Ah...i don't own Naruto, but I own all and any original characters

Chapter 10


"KOKORO," Shooting towards her friend, she eyed her motionless body with eye's filled with worry and fear. Crouching down next to the tree, she sat at her side placing her back first against the ground. Taking a look at her state, she cringed seeing how mangled her left arm looked. The area around the elbow looked as if it had been snapped in half. Panic filling her, she tore off her sleeve and found her arm to be a large purple and black bruise.

Staring at her face, she was just glad that the impact knocked her unconscious. NO, she isn't happy that her friends unconscious! She was turning a couple shades paler. Pressing her fingers against the side of her throat, she sighed in relief that there was still a pulse. Placing her hands down on the ground below, she stiffened when it was not warm grass she felt.

Looking down, she eyed the small puddle of blood that escaped from a tear within her shirt. A large gash showed underneath making Natsumi feel sick at the sight. Hearing a rumbling laughter, she stopped. Turning around almost robotically, she stared at the thing that attacked Koko-chan.

While it had Mizuki-teme's hair, it looked like a bipedal muscle bound behemoth of a tiger. Black stripes littering his body with two orange ears popping out of his hair. His torso and hands had pale white fur while the rest was an orange color. It was Mizuki…but to Natsumi, that didn't matter.

What did matter was that her friend was injured. What mattered is that Kokoro knew that he was going to attack. What mattered was that she took the hit for her. What mattered was that she didn't finish him off when she had the chance. What does matter…is that she wants him dead!

Eye's taking a crimson hue, the tips of her hair spiked. Her eyes slitting as her canines and nails sharpened to a tip. Power burning through her systems, she felt her vision turn red. Before she could even react though, a hand slammed into her throat before crashing her into the tree. The force of it making her lose thought for a moment as the sudden boost of power slipped through her fingers. Mizuki-teme's clawed fingers prickling at her neck.

Hands grabbing at the hand, she glared down weakly as Mizuki-teme held her up high into the air. His hand tightening around her throat with each and every passing second, he erupted in low guttural laughter. "The failure was right!" Mizuki laughed darkly. "If you oh so believe that the demon brat cannot lie, then it wouldn't matter because you whores do!" Grinning ferally, Mizuki grinned as he slammed her back into the tree behind her. "Breaking a promise huh, how dishonorable for a child of the famous Yondaime!" He laughed sarcastically.

Glaring at him, her eyes flashed red, her grip around the man's hand tightening. Mizuki-teme slammed her harder into the tree. "Oops, my hand slipped!" He laughed. He loved the rush of power that was coursing through his veins. If he had this much power, even the Namikaze wouldn't stand against him. "Wouldn't want you to use you demonic chakra after all," Nose twitching, he looked down staring at the puddle of blood beneath his feet. Grinning, he slammed his foot into the failures side forcing her away tumbling against the ground before stopping a couple meters away. Feeling the familiar scent and feel of the burning, corrupted chakra of the Kyuubi, he turned and was about to slam the girl right through the tree when he noticed that she was gone from his grip.

…Wait…where was his arm? Blinking, he stared at the bloodless stump he had for a shoulder and looked down. His arm landing softly in the puddle below with a splash, he blinked again as the pain finally hit. Roaring in pain, he clutched at the stump he had for a shoulder as blood began squirting out of it. Trying to stop the blood from flowing, he tensed his muscles and watched as the blood was forcefully stopped. Gritting his teeth in pain, a familiar scent filled his nostrils and he jerked his head around in surprise.

Staring at Usagi-chan's motionless form, blood spilling from her sides, he could only stare in empty silence. Facing the Aka-chan, he eyed the large purple handprint plastered around her neck. 'Ah…Ashe…' She didn't reply, but as he dropped to his knees, he placed his right hand around Natsumi's collar bone, and his left on Kokoro's injured side.

Eye's flashing a deep blood red shade, the bangs framing the side of his face lightened to a pale blonde almost snow white color. As frosting warmth seeped into his skin, his fingers began to shine a golden white glow. The energy slowly seeping into their wounds, his eye's returned to their normal blue several moments later. A blood red tint to his cerulean blue eyes was seen, and his side bangs didn't return to their natural blonde state. 'Thank you Ashe…' He felt apologetic gratitude in response.

Staring at their still forms, he bent down and carefully picked them up. Cradling them with both arms, he stood back up on his feet without any visible strain. Tilting his head slightly, he turned towards Mizuki and watched as he forced himself on his feet. His expression filled with mixtures of pain and rage. Naruto simply stared for a couple moments and walked away.

Claws extending, Mizuki snarled and bit back a wave of pain as he watched the demon brat walk away. Muscles tensing, he grits his fangs and glared at the brat in utmost hatred. The demon appeared out of nowhere and cut off his arm, and then grabs his girls and walks away. "Oi…where the hell…do you think you're going…KYUUBI!?" He roared. Even then the brat didn't turn to him. Even as he exploded in literal chakra that cracked the earth, the brat still ignored him.

Slowly getting back to his feet, rage and adrenaline numbing the pain, he roared. A small shock-wave shook the trees before he sprints forward in a blur claws outstretched. "DON'T YOU DARE IGNORE ME KYUUBI!" Slashing down at the demons unguarded back, the next thing he saw was blank cerulean blues before his arm spun in the air. His body swerving to the side from the sudden shift of balance, the shock of losing his other arm caused him to tumble along the ground.

Staring at the fallen Mizuki, Naruto simply shrugged in boredom as he returned to walking. His eyes slowly drifting towards the two unconscious girls in his arms, he smiled. The ugly bruise that marred Aka-chan's neck had vanished leaving smooth clear skin. Usagi-chan's side was no longer bleeding, and he was slightly tempted to run his fingers along her bare side just to find out her reaction. Chuckling inwardly, he stopped, all emotion draining from his face as he heard the sound of shifting feet.

Turning around, his eyes narrowed as a stream of blood spilled to the ground below. Mizuki standing panting with eyes filled with feral rage and insanity. "…what…your still there?" He asked with genuine confusion in his bland tone. Why isn't he dead? Eyeing the large puddle of blood under him, he hummed in thought. Loosing that amount of blood would kill anyone, so…why is he still standing?

'…why is he still looking at me with those accursed eyes?' Staring at him with a blank expression, he looked down at the girls and eyed the spots where Mizuki had injured them. Despite Kokoro's wound being healed, everything around it was still surrounded in her blood. Blood that should not have been spilt…and the bruise that formed around Natsumi's neck brought back unpleasant memories. And that wasn't her only injury. Right behind her head, there was blood dripping. Her shoulders were shifted, no doubt from being attacked. '…Ashe…if you would…'

Deep in the recesses of his mind, said woman stared silently at the scene in front of her. After a couple moments of thought…she shook her head declining. "Naruto…while I would normally agree, you know that this only happened because of your attitude." She had already healed their injuries, and Naruto needs to learn not to play with his food. "No matter the enemy, you should never underestimate what they can and can't do. All it takes is a single mistake…one single mistake, and that could very well be the end." His mistake was that he didn't kill Mizuki the moment he saw him. And for that, his friends paid the price.

Frowning softly, he hummed in thought to her words. Yes…is a way she is right. He was playing around with the bug. Arrogance…something he'd never thought would be associated with him. No…not arrogance…he supposed that he just didn't see him as a threat.

Walking to the side, he placed them softly against the trunk of a tree right beside the other. Ears twitching, he looked up to see five black birds staring at him from their perch. Their beady red eyes gazing at him for a moment, they sparked yellow. 'Ah…so even with her unconscious…' Turning back, he eyed the bipedal tiger with eyes filled with contempt. A gaze that was quickly matched by Mizuki who's form started to spasm every couple moments.

"…You call me a demon…" He whispered airily. "But if that was the case…what does that make you?"

Rage increasing at those words, Mizuki bared his fangs as whatever sense of sanity left his eyes. Oh how he hated those eyes. Blood popping, he charges forward teeth bared intent on ripping out the demons throat. But the brat continued to move just out of his reach. His accursed blue eyes staring right into his own, never breaking contact as he continued to snap at him with his jaws. Those very eyes that looked at him as if he was nothing, as if he wasn't even there, AS IF HE DIDN'T EVEN EXIST! "KYUUUBBBIIII," He roared lunging forward in feral insanity.

Gliding back a couple meters, Naruto calmly moved away from the Mizu—no, it was no better than an animal at this point. Suppose this was the man's price for power. "…But…your debt has yet to be filled," He had injured what was his. He had made them feel pain. He had attacked. He had hurt. He made them bleed. His debt for such things is far from being paid in full. "…I would be curious as to how you gained this form…" Vanishing from existence, Mizuki halted his movement as a gentle breeze blew past his fur…a silent whisper ringing in his ears. "…but your living on borrowed time as is." A stringing flurry of sounds trailing right behind as his body exploded in a flurry of blood. Large gashes littering his body as he dropped to his knees. The life in his eyes dimming to a starch white as he fell forward, the most prominent of the wounds being the clean gaping wound in the center of his chest.

Standing right behind the corpse, Naruto stared blankly at the black pumping heart resting in his palm. "People say that a life should be paid for a life…" He commented to the corpse. "But I find that entirely foolish. After all," Turning to face the corpse on the ground, he hummed in silent thought. "What use is a life is the one using it isn't exactly living?" Leaving him with that silent question, he crushed the heart between his fingers before shredding its remains in a flurry of wind.

Swiping the blood off his hand, he turned to the sleeping girls with a smile on his face. Walking over to them, he felt relief and joy that they were safe. The closer he got, he noted the Forbidden Scroll clutched in Usagi-chan's arms. Eye's narrowing, he frowned. So much trouble just for a fake, snapping his fingers, the scroll dispersed in a soft gentle breeze. The wind elicited a small twitch from its previous holder bring a smile back to his face.

"Naruto," Ashe said. "You mind if I ask you a question?"

'Yes Ashe,' Hmm, curious. Wonder what's on her mind?

"Do you ever feel anything when taking a life?" She asked in a subdued tone.

…Ah…'If I told you I do, would you be surprised?' He replied with a question in kind.

"Not really." Smiling, she sent a smug grin towards a disgruntled fox. But for some reason, she didn't really like the gleam in his eyes. "Anyway, I think you need to think of something fast. With Mizuki dead and you currently on the run…" Trailing off, she nodded in thought.

Confused, he simply shook his head. Of course he would feel something when killing. After all, killing is a simple waste. Shrugging, he simply turned towards Aka-chan and Usagi-chan only to stop. "Ah…curious…curious indeed…" He mumbled. "…If I was a scientist, I would want to find out why…but, I'm not." Eye's narrowing to slits; he turned around with a frown marring his face. "How are you still alive?"

Staring at the motionless corpse with confusion, his frown deepened. A single twitch was all he needed, and a dozen was what he saw in the next few moments. That was only the start of it all. Eye's slowly widening, he gaped as the wounds littering the corpses body began to shift. Flesh that had been obliterated by his wind reappearing through its masses, he watched the regeneration with morbid fascination before vanishing forward into the air. His body twisting in the air as he reappeared right above the rejuvenating carcass, cold warmth filling his being as the wind gathered around his legs. He slashed downwards releasing blades of wind with each spin. His thoughts being too late to hear Ashe's exclamation to stop, he stared down at the corpse that was soon in pieces.

Frowning, he scowled as the regeneration didn't stop, but seemed to have increased in speed. And just as he was about to slam down on it, it exploded covering the area around it in an aura of black mist throwing him back along the air. Flipping back, he landed feet first skidding on the ground. Looking forward, he jerked his torso back dodging an obsidian clawed limb overhead before kicking up with his legs slamming into what he assumed to be its torso pressing his hands on the ground before the attack his bringing more force. Feeling it shift, but not move, his eyes widen as something tightly gripped his ankles before jerking him into the air and slamming him across the clearing right into a tree cratering it.

Regaining his bearings, he jerked his head to the sides letting a familiar clawed hand destroy the remaining support the tree had before falling. Biting the tip of his tongue, he let out a feral roar that echoed throughout the clearing making the being flinch. In that moment, he vanished in a blink reappearing far away from the beast on the other side of the clearing. Whatever it was, it was probably the result of whatever happened to Mizuki's corpse. But what it looked like exactly, he couldn't tell with the ever-shifting cloud of black mist covering the majority of its body. The only possible thing being its sickly golden seven pentagram shaped eyes.

But before he could ask Ashe about it, it regained its bearings and sprinted forward in a trail of black shadows. Vanishing in a trail of wind, specks of black and green flashed throughout the entire clearing. Bits and pieces of red dripping to the ground with each clash, roar's echoed throughout the forest and golden and cerulean flashed. Flashes and streaks of blond and black, strips and pieces blood, the world around them became a blur as the streaks continued their clashes within the trees. Branches snapping, and barks cracking, the force of each contact rumbled the tree's themselves as flickers of the combatant's flashes here and there.

Pupiless cerulean blue's widening, a flash of green shot through the air burrowing in the earth, Naruto's form rebounding against the ground he flipped back skidding along the ground. Small nicks and cuts littering his form, he leaped back in the air as a streak of black slammed into his recently vacated spot. Flipping back in the air, he landed feet first in a crouch against the center of a tree splintering it. Eye's flickering towards the prone bodies of his friends; they flickered towards the motionless black birds before he shot off in a streak of green. The beast slashing right through that tree not a moment after before jerking its head towards his direction.

A fist slamming right into its face snapping it back, but that was only the beginning as it felt fingers stab straight into its shoulders. Pulling himself up in the air, he flipped himself over the beast's body twisting his around before retracting his fingers from the things shoulders arms snapping forward. He gripped tightly onto the back of its shoulders stabbing his fingers in deep before slamming his knee's right in the center of its spine snapping its torso back. Pulling its shoulders back, he crashed the tip of his feet into the back of what he assumed to be its knee's kicking its feet out from under it.

Seeing it twitch, he snapped open his mouth and an ear splitting wail pierced through the night making it stiffen and roar in pain. Lying straight in the air with him under, he pulled back his knees and let go of its shoulders. Pulling back his torso, he slammed his hands straight on the ground before crashing his legs right into the beast's spine. A burst of wind shooting it high into the sky with Naruto dropping back in a crouch on the tip of his toes, he shot forward in the air slamming right into its back once more forcing it higher in the air and into the canopy of treetops.

Landing softly on a nearby branch, he shot forward trailing right behind the beast into the treetops. Landing on a nearby branch, his attention snapped forward to the beast a couple feet above. Wind coiling around his arms, he shot forward slashing mi-air. Landing on the trunk of a tree in a crouch, a squirt of blood erupted from the beasts back. Shooting forward once again, blood erupted from its side as he landed on another branch past it.

As it continued to reach higher in the sky, Naruto trailed behind it shooting from branch to branch. Blood erupting from the beasts side with each streak a green that lingered in the air. Shooting from branch to branch, Naruto attacked from all sides. Blood raining towards the ground below as he continued his onslaught, he slowed down his approach when the beast's ascension began to stop.

Flipping back, he landed softly in a crouch before shooting up high into the air. Both his and its form emerging from the treetops, they began stopping several meters above the sea of green leaves. Rising centimeters above it, he twisted his waist around and slammed his knee into its back. Before it could even rise, he slammed his elbow down on its abdomen keeping his knee placed firmly against its spine. Parting open his lips, a silent shriek of wind pierced through the night as he twisted his body back in a full three-sixty degree spin lying flatly below its back in the process. Twisting his body once more in a spin, he slammed his right leg into its stomach when it began to fall. Lips still parted, he watched as the body twitched but hooked his leg around its waist so it wouldn't fall further.

The beast was still human in shape, so he brought it closer before spinning his body around in the air. His hands snapping forward as he rained down blows around its torso back and front during the three-sixty spin. After gaining enough momentum, he went for one final spin and unhooked his leg before lashing out at it with his left sending it shooting straight towards the ground like a black bullet.

Suspended in the air, he thought it strange that Ashe didn't comment on it. It certainly wasn't normal, and it had a rather dark feel to it, so he couldn't help but wonder. The way she sounded when she wanted him to halt his attack, it sounded desperate, shocked, and for a moment, he thought he found a small hint of fear in it. He hasn't heard from her since, but as he descended towards the treetops, he pushed his torso forward leaving him dropping face first towards the ground.

Wind gathering around him, he kicked against the air shooting down in a shock-wave of air. His body instantly slamming right into the falling body of the beast shooting it even faster towards the ground, but stopped his descent in the process. Wind gathering once more around his arms, he slashed at the nearby branches and positioned them around his body as he continued to fall towards the ground.

As gravity's law finally affected him again, he started spinning his body in a full three hundred sixty degree spin. His arms snapped down branches like javelins as they impaled the falling body below with such force that it twisted its body in the air. That was the first, but then there was a second…and a third, fourth, fifth, and seven branches afterwards throw down like javelins. When the body slammed down towards the ground crumbling its already cracked surface, its body was impaled by branches from all sides. By all rights, it should be dead from how it looks, but no. He wasn't done yet. He was far from dead.

Kicking against the air, he shot down towards the ground flipping over feet first. His legs landing roughly on one of the branches that interconnected with all the others. The moment he landed, it bent slightly causing all the other branches to tear out of its body like whips ripping its body into pieces. Staring at its odd sickly golden eyes, he parted his lips further taking a deep breath of air through his nose. In but a moment, when his feet slammed directly into its torso, its head jerked forward lips spewing blood and jaws wide open. Noting the odd hovering black sphere, his eye's widened when the surrounding mist surrounded it.

Breathing as much as he could with the time he had, he exhaled the moment the sphere shifted. They both fired their respective shots and the world around them exploding in a blanket of darkness that sounded with a single echoing roar of wind and sound. When the blackness seeped away into streams of darkness that dissipated in the air, the devastation in the area was clear as day. The ground crumbled and cracked, the tree's pushed outwards out of their roots, wisps of wind and darkness lingering in the air, and near the center of it, cerulean blue eyes snapped open.

Groaning in annoyance, he winced as he placed his hand face down against the ground falling forward. Humming with unknown silence, he calmed down a couple moments before attempting to get back up. Muscles tensing in protest, he forced himself to sit up in a couple seconds not at all bothered by the numbing pain. Looking around, he noted with a small smile that he couldn't find his girls anywhere in the area. Blinking for a moment, he thought back to what he just thought and simply shrugged. In a sense, they were his. Aka-chan was his…sister, and Usagi-chan was his friend.

The black birds weren't in the area, and he didn't smell any of their blood…well, fresh blood anyway. So that mean the flying rats did something useful for once and got them out of harm's way. He'll have to remember not to skin them on sight next time. After a couple seconds filled with amusement, he looked down to himself and found himself littered with cuts and gashes, but nothing too deep. 'Ah…strange,' He mumbled inwardly.

He was weakened, that was sure, but nothing bad enough to stop him from moving…fighting at his best is another story however. Whatever had kept him safe stopped his body from getting most of the damage. He wasted too much energy trying to counteract the beasts Bijuudama like attack. If it was anything like the real thing, then the blast would have incinerated his body on the spot along with one-fourth of the village. "You're damn right it would kit." Smiling at the familiar grunt of annoyance, he nodded. It was far too weak though, but the destruction around him proved that it was dangerous none the less.

'Ashe, if you're there, please tell me what the hell just happened?' He asked bluntly. His sister's supposedly dead teacher-who he killed-had just come back from the dead who knows how many times stronger than before. He even noted that it had arms…arms that he had sliced off with his own wind.

He didn't hear anything in response, but after a couple moments, a static like sound started sounding in his mind. It was annoying at first, but as time passed, it became clearer as the words '—YOU STUPID LITTLE—'And he promptly cut off the link with a snap. Yeah, she was probably mad. The fact that he just heard something break just now means that…wait…is anything in his head supposed to be broken!?

"Not really!" And the connection was back. "But you're going to wish something was broken when I'm through with you!" She muttered irritably. "I mean c'mon, fighting a Fragment of all things, albeit a weak one, it's still a Fragment none the less!" Really, does her host have to fight every kind of being on and before the planets birth?

'Not really,' He muttered dryly at that last thought. 'But what do you mean by Fragment? Any idea what it is and how Mizuki came to be one? Because if it's something that keeps the normally joking Ashe from acting psychotic then it's defiantly something to worry about. He learned that lesson when he tried to break Gejimayu's and Rock's Eternal Sunset.

Blinking, she stared for a moment and sighed wearily. "I could go on and on about what a Fragment is, but right now, I'm more worried about how Mizuki even became one to begin with." The only one capable of turning one thing into another species isn't even in this dimension.

Frowning in thought, an idea came to mind and he pulled out a small vial from his pocket. 'You think this has anything to do with it?'

Staring at the vial for a moment, she snapped her fingers and the vial disappeared in a flash of white from Naruto's hands and into her own. Fingering it for a moment, she scowled. "Not sure about that Fishcake, but I'll look into it." She'll ask on how he got it later. "And F.Y.I., Fragments generally have High-Speed Regeneration." And with that, the connection was cut.

Blinking, after registering what she just said, he hummed in annoyance as an ear-splitting roar shook the forest. Rubbing his ears, he eyed the figure rising from the rubble humming in thought. It no longer had that misty black shroud to cover most of its appearance anymore. And whatever resemblance it had to Mizuki had all but been wiped clean.

Honestly, it looked more like a full-blown tiger than anything else. There were only minor differences. It had black armor plated skin and fiery orange flames that replaced its small strands of fur with black that replaced the stripes. Stone white claws. The seven-pointed pentagram pupils with black sclera with dagger size teeth and a single silver and black flowing tail of fire. It stood on its hind legs reaching a height of '8'06'' with its hands being human like while the fingers were nothing more than obsidian claws with its feet being clawed paws. Its silver hair had all but been replaced with a trail of white fire with a hint of blue.

'…Ah…is this supposed to be normal.' It was a rhetorical question, but he was answered anyway.

"Not really," Kurama snorted. "It's too weak to be anywhere close to the original, but it's too much for you to fight alone as is."

'Am I really that weak?' He commented after a moment.

"Yes, but I can admit that your definitely stronger than most of those earlier bugs that called themselves Shinobi when it comes to a real fight." Was Kurama…complimenting him? "A trait you annoying gnats called Uzumaki's have in common. I swear that insect Tsu-Teme put your clan there just to annoy the fuck out of me…or to get back at me replacing all of his porno with yaoi portraying his uncles and yuri portraying his sisters as models." Grunting in amusement, he cackled darkly in remembrance at such a glorious prank. "The jack-ass truly believed that he was reading his regular series when he was watching his family all along hidden with carefully intricate illusions. Made to dispel when it got to the good part at the exact moment it would reach maximum effect of horror." Not to mention the fact that said sisters caught him watching it right at the moment as well. A glorious prank indeed!

Raising a brow at that, Naruto hummed in bemusement as the fox went off in his own little world…a world that he'd no doubt find interesting but rather not be a part of for the sake of what remained of his sanity. Ignoring the snort of disbelief, he stared hard at the…whatever it is shall he call the beast. Torazuki…? A mixture of both Tora which means tiger and Mizuki who the original form belonged to.

Slowly getting back to his feet, he kept his eyes on…Torazuki and frowned. It wasn't doing anything yet, only staring. Mizuki's first two forms had been relatively easy to beat. The third one, the shadow form was a relatively harder, but was beaten as well due to its animalistic thinking. Even without staring at it straight in the eyes, he knew it was dead, but at the same time, alive. Frowning, he stood at full height and stared skeptically at the being, and when it looked into his eyes. His body lurched forward abruptly as a leg slammed into his stomach. A fist coming down from above slammed him straight into the ground below.

Claws gripping tightly into its prey's skull, Torazuki lifted the boy up into the air. Tilting its head to the side curiously, its eyes narrowed as the child's unfocused eyes glared at him through the openings between its fingers.

…Such empty eyes the child had. Such a soulless being that walked this earth…oh what could be the cause of such a thing, it wondered with a curl of its lips. Such hatred…no, not hatred…it was something far more dangerous than such a petty emotion.

…Longing…desperation…a distortion had somehow formed in the child's psyche. How it came to be, it did not know, but armed with things such as longing and desperation…the ending would only result in tragedy. Tightening its grip on this child, its mild twitched in annoyance.

Holding back a snarl, it tightened its grip on the child's skull. His annoyance of a host was dead. Such a despicable parasite the fool was. Arrogant…prideful…filled with loathing…it was no doubt a miracle that such an insect managed to bring a being such as him into existence. Feeling its grip on the boy's skull slacken, it narrowed its eyes in surprise as the child's form dispersed in a flurry of winds. The threads of air whipped against its armored hand, yet doing no harm to its body.

…The child was weak…he was still too weak. But that will not stay the same for long. The child will grow, he will fight, he will see, but he will not truly live. He has no purpose. He has no goal. The boy is just an empty fragile shell waiting to be filled. A shell filled with oh so many cracks, and oh so many holes. That once the goal had been completed, the child will return to his empty state of mind.

He had once met a man with similar eyes…only his was filled with purpose, yet only chose the path with the most destruction. To save is to kill. And to kill is to save…that was the man's motto. Ear's twitching, it turned around its behemoth of a body and stared at the child that appeared in a gust of wind on the other end. '…That man…he to, could guide the earth's whispers…' Meeting the child's eye's once more, it watched as the white of his left eye be invaded by an inky black. His empty blue eye flashing a raging inferno of red, it frowned when a dark, almost demonic presence overwhelmed the boy's own.

From his host's memories, the child has a remnant of The Grey One sealed in him, the strongest of the nine, but only without its power. There was another remnant in the child, a pure one, but something completely different from the fox. They were strong, but in the end, they were not the one. Eyeing the child in curious thought, it pondered as the presence had all but vanished. It belonged solely to the boy alone…yet it felt as if it didn't.

A single side to a coin, the man had said, is always parallel to its other. But at the same time, the differences are so abstract that they are truly never the same. The Grey One was a puzzle to it, an endless puzzle that had no end. A dangerous puzzle, but a simple puzzle none the less. And like all puzzles…they are meant to be solved.

Claw's flexing, it vanished from sight. Its form reappearing right behind the child slashing down into his back, only to narrow its eyes as the boy dispersed in another flurry of wind. Naruto…that was the child's name…a child with only a name, and nothing else to it. Ear's twitching, it disappeared once again only to slash down at the spot several meters away. The boy, Naruto, reappeared right at that spot only to vanish when its claws pierced through, the earth beneath scattering in contact as its thoughts steadily continued on the puzzle that was the child.

Turning its head with a short tilt, it eyed the copies parallel to the child swerve around the clearing around them. His eye's cold and hard, but ever so empty inside. The hatred it experienced when its host taunted the child. It to, was without form. Without purpose, hatred given only to its feel, but not really directed at anything. Such a broken child…such a purposeless being…it only eyed the child, not with pity, but with remembrance. For in the end, the child will die.

Taking in a deep steady breath, it closed and slowly opened its eyes in only a moment. Parting open its lips, an earth-shattering roar erupted. The clearing itself being flattened by its initial power while the tree's beyond were felled by its force. The child shooting back in the air had the sense to clamp his ear's shut in attempt to block out the sound. It was a careful move, but unnecessary as it halted its roar and disappeared. Its form reappeared right above the child stabbing its clawed hand down towards his heart.

It would be quick. It would be painless. But it would not stop the guilt. The guilt of ending a child's life before it could truly begin. The guilt of halting's the child potential for growth when he could be great. But most of all, to end the life of a child, who had never truly started his life, was one that would weigh most heavily on its mind.

Just as its claw was about to pierce flesh, a blood red chain of energy snapped the child away. Frowning slightly, it twisted its waist snapping out at the boy's body with its right leg. A snap sounding through the night, it felt its claws dig into flesh splattering blood before the child escaped its reach. Landing softly on its paws, it turned around eyeing the scene in front. Its eyes widening only a fraction as it eyed the blood soaked broken left arm that belonged to the boy.

The boy…he managed to twist his form around leaving his arm with most of the damage. Even when disoriented from its earlier roar, he still managed to counter. Tracing its side, it stared at the red liquid that dripped off its claws. Blood…the boy was dangerous. Looking back towards the child, its attention slowly drifted towards his two companions…interesting…both a doll…a broken being…and an anomaly all in one place, together.

What the fates have in store for such of group, it has no idea. But what it does know; is that they are too weak. They are much too weak for what is in store for them. So in the end, it only had one thing to say. "Show me your will."


(A couple minutes before-With Kushina)


Violet eyes blinking furiously, Kushina looked around her area and scowled. She was not lost. She was not fucking lost here. It's just that the trees keep on moving around. That's it! No doubt her baby is out smashing Mizuki-teme into paste. And if her daughter took after Mina-kun, it's only obvious that her son would take after her destructive methods. After all, who wouldn't want to blow things up to kingdom come, especially when it comes to your enemies harming your loved ones?

…yeah, blowing them to hell is the simple answer to your problems. Smirking slightly at that thought, she stopped walking when she heard another shockwave of sound echo within the woods. Most likely from her son's fought with…whatever it was he's fighting. All she knows is that it's much stronger than Mizuki-teme, and that she currently can't get to said fight no matter how many miles she runs. What was the count…thirteen? At best her baby was only half a mile away when she arrived to deal with those Shinobi from earlier. Oh how she wanted to string them up by their toenails, tie slabs of meat all around them and several packets of hormones on them before releasing the Inuzuka Hounds for desert and mating season. Clicking her tongue at what happened to them before her departure, she huffed. She'll just have to make due to those funny looking armored dogs that showed up.

A small maniacal giggle escaped her lips, but in the end, she frowned. Her right foot taking a single step back as golden chains erupted from the ground around her. The tip's curving back to form a dome like shape as a blanket of blue flames ran throughout her surroundings. The embers flickered against an invisible wall in between the chain links while Kushina narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

'So there was something keeping me here.' She muttered under her breath. Eye's drifting towards the center of the dome, she watched as the conjoined chains began to twist in a circular motion. 'The man from before doesn't seem like a person who stalls. From his stance, while relaxed, was set in a way where he could sprint into action at a moment's notice.' And from what she's seen of the intruder, blood and darkness can't keep a person walking around in an endless forest.

…Genjutsu…no, "Illusions…?"

"…Ara, never really thought someone would figure it out!" A feminine voice giggled in bemusement.

Blinking in surprise, Kushina watched as the sea of flames receded into the forest harmlessly passing by the trees and foliage without burning them to a crisp. A woman emerging from the receding flames in the process. Eyeing her, she couldn't help but frown. She knew that the stranger was a woman, but other than that, her image was…distorted in a sense. Blue flames flickering from her visage as they coiled around the woman's form, Kushina could only make out eerie teal blue eyes that stared right into hers.

"Who are you?" Kushina stated bluntly. She had no time to play around. She needed to get to her children.

Embers flickering in amusement, the woman giggled. "That my dear, is for another time." She replied quietly. "But, you, my dear…I have much to discuss with you."

Staring at the mysterious figure blankly, Kushina did the first thing she could think of. Above her head, the twisting chains clinked, and in but a moment, released. The resulting action bringing a whirlwind of gold that extended beyond its reach tearing right through the surrounding canopy of trees. While watching the destruction unfold, Kushina only had several reasons as to why she didn't stop and listen to the unknown woman.

One: She was no doubt in lead with the other individual who's her husband is fighting. Two: She's keeping her away from her children with this annoying illusion. Three: She's keeping her from murdering the soon to be bloodstain because of said illusion. Four: She's keeping her from her babies. That alone was more than enough reason to gut her like a fish.

"You really are an overprotective mother, aren't you!? Even when abandoning one child over the other, you still think you have the right to have his love." Kushina didn't blink. Gyrating chains abruptly halting, they hang their suspended in the air before their dagger tipped tips curved and stabbed themselves deep into the ground. In but moments, the ground around them erupted in a barrage of golden chains that stabbed high into the sky. They simply stood their stoically pointing into the sky. But in a single moment, the previous whirlwind evolved into a downright maelstrom as the chain's twitched once, twice, and trice before spiraling around the area in a full one-hundred eighty degree dome. Kushina herself was watching in the eye of the storm that was around ten meters in diameter.

Hearing a faint giggle, she turned around annoyance clear in her eyes. "Ara, you really are a violent one, aren't you." It wasn't a statement. "How are you so sure that you didn't hurt your kids with this stunt of yours?"

"It's called mother's intuition." Kushina said with a big, fake, smile. "Now while I should~ question on why you attacked my village~…I find I don't really give a damn about that at the moment." She chirped cheerfully, her smile radiating blood-lust with her eye's flashing crimson. Chains erupting from her palms respectively, she retracted them for a bit so only four links were present before their dagger shaped tips grew in size while the chains stayed the same. Before long, she held two golden double edged swords in her hands with the chain links hanging harmlessly in between. "What I do care about is the fact that you're an obstacle, and when I meet and obstacle," Her grin turning feral. "I tend to tear them to shreds!"

Lips quirking in amusement, the woman eyed her surrounding's for a moment and nodded. "Just as a mother should," Smile still present on her lips, the air around her distorted. Her form clearing as the flames began to flicker around a cloaked form fading into existence. Two tails of sunny blonde hair draped over her shoulders, and teal blue eyes filled with bemusement. "But tell me, with the things you've done, or more exactly, haven't done…" Waving her hand in the space in front of her, the flickering flames that surrounded her spiraled to form a pale blue rectangular panel of fire. The screen shifting with colors as the pale blue was replaced by a variety of dark shades. The most prominent being a deep red bordering black that littered its image. "After all, a mother's neglection can cause a child to do many things." When the image cleared, it showed a picture of a forest clearing a midst in the rain.

Slowly closing her eyes, she turned to face the red headed woman with a slight frown. "…You're not denying these accusations." She noted after a couple moments.

Staring at the woman with disbelief in her eyes, Kushina simply snorted. "Why would I?" Tracing the tip of her blades along the ground below, she shook her head. She was giving her a plastic smile, but the blood thirst behind it had vanished. "After all, I am a horrible mother. You're just speaking the truth."

'…Well she changed moods fast.' The blonde thought idly. "I'm surprised you're even answering." The teal eyed woman smiled lightly. "Didn't you proclaim that you would tear me to shreds?"

A smile returning to her lips, Kushina simply giggled. "Oh I would, but like I said, I only do that to obstacles." Stabbing both blades into the ground, the golden maelstrom of chains around them halted abruptly. Not a single link or tip moving as if time itself had been stopped. Smile still playing on her lips, Kushina simply pulled her blade from the ground. The surrounding links followed behind as they retracted into the earth.

Raising her brow in amusement, the woman's smile widened. "Oh, and what makes you think I'm not an obstacle?" She asked calmly. Flames dancing around her fingers, she stood silent as the entire world around her shattered. The sounds of a piercing roar echoing in the night as the damaged scene from before vanished from their sights.

Putting on a mock thoughtful face, Kushina simply shrugged her shoulders. "I would know if I actually planned on fighting you." Releasing her grip on her blades hilt, she let them fall before gripping tightly to the golden chains connecting them to her palm. Rolling her wrists, she swung around the blades around in a circular motion with a serene smile on her lips. "But still, I must thank you none the less!" She chirped happily.

"Oh," Staring at her in bemusement, she simply flicked her wrists dropping small blue embers to smolder on the earth below. "What would you be thanking me for exactly?" Usually that doesn't happen.

Just as she was about to answer, a sudden quake shook the earth making her pause. "Well, I'm thanking you for insinuating that I'm such a horrible mother!" She replied with a quick grin that was quickly replaced by a small frown as the earth shook once more.

With the stranger, she simply blinked in bemusement. "And why would you be happy about that?" She asked dryly. Ignoring the next quake, she watched as annoyance began to form in the red head's violet eyes.

"Well~…I'm going to have to give that question a rain check." Kushina drawled as another quake shook the earth. Before the woman could even reply though, the field exploded in multiple's puffs of smoke blocking her sight. When it died down to a manageable level, she couldn't help but twitch in reminiscing annoyance. Red headed replicas with gleamed golden swords as far as she could see, an eerie almost psychotic sparked in their eyes. 'Really, if I didn't know better, then I would have guessed that stupid fool was the origin of the Uzumaki's.' She mumbled inwardly. But if you looked deeper into her eyes, you could see a certain fond annoyance.

Looking around, she found herself surrounded by around twenty four of the female Uzumaki's only to frown. The original Kushina had already left. That much she could tell, but in the end, she might as well have been too late. After all, Illusions do more than simply affecting the five senses. So with that in mind, she weaved her right hand through the panel and gathered the blue flames around her fingertips. Snapping her fingers, the embers that smoldered along the ground sparked for but a moment, before spiraling into large azure flames that's shifted and molded into a solid form. When it was finished, there was a ghostly blue kitsune made of flames right by her side. "Ara…I was looking forward to facing the woman that was said to be able to subdue the Pseudo-Kyuubi on her own." Staring at the clones for a moment, she scratched her pet behind the ears and sighed in reluctance. "Might as well amuse myself for the moment…" And with a snap of her fingers, the Kitsune shot forward like a bullet while her form was surrounded by a spiraling mass of blue flames. A smile tugging at her lips as the clones simply moved out of the way instead of letting their forms get hit. "…I wonder how hubby is doing." She thought aloud in monotone.


Ah...please review and give me your opinions.