They surrounded him, warily circling like a pack of hungry hyenas. Clenched fists, determined glares.
Naruto didn't care.
"Come at me, you fools," he said, "I'm in the mood for carnage."
There was a furious drum beat in his head, blasting around his skull, throbbing, thrumming with rage. He fancied his vision was tinted red; he felt like he could take on the world and tear it to pieces. His fingers clenched and then relaxed, the joints creaking from the pressure his grip placed on them.
Kouji, however, was unaware of this, and seemingly mistook Naruto's shaking for fear.
"Oh, here you are, acting as if you're some kind of knight in shining armour," he smirked contemptuously, "But you're so powerless…"
Naruto had had enough. His boiling blood would stand for no less. The battlelust which he thought had been tied to his previous body, the instincts and bloodthirst which had been cultivated through war, came surging back, and demanded to be sated.
"SHUT UP AND FIGHT!" he roared, stamping forward.
The henchmen around him recoiled at the sudden movement and noise, but they were rallied by the icy glare of their leader, who brooked no cowardice. They quailed, stuck between the opposing forces of their ruthless leader and this new, intimidating threat. But their sheep mentality prevailed, and they took solace in their numbers, choosing to attack the lone blond standing in their midst.
But this was exactly what Naruto wanted. His Byakugan deactivated; he abandoned the elegant Jyuuken stances that he had painstakingly engraved into his body. He was not out to fight a glorious duel or to challenge a respectable opponent. No, he was here to crush the enemy.
He threw himself into the mass of charging bodies, neglecting to use even the Kireruho (Snap Step) he had learned only recently. His fists rose, his eyes gleamed, and he let out a gale of maniacal laughter as he drew from within himself the purest essence of the shinobi world that lay inside.
It was a totally unconscious action, something that neither he nor the Juubi within him had any control over. It was not something that could be rationally explained- it just happened.
Techniques and movements that Naruto had never learned or seen in his life flowed from his body, expressing them through his limbs, his muscles. He felt almost disconnected from his consciousness, but he could feel it- his body was definitely his own.
"Nageru Tengoku Ryuusei: Chousinsei! (Heaven Flowing Meteor: Supernova)," he shouted, his arms sweeping to the side, and then flinging upwards in a swift, connected motion, tossing two unfortunate boys into the enclosing walls of the alley.
Naruto twisted, and then leapt into the air, acrobatically turning a full front flip and bringing the ball of his right foot directly onto the crown of another opponent's head, bringing them heavily to the ground.
"Pura Style: Nejireta Tori no Nakigoe (Twisted Birdsong)," he said, stomping forward.
He crouched for a split second, bracing his bent elbow against his side, and then threw himself bodily forward, using his arm as a makeshift battering ram. With unanswerable momentum, he crushed another henchman gang member against the brick wall, eliciting a yelp of pain.
"Tetsu Toubu Jouheki (Iron Head Rampart)!" he cried, "And… Mikadzuki Bunretsu (Crescent Moon Division)."
He lashed out with a series of lightning quick kicks without even turning from the wall, his legs twisting up behind him with inhuman flexibility. They struck with precise and deadly power, hitting all three remaining enemies in the midsection and making them gasp for air. He finished his rapid barrage of kicks while they were still clutching at their stomachs, and then turned and unleashed his coup-de-grace.
"Tenshi Kakou (Angel Fall)," Naruto declared.
He spun a full one hundred and eighty degrees and fell to one knee, his arms sweeping around to cross in front of him, almost as if he were begging for absolution from some sort of unforgiving god. A moment of stillness persisted for an absurdly long second, a marked contrast from the flurry of violent movement and unrelenting action that had just occurred. Then, the blond abruptly stood up, his arms falling to his sides, mirroring the simultaneous dropping to the ground of all three opponents, now clearly unconscious.
Naruto looked around at the circle of groaning and silent boys who were now lying on the ground, like so many stalks of corn under the reaping presence of the farmer's sickle. He was quiet for a few moments, as if trying to reconcile what he had just done with who he was.
Scratching his chin, he looked up to glare at Kouji, who was still untouched, as he had not joined his henchmen in the attack, preferring to stay out of harm's way. Remembering his purpose, Naruto cracked his neck and started to advance towards the other boy, who frantically tried to retreat backwards.
"W-what was that?" stuttered Kouji in fear, falling backwards onto his ass.
"It was… Sensou no Eikou (Glory of War)," murmured Naruto, coming up with the name on the spot.
He then raised his clenched fist.
"Are you ready for this?" he asked, "You wanted to fight, didn't you? Let's fight."
Kouji paled.
"No, no," he squeaked, "Spare me, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me."
Naruto narrowed his eyes in distaste.
"You really are a pathetic worm," he said derisively, "You act all high and mighty and shit, but when things get tough you just throw in the towel."
He spat onto the ground to convey his contempt, but relaxed his hand anyway. He couldn't in good conscience beat up someone who had already lost his will to fight. It brought up too many bad memories of when, back in the shinobi world, Naruto had personally executed many prisoners of war that had been too dangerous to Konoha to be allowed to live. He had chosen to do it as Hokage, to spare his shinobi of the pain of mercilessly killing off helpless people, but it still brought a pang of guilt to his heart even now, as a new person who hadn't yet caused those atrocities.
But I should still punch him once, at least, for all the trouble he caused, he thought light-heartedly, trying to cheer himself up.
He started to turn around, but Miu, who was coming up to him, suddenly screamed out his name.
"Naruto!" she shrieked, pointing behind him.
His eyes caught the glint of flashing steel, and he threw himself away hurriedly, forcing his slowed body into action. He felt an Achilles tendon tear, but he knew that Juubi could heal it later. At the moment, he had bigger things to worry about.
Kouji Oshiro, a crazed look in his eyes and a knife in his hand, finished his overextended swing, stumbling slightly as he was carried along by his own momentum. He chuckled madly, glaring hatefully at Naruto, who winced and tried to scramble to his feet to finish this issue once and for all.
But just as Naruto managed to get upright, placing all his weight on his uninjured foot, he saw a blur of motion, and then Kouji was sent flying in the air, howling as he did so.
Miu had sprung in front of her friend, as nimble as a wildcat, and had hit Kouji in the chin with a kick that stretched up in front of her almost vertically, an elegant strike that was almost dancer-like in grace and poise.
Kouji landed into the open dumpster with a thump. There was the muted sound of a struggle, before his head emerged, streaked with refuse and grime.
"I'll get you!" he roared almost incoherently, "Fucking-"
But before he could finish his curse, Naruto bent down and picked up the knife that Kouji had dropped.
"Here," he said, "Have this back."
He flung it hilt first, and it struck the exact centre of Kouji's forehead with unerring accuracy, causing it to snap back and crash against the dumpster lid. The lid, then, rocking back, came down with a bang, slamming against Kouji's head, knocking him unconscious, and subsequently crashing shut with a satisfying bang.
Naruto gave the bin a final glance and turned his attention to Miu.
"Nice kick," he remarked, internally reassessing his friend.
He had vaguely known that she was well-trained in taijutsu (or 'martial arts' as she called it), but hadn't really accepted it as a reality until just now, when he had seen it in action. That kick was extremely well-executed, with a very powerful drive and intent.
"Thanks," replied Miu, smiling sweetly.
Naruto closed his eyes briefly.
After the fight had concluded, he had had some time on his hands to just sit and think. And while he had been doing this, he had come to a conclusion.
As it was now, Miu was stronger than him.
Quite significantly, too.
Without any help from Juubi and without the use of his chakra and ninjutsu, in a straight out duel using nothing but the Jyuuken he had learned from Neji and what little taijutsu he remembered from his past life, Naruto would definitely lose.
He didn't really know how he felt about this little fact. It was complicated to say the least.
It wasn't that he begrudged Miu the fact that she was stronger than him; but the fact that Naruto was, inherently, a very competitive person was something that couldn't be denied.
It was what drove him to compare himself to the genius of his graduation class, Sasuke. It was what drove him to declare his intent to become the Hokage at such a young age, completely seriously. He always strove to be the best, to never give up.
And towards the tail-end of his past life, it paid off. He was pretty much the strongest of his peers; he was the one doing the protecting, the one who had the power to control his fate. It was something he had gotten used to.
But now, with stark proof of his weakness, he could feel a slow burning in his stomach- a gnawing disappointment in himself.
What am I doing? he thought, Am I really as useless as this?
Making a decision, he directed his next thought at Juubi.
Hey Juubi? Can we start on the next person?
What, you mean you want to start learning a new style? You haven't finished learning Shimiho (Silverfish Strides) yet. I mean, sure, you invented Kireruho, but that's not a real substitute. Plus, you haven't perfected even that yet. You need to work on your movement transitions.
Yeah… it's just that… I feel like I'm not moving anywhere at the moment. I need to be stronger.
There was a pause, and then Juubi sighed audibly.
Alright. It's your decision, I guess. Tonight we'll start experiencing someone else.
Thanks.
Are you sure you want to do this? It's very dangerous.
Naruto stood on a sturdy tree branch that jutted out a fair ways over the still river, using chakra to hold himself there steadily. It was late afternoon, almost twilight, and almost no one was in this out-of-the way park. He could only spy a single pair of people apart from himself, lovers who were just now picking up the blanket on which they had spent their picnic watching the sunset.
He watched them leave silently before replying to Juubi.
Yes, I'm sure. Sink or swim… literally. I said I'd learn Shimiho, and I wasn't lying. Perhaps I'll get the hang of it if there's an element of desperation involved… it was how I learned Kuchiyose (Summoning), after all.
Ah, yes, Jiraiya threw you off a cliff. I remember. But still, you'll be basically unconscious if I let you experience memories. No way will you be able to water-walk in that state.
Well, you don't know 'til you try. I'm sure this is more efficient, anyway.
Naruto could almost see the grimace that was sure to be on Juubi's face.
…whatever. For the record though, I'm sure this'll be a failure.
Naruto snorted and leapt off the branch.
As if I ever let being a failure get me down before, he smirked.
His feet hit the water, and he could feel the slightest bit of resistance, but then darkness stole over his vision and he was suddenly somewhere else.
"Hey, Misao, aren't you gonna come over and practise?"
A red-headed boy peeked over from the fork of the tree in which he had been hiding. Grinning cheekily, he flung over a handful of nuts, which tumbled onto the long grass like so many scampering rodents.
A girl with a long dark fringe that covered her eyes tilted her head back to look at him lazily. She was reclining on the grass, chewing on a wooden skewer that had once held meatballs.
"Nah," she said with a smile.
The boy chuckled and swung through the branches, quick as lightning.
"Don't be like that-"
Naruto felt his vision explode into dots as he realised that he was deep underwater and, more importantly, had no air. He flailed his arms, but they moved sluggishly through the water, like they were clad in lead weights. Darkness lurked at the edge of his sight, and he became somewhat aware that Juubi was screaming something at him from the back of his mind.
Am I going to die? he thought to himself suddenly, but then quashed the thought from his mind.
He directed a blast of chakra through his feet, burning through the resource as he flared it through his coils and strengthened his limbs. He felt the heavy weight of the water lessen as his body summoned its chakra-laden power.
But he still had no air.
Naruto desperately tried to swim to the surface, but he realised suddenly from the dim light overhead that he was too deep. He would never reach the surface in time. He didn't know if Juubi could revive him with the Kyuubi's healing chakra if he drowned- he hadn't exactly sustained any injuries, after all… and his body was still dead. It was such a morbid thought, but Naruto was feeling quite giddy from the lack of air. His head was filled with all sorts of strange nonsense at the moment, both ridiculously cheerful and gravely serious.
BREATHE! came the sudden command in his head, blasting through without room for question or objection.
It was what Juubi had been yelling at him for the past while, but Naruto had been too busy panicking to pay attention to it.
Naruto didn't really understand why the Juubi would tell him to do something like that while he was underwater- it seemed clearly suicidal. But he was on the verge of passing out anyway, so he desperately opened his mouth, and allowing the water to flood in.
And then exit promptly from the perfectly functional gills on each side of his neck.
Thank goodness you listened to me at last, came Juubi's relieved voice.
Whoa, thanks there, Juubi, I thought I was done for. What did you do?
I gave you Kisame Hoshigaki's gills temporarily. Now, will you get out of the water? It's obvious this isn't working. You can't look two ways at once.
Naruto started to slowly work his way to the surface. He found it strange to breathe underwater with gills. He had to consciously fight back the instinct to hold his breath and instead force himself swallow the water and allow it to pass through his mouth and out again through the sides of his neck in a strange, flowing sensation.
Nah… I think I'll keep at it. I think I learn faster like this anyway- my feet definitely had contact with water, he replied back to Juubi at last.
Foolishness… why are you in such a rush?
Because… I need to be stronger…
Alone in the deserted park, and with Juubi inside his head, there was no-one to see the slightly manic glint that danced briefly inside Naruto's cerulean irises.
Naruto stared up at the unblinking moon as he dragged himself to the front of Ryouzanpaku. He was soaking wet, and his clothes stuck to his freezing skin to the point where he felt he was encased in hardening slime. Teeth chattering and hunched into himself to preserve warmth, Naruto leant against the wall to catch his breath again.
You sure you don't want me to summon a towel?
Nah, it's fine. If you use any more chakra I think I'm going to be sick.
Despite Naruto's bedraggled state, the night hadn't been a failure. After dropping himself from the tree trunk many times over the course of the couple of hours he had been there, Naruto had finally managed to get the hang of water walking once more. That is to say he wasn't up to his previous capacity with the skill, but he could now reliably stand on water if he concentrated.
The enormous amount of failures he had accrued, however, was what now caused the burning pain in his stomach. Juubi had been forced to summon gills for Naruto every time he reawoke in the water, and this constant chakra drain actually did quite a number on his coils, as in order to manipulate Naruto's body, Juubi had to actually physically transform his coils to match that of the other's.
It had gotten to the point where it actually physically hurt to use chakra, which was why Naruto didn't want to use the energy source to warm himself back up. But to have a tangible result; to finally be able to water walk with even a little proficiency, meant that it was worth the pain and discomfort for the blond shinobi. And now that he had gotten the hang of it, it was just a question of practice until he became familiar with it once more.
Unfortunately, however, Naruto's second aim for the training period, the experiencing of the life of a new person, hadn't been so successful. He had only been able to get glimpses of the life of the girl called Misao, and very brief snapshots of the style which he seemed to be learning next- a flashy set of moves with high impact manoeuvres and acrobatic strikes.
What's it called, anyway? he asked Juubi, curiously.
What's what called?
The style that she uses, the girl… Misao.
It's called Kumo Tsuigeko (Cloud Chaser).
At this point Naruto had recovered enough to walk over to the front of Ryouzanpaku. Normally after one of his late night training sessions, he would just tree-walk over the outer wall and no-one would be any wiser, but in the state he was in, he didn't think he could muster up the control or chakra to make it safely over.
He blew onto his hands to futilely try to dry them and then placed them onto the enormous gate with a sigh.
But to his surprise, before he could try and push them open, they swung open on their own accord.
"What…?" he said aloud.
"Naruto!"
Miu stood on the inside of Ryouzanpaku with folded arms, wearing cat-print pyjamas and a distinctly annoyed expression. Next to her stood Akisame, who only had a bemused smile on his kind face.
"Yo… Miu," said Naruto tiredly, "Thanks for opening the door."
"Where were you?! You're drenched!"
Naruto chuckled.
"I was… swimming?" he offered jokingly.
"Don't joke around!" retorted Miu angrily, whacking him on the arm, "We were all worried for you!"
Naruto sighed and shifted in his wet clothes.
"I was out training, alright?" he said, "And I'm sorry I worried you, but I'm completely fine."
Miu looked like she wanted to say something else, but at this point Akisame intervened.
"Why don't you go to sleep, Miu?" he suggested gently but firmly, "You've got school tomorrow, and you must be tired. I'll take care of Naruto here."
"But-" she interjected.
But Akisame just put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"It'll be okay. Trust me, just go to bed and everything will be fine in the morning."
Miu threw a loaded look at Naruto, who smiled nervously and waved sheepishly. She then shook her head and stumbled off to the main building.
Akisame then turned to Naruto.
"Now, why don't you come to my clinic for a bit? I've got a hot bath drawn, so you can get out of those wet clothes and get warmed up."
Naruto nodded in gratitude.
"Thanks sir," he said, staggering forward.
He felt a strong arm wrap around his shoulder and support him, and a reassuring voice soothed his ears.
"Just relax."
Naruto didn't know why he was so tired after such a training session. Perhaps it was the overstraining of his coils due to Juubi continuously growing and erasing Kisame's gills. Perhaps his famous Uzumaki stamina had been drained through the repeated experiencing of another's memories. Perhaps it was the numerous near-death brushes that he had in the water, almost drowning repeatedly until the Juubi could force him back into consciousness.
Whatever the reason, Naruto was dead tired for some reason, and when that strong arm broke his fall and held him up effortlessly, unmoveable as the world itself, he couldn't help himself, and just allowed himself to surrender to that arm, to the promise of safety and security that it exuded.
He closed his eyes and lapsed into unconsciousness, slumping into the arm as his body, already on the brink of collapsing, simply went limp.
Naruto awoke with a start and immediately realised that the bed he was in wasn't his own. He didn't rise up straight away, and purposefully kept his eyes closed and his breathing steady, trying to take stock of his surroundings. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to keep his heartbeat uniform as he had been able to back in his old life, and there would have been a tell-tale stutter if anyone had been listening.
He lay back for a second, mind racing as he tried to recall what he had been doing prior to losing consciousness, and then relaxed. He remembered that he was no longer the Sixth Hokage, the hardened warrior- living in a cutthroat era, where half the world wanted him dead… he was just Naruto Uzumaki, the schoolboy, living in a strange city- a society without war or killing, a culture where no-one knew who he was or had been.
He sat up slowly and looked around. He was in what seemed to be a hospital bed of some kind, with identical beds to each side. There must have been some sort of heating element about, because he could definitely feel the warmth seeping into the surrounding air. The whole room had a very clean, comforting feel. There were a few metal implements and a couple of charts to the side, but there still wasn't a hint of the clinical, medical atmosphere that usually accompanied hospitals.
"I see you're up," came a voice to the side.
Naruto turned around and saw Akisame walking in, towelling off his hands with a wet cloth.
"Hello," Naruto said, "Did you bring me here? You have my thanks."
"Yes, this is my clinic," said Akisame, "You collapsed after getting to the gate. I brought you here and gave you a warm bath and then put you into one of the beds- no need to go climbing up that ridiculous rope in your condition..."
Naruto looked down and realised he was in a set of clean white robes, which seemed almost to be a mix between a martial arts gi and a hospital gown.
"Thank you very much," he said, bowing his head, "You didn't need to go to so much trouble… how long have I been asleep?"
Akisame made an amused face.
"I would personally have said 'unconscious' rather than 'asleep'," he chuckled, "But it is very strange, because I put you into bed only twenty minutes ago. And forgive me, but I did do a cursory examination of your condition, and with the state of exhaustion your body was in, you shouldn't have been up for another few hours, to say the least."
Naruto shrugged.
"I've always healed fast," he said cryptically.
He made to get out of bed, but Akisame quickly put a hand on his chest to restrain him.
"Naruto, listen to me," he said seriously, "You need to rest. You were obviously out doing some sort of training, and I won't interfere with your routine or whatever your master has set. But it's obviously very extreme, and you need to take care of your body and make time for proper rest and recuperation. All your muscles are spent, and you were almost at the point of hypothermia due to your core body temperature going so low due to how wet you were. Also… your feet and lower legs… what were you doing? Repeatedly jumping onto concrete? You've taken severe damage!"
Naruto blinked.
"I guess… I may have overdone it?" he grinned sheepishly.
"This isn't a laughing matter!"
Naruto just pulled the covers aside and sprung up into the carpeted floor.
"But I'm fine, sir! A bit of pain never hurt anybody! I'm sorry to have bothered you."
He twisted on his sore feet and after a few hobbling steps, straightened up and walked out the door with a steady gait.
Yes, he affirmed to himself, pain is nothing. Weakness is fatal. I will overcome this… and become greater.
And as the blond boy walked out the door, into the night, and towards his own room, Akisame stroked his moustache, an enigmatic expression on his face, revealing nothing about his deep, complex thoughts.
Naruto sat on his bed against the wall, looking morosely through the window, watching the moon crawl through the leaves of the adjoining tree. He was curled up with his knees against his chest, one hand absentmindedly tapping against his knee.
Can't sleep? asked Juubi gently.
Naruto lips curved in the slightest of subtle movements, but it was hard to tell if it was the start of a smile or a frown.
… yeah.
Why not? Too sore from training?
A little bit… but it's nothing. Should we do some dream experiencing?
Juubi seemed to hesitate slightly.
Nah, let's take a break for today, he said, you're in no state to be training, even if it's mentally. Just rest.
Naruto made an annoyed sound by clicking his tongue.
You too? The training was fine. Yes, it was a little harsher than usual, but I can cope. Tomorrow I will be perfectly okay.
Oh come on, even you have to admit it was a little ridiculous. Why would you willingly make yourself effectively unconscious when you're about to jump into a deep body of water? It makes no sense.
Naruto let out an amused snort.
Not to ordinary people, maybe. But I've never subscribed to the normal definition of sense anyway. What I was trying to achieve with that training was to subconsciously force my body and chakra to adapt to dangerous situations through desperation. I've always learned better through throwing myself into the fire, and giving it my best shot.
I can't tell if you are simply stupid beyond belief or if this is actually a viable training method. I mean, sure, you managed to accomplish your goal in the end, but a lesser person would have died if not for my healing powers, Juubi deadpanned.
Naruto shrugged and bitterly retorted, Well, if you've got the tools, might as well use 'em, right?
There was silence for a brief while.
Go to sleep, Naruto.
Naruto's lips tugged upwards into a sad smile.
It's not that easy. I don't remember the last time I had a good night's sleep, with dreams that weren't filled with blood and the screams of my dying friends; friends I could not save, did not have the strength to protect. There's more than one reason why I choose to experience another's life while I sleep, Juubi. Even if this body- this life- hasn't been through the rigours of war and bathed in steel and flame… my mind is still desperately trying to piece itself together! How am I supposed to sleep, huh?!
Juubi said nothing, but soon after Naruto's outburst, the faint haunting notes of a reed-pipe, rough but still poignant almost to the point of tears started to float through his head. Naruto exhaled and drew his blanket further up around him. Juubi was playing him a lullaby. He appreciated the thought, but doubted it would be very effective. The scars that remained from the wars of shinobi took more than a melancholy tune to wash away.
~Little blackbird, floating on the wings of night,
Fluttering, twisting, lifting out of sight,
Oh where are you, oh blackbird, oh darling?
Won't you come if your lonely song I sing?~
The woman's voice was warm and low, quietly musical but lacking the polished melodic cadence of the professionally trained. It was not Kushina's voice, but it was still, to Naruto, very obviously symbolic of a mother. It was a presence that he had been deprived of through his childhood, and his brief reunion with her chakra imprint left inside his seal was scant replacement for years of loneliness and neglect. He had been coldly reminded of what he had been missing when he had witnessed Hikaru Hyuuga's devotion and care to her son, even in the meagre months that they spent together before her untimely passing.
Naruto stared into empty space as he reflected and let this mother who was not his softly pour out her heart to comfort a son that was not him. It made him sad, but at the same time, it soothed him. She was not his mother, but all the same, she was singing to him, singing to ease his heart and bring him to sweet oblivion.
He closed his eyes, and allowed his head to droop down to his chest, a small, heartfelt smile on his lips.
~Blackbird, blackbird, fly free…
Fly across the sky and back to me.
My darling, oh blackbird, back to your nest.
Troubled heart, just rest… just… rest.~
