukage Mei Terumi, her side had won the civil war, she offered a pact of sorts between Kiri and Konoha, saying she would discuss the issue with him when they met for the chunin exams.
He panicked when he didn't receive any mention of Naruto in the scroll, it was then that he found a seal at the bottom, quickly he disabled it a small photo fell, Mei in her Mizukage robes standing next to Naruto in his Uchiha armour, both had proud smiles on their faces, he panicked noticing that the left arm of his armour was limp, flipping the photo over he found a small message.
"Hey Tou-san, Kiri is a pretty fun place, as you can see the mission is complete, one piece of advice if you ever come here, beware of the turtles, they bit ya know?"
Minato sighed, he got the message loud and clear, he wondered if he would be able to manage what Naruto had on his self-appointed mission. A small smile was on his face, looking at the photo again, he hadn't seen a smile like that from Naruto before, he seemed almost at peace.
Putting the photo down he sighed, the chunin exams were in a week, he wondered who Kiri would be bringing, nearly half a year had passed since Naruto left to Kiri, he figured this message was relatively old, the fact that his son wasn't back yet, proved only one thing, he would be escorting the Kiri team.
Looking down at the forms on his desk he smiled, the rookie genin teams would be entering the exams this year, he really wondered if they were ready for such a thing, but then again, it would be a good experience for them nevertheless. Team 7 he felt had a good chance to pass through, they had been training nonstop since their return from wave.
"This is the stuff you needed right Sakura?" Naruto questioned holding up a bundle of metal.
"Well I don't know I can't see, you put me inside this freaking coat!" His blade screamed causing a few people to look at him strangely.
"You said you were cold." Naruto deadpanned.
"Well now I am not, so take me out and let me see if you did the job right." Sakura bit back to the Uchiha, causing Mei to stifle a giggle, the genins and jounin with them were not sure whether to laugh or be scared at the fact that someone was arguing with a blade, much like the store owner. Mei walked forward and opened up Naruto's coat, showing his Uchiha armour underneath, it was a simple black ankle long coat, on the left hand side lay Sakura strapped in to a makeshift holder.
Mei slowly took the blade from the holder and lifted it up, resting it on her hands as it looked at the metal. "Thank you Mei, at least someone around here has manners. Also thats the right metal, I will need some time to charge, now put me back in the coat, its freaking freezing out here!"
"But you just-"
"I know what I said Naruto."
The Uchiha sighed in defeat, letting Mei place Sakura back into his coat, placing the metal on the counter and purchasing it from the store owner, who just looked happy that the group was leaving. Naruto and group almost managed to make it out of the town before a voice called his group.
"You came all this way and weren't even going to visit? What kind of student are you Naruto?" Musashi moved forward from the shadows, a frown on his face.
"Musashi-sensei." Naruto bowed to the man before him, feeling a small strike to the back of his head. A wooden training blade, he really shouldn't have been that surprised.
"What happened to your arm gaki?" The man questioned, poking his sword in the general direction.
"A turtle thought it would be a tasty treat?"
"What kind of idiot student are you?!" Roared the man, bringing his hand up to strike Naruto, Mei quickly got between the two, raising her hands to stop the samurai, her actions caused Naruto to frown deeply.
"He lost it fighting a bijuu!" Pleaded Mei, looking at him intently, a fire burning in her eyes.
"I heard him the first time girl, I am not deaf. Better question, why did you jump between us?" Musashi nodded towards Naruto, whose arm was inside his coat, gripping around Sakura's hilt. "Naruto was more than ready to defend himself, or are you implying that he is incapable of such an act because of his handicap?"
Mei looked torn to answer, she wanted to say yes, just because she didn't want to see the Uchiha get hurt anymore, but the flame in his eyes caused her to back down. "Good girl, that would have been a grave insult to the both of us." His words caused Mei's eyes to widened, slowly moving his coat Musashi showed his artificial limbs, his left side had been replaced by crude metals. "I too lost them facing the turtle, he is such a thorn. I lost two blades, an arm, a leg, plus my eyes. Do you understand how hard it is to see with just chakra girl?"
"Musashi-sensei, you are currently speaking to the Mizukage."
The Samurai shrugged his shoulders, his eyes looking at Naruto for a few moments. "You got away so lightly, it is safe to assume you killed it? Meaning it will reform in a few years?" A nod was the only response that the samurai got, he quickly turned on his heels and walked away. "Good, I wouldn't let you leave here alive if you didn't, now begone, I grow tired of dealing with you shinobi."
"Hai Musashi-sensei." Naruto replied, his hand leaving his coat and resting it gently on Mei's shoulders in an effort to stop any kind of retaliation. Once he was out of range Naruto spun Mei around to face her. "That man, was the one that taught me Kenjutsu, while you may be a Kage-level, you are not ready to fight him."
Mei looked at him for a moment, big teary eyes in place. "B-but Naruto-kun."
"No buts Mei."
It was at this point that Zabuza had a pen in hand, yes Momochi Zabuza had a genin team, this was the groups destination before the chunin exams, Mei had to speak to the Hokage for some reason so Ao and Kunkaru were in charge until she got back. Back to the pen and paper, there was a rumour going around Kiri that Naruto was immune to the feared teary eyes jutsu, Zabuza wanted to see if he could learn anything from this small encounter.
"In exchange for you not recklessly charging off to fight that man, I shall give you one, I repeat one of my elemental massages in the Uchiha hot springs." His red eyes met her green as they shifted from where Musashi left and Naruto.
"Two?"
"One..."
"Fine, you win Naruto-kun."
The Uchiha gave a small sigh while Zabuza grunted, compromise was hardly an effect way of getting out of the technique, but Naruto made it seem so simple. Mei now cuddled up against his chest as they walked, Zabuza kind of wanted to tell her she was meant to be setting an example as the Mizukage, but he just pictured what she would say. "Zabuza, Shut up, or I'll kill you." Her too sweat smile in place, before giving a small aloof giggle, Zabuza shivered, that image was the stuff of nightmares.
He gave her one last look, she looked happy where she was, yeah he would just leave her alone. "Naruto-san, how long will it take for us to get to Konoha?"Chojuro quickly put his head after asking the question, he had heard the tales of The Black Knight, meeting him in person was something completely different though, he just had this kind of aura about him.
"If Tai-Long feels up for it, we can be there right now." His words were answered as the tiger stepped out of a pool of black flames, carefully striding and stopping before Naruto.
"I guess I can, I haven't really done anything lately. Everyone crowd around, also touch my tail, you may lose a few fingers in the process."
"But its pwetty." All eyes turned to the blonde, she was around the age of Natsumi, her hair pulled back into pig tails reaching down to her shoulders, the girl was overly bright, her childish act was a front so people would underestimate her, a ploy that Naruto taught her quickly.
White baggy pants covered the lower half of her mesh armour, standard blue shinobi sandals for her footwear. Her top was covered by a yellow vest of sorts, a green scarf wrapped loosely around her neck. "Marashishi, please refrain from touching Tai-Long's tail, he is serious about his threat, if you were to lose a few fingers, you would form your seals slower, making our team less effective." A small glare was given to the speaker.
"Haku-chan you're no fun." The blonde cutely pouted but got into the circle nonetheless.
"They all seem ready Tai-Long, can you drop us at the Hokage Tower?" Naruto received a nod from the tiger, Naruto was about to move his hand away from Mei, only for her to hold it tighter, spinning around and pulling his hood up, already knowing what he was planning.
The group quickly felt the pull of chakra around them, trees, lakes and mountains flying past them faster than they could process. Naruto closed his eyes, traveling with them open this way always gave him a headache. Feeling the difference in air around him, Naruto let his eyes open, two of the genin on the ground, Marashishi and Chojuro not used to the method of travel, both Haku and Zabuza stumbled a little but quickly regained their balance.
Naruto looked around, they had just missing the Anbu patrol from the looks of things, with a small shrug he walked forward, the group following quickly behind him, with haste the group tore through the tower, quickly making it to his father's office, the secretary attempting to stop them from walking in, much like last time Naruto just walked right by, opening the door and storming in, walking right up to his father's desk and pointing his finger out at the man. "Bang, twice I have gotten you now."
With even missing a beat Minato looked up with a smile on his face. "It's good to see you again Naruto, how was your tr-" Minato only now noticed the person standing behind Naruto, a small smile present on her face. "Mizukage-dono, its a pleasure to meet you in again."
Mei gave a small step forward and a light blush, "The pleasure is mine Hokage-dono, after all, Naruto-kun here was a big help. But we just arrived, maybe we can do this at some other point. I believe my group is rather tired."
Minato gave a small nod, looking towards Naruto. "What compelled you to fight the Sanbi?"
The Uchiha gave a small shrug, tilting his head to the side, giving a foxy smirk. "Seemed like fun?"
Minato had to fight back the urge to chuckle at his son's antics. "It definitely seems like you are enjoying yourself more. I got your picture earlier today. But like Mizukage-dono said, lets save this for another time, you must all be tired."
"Not really, I am still trying to wrap my head around how fast we got here." Chojuro muttered out, much to the displeasure of Mei, giving the boy a small slap on the back of the head.
"I will take them to the Uchiha mansion, they can stay there for the duration of their trip. Also, is Neko currently in town?" he received a small nod from his father.
"If you head home, you should meet up with her, she is currently training Team 7 in your grounds."
Naruto shrugged his shoulder. "Well I certainly won't get much done here, plus I think we have distracted you enough for some time, oh before I forget, this is the genin team that will be taking the exams for Kiri." Naruto and Mei gave a smile seeing the look of horror as Minato took in their words, the duo looked back to see Chojuro had hidden behind Zabuza... again. Once they showed who the third member actually was, Minato was not as scared. He merely nodded and accepted their papers, tearing off the slip he needed and handing them back to the genin.
Naruto let out a small sigh, it had been so long since he had watched the chunin exams. The Kiri group followed him down the halls, through the streets of Konoha, a few Anbu patrols thought about intercepting the group, but seeing them travel alongside Naruto, they let it go, if the old Commander got into a fight, everyone would know.
Mei let out a low whistle as they stood at the gates to the mansion. "It's still as big and imposing as I remember it Naruto-kun."
"Mei-sama stop being so dirty." An 'innocent' blonde haired genin spoke, Mei turning on her heels and shutting her up instantly.
"That was nowhere near dirty girly."
"Who you calling girly, HAG."
"GAKI!"
"HAG!"
"Enough, both of you." Naruto drawled out, his hand waving in front of the gate and opening it. "Marashishi, you should show some respect to your Mizukage."
"Hai, Naruto-sensei." The blonde pouted cutely, while Mei grinned in triumph.
"Mei, you should not let yourself be baited so easily into an argument."
"Hai, Naruto-kun." The roles were now reversed from what they were a moment ago.
"And you Zabuza, need to stop taking notes on how I scold people, you will never be able to do it as well as I can." A small amount of KI leaked into his words, the swordsman sweating a little from the pressure. "Gotcha, but really, stop writing what I say down, I do not need people quoting me."
A small voice rounded the corner, Naruto felt like crawling into a hole after hearing what they were saying. "And then Naruto was like 'Sasuke, you need to train harder, I would not take you under my wing if I knew you would spit the dummy at the first sign of trouble.' He seemed like a real jerk th-" The small child looked at the group standing at the gates, "Who the hell are you? Better question how the hell did you get in?"
"Sasuke, if you are going to quote me, at least get it right."
"Yeah use a notepad like me!" Exclaimed Zabuza holding his pen and paper in the air for all to see.
"Yeah use a not- no Sasuke, do not listen to that man."
"Naruto-sensei?"
"Yep in the flesh, well mostly ." Naruto gave a small laugh at his own joke causing the Kiri group to frown. "They are with me, I was the one that let them in, any more questions?"
Sasuke shook his head from side to side, Naruto and the Kiri group slowly walking past them, Naruto's coat opening just enough to cause the small Uchiha to gasp at what he saw. Naruto paid him no mind, more focused on getting inside and relaxing, first thing was first, he moved to the bench and gently placed Sakura down. "About time, do you even know how much heat you generate Naruto?"
"Oh do tell Sakura-chan." The flirtatious voice coming from the auburn-haired woman beside Naruto.
"You know what, forget I said anything." With that the blade simply stopped talking, just content with sitting there, Naruto fished around inside his coat for a few more moments, pulling out a scroll and resting it on the table next to his partner.
He led the group through the halls, a few gasps were heard as they looked at the art on the walls. He quickly showed them to their rooms, like always those that were open were free, those that were closed were taken, Mei feeling more bold than last time took the room next to his, the Kiri nin trailing the corridor with their picks. "If you will excuse me, there is something I must tend to." A bolt of lightning struck where Naruto had been standing, the man had vanished, leaving the group aloe.
Yugao was standing on the small lake in the training grounds, her eyes looming over her surroundings, she could feel someone watching her, but no matter where she looked she couldn't spot the hidden observer. A large hand fell down onto her shoulder, causing her to freeze, unsure of what to do now that she was caught off guard. "Hey..." Tilting her head to the side, her cat mask coming into his view, he frowned slightly.
"I can leave if you wish Naruto-sama." She tried to move away from his hand, finding the task to be almost impossible, it was like a steel vice.
"I wouldn't be stopping you if that's what I wanted." His voice was soft, his grip on her shoulder eased up, not by much though.
"What do you want then?" She questioned, her eyes were studying his face.
"I want you to remove your mask, I want to see your face when I talk to you." She stiffened in place, was he asking her to break the rules?
"You remove it."
His hand slowly let go of her shoulder, tracing along the side of her face before his fingers slipped in under the mask, gently taking hold of it and prying it from her face, her hazel eyes widen as they were now able to be seen by Naruto's red. "I wanted to say I am sorry, I was angry, trying to find myself again. I shouldn't have taken it out on y-" He was cut off as she crashed into his chest. Her arms circling around and holding tight, a few seconds passed, she slowly backed up in fear, her movements became robotic and rigid, her hand holding his coat open, showing she was not imagining it.
"It's a parting gift, Sakura and myself will be fixing that soon." Replied almost on autopilot.
"But Sakura is just a genin?" Yugao questioned with a silly look on her face.
Naruto looked at her strangely for a few moments, before it clicked. "No my Sakura not the genin Sakura."
"Your sword can do things like that?"
"She said she could?"
"Sakura can talk?" The Anbu's eyes went wide with confusion, it was almost unthinkable.
"It is a really long story."
"I'm off duty, plus I can smell pocky on you." She poked him lightly in the chest, a small smile on her face.
"Well you caught me." Naruto gave a small smirk, attaching Yugao's mask to her belt, pulling a packet of pocky from his pocket, using his chakra strings to lift one into his mouth. Yugao found the action sad, even though he said he would be getting his arm back, the fact that he had already adapted to life without it showed it had been some time.
The two stood there on the water, just talking for hours, catching up, talking about how they had been training, or lack thereof in Naruto's case, his admission caused the Anbu to chuckle, not being able to picture Naruto not training for more than a week. He told her about his battle with the Sanbi, her jaw was wide the entire time.
"Wait, you blew up a bijuu, using a release no one has heard of before?" Her answer received a shy nod from Naruto. "You don't think that is cool why?"
"I never said it wasn't 'cool' just that is was a stupid move, I hadn't even perfected manipulating the chakra yet used a jutsu anyway, I honestly think I was just lucky it didn't blow up in my face." Naruto looked at the packet of pocky in his hands. "It's empty..." His head slowly turned to Yugao, one of her hands shifting behind her back.
A playful look on her face. "Whats the matter Naruto?"
"I'm out of pocky." He gave her a dejected look, holding up the empty packet, the purple haired Anbu took a stick in her hand, slowly moving it up to her mouth taking a big chunk out of it.
"I've only got a little left, you're going to have to get it though." putting the last little piece onto her tongue, retracting it into her mouth, a wide smile on her face.
Naruto moved forward faster than she could blink, the difference in height between them was staggering when they were this close. His right hand was firmly placed on her waist pulling her in closer, the only things separating their bodies was the clothes they wore, her head tilted up as his tilted down, she quickly poked her tongue out, showing the pocky was still in place.
Naruto's arm snaking around her lifting her up slightly, his breath tickling against her mouth, as quickly as the moment came it passed, Naruto was back where he was before a bundle of pocky in his hands. "Stop stealing my pocky." He pouted at her, both sharing a quick laugh afterwards.
It wasn't exactly what she wanted, but being able to talk to him like this again, at the moment that was all she could ever want.
PA: Chapter 10 done, Project One, is over for those of you wondering when it would finish. The relationship between Naruto and Sakura I plan to have somewhat like Starkk's and Lilynette's from Bleach, as for her powers well I will leave that up for you guys to dwell over.