Title: The Everlasting Sins
Rating: Rated T.
Pairings: Canon pairings for Naruto, along with slight NaruHina near the very end of the story.
Genre: Adventure.
Summary: A sin lasts forever, even if other things do not. Naruto's debilitating disease doesn't, nor does his hatred. His past, however, forever continues to follow him. Smart, powerful Naruto. Rewritten in collaboration with The Sin of Justice, the original author.
Regarding Q&A: Any questions regarding the story can be asked via PM or review to either me or The Sin of Justice.
Beta: N/A—Help wanted.
Warnings: Language, violence, and moderate blood/gore.
Category: Naruto and Fullmetal Alchemist crossover.
Uploaded: June 19th, 2013 (technically May 27th, 2013)
Key:
"Normal dialogue."
Thoughts—for everyone, including Bijū.
/Mental conversations./
Please note that Bijū cannot "speak" unless their host is inside of the seal, and please enjoy the story!
(Section Break)
"Isn't this the second floor...?" Naruto murmured.
"Yes," Haku confirmed. "This is likely something to keep the mentally incapable out."
Naruto nodded and began walking up the stairs again. As he started, though, he swore he felt a familiar energy nearby. The Jinchūriki dismissed it and strolled to the doors marked 303. He looked back at his disguised temporary teammates before opening the doors enough to go inside. A few people glanced at him and then looked away. He grinned at the response before allowing Haku and Zabuza inside, closing the door after and heading to an empty corner.
"Thanks for agreeing," Naruto said quietly, leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling. "You both look ridiculous."
"No need to rub it in," Zabuza growled. "It hurt enough with the squirt's weird powers."
Zabuza, in traditional fashion of people making look so very weird, had combed-back white hair, an open, dark brown jacket with waves swirling on the edges of the sleeves and hem, a light blue sleeveless shirt, dark brown baggy pants, and brown sandals worn by the usual ninja. He also had a less angular face that wasn't hidden by a mask and red eyes with extremely pale skin that made Edward joke that he looked like a true albino. Zabuza tried hitting him after that, even when he gave him a large claymore. Haku, on the other hand, had a more masculine face and deep blue eyes, tanner skin, and short, messy blonde hair. The bloodline-user was also wearing an open purple robe with black edges and no sleeves with a blue shirt that had a pattern of white-outlined circles. He wore a white scarf, long black shorts, and plain black sandals, too. Naruto looked back at Zabuza.
"Alchemy," Naruto sighed, then turned his head back to the ceiling. "He'll change you back later, anyway."
"Fucking...changing my height was like hell, not to mention the other stuff—which, by the way, he has a fucking terrible sense of style—and he wants to do it again?"
"Unless you want to stay that way," Naruto grinned.
"Screw you, kid."
"By the way, Haku," the Jinchūriki began, "careful when using your bloodline."
"It's because we're representing Kiri, isn't it? They're not the kindest when it comes to bloodlines, but I suppose I could make up a story about something or other," Haku suggested.
"Sounds great. The war and all that, you know."
Their conversation was interrupted as the doors slammed open, making everyone in the room glare at the incomers. Naruto craned his neck to look before biting his lip harshly.
"They're those kids from the bridge," Zabuza muttered.
"They sure are being loud," Haku commented as they began shouting nonsensically. "Look."
Naruto tore his eyes away and saw a silver-haired Konoha ninja approaching the three teams. People kept glaring at the group, even as they began noticing. Naruto laughed quietly when they started glancing towards each other nervously. The silver-haired ninja started talking to them more so Naruto ignored them until Haku spoke up.
"They mentioned your alias."
Naruto looked at him sharply.
"Listen closely."
Naruto strained his ears to hear.
"...don't have anything. Perhaps you could...making a new...for this 'Minor,' then?"
"I'm...well, I...black hair...brown...a bit short..."
"I'm not that short," Naruto grumbled.
Haku hummed lightly, clearly not agreeing. Naruto glared at him for a few seconds, then sighed. "Whatever," he mumbled, making Haku laugh a bit. The duo, however, were brought out of their conversation when the silver-haired Genin avoided a punch before his glasses broke and he retched violently.
"Was that sound?" Naruto whispered to himself.
/Yeah, it was, kid. You know the science behind it, don't you?/
/It just surprised me, that's all./
/Sure it did./
Naruto sighed. /Yeah, yeah./ He looked towards the ninja and saw him recovering, some of the Konoha ninja helping him up. The Jinchūriki then heard a voice.
"Minoru?"
Naruto looked towards the inevitable. "Hello, Natsuki."
"Why are you here?" the girl asked. "Aren't you already Chūnin?"
"Technically no," Naruto replied. "But isn't it a bit soon for a newly-graduated Genin like yourself to be participating?"
"You look no older than me," she pointed out indignantly. The Hokage's daughter looked over at his teammates. "Kirigakure?"
"Long story," Zabuza grunted.
She nodded slowly. "Um," she started, "who are you?"
"Zeku," the Demon of the Bloody Mist responded.
"Hikaru," Haku said, smiling.
"Who're these guys?" a loud person wondered. The other teams, Naruto noticed, that were from Konoha had walked over to see what Natsuki was doing.
"These are...friends, I guess," Natsuki answered. "Why, Kiba?"
"Two of them smell like blood and the other like the sea," Kiba said, scrunching up his nose. He took in their headbands. "Kiri? That'd explain a lot."
"There was no announcement of Kirigakure—the Village Hidden in the Mist—ninja attending," a dull, feminine voice that couldn't be seen stated. "Who are you?"
"Last-minute guests," Haku replied evenly. "We expect your hospitality when outside of the Chūnin Exam's events, Konoha ninja."
The bluish-black-haired girl, who had now approached, humphed. "Don't expect anything from me or my clan," she commanded, "Kiri ninja."
"Take it easy, Hinata," Natsuki interrupted nervously. "I'll go get everyone else and we can introduce each other."
"That reminds me," Kiba drawled, "how d'ya know these guys, Natsuki?"
"Minoru, the black-haired one, helped me and my team out when those other Kiri ninja attacked us," she explained. "Were you there as a hunter ninja trainee, Minoru?"
"You could say that," Naruto answered.
The other rookies of Konoha had just started heading over when the doors slammed open again to reveal the proctor for the first exam, a bald and scarred man named Ibiki.
(Section Break)
Naruto sighed as he stared down at the test. He heard the instructor shouting the word to start and flipped the paper over. Looking at the questions, Naruto felt like scoffing. /I suppose these'd be unanswerable for most people, huh?/
/If the human intelligence is truly that low, then yes,/ the Kyūbi chuckled. /Are you going to...?/
/Damn straight./
Naruto grinned and began answering the problems quickly. He noticed a few people staring at him in surprise, including a few of the Chūnin instructors checking to see if anyone was cheating. He heard faintly a few of the examiners murmuring to each other. After about a minute of writing and reading, he finished and flipped the test over.
/Humans are amusing,/ Kurama laughed suddenly. /Look how confused they are!/
"Stupid kid," Naruto heard Zabuza mutter. Naruto grinned again and leaned back, closing his eyes lazily.
/Way not to draw attention to myself, huh?/ Naruto asked.
/Attention's not always a bad thing,/ Kurama replied. /Though, now waiting for the other however-long-it-is will take ages./
/That's to be expected, I guess,/ Naruto sighed. /Whatever./
The Jinchūriki and Bijū duo sat there. And sat there. And sat there. After maybe forty more minutes of just plain sitting there and hearing people being escorted out, the proctor out in front finally announced that it was time for the tenth question.
"Before I give you the tenth question," the proctor said, "be aware that if you get this question wrong, your whole team fails and you'll never be able to complete in a Chūnin Exam again."
Cries of outrage arose. "That's not fair!" one Suna ninja proclaimed. "Besides, haven't multiple of the people here taken more than one Chūnin Exam?"
"If you don't feel up to the challenge," the proctor continued, "you can leave. You and your team will be taken out of the exam, but you'll be able to take the test again in six months. Raise your hand if you want to leave now."
There was a long moment of silence. Naruto noticed that people were looking around nervously at each other, unsure what to do. Finally, someone rose their hand, eyes clenched tight. A few more people followed, their teams sighing. The Jinchūriki noticed Sakura wondering if she should hold her own hand up when Natsuki made a huge outburst.
"Are you kidding me?!" she shouted. "Why the hell would I quit? I've made it this far! I'm not going back, ever! I will continue on, even if I can never become a Chūnin! I'd rather be a Genin my whole life than give up! The rest of you, too! He's just trying to trick us!"
The others in the room began looking around more confidently, smiling. They looked more relaxed. Even the proctor smiled a bit. "Anyone else?" the proctor asked.
No one raised their hand.
"You all pass!" he announced. More cries of outrage arose. The proctor laughed. He started making a speech about the next part of the exam when someone burst through the window.
(Section Break)
Shino sat silently as the new proctor—Anko, the bug-user noted—said to follow them. He met up with the other members of Team 8 and they followed the ninja to the new exam location. The lady explained the challenge, which was to survive five days and get both scrolls while heading to the tower, while Shino observed the newcomers from Kiri. They were unusual and his bugs didn't like the black-haired one and refused to land on him. Shino found it odd, to be frank.
Despite everything, as he ran with his team into the forest, he kept track of them. His friend Kiba's warning hadn't helped his wariness, either.
(Section Break)
Naruto walked along with his team across the forest. "This sucks."
"Can't you just make a scroll?" Haku asked. "Though, there must be a trick on the inside..."
"'Course there is," Naruto muttered. "Well, no helping it. Who d'ya wanna fight?"
"Anybody," Zabuza replied, adjusting his claymore. "Particularly that Kusa ninja."
"Those Village Hidden in the Grass ninja felt off," Haku said. "That's why, isn't it?"
"Whoever they were, they weren't a Genin," Naruto mumbled. "Zeku, you can carry the scroll. We're looking for an Earth one."
"Let's target easy teams first to make the whole competition easier," Haku suggested. "It may also allow us to obtain our scroll, too. Any extras we can destroy."
"Makes sense," Naruto replied, nodding. "Let's go."
(Section Break)
"Here we are," Naruto announced. "A Heaven scroll."
"Ki...ri...?" the ninja on the ground whispered. Zabuza quickly dug his foot into the kid's back, making him faint.
"That wasn't really necessary," Naruto reprimanded.
"Nor was him talking," Zabuza chuckled. Naruto sighed.
"At least he's not dead," Haku interrupted cheerfully.
"..the fuck?"
"Sorry."
Naruto nodded slowly at Haku's apology and shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Okay, then. Let's find shelter for the night."
"Shouldn't we have done that first?" Haku asked.
"Yes, but who cares?"
"Somewhere near the river would be nice," Zabuza said. "Makes washing out the blood easier."
"Way to turn something scenic into something creepy," Naruto joked. "Okay then, to the river. We'll bury the other scrolls in the river, too."
"We won't destroy them?" Zabuza queried.
"They'll decompose," Naruto replied. "Besides, we can't make a fire if we want to stay as hidden as possible."
"Does that mean we're eating raw fish?" Haku questioned.
"I can prepare it so we won't get sick," Naruto answered. "Plus, there's enough materials here for me to transmute some food."
(Section Break)
The next day, Natsuki's breath hitched as she stared down the pale-skinned Kusa ninja. "Who are you?" she asked fearfully.
"My name is Orochimaru," the girl hissed. She began shedding her skin, the rest of her body coming out of its mouth. A more masculine figure came out, tongue flipping out of his mouth. Natsuki shuddered.
"Why are you here?" she inquired, fingering a kunai from her pouch.
"Ask your teammate," Orochimaru replied. "His bloodline."
"You want to steal it?" Natsuki asked, shocked. "But...they're his eyes!"
"Not his eyes," the Snake Sannin corrected. "His eyes are useless without his body."
"What...?" she whispered.
Orochimaru smirked, bringing his hands together in a hand sign.
I won't let him.
He started changing signs quickly, approaching her while he did so.
I won't...
As Orochimaru closed in, her eyes turned red.
"I won't let you!"
Orochimaru tried to slam his hand against her gut where the seal containing the Kyūbi's chakra was. She jumped back just in time, snarling. "I won't let you take Sasuke's body," she growled. "He's my teammate and a fellow ninja of this village. Isn't it enough that you've trapped Sakura? Isn't it!?"
"Why would it be?" Orochimaru asked. "Sasuke still doesn't have my mark. He must come to me, my dear Natsuki. Which reminds me, where is your twin brother?"
Natsuki growled. "None of your business," she hissed at him. "Get out of here and leave my team alone!" She ran towards him, red chakra beginning to bubble out of her. Orochimaru smiled viciously and slammed his hand against her stomach as she came near him. She gasped and began coiling in on herself as the pain grew more and more intense, a fiery burning erupting within her.
"What...have...you...done...to...me...?" she mumbled, starting to fall off the giant tree branch they were fighting on. "Orochimaru..."
"Nothing, really," Orochimaru drawled, smirking again. "Ahh, but I must leave Sasuke with a little present..."
"Damn...you..."
"No worries, Natsuki," Orochimaru chuckled stretching out his neck. "It won't kill him. Maybe."
(Section Break)
Sakura wiped the sweat off her forehead as she put another wet cloth on both her teammates. Ever since Orochimaru had arrived, she'd been feeling awful. Her team didn't have both scrolls and she couldn't take one by herself, but who could help her? It was almost the deadline and Sakura was very, very worried.
It was almost funny when more ninja attacked her and her team.
(Section Break)
The group walked towards where there had been such a large chakra spike. Naruto paused when he felt a faint energy enter his range, making his two companions pause too.
"Somebody else?" Zabuza inquired.
"Yeah," Naruto replied. "A bit familiar, though. Probably the pink-haired one, Sakura."
"I sense someone else," Haku murmured. "Three others. Chūnin-level."
Naruto nodded and inched closer, finally approaching a clearing. Inside, there were three ninja from Oto. "What are they doing?" he wondered quietly.
"It appears they're taking advantage of the situation," Haku responded softly. "Sakura, it appears, is trying to protect them. They're unconscious, I think."
"Want to wreck them up?" Zabuza asked, putting a hand on his sword.
Naruto didn't reply immediately. He continued watching for a few minutes while his two teammates looked at him. Finally, he answered. "No, leave them be. Whether they die or not is of no concern to us. They won't die—at least, not Natsuki." Naruto's eyes narrowed. "No, she'll get through this. If my sister is anything like me, then she'll get through this with pure willpower if she cannot win. If she couldn't then I'd help her. Know why?" He sneered. "Because I'll be the one that will destroy her. Be it her mind, body, or soul, it's mine to eliminate."
The sound of clanging kunai filled the area's silence. The Sound ninja had begun attacking Sakura, whose friends had started aiding her. Naruto jumped down from the fallen log they were on. "I'm leaving," he announced. "You comin'?"
"Yes," Haku said, landing beside him gracefully. "Za... Zeku?"
"Sure."
And, as they began walking, the pair of traitorous, former Kiri ninja finally realised what they were getting themselves into by associating with a kid who hated his family.
(Section Break)
Naruto opened the two scrolls at the same time, throwing them to the ground. A sudden poof of smoke later, Edward appeared.
"Nice work," he congratulated. "Make a name for yourselves?"
"A bit," Zabuza grunted. "More of a name for Kiri, though."
"That was the plan," Ed grinned. "Good job. Hopefully the Mizukage accepts us a little better. It'll be interesting when we return after the final exams, now won't it?"
(Section Break)
In response to Guest (chapter one): Thanks, hun. Thanks. Love you too.
In response to Guest: Ahhhhh, I'm sorry it took so long for you to figure it out D; Absolutely nothing! Wheee~ And the sword, haha, the sword. Yes, he fights with a bomb O_O
In response to Peter Kim: Well, keep wonderin', 'cause I ain't sayin' nuthin'. Yet. :P
This chapter used to be chapter 10. I switched it with chapter 11 so the timeline was more clear. I have also changed the location of the review replies.
I am so tired of school. I keep falling asleep once I get home because I just feel so blah after the day's done.
Ya'll have confused me with all using the same name, haha. I'm so confused?! Look at the responses to my anonymous reviews. Does that make sense to you?
Can I just say (Naruto 613 spoilers, woo!): What the fuck, Sasuke. What the fuck are you doing. And why the fuck is nobody reacting to Minato's sudden appearance? Naruto didn't seem surprised at all...
So this was late because I had to go watch a family friend get her MBA over at Saint Mary's College. That was long but, awesomely, I got a chocolate muffin. It was delicious.
Anyway, thank you for reading! If you review, virtual cookies. If not, that's fine too. As long as you like the story, everything's all good!
Shameless advertising: If you're a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist and Harry Potter crossovers, I have a story called Molten up. It's a bit drabble-y. I also have a Naruto one-shot called A Way to Win, if anyone's interested.