Die, just to live again.
Live, just to die again.
Believe.
Just to be you again.
Cry.
…on your own
For Eternity.
Chapter 10
He awoke.
He hadn't thought he'd wake up.
Or maybe, he had fallen asleep somewhere and couldn't remember ever falling asleep.
It was weird like that. Somehow, nothing made sense, nor did he want to make sense of it all.
His bones ached—Naruto noticed that the instant he twitched awake, a trained notion of far away Academy days as a check for any bound weaponry. Granted, you'd probably be killed for that once your abductors discovered you were awake, but one little twitch couldn't hurt to check for full body immobilization.
Funny though, how his body ached something sore—like something had happened to him.
He didn't remember, but Naruto felt that his body was slow and sluggish—not good if he had to run anywhere.
Run?
His mind slowly processed it. Why did he need to run, it questioned. Naruto's didn't know either, but he squeezed his eyes tightly even further before hesitantly opening them.
What he saw brought his heart to a standstill, in an instinctive attempt to preserve his life.
However, it was already too late.
Whom he assumed as his assailant thwacked a knife blade just inches before his throat on the wooden floorboards.
Naruto raised his eyes to a seemingly familiar masked face.
Thwack. Thwackk. The pounding of a mace.
Naruto shut his eyes tight again and opened them up once more. The masked person was still there, now twisting out the blade from the floorboard.
Wait…wooden…?
Naruto shifted his eyes around him and found a circle of what he slowly came to recognize as ANBU.
Why so much ANBU for a single Genin?
And then he remembered.
"You—"
"Sasuke-kun..."
The Uchiha looked up at mention of his name, and nodded at once in recognition of his teammate, before turning back to the scroll he had been reading.
Sakura looked torn, watching him ignore her without a care, but somehow, the feeling inside her gut would not settle.
"…Sasuke…"
That hit him. At once, Sasuke looked up, his eyes boring into hers as one of his eyebrows raised.
"What is it?" He asked, short, curt.
Sakura swallowed, turning back to glance around their surroundings. Even at this hour, the library was filled with people. Why?
She turned back to Sasuke, who was still watching, still waiting for the answer. Her mouth felt dry as she tried to think about her hypothesis, her opinion, what she would say to him, how she could prove it to him, how they would do what they needed to do after that…!
There was too much to think ahead about. There was not enough time, she knew that, there was not enough, not at all.
She glanced at a shinobi who was carefully scrutinizing the huge assortment of scrolls before him, as though casually glancing at them and contemplating about which one he'd like to read first. But Sakura knew better. His pose said everything.
He was stiff, and he was thinking too long. She recognized that shinobi as the one who often came to the library archives to rouse up his friends. He was always loud and never soft. All his actions were impulsive—just like Naruto, she couldn't help but think.
Her mind felt dizzy, because this was so strange. When she had left home, the streets had been packed. When she had gone to visit Ino, her family's shop had been packed, with Ino nowhere to be found. In the training grounds for the other Genin teams, there were strangers practicing there instead of the usual Rookie Nine—even Team 7's normal training grounds.
Kakashi-sensei, nowhere to be in sight.
And a hard-gazed man in his place, storming over and throwing her out while his Genin team looked at her with smug sneers on their otherwise emotionless faces.
It…
In a sense, it was all…so…
"Erie…" She whispered. "Was this all planned?"
At once, the shinobi at the scrolls stiffened and Sasuke narrowed his eyes, coldly turning his back on her and standing up to roll the scroll back up.
"Sakura." Sasuke said, his voice monotone and devoid of anything. "Just calm down." If there had been anything, she didn't notice it, for Sakura was much too occupied with the shinobi at the scroll rack who had just too casually selected a scroll and opening it to view the inside.
The scroll was empty—blank, of course, because that was the blank scrolls pile you could take and pay for at the front desk of the library. And yet it was still held open, like he wasn't really concentrating.
Immediately, Sakura rushed forward and grasped Sasuke by the hand, shaking him.
"Sasuke-kun, we have to hurry-!"
Sasuke held up a hand, and she stopped.
"Calm down."
"But I can't, that's the thing-! Sasuke-kun, I think Naruto—"
Immediately, Sakura felt the atmosphere turn heavy, and Sasuke sighed, shaking his head.
"Come with me." He said, depositing the scroll back onto the shelf. "We'll have to go there ourselves, apparently."
As she hurriedly followed him out, Sakura couldn't help but wonder why his speed was so…so…
"Why aren't we hurrying!? Naruto needs—"
"Stop saying his name. You're drawing attention to us."
"What?" Sakura was confused. "What are you talking about, Sasuke-kun? There's no one here!"
A snort. "You've figured out that much, at the very least, but you still don't… Don't tell me you haven't noticed it yet, Sakura?" He stopped in the middle of the road, hands in his pockets. "This place is deserted. Quite a change from before, isn't it?"
When Sakura looked around, she saw he was right. That was strange…so why…?
"This," Sasuke continued, not looking at her, "is en route to Hokage Mountain. The streets near Hokage Mountain are the most populated of them all, but yet we see minor roads being filled up and major ones vacant. Why is that? To prevent. Who? Probably us. The action? From interfering, that's what I'm thinking. Stop us from leaving."
"But why would we need to leave?" She asked.
"Sakura." Sasuke's eyes were upon her once more as he took out one of his hand from his pockets and gestured to the sacred mountain. "…up there, the entire village can be seen with the eyes of the shinobi."
Sakura looked at him for a few moments. "…this…" she whispered, "Has something to do with Naruto? Do you think?" She added, a little softer at the end.
Sasuke did not reply, and only turned to look at Hokage Mountain, especially at one face of the Hokage, as though intruiged. "We couldn't leave Konoha in this direction if we tried. We couldn't even help." He spoke softly, and Sakura had a feeling he wasn't talking to her. His voice had a tone f the slightest amusement. "Not even as 'teammates', or 'friends'."
Her eyes followed his gaze and they rested on the face of the Yondaime.
What did Sasuke find so interesting about-?
She stopped.
"Sasuke…" She whispered, eyes never leaving the face of the fourth Hokage, "…Naruto…he's…"
Sasuke didn't answer for a while, but he lowered his head and made his way to the Mountain, Sakura noticing and following behind him with a dazed look on her face.
As they passed through the empty streets of Konoha, Sakura couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine. She looked left, right and behind her, but could never see anyone. It was a complete opposite to what had happened earlier in the day.
Finally, she looked ahead to where Sasuke stood, at the base of the Hokage Mountain and staring straight up at what seemed to be several figures on the face of the fourth Hokage carved into the time-worn rock.
"Fire, Sakura. Do you know what that means?"
"He's going to die." She whispered, in a strangled voice, recognizing the symbol for what it really was instead of the kanji for fire. It was an age-old method developed long ago by shinobi who still hadn't mastered the creation of sealing. What they did was…inhumane…
Sasuke paused just as he was about to speak, and turned his attention to her, watching as she slowly stepped back and sank to her knees, trembling. He looked up once more before shaking his head and making his way towards his teammate.
A hand placed itself on her shoulder just slightly before he walked passed her.
"He's not going to die." Sasuke told her. "He's not going to die because he's Naruto. Not yet."
Somehow, Sakura was half comforted by this and half not. The other half briefly wondered what Sasuke thought about all this, but when she glanced at his departing back, she only saw him still walking, somehow, without a care.
"…Sasuke-kun…?"
I recognize where I am.
So he was still in Konoha.
I know where I am.
So he was on the Hokage Mountain.
But I don't understand why.
For treason, apparently, but when had he done that?
Naruto neatly dodged, a very nice from the textbook move, but was quickly subdued as his mind yielded to the pain long inflicted before his awakening. He slowly recoiled from the blow, allowing his body to bend into the attack.
As he collided against the rocks, he felt something crack and instantly winced.
And then…
…time stopped.
Graceful.
Pleasant.
Silent.
Peaceful.
Beautiful.
Cold.
Reality.
Slowly, Hinata went through the motions, her body having memorized the steps and movements long ago.
How long ago had it been? Well over the time she had been with Kurenai-sensei, of course, well over the time she had been cast aside as useless and not worth placing effort on.
Even though the stifling and grueling practices had been harsh, and would've been even now, to her body, Hinata still yearned to be able to practice with someone who cared. She wished her father cared, she wished her mother had been alive to care, she wished for, at least, one person to care.
One person.
The image of Naruto came up in her mind, his grin, his ever happy strength.
Hinata slowly increased the speed, her eyes closing.
While she hid in the shadows of her own heart and regrets, Naruto moved onto a world that was not big enough for him. She stayed in the world that overwhelmed who she was. The vast difference between them should've been enough warning for her to have given up on him.
But it hadn't been that easy.
Soon, she felt the pull of her limbs as they began to tire.
Not yet…not yet…
Why had time passed?
Why had the effects of reality not placed themselves onto her when she had been younger, when she had been innocent?
Why had she been sheltered, only to be cast aside?
A lot of things went into Hinata's head, all cramming up and unable to be answered.
Had she not tried her best? Had that not been enough? A small, indignant voice from her younger days piped up, before it disappeared without even a whisper as it was pushed back down by her overwhelming fear.
Fear of no acceptance. Fear of rejection. Fear of hatred, fear of misunderstanding. Fear of new things, fear of change.
Hinata was scared of so much.
She stopped, panting and collapsed onto her knees, gasping for air.
Why was she so weak?
Naruto…
…Naruto…
Hinata started to cry.
She stopped suddenly when she heard footsteps behind her, but the tears kept on flowing, and her shoulders shaking. Hinata turned, but before she could say anything or at least take in their appearances, there was a sharp blow to her stomach and she lost consciousness.
Naruto looked up at them all. It hadn't literally occurred to him that this too, was what Kyuubi was possible of.
It made him dizzy.
"You know," said the one before, a queer smile on his face, "You could have very well been done with it and called me out."
Naruto wildly shook his head, his eyes never leaving the figure before him.
That one stood, looking exactly like he, with only exception of red eyes, blood-red hair, the more pronounced whisker markings and the overall presence. Kyuubi looked mildly amused at his reaction, and bowed mockingly.
"I only wish to serve you up until the time you officially give up your body, my Vassal."
Naruto blanched, and immediately yelled out as though scalded in hot water. "Leave me alone! Get away from me, you monster!"
Kyuubi had the dignity to look insulted. "You don't see me calling you names that are held in the superficial aspects of your human societies. I scarce say that's an equivalent exchange, but," He sighed, shrugging, "If that'll make you happy, so be it."
Naruto had already turned away, his attention now on the frozen beings around him. "So…this is…you froze time?" He didn't like the feeling that crept up his arms and bound him to the being before him. He hated it.
"I merely implemented a simple procedure I've been hearing about. Nothing more, nothing less…though it is, rather aggravating." Kyuubi made his way to Naruto's side. "My Vassal, when will you give up?" He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"You're not Kyuubi." Naruto said quietly, smacking the hand away and leaping back. He readied himself to attack, hands at where his kunai were—oh, wait. He blinked. He didn't have them. Nevertheless, he scowled at him, and made the seal of Kage Bunshin.
"I am, very much so."
"Kyuubi's a demon! He doesn't talk so…so…!"
"I am actually a rather refined Bijuu myself, you see. After all, it does pay to act civilized. Especially when you're making a contract."
"Contract." Naruto's voice was tied, deadpanned, and his eyes didn't believe Kyuubi at all. "Right."
"Whether or not you choose to believe me is up to you." Kyuubi smiled. "However, you are my Vassal. That, you cannot change."
"It's 'vessel'." Naruto said bluntly.
"Vassal. You work under me, you know. After all, we must welcome it. It will mark the beginning of a new era."
Naruto's eyes were hard. "Welcome what?"
"The apocalypse, of course." Kyuubi grinned cheerily, before his whole outlook darkened and he was suddenly beside Naruto, encircling him with chakra. "Stop struggling," He ordered, "It doesn't matter. You can't stay alive like this."
"I've stayed alive like this and I'll stay alive after, you damn fox!" Naruto shouted, flailing to get at him. "That's it! Kage Bunshin no Ju—"
"A little bird told me your infatuation." Kyuubi smiled as though he was being forced to eat someone's shit. "I find it an abomination. A sickening abomination that stands in the way of our goal."
"Our goal?!" Naruto shouted, enraged, "How about your goal! Leave Hinata out of this!"
"How clichéd." Kyuubi sighed, looking disappointed, before he smiled and perked up again cheerily. His outlook was complete opposite of the swirling aura and mix of chakra around him. It oozed out, and lashed out at Naruto, who screamed. "Oddly enough, you scream like a boy."
"That's because I am one, retard for brains!" Naruto yelled.
"Moving onto insults, now, are we? What a fickle young Vassal."
Naruto was about to retort and reply in a thousand different ways of how he was not some sort of freaking 'Vassal', and that he'd kick that stupid fox's butt all the way to hell and back. Or, considering Kyuubi's origins…up to heaven and back.
Then, for some reason, Kyuubi's face grew like stone and whatever had been in Naruto's mind and on the tip of his tongue had disappeared completely. He could only stare as the Bijuu turned his head as though gazing off into the distance at something, an unreadable expression on his face.
Suddenly, Naruto found himself being cast aside like a ragdoll.
"Ow! What the hell—"
Before he knew what was happening, Kyuubi had him by the throat on the ground. "I'd very much like to stay and chat like this," Kyuubi smiled, "But it appears some of us aren't very patient with the way things are going."
"W-wha—GCHGK-!" Naruto choked as Kyuubi squeezed harder and harder, not letting up. His hands grasped again Kyuubi's, his breaths coming out ragged, forced and his lungs pleading. His throat was squished and constricted and his vision began to fuzz in and out. "…ea…" He couldn't make out any more words.
Kyuubi's almost grim face was the thing he saw last.
Or maybe, it could've been a hallucination.
Yeah, that's right.
Because the Kyuubi no Kitsune was not like that…
Kyuubi watched as the boy passed out due to lack of air. He waited for a few seconds, before retracting his hand, rubbing at the scratches and the blood that Naruto had somehow managed to transfer onto him during the process.
"By the Hellfire, this is getting annoying." So was the boy's plea. He knew what Naruto had been trying to say.
'Please.'
He snorted. He had no use for such a weak-willed Vassal, but he had no choice.
With a heavy, irritated sigh, Kyuubi stood up, and turned his gaze back upon where he had been looking before.
"I would really appreciate it," he said, almost wistfully, "If you wouldn't watch me like that. It almost makes me want to…revert to a state of rebellion" Then, he turned behind him, and smiled. "Because I daresay, being watched makes me itching to kill. It's very unpleasant, you know."
The figure that seemingly appeared there had a single blank mask over the visage. "Kyuubi-dono," spoke the raspy voice of a young woman, "don't make me report you." Over her body was a long cloak that covered down until her calves.
"I wouldn't like that very much, you know." Kyuubi frowned. "You are quite the tattle-tale. Are you a daddy's little girl?"
"SILENCE! I will not be spoken to like that! You will adhere!" She demanded, grabbing the front of his shirt.
'Did you really believe that I'd be that negligently stupid as to completely disregard that?' Kyuubi thought, feeling quite and very much like he'd like nothing better than to give her a good punch in the face. Instead, he spoke a very blunt reply.
"If this is an aide of the Master, I daresay the world will end sooner than anything else." Kyuubi sighed, rubbing his temples. "Would you mind letting go as I obviously want my personal space and refuse to partake in such trivial arguments on rank." His eyes steeled themselves. "I am, as you would say, the very embodiment of one in a rank that is impossible to overthrow in such circumstances."
She trembled. "I'll report you for your insolence! You're not following the plan! You have to kill the stupid human!!"
"And I will." Kyuubi closed his eyes. "Because he is my Vassal."
"Vassal?" She repeated, letting his shirt go. "Vassal!?" High-pitched laughter erupted from her. "Kyuubi-dono, are you mad!? A Vassal of all things to call It!"
"I call the kit whatever I like." Kyuubi put up a hand to stop her as she tried to speak against it. "I know that's just how it isn't done. But I do like to do things that aren't quite expected. You can't really think I'll follow the rules all the way, can you?"
A huge sigh escaped from under the mask. "I can't, it's just not in the regulations." It sounded like she was so disappointed, but she instantly lifted her own spirits. "I've got to go." She said immediately, almost instantly turning to go. "I have to update the Master on what's happened."
Her tone was smug.
Kyuubi narrowed his eyes. He knew what that meant, but shrugged it aside. "Well, you won't need to. "
She whirled around. "And why not!?"
"You'll be dead." Kyuubi spoke quietly, but he smiled beautifully, "I'll need you for my plan, you see. Plus, the Master did mention he was getting quite tired of you. You know far too much, so this way, I'll kill about—what? Four or so birds with one stone, yes?"
She froze. "You aren't…planning…" She ripped off her mask. "You wouldn't dare! There's no way you can kill me without a body, I won't allow i—"
Kyuubi stopped smiling, and picked up Naruto's limp body.
"Goodbye." He spoke simply, and entered his host's earthly form. And in Naruto's body, Kyuubi became one with him.
She inched backwards, trembling, shaking. Just as she was about to run for it, Kyuubi had her by the leg.
She screamed, as he ripped her throat out and began to tear at her abdomen. The organs loosened and fell completely soiled with blood on top of each other, creating a rather serene picture covered over.
Kyuubi blooded those hands and bowed his head.
"I leave this to you, my Vassal."
Blood red eyes glinted in darkness that had become.
For some reason, Konoha was more bustling than ever, with screams, shouting and arguments.
"What's going on?" Sakura asked, panting as she pulled back her hood. Today, for once, Ino's family's flower shop was not open—a good thing too, seeing as the mob of the citizens did not seem to be doing anything but blocking the way. "Ino, I am so glad you guys closed for the week."
"Well, what else could we do?" Ino looked annoyed. "A lot of people just come in and just lounge around, not buying anything, not doing anything. It's not that they destroy the merchandise, or steal it, it's just that—" The blonde gave a short sigh and shook her head, her arms akimbo as she stood at surveyed the several arrangements of flowers she had been making. "It gets on your nerve, kinda…"
"Like it's just a bad dream, I know." Sakura nodded in sympathy. "Need help?"
"Can you? Awwwww…is Saku-chan actually be nice today?" Ino teased. Sakura rolled her eyes.
"If you don't want me to help—"
"Don't be like that," Ino laughed. "Anyway, the flowers—do me a favour, pleeeeaaaaase, Sakura?" She clapped her hands together . "Please, do me this one favour?"
"What is it?" Sakura sighed, but then Ino had already pulled her coat on and was out the door.
"Make sure you water all the plants, the orders for the arrangements are set on the table, and then go out and deliver them for me! Thanks, Sakura, you're such a pal!"
"H-hey, Ino, wait!!" Sakura had her hand out ready to catch her friend, but the door was slammed and by the time she reached the door and yanked it open… "Oh…great…" She growled distastefully, as the crowd outside the shop started to come in. "H-hey, WAIT, you guys can't come in!!"
Through sheer will and effort, she someone managed to lock them out.
"Are you freaking serious!? …how many people are out there?!" Sakura glanced once more at the glass windows and face-faulted. "I'll be blessed to get home." She sighed, before turning turning back to the flowers. "…Ino…I hate you. Darnit, I'll kill her the next time I see her!" With an exasperated sigh, Sakura made her way to the flowers.
The first arrangement on the list was…
"…that's weird." Sakura peered at it curiously. "…none of these flowers look that good with each other. It's so random… Who'd make an order like this?"
Nevertheless, she turned her attention back to the flowers.
Anemone—Forsaken.
"…that's weird." Sakura commented, recalling several instances in which she had to help Ino during their younger days at the flower shop. Ino had been bragging all about what she knew, and somehow, they had all stuck in her head all these years. "And the next is…okay, this is just weird."
It was. All of the flowers looked like they had just been randomly chosen. There wasn't even a flower to base the theme around!! However had requested these flowers was an idiot.
"So an Anemone, a white Chrysanthemum, a Geranium…"
"Forsaken, Truth, Stupidity—or is that 'folly' or something?" A voice asked, as someone peered over her shoulder. Sakura gave a shout of surprise, and shoved them away.
"W-who are—the store is closed right now!" She sputtered, turning to the person who quickly regained their balance. "Y-You can't just come in here and—"
"My apologies, Haruno Sakura-san." Smiled a youth, white haired and pink eyed. His hair was short and slicked back, those several strands of hair stuck out from the parting in his hair. He wore a simple black turtleneck under a similarly black tunic with red cuffs at the ends of his sleeves and at his shoulders and waistline. His pants, unsurprisingly, where also black. "My name is Clisthert, very nice to meet you."
His accent was rather slow and his vowels were very weird, but Sakura managed to understand him.
"Uhm…Ku…ri…su…"
"It really is a strange name." Clisthert looked thoughtful. "But for the time being, seeing as 'th' is rather difficult…or maybe it's just me…but in any case, feel free to call me Chris. There is absolutely no connection to the before mentioned name, but I digress—I prefer this one over my official one."
"Ku…risu-san, I…" Sakura's head swam at the foreigner. "…who are you?" Then her eyes widened. "…how do you know my name?"
Clisthert smiled, his eyes closed in arcs. "…names say nothing, really. But, Haruno Sakura-san, you are very well known in these parts."
"I-I am?" Sakura stepped back. There was something that just wasn't right about…
"I'm an albino, but that really doesn't say much about me in reality, does it?" Clisthert nodded to himself. "Anyway, I'd like to ask you a few questions, Haruno Sakura-san, about Uzumaki Naruto-san."
Sakura's hands tightened around one of the vases behind her on the table she had backed into. "…I'd never sell Naruto out." She hissed, before she flung it at him, taking the surprised look on Clisthert as a moment to recollect herself and move herself behind him.
Clisthert froze as the tip of her kunai dug itself lightly into his throat, quick and controlled.
"…who sent you!?" Sakura demanded. Clisthert slowly turned his head to look at her, but she dug her kunai further in. "No strange movements! I'll cut your throat if you don't tell me within the next five seconds!"
"Haruno Sakura-san, this isn't a very nice thing to do…I'm rather new at this country myself, you know…so I can't really understand all that you're sayin—"
The kunai was drawing blood.
"Two seconds." Sakura hissed.
Clisthert was quiet for a second. "You're awfully untalkative." He commented.
"I could say the same to you." She shot back, right leg slowly inching back in the case that he drew a lethal weapon. Clisthert laughed, as though he knew what she had been thinking, eyes closed in arcs. He brought both hands up and Sakura gave a start, but stayed right where she was.
"I hold no weapon, Haruno Sakura-san." Clisthert said in a cheery voice. "Now about Uzumaki Naruto-san—"
"I won't tell someone like you where he is!"
"I wasn't really going to ask about that, but as you're so kind to off—"
"I'll kill you if you don't tell me right now!!"
Clisthert stopped smiling, and lowered his hands, his eyes opening. "I highly doubt that, Haruno Sakura-san," he spoke, his words icy and cold. His left hand came up and took hold of the kunai blade, slowly dragging it out of his throat. "Seeing as you're still simply a Genin. Not much to worry about."
Blood started to spray out from the wound, and Sakura instantly jumped away to about a few metres distance, watching him through wary eyes. Clisthert just touched his neck, where the deep cut had been made, and sealed it shut with a finger than slowly touched along the length.
"Who sent you!?" Sakura hissed, readying an escape plan in her mind.
There were two exits on the bottom floor where she was now. The one where Clisthert was standing, and one behind the counter and around the back doors. On the upper flower was a set of stairs that could lead up to the roof, but Sakura didn't want to risk it, if it turned out that one of that man's comrades was already there in the wait.
"The Master, of course." Clisthert smiled cheerily, his eyes in their signature closed arcs. "The apocalypse is coming. We must welcome the last member to the group—the preparation time is growing short, I'm sure you'll understand."
"Who's this 'Master'?"
"Oh, just someone very, very strong." Clisthert smiled.
"Why do you serve him!?"
"I used to be able to only change night into day and day into night, but with the Master's help, I've grown stronger." Clisthert opened his pink eyes. "…Uzumaki Naruto-san is needed for Kyuubi-dono to finally play his part. The Master is waiting. We'll need at least one Bijuu, of course."
"But you don't need Naruto for this!" Sakura shouted.
"True," Clisthert nodded, "But Kyuubi-dono has no body at the moment, and is trapped within the body of Uzumaki Naruto-san and cannot escape and seek a new one within the time constraints. Therefore, we have to eradicate that child's existence."
"!" At Sakura's shocked expression, Clisthert nodded again.
"Yes, we'll have to completely destroy him for Kyuubi-dono to play his part in the preparations." Clisthert smiled. "And for that, we'll have to kill off someone close to him."
"I won't go down without a fight!" Sakura shouted, but Clisthert just burst out laughing. "…w…what's so funny!?"
"I was thinking more of the lines of one Hyuuga Hinata-san, but of course, you'll do as well, Haruno Sakura-san." Clisthert looked thoughtful. "But I have my orders. Perhaps, maybe later, little one. Can't have you warning Uzumaki Naruto-san, after all."
He snapped his fingers and pointed at her. The friction created by the snap suddenly brought out a whirl of darkness that was sent careening at her. Sakura dodged, pushing off against the ground, and throwing an array of shuriken at him.
"A distraction, how quaint." Clisthert spoke with a cheery voice but his eyes said nothing of the sort. "Don't tell me you wish to fight with me?"
"Even I'm not that stupid." She said over her shoulder at a Clisthert who suddenly yelled out and collapsed onto his knees, shaking. He did not dodge the sudden volley of shuriken, and they hit him as he struggled to stand back up. Clisthert stumbled, glaring furiously at her, but Sakura just shook her head. "You're weak against genjutsu, aren't you?"
Clisthert froze. "How—"
"I'm using a genjutsu. I've had it on you the instant I placed my kunai at your throat."
Suddenly, Clisthert's body shuddered and he collaped against the ground, blood pooling from his mouth and the prior wound around his neck.
"I see." Clisthert smiled. "I guess that means I've failed, Master." He closed his glazed over eyes with the most effort he could manage. "Do forgive me."
"I won't. Who'd forgive someone like you?" Sakura hissed, but as she turned around, she stopped cold at the sight of a figure walking past her. The blood instinctively drained from her face and her knees quaked. The weapons that had been in her hands fell the flower with various clanks, and she fell to her knees.
"I do believe," the Master said quietly, his eyes closed. "He was talking to me."
Naruto awoke in a strange place.
All around him was darkness.
"Come." There was a hand that was offered to him. It seemed to emit light all on its own.
Naruto looked at it.
Inside that hand lay power, friends…everything.
That hand would give him anything and everything he would've wanted.
It would've given him satisfaction, actual happiness.
If he would only take that hand, he could get anything he wanted, he could be anyone he wanted to be…Naruto could be happy.
"Why are you hesitating? It's only once you'll get this."
Naruto did want it. He wanted to have the power to keep his precious people safe, he wanted to keep his friends safe, his family happy…even if in this case, his family wasn't really his family, but a group of people he felt happy with.
"You can make it so that no one is ever hurt again. Don't you want that?"
Yes, he did want that.
But then again, what did he want, exactly?
"I…I'm not sure…"
The voice was silent for a few moments, before the hand disappeared into the darkness.
"Too bad. You'll never get it back."
And then Naruto heard a scream.
"HINATA!" He yelled.
"I will not kill you." Came the cold voice that brought the icy atmosphere down upon them.
Sakura could not move aside from trembling and shaking—from the shock that initially came with an inexperienced kill, and from the fact that she knew in her mind that she could not escape. There was no bloodlust from the Master, but…
The man before her wore a long dark cloak that covered his entire body. His hood covered his face, and Sakura wanted nothing more than to run away screaming. There was something about him that was just…unbearable…!
"Instinct, huh." The man turned away from her, proceeding to walk towards the still body of Clisthert, stretching out a hand covered in a thick leather glove over it.
Sakura watched in stone silence as something ripped itself out from palm of his hand and ate away at the dead flesh. As she realized what she was watching, her throat grew strained, her stomach felt queasy and her overall being felt sick.
She trembled, closing her eyes and fighting the urge to vomit, and trying to get rid of those images in her mind, as she cradled her head in her hands.
"Tell Uzumaki Naruto that no matter what, Kyuubi-dono will be needed." The Master said, walking past her without a care to her current state of well-being. "To ensure his cooperation, we are taking Hyuuga Hinata with us as a security. As a sign of trust, we will give her to Destiny and Fate. They are, after all, the best judges. And the last thing, to the strongest person in this village…"
Tsunade-sama? Sakura's mind raced. What's his history with—?
"Tell Uchiha Sasuke I said hi."
TBC
A/N:
So now you got angst plot, lack of anything that really is NaruHina, two hateable OCs that I killed off, a Kyuubi who's so refined he's like from the Victorian era or something, rudeness in the form of fullname-san, an OC with a non-Japanese name (hey, at least it isn't Bob or some weird Western name), and you got this author's note. And several other things I hate. You got a rather controlled Kyuubi who doesn't really control Naruto at all (so therefore, no Kyuubi Naruto), and a supposed battle scene with Sakura that really isn't a battle scene at all, and is something I'm gaping at with complete disbelief.
Some things might be confusing, and they might not be where you would want them. In that case, I'm open to any complaints, because I'm deciding that without OCs, there is no plot. There is no plot because a REAL story would not just include everyone known in the Narutoverse, seeing as the world is vast and that basing a story COMPLETELY around Naruto and Hinata is near impossible, if you'd like to try your hand at creating a plot. Which I want to try to do for once.
My opinions:
-Kyuubi is not some big bad fox on rabies/steroids thing that'll eat y'all up (I want a brain on him--a very sarcastically evil sort of evil brain. ...I don't know what I want, either. XD)
-Naruto is not going to still stay a blithering idiot who can't tell that Hinata likes him (so I will shoot myself on OOCness--am I doing okay?)
-Hinata is becoming a crybaby/wimp/Mary-Sue/side character (so I'll try to remedy that, but I'm failing, seeing as I'm putting most of emphasis on Naruto's part—Naruto is cool. But I can't write him the way I'd like to.) (and don't worry. We'll see her side of the story--I hope--but in all honesty, that might not come until later -)
-Sakura and Sasuke are turning from minor characters to main (surprising, since I thought of only Sasuke, but then they're Naruto's teammates, so they have a right)
-I am trying to take this story somewhere serious (and am failing…dramatically. I apologize to those who are getting a headache from my changing of writing styles.)
Somehow this story took a dramatic plot bunny. If you hate it, let me know, and I'll attempt on stomping it flat and redoing the chapter or something. ^^;; Thanks.