Chapter 12 : The Funeral , The Memory And The Weapon
Hello people , Here's chap 12 , I decided to super size it for you readers ^.^ , sorry it took so long, I had work going on and such and I got stuck half way into the chapter , I hope you enjoy this chapter . R & R please , flamers not wanted.
Don't own Naruto or the songs that will be included in the fanfic
"Talking" Normal / "Talking" Kyuubi, Possessed Naruto, Dark Naruto
'thoughts' or Kyuubi or possessed Naruto, Drake thinking.
Jutsu used.
Three days have passed since Naruto was quested to look after the girls his half brother had taken the courtesy to save , whilst slaughtering bandits for his amusement. Naruto rose from his slumber within his apartment , ready for the academy , dressing in his usual attire , he slung his guitar over one shoulder and had his book bag in his left hand. He locked his door to his apartment and started to walk to the academy , ignoring all the glares he got from the villagers.
Naruto arrived at the academy in a short period of time , looking around seeing the other children and parents bidding them a good day before they saw Naruto and gave him a cold look. Naruto returned the same look towards them with added hatred , some looked away because they probably saw his 'other' side's form. The way he looked from that day made them think that the demon within him made him into an animal born from his power.
Before he walked into the main building, he heard a familiar voice speak out to him, he looked around to see Sakura and her mother right beside her.
"Naruto! Good Morning!" Sakura greeted with a smile.
Naruto turned and nodded , he looked towards her mother and stared into her eye's to find that the she harbored no cold look towards him, he turned back to Sakura.
" Hello Sakura. How are you?" Naruto greeted
Sakura replied with a nod and turned to her mother, lightly nudging her with her elbow, Naruto looked oddly towards the pair before Sakura's mother spoke.
" Hello , my name is Kurumu Haruno , Sakura's mother , we have met before , but due to what had happened last time , we didn't get to talk." Kururmu greeted with a smile.
Naruto nodded as he thought back to the confrontation with Hiashi , an act of aggression upon his part that proved poorly for his first impression for both Inoichi and Kurumu.
" Indeed , my apologies for what has happened in the past." Naruto apologized.
Kururmu waved in front of him, "It's fine , but it was uncalled for. Sakura speaks a lot about you , I can tell she wasn't wrong about what she said." She replied with a smile.
Naruto returned the smile in a smaller version.
"And what did she say?" He asked as he slowly looked at his pink haired friend.
"Pretty much everything she knows about you." Kurumu chuckled
Naruto chuckled as well, " I certainly hope not." he replied with a smile.
Naruto continued to have a conversation with Kururmu and Sakura for a few minutes until Ino and her father arrived .
"Naruto ! Sakura ! Good morning!" Ino greeted happily.
Sakura replied her greeting in the same enthusiastic manner , Naruto only nodded in acknowledgment towards Ino and Inoichi. The blonde father saw the young boy and motioned him away from the group. Catching the drift , Naruto followed Inoichi to the tree with a swing on it.
" Hey kid , how are you?" Inoichi greeted .
" I'm fine Inoichi san, how are you?" Naruto replied
Inoichi rubbed the back of his head, " Not too bad , the Hokage asked me to review your mental stability in the afternoon , but he also wants a report on what had happened with the incident on the girls." he spoke as his eye's stared at the boy in front of him.
Naruto shrugged , "If Oji-san wants the report then I have no qualms against it. When in the afternoon and where?" Naruto asked
" I guess straight after school , my place, you can walk with Ino , just don't tell her anything about it ok?" Inoichi
Naruto nodded before he walked towards the the two girls and the mother alongside Inoichi. He saw Hinata walking by herself , with her head down ,a few yards from her stood Hiashi with a cold look boring into Naruto's figure. Naruto felt his eye's burn with a hatred towards the Head of the Hyuuga clan. Naruto stood his ground but backed away from the group before he walked inside the building. Knowing that if he were to talk to Hinata , well , confliction would rear it's ugly head towards him, and he hated it when it was with people he didn't like.
Inoichi and Kurumu watched as Naruto stopped , his face going from calm to hateful , before walking into the building for class.
"What's wrong with Naruto?" Kurumu asked
Inoichi looked around and saw Hiashi glaring daggers into the boys back before staring at Inoichi , he then took his leave .
" Hiashi...Guess he was waiting around to see what Naruto would do , that bastard. He just wanted a reason to injure the kid if he got near Hinata." Inoichi growled
"The boy has had enough of this. Why must this happen to him? " Kurumu asked as she looked slightly down.
"Because of what Naruto holds within him , no one in this village will leave him alone...But then again , the Hokage knows about Hiashi and I know he won't do anything if he know's the Hokage is onto him."
They went back to the group of girls as they continued chatting , but in a brief moment , Sakura looked behind her seeing Naruto disappear into the building.
(Several hours later)
Naruto had finished the last of the work given to him as Sakura , Ino and Hinata had finished their secret chat as always , he never took notice of any of his surroundings other than his work even with their chats. He packed his things before he sat back trying to relax before he stood up for his interview with Inoichi. He waited when the girls were ready before they took off together , his mind wandered off as they walked.
There was a lot to still process , his brother got out , he was asked to look after two girls who were injured and mentally battered , he had to take a interview with Inoichi for a debriefing from the massacre his brother performed. He could recall bits and pieces , but in his sleep , he would have nightmares.
It would progressively get worse , he would stand in a place he felt safe , only to turn to see the people he trusted most right behind him, but instead of happiness, he would be in fear. Because when he saw their eye's , they wouldn't be the same, they had his eye's...Drake's eye's , he felt like he was more afraid than he trusted his other half.
"Naruto? Are you ok?" Sakura asked , breaking him out of thought.
He shook his head , away from his recollections of his nightmare. " Yeah, yeah , I'm ok." Naruto replied.
Naruto looked at his three companions as they had their eye's on him.
'He has been a bit out of it , I wonder what's wrong, maybe it's about what he was about to tell me." Sakura thought
Ino and Hinata had questioning looks as well , knowing that he had been more silent than usual. Sakura told them in the past about his disappearances from the academy .When they were told from Sakura, they couldn't believe that he was training with a jounin . They did notice his posture had changed , the size in arms were slightly more muscle toned , his shoulders were more broader , his cheeks had a bit more detail besides the whiskers.
The four children got to the point where they had to split up to get to their home's , Hinata went by herself to the Hyuuga compound , Sakura went to her house, but as Ino went to her house , she couldn't help but wonder why Naruto was right next to her the entire time.
" Hey Naruto , you going somewhere different today?" Ino asked
Naruto looked to his left , "Yeah, you could say that." he replied.
" Ooh , where to?" She asked with a smile , knowing that she didn't have this much interaction with him since the night with Hinata's father.
Naruto smiled as he looked back, "Your place."
Ino's stride broke into a stop. " …...what?"
The blonde boy took a few more steps before he stopped and looked back. " Your place, your father wishes to see me." he explained.
"Oh...what about?" she asked before she started walking again.
"It's a secret." Naruto replied stoically.
Knowing whenever his voice turned cold , she knew when to drop the subject , not that he get's angry , he hardly got angry against his friends. It's only that he won't say much afterwards or he won't give a hint about his motive.
It took only a few more minutes before they reached Ino's house , they walked through the door into the living room.
"Okaa-san? Otou-san? I'm home! And Naruto is here !" Ino called out as she disappeared into the kitchen.
Naruto stood in the living room and placed his back pack next to a chair out of everyone's way. He left his guitar on his back. A few seconds passed before Inoichi walked out of the kitchen.
"Ah Naruto, how was school?" Inoichi asked.
Naruto shrugged "It was ok , I guess."
Inoichi motioned him to follow him into his den, Naruto followed and took a seat in one of the chairs as he removed his guitar from his back and placed it on the side , leaning on the arm of the chair. Inoichi locked the door to the living room and took a seat in front of Naruto.
" I need to look into your memories and make a report on what had happened. The evidence didn't make much on what had happened as well , except for what the bandits had done to the girls family. The Hokage wanted to know what had happened to you while you saved the girls." Inoichi explained
Naruto nodded.
Going through the hand seals for his trade mark ninjutsu , he uttered the words "Shintensin No Jutsu"
Feeling his body go limp , Naruto was forced into slumber along with Inoichi's body.
Inside Naruto's Mindscape.
Inoichi took a few steps inside the boy's mindscape , as his surroundings started to morph like swirling water , he found himself inside a forest . He looked to his side and saw a small river and a waterfall , he looked around and saw Naruto near a tree with his guitar and bag up against a tree.
He started to walk as more was revealed to him , everything looking like it was in slow motion for some parts.
Naruto lunged into the air with kunai blades in both hands towards the injured girls. Then it started to speed up , Naruto sunk both blades into the bandit behind them. Twisted howling was heard before Naruto punched him and silenced him.
The forest rippled into another area , this time with Naruto being pinned and the girls surrounded by the bandits.
Inoichi walked into the the middle of the area where he saw everyone. He saw the memory resume , watching the horror from the girls , the smiles of the bandits , the anger from Naruto. He saw Naruto trying to struggle but to no success. Inoichi saw the boy staring at something , he looked at where he was looking and saw another Naruto.
"Wait , is this...the other half?" Inoichi asked himself as he walked closer to inspect the doppleganger .
"I can make the pain go away...I can help you." Drake whispered. It sounded caring , but extremely dark and cold.
Inoichi walked slightly closer , standing right next to the darker half of Naruto.
" Ok." Naruto replied in a small begging voice.
He saw Drake smile but he froze after taking a few steps. The memory was frozen with Inoichi in the middle of the of the memory.
"Looks like we got a guest...or is it...an Intruder? I don't recall inviting someone into my memories...hmm ...Intruder...Wuhahahaha!" A dark voice echoed as the insane laughter caused the memory to ripple. Inoichi turned around , in a fighting stance, knowing the darker half was around. He didn't know where it is , but from the sounds of the voice and the chills down his spine. He knew that the Darker half may be hostile.
" In a stance? Hmm...I thought you were here to enjoy the show. To help my brother...hmm ….I know you!" The voice exclaimed , he felt it was close . The blonde shinobi was looking around , still in his stance.
"Wait...Wait...Wait... Your gonna miss the best bit...I found it most...Satisfying...mmm..WUHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The voice laughed again , but it sounded like it was right behind him.
Inoichi looked back seeing Drake walk towards Naruto , he pulled back his shirt and bit into the blonde boy's shoulder. The markings that he saw came out from the wound that was inflicted , he saw his body slightly convulse , but what found him staring at the most was Naruto's eye's. The cerulean blue eye's were slowly being coated by what looked like black flames, as they slowly started to seep over his eye's. As they finished turning black , they flashed red , the very middle looked like it split apart revealing the black slit's.
The memory started to speed up to the part where Naruto's body started to cover up in tribal like markings over his body , the markings were escaping from the seal on his stomach as it pulsated and started to rotate in a way that it looked like it was unwinding and allowing the markings to escape. The bandit went flying from a kick the blonde boy launched into his stomach.
Inoichi watched as the possessed boy started to kill everyone , laughing and smiling. The only thing Inoichi flinched from is when a single bandit managed to strike the boy in the chest with his hatchet.
"I'm curious...after killing me , what were you planning on doing next?" The boy questioned before he took out the hatchet and killed the bandit in front of him.
Inoichi saw the memory speed up to the point where the all the bandits were slain and the possessed boy morphed his guitar into a demonic looking scythe. But what he did not understand about the black chakra that coated his body and his guitar/scythe.
"What the hell?" Inoichi whispered to himself.
"Beautiful...isn't it?" The voice chuckled out.
The blonde Shinobi looks around , trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.
"Better watch...or you'll won't understand..." The voice warned.
Inoichi looked back , seeing the girls leave and watched as the possessed boy took up his scythe and stood before the remaining bandits.
" Go...to...hell.." the boy spoke before he swung his scythe. To the qualified shinobi's horror , the same black chakra that surrounded the boys body and morphed his guitar into a brutal looking weapon , had been harnessed and used as a weapon.
All he could see was the black chakra forming like a visible rapid air current , slicing and dismembering everything in it's path. Inoichi started to walk backwards as the memory froze . The possessed boy was stuck in his after swing , but he turned his head slowly , facing Inoichi.
"Did you enjoy the show?" Drake asked with a smile. His eye's staring right into the Blonde shinobi's being. Drake started to move towards Inoichi twirling his scythe around his shoulders and in his hands.
"So tell me...Yamanaka-san...To what do I owe the pleasure...of you intruding my memories?" Drake asked as he narrowed his eye's with slight annoyance.
Inoichi took a step back, "I'm here to debrief Naruto and to write up a report in Naruto's perspective." Inoichi replied with no fear in his voice.
"Really?" Drake asked as he stepped forward from being next to Inoichi .
Inoichi looked to his side and jumped as he somehow appeared right next to him.
"Who are you?...And where's Naruto?" Inoichi asked.
Drake looked around before he stared into the horrified faces of the bandits that he killed with amusement.
"Somewhere...not here …..he walks in one place and I stay in another..." Drake replied in a bored tone.
Inoichi started to walk away from Drake , in hopes of finding Naruto , but Drake looked around and saw the blonde shinobi walking away. He decided to follow him .
"Ya know...It's really not your business to walk around here kid." Drake spoke.
Inoichi ignored him and continued walking. Drake , growing more annoyed disappeared within darkness and reappeared in front of Inoichi a few steps ahead of him , face to face.
"You got what you were here for, now get out." Drake growled
Inoichi went to take another step before Drake lunged at him with incredible speed, Drake grabbed the shinobi by his throat and pinned him up against a wall that had morphed into existence.
"It's ok if brother gives you permission to look into his memories...but when it comes to my memories , it's best you stay the fuck out. You snuck a peek to try and get what you wanted...now it's best if you leave...now." Drake warned.
Holding his hand in a ram seal , Inoichi kicked Drake in his face before he dispelled his jutsu.
(Back Inside Yamanaka's house)
Naruto woke up the same time as Inoichi did , a shocked look upon his face as he stared at the boy in front of him. The older blonde got up and walked out of the den , into the kitchen , turning the faucet on and splashing water into his face. Fear had gotten the better of him , he never saw something like this. It felt like his life was being choked out of him as soon as the darker Naruto started to choke him. He looked back and saw his wife staring at him with concern before he looked back inside the den , looking at Naruto. The child was looking at the ground before he looked at Inoichi with a blank expression. Inoichi walked back into the den and slammed the door shut before taking a seat away from Naruto , he then picked up a pen and a few pieces of paper and started to write.
"Inoichi san, what happened?" Naruto asked.
The older blonde looked back at the young child.
"Your...Brother attacked me." Inoichi growled
Naruto was shocked to hear this , but the wall behind Inoichi started to darken. A foot slowly appeared , then a leg. Then suddenly the entire body of Drake lunged out of the wall.
"He was invading my personal space...besides I didn't invite him into my neck of the woods." Drake growled while throwing an angry look towards the older blonde.
"I'm sorry Inoichi san , I can't control him. He said you were invading his space." Naruto spoke quietly.
"Well I only volunteered to help you kid, I don't care if he thinks he owns some part of your mind or it was necessary to find out what had happened. And tell that 'brother' of yours, that I hope I hurt him a bit when I kicked his face." Inoichi smiled.
Naruto smiled slightly as he looked back at Drake , softly massaging his nose with a smile on his face.
"Well then , I hope those marks on your neck hurt soon...and trust me... they will." Drake spoke as he was right near Inoichi's face.
Naruto looked across at Inoichi's neck and saw a hand mark and five light point marks indicating Drake's hand had left a print with his palm and nails. Inoichi went back to writing his report while he slightly touched and rubbed his neck. Unknowing that the marks were there , Naruto got up.
"Inoichi san ,do you need me any further?" the blonde boy asked.
The blonde shinobi looked back with a smile.
"No , that is all for now." Said Inoichi
Naruto nodded . " Ok , sorry about Drake."
Inoichi nodded and bid the boy farewell. Naruto picked up his bag and guitar and strapped both to his back before he closed the door to the den and left , not meeting anyone on the way out. He stepped outside as he looked up , seeing the orange tinge in the sky as the night was slowly creeping into the sky. He inhaled the fresh air before he looked back down and started to walk home in a slow pace.
The shops started to close around him , the stares were less frequent due to people wanting to go home, the last of the children were called back inside for their dinner. He kept walking but felt a light tap on his shoulder , he stopped and looked behind him , seeing a familiar red headed girl.
She was wearing a white singlet with a red jacket unzipped and a pair of black pants. The bandages on her hands were gone and the light scratchings were cleared up on her face.
"Hey ." Tayuya greeted
Naruto stared at the girl's figure , she had her hands behind her back and her shoulders looked slightly slanted, showing the obvious signs that she was shy towards the boy.
"Hi...how are you and Kin healing?" Naruto asked as he looked at her.
She shuffled in her place slightly.
"I'm ok , Kin is ok too, but we were wondering if...um...on the day of our families funeral...would you like to come along?" She asked with slight stutter.
Naruto did not understand.
"My apologies , but it is not my place to grieve for others I do not know." said Naruto.
"But you have to!" Tayuya exclaimed as she took a step forward , her hands at her sides.
Naruto took a step back from her little outburst.
"You have to , because you saved us , we want you there because you avenged our families, you helped us , you got the shinobi to help bring our families back. We want you there because if they were alive they would be thankful for you helping us." she explained with tears welling up in her eye's.
Naruto felt his heart starting to sink , a light pressure against his chest , his throat felt slightly painful , he looked away in thought , was it really that important? He shook his head and looked back at the red haired girl.
"So be it , when is it held?" he asked.
"In two days , at twelve o clock, in the civilian graveyard..." Tayuya explained
Naruto nodded , "See you there." he spoke with a small smile.
Tayuya nodded and walked off holding her arms in front of her, he heard her sniffling , knowing that the deaths are still hitting her hard . Naruto stared at her retreating figure and turned to walk off home. His mind had wandered off about Tayuya's invitation , why would she ask him, a total stranger , to her families funeral? Is it because he helped her feel safe in her time of need ? One thing was for sure , Naruto was confused about her proposition.
'Maybe Kyuubi can help me understand this.' Naruto thought to himself.
Minutes passed before he walked through the door to his apartment. He placed his bag and guitar on the couch before he turned to the fridge for a drink. When he opened it he discovered that he forgot to refill the jug and refrigerate it. He turned back into his room and opened the window to allow some fresh air in. He looked out and watched the sun set behind the monument, sighing as the warm air started to cool down , he backed up until his legs hit his bed before taking a seat.
He closed his eye's , picturing Kyuubi's cage , feeling a cold feeling of air shroud his body as his consciousness sank into his mind scape. He opened his eye's to see the sewer like area , knowing his mind scape was messed up , he walked forward towards the cage. As he reached the cage , he saw above him behind the bars, the familiar eye's of the great fox.
"Ah Naruto , my friend, how have you been?" The fox asked with a smile.
Naruto smiled slightly , " I have been well, how have you been Kyuubi?" the child asked.
"I have been well, bit better now that I have a visitor." Kyuubi replied , his smile ever so gentle.
Naruto nodded and walked over to the cage taking a seat in between the bars , seeing Kyuubi in his entire form.
"I came here because I wanted to talk to you." said Naruto in a concerned tone.
Kyuubi placed his head near the boy , giving him his full attention.
"I see , what do you wish to speak about?" Kyuubi asked.
"You know about those girls Drake saved?" Naruto asked with his head slightly tilted to the ground.
Kyuubi nodded.
"Well , the red haired one , Tayuya , wishes me to attend the funeral for both Kin's family and her own. I do not understand why she would ask me of this." Naruto explained.
Kyuubi fell silent , his eye's wondering from one place to another , deep in thought. Naruto leaned back onto one of the bars , waiting patiently.
"I am not entirely sure, I would assume that when it come's to a funeral, only those related to the decease or close friends are only allowed to attend. Maybe it's because you saved them , or it could be possible if she asked you to go because she feels safe with a new friend around. You and Drake had performed sluggishly in defending them , but it was effective against those lowly bandits. I am guessing because she feels safer with her new protector." Kyuubi replied.
"Hm...it just strikes me odd that she asked me to go , she said it's because her family would be happy that I attended because Drake saved them." Naruto explained.
"Well...it seems it would be in the right sense if I did go." a voice spoke from behind Naruto.
He looked around to see Drake standing in front of the cage with a smile, holding his scythe over his shoulders as he stood with in a slight angle where his back arched back slightly.
"But she asked me to go." said Naruto.
Drake shook his head , " I was joking , you can go. But if I were able to go somewhere, it would be to that barbeque place. Mmm. " said Drake as he licked his lips with his eye's closed.
Naruto shook his head as he just discovered his other half's favorite food, but this barbeque food would surely never surpass ramen...could it? The jinchuriki's interest was slightly piqued but turned his thoughts away from the subject.
"Will you go?" Kyuubi asked.
Naruto turned back to the gentle demon. His eye's shrouded in thought.
"I suppose I will go, she did request my presence." Naruto replied.
Kyuubi nodded with a smile, knowing that Naruto's luck has started to turn around to the good side. The blond child got up and walked out of the cage , he looked up to see Drake walking alongside him with the scythe on his shoulders. He could not help but wonder why he has it, or how it came to be.
" How did you get that weapon?" Naruto asked.
Drake looked at his brother before looking at the scythe blade, a smile forming on his face.
" Well, you could say that when I came out, I wanted something to play with. And this bad boy popped up when I touched your guitar." Drake explained before he stopped walking , allowing Naruto a few steps before he turned to face his dark half.
"Wanna know how to use it?" Drake asked.
Naruto gave him a questioning look. "Whats the catch?" he asked.
Drake shrugged his shoulders. "You let me out every once in a while. With this weapon , you can become stronger , better , you would be able to become more powerful and everyone will fear you , and all that is sacrificed is some time for me to take a stroll around the place or even get some food. A day at most." The tribal marked boy explained in his proposition.
Naruto crossed his arms , to him it was a hefty price to pay , but with a weapon like that , and from the one glimpse of the memory he could remember , he saw what made the gap between Naruto and Drake look like a canyon. He was mainly focused on Ninjutsu and Taijutsu , but with Drake. He was raw power , he was a monster in fighting with his fists and with the scythe. And the attack he unleashed with his scythe made him fierce . Naruto felt like he was a mere pup compared to Drake who was much like the alpha wolf .
" Why do you offer me this weapon in return for freedom?" Narto asked as he stared at the weapon.
Drake swung the scythe around to his side, "Well...I want to be out every once in a while, that one day had proved that I enjoyed being outside." Drake explained as he looked in a different direction.
"The smell of fresh air, the sound of the water , the softness of the wind , the light from the sun. The taste of food and drink. I want to experience it more , I just wish for a reprieve away from the seal if possible . You have had years to experience all of these things...Whats a few days taken away when you have had years of freedom?" Drake spoke in a voice of longing.
"I have not been living in freedom Drake! I am caged in this village so much as you and Kyuubi have been sealed into me!" Naruto yelled in anger.
Drake stepped back from the sudden aggression.
"I meant no offense kid , but you get the gist of my proposition." said Drake.
Naruto paced back and forth with his head down. After a minute he looked back towards Drake.
"Fine , but how often do you want to be out?" Naruto asked without looking at his brother.
Drake looked towards the back of his brother with a small smile on his face.
"One day every week?" He asked
Naruto thought about it , it was reasonable enough , he wouldn't get into much trouble with the way his brother explained why he wanted to be out was because he never had enough chance to live in the open world. There was no aggression in his voice that opinionated he would become violent.
Naruto turned and nodded to his brother , making the small smile on his brother's face grow bigger.
"When did ya wanna start?" Drake asked.
Naruto started to walk away holding his hand up , " Later on tomorrow. I need sometime to think."
"Still thinking on what that red head asked ya?" Drake asked.
Naruto turned his open hand into a thumbs up. Drake nodded and started to walk back to the seal.
"Kit seems to be a bit troubled by what's happening to him lately." said Kyuubi
Drake looked up at the cage seeing the crimson eye's staring at him intently.
"Looks that way... hm , he'll get over it soon." Drake replied while he took a seat in front of the cage leaning his back up against the bars.
Kyuubi looked down at the figure in front of his cage.
"Was it necessary to hurt that fellow that's helping kit?" Kyuubi asked.
Drake looked behind him to face the great demon "Necessary? No , it was just fun."
Kyuubi shook his head, 'This version of kit eludes me , whether he is nice or sadistic...he change's moods rapidly.'
Drake rested his head back on the bar , closing his eye's before falling asleep. Kyuubi heard light snoring in a few minutes after Drake fell asleep , shaking his head , he rested to the side of his prison and fell asleep also.
Back To Naruto In His Apartment.
Naruto leaned forward , resting his elbows on his knees . He looked outside of the window and saw that the night had arrived , the crescent moon hovering with dim light, enshrouding the village with a silhouette of light blue moon light. He stood up and looked out the window , seeing the stars above. A few minutes passed as he was deep in thought when he was broken out of them by his growling stomach. He walked into the kitchen and searched the cupboards for something to eat , only seeing ramen and dried pasta , he picked up the ramen and started to boil the water.
He still couldn't shrug off the weird feeling from the request he was asked , but felt it would be best if he did turn up. Seeing the water boil , he poured it into the open container along with the beef flavour and waited for the noodles to soften up. Resting back and closing his eye's , setting his mind at ease. 3 minutes passed before he opened his eye's and started to eat his dinner. His only thought that lingered in his mind was the funeral.
He finished his dinner in minutes and made his way to bed , his only plan for tomorrow was training. Succumbing to a deep sleep , allowing darkness to cloud his vision , hoping the nightmare would not invade his sleep.
10 Hours later.
Slowly feeling himself waking up from the sunlight shining on his face , he rubbed his eye's and face as he groggily got up. Naruto made his way to the bathroom and started to brush his teeth , afterwards he washed his face to get the remaining sleep from his eye's. He walked back into his room and to change into new clothing for the day , finding a white shirt that had been stitched up from months back by Ino's mother. Slipping on the white shirt and a black button up shirt , he also found a pair of blue ¾ jeans , they had a tear in the left side where the knee would be and another on the right thigh that was 3 inches in length down the leg.
Grabbing his kunai pouch and strapping it on his right leg and a shuriken pouch behind his waist , ready for training. He walked over to the fridge and picked up an apple from the plastic bag and a bottle of water.
'This should do me for the time being.' Naruto thought to himself as he packed both items into his back pack and putting on the bag before strapping his guitar on
He locked the door to his apartment before he made his way down the stairs. As soon as he hit the bottom of the stairs he broke into a run as a warm up towards the training ground Kakashi had shown him. He was in the main street as he ran , seeing that the citizens were in the streets walking or shopping , going straight through would slow him down. So he decided to mix it up a bit. Seeing a few boxes outside of a shop , he dashed straight for it and jumped onto them , with the built up momentum , he flipped onto the building and applied chakra to his feet to continue his run.
Running along the sides of the building as he jumped from one to another , building up more speed in his run , Naruto jumped off the 10th building and landed on his feet , without stopping as he passed the gates.
Minutes passed as he continued his warm up run , as he arrived at the training ground he walked over by the tree and placed his pack and guitar against the tree.
"Time to train." Naruto spoke to himself.
He held his hands in front of him in the Kage Bunshin seal and summoned 200 clones , Naruto felt puffed after summoning that many at a time. He kept his breathing at slow and steady before he organized 50 clones to practice fighting stances and techniques by themselves. 50 of the clones started to punch the air with jabs , hooks ,uppercuts and other various combos. The other 50 started to practice front kicks , back kicks, scissor kicks , sweeps , flip kicks and round house kicks. Another 50 clones practiced their aim at the trees with kunai and other 50 clones were to fight him , he remembered Kakashi told him that the next training lesson was learning to adapt to multiple opponents attacking at the same time.
"Looks like your up for a looooong training session." Drake spoke as he appeared behind Naruto.
Naruto looked back , still breathing deeply.
"Yeah …..Looks that way." Naruto replied.
Drake walked up to him and stood next to him , looking at the clones practicing fighting stances and techniques.
"Do you wanna learn how to use the scythe?" Drake asked.
Naruto nodded and faced his brother.
"Ok , to get the scythe you need the guitar , it's the physical catalyst to forming it." Drake informed.
Naruto nodded and turned to the tree and picked up his guitar by the neck , he turned back to Drake , awaiting new instructions.
"Next is to funnel my chakra into the physical catalyst , I will only allow the scythe to be unlocked for you , other than that your on your own. Now... lets begin." Drake explained as he raised his hand up to chest level.
He opened his hand so his palm faced Naruto , spreading his fingers apart and curved them towards his brother , his hand burst into black chakra like flames and he dashed towards Naruto. Planting his hand onto Naruto's chest as his brother flinched , he immediately let loose a burst of chakra that flowed straight through Naruto's body. Naruto screamed as the foreign power flowed through him and caused immense pain.
" Into the guitar! Channel it !" Drake yelled.
Through sheer will power , Naruto tried his hardest and channeled as much as he could into his guitar , hoping it would work. As he channeled it , the pain that ripped into his body moved into his arm. It felt like a thousand burning knives were stabbed into his arm and the burning sensation only intensified as he channeled more and more chakra into the instrument.
"Almost there, Keep pushing!" Drake encouraged.
Naruto kept going but he fell to his knee's , his left hand clutched his right wrist as he started to growl out his pain , he tried to speed up the flow but it only increased the pain. With a scream of agony , Naruto quickened the flow as the black chakra completely enveloped the guitar and his arm , the black chakra exploded and pulsated with power , kicking up dust in Naruto's place. Drake only stared at the place Naruto was kneeling at , his cold , piercing gaze never wavering , his face held no emotion , but he was expecting for his brother to succeed...or fail.
The dust started to clear as Drake continued to stare at the same place where Naruto was , he began to walk slowly over to his brother. As he approached Naruto , he saw a figure kneeling and panting heavily, he knelt down to Naruto's level.
"How do you feel?" Drake asked.
Naruto looked up at his brother and stood up , swinging his right arm outwards to his side , to Drake's surprise...The Dark Scythe was in his grasp , the Black chakra flickering around the staff and the blade gleamed with dark energy . Drake thought to celebrate and started to clap as he stood up straight.
"Bravo , bravo ! I never thought you would get it on your first try. Well done brother well done !" The dark brother commented
Naruto chuckled as he felt the weight of the scythe, it felt light and durable , he gave it a few swings and heard a loud howl as the blade sliced through the air. Looking at the base of the staff , Naruto looked curiously at the strings attached to the base , but what caught his eye was his hand. Black tribal markings were seen from his hand all the way up to his elbow , his nails turned into claws.
"What's happened to my arm?" Naruto asked as he looked at his brother.
Drake looked at Naruto's arm and then the other.
"Must be the side effect from my chakra...taking on my form as the scythe is leaking out my chakra , because you are connected to the scythe and it's connected to your chakra system in your arms."
"Arms?" Naruto asked as he looked at his left arm and saw the exact same thing.
He clenched his left hand as tight as he could, finding his strength had increased due to his brothers chakra , he continued with swing the scythe around as he found it really , really cool. He looked over to Drake , his face furrowed in thought.
"Brother , can you do me a favour?" Drake asked , folding his arms.
"Yeah , what is it?" Naruto answered , looking back at the scythe.
"Can you make another shadow clone? I wanna try something." Drake replied.
Naruto looked back and nodded , holding his hands up in a seal while he curled his leg around the staff holding it up right. Drake however rushed at Naruto just when he spoke the words " Kage Bunshin No Jutsu." . Drake speared tackled Naruto in the chest but he disappeared into the blonde's torso making Naruto drop the scythe ,causing black chakra to wrap around Naruto. Pain surged into the blonde's chest as a puff of smoke started rise into the air.
As the smoke was clearing , Naruto fell to the ground and crawled over to the nearest tree , leaning his back against it as the smoke cleared. Drake walked out of the smoke with a grin on his face as he picked up the dropped scythe that clattered to the ground.
"Drake what the fuck did you do?" Naruto yelled angrily.
" Holy shit!...I didn't think that would work." Drake exclaimed .
" Ok , to explain it , think of it as the scythe , except, your the catalyst. When you used that jutsu to clone yourself, I forced you to use my chakra and I took control of the clone. Meaning I have freedom and I can help you train." Drake explained.
Naruto could not make heads or tails to how Drake managed to get out , or how Drake even thought of doing what he had just done now. The blonde child could not help but feel flabbergasted and confused. Drake however , was right in front of Naruto snapping his fingers in front of his eye's. Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and got up slowly , due to the slight ache from the surge of black chakra in his body , he had to rest for a few minutes before he would do anything.
"Anyways , now that I am in a kage bunshin , it would be better to help you physically with scythe training. But you should train a bit with the others before we scratch the subject. Today will only be the basics and we will go onwards after that. I expect you to learn quickly , I'm not up for repeating myself." Drake explained as he swung the scythe onto his shoulders.
Naruto caught what his brother said but decided to grate his nerves.
"I'm sorry what was that , brother?" Naruto asked.
"I said , I'm not up for repeating my-...you smart ass." Drake replied with a smirk.
Naruto chuckled before he got up and stretched from the aching , he got in the middle of the clones who were just standing there, doing nothing. He took up a stance with his left foot in front of his right , shoulder length apart , his hands were up to his chest in a cross , his palms facing outwards with his fingers curved.
Drake sat by the tree and decided to watch. He breathed in deeply, savoring the fresh air , feeling the wind move slowly against him , the heat of the sun warming his body. He breathed in deeply again and noticed a scent that wasn't Naruto's. He looked behind the tree and saw a hunching figure , peeking out of the bush , smiling to himself he , climbed the tree and jumped onto the tree behind the figure , he kept his eye on the figure but wanted to see how his brother will cope with multiple opponents.
Naruto was still in his stance while many others were ready to fight. One clone rushed Naruto and threw a left haymaker , Naruto blocked it and used his hand to strike the clone on the chest , easily dispelling it. Three clones rushed Naruto from behind , turning slightly he jumped and planted his left foot on the far left clone , kicking off the first clone , he kicked the second clone in the head and jumped up from the clones head to heel drop the third .
Naruto started to do foot work to keep up momentum in his kicks , waiting for the any other clone to step up.
"Hey Clones! , just rush him with the intent to kill , no need to go all easy oh him!" Drake laughed as it was like watching Naruto practice on a punching bag.
The clones smiled as they either took out kunai or shuriken . Naruto smiled as he was still in his stance.
"Let's rock ." Naruto simply said as he prepared for a vigorous training session that he won't come out unscathed.
Drake silently jumped down from the tree as he approached the figure in the bush. When he was right behind it , he simply tapped the persons shoulder.
"It's a bit rude to be spying on someone...Hyuuga." Drake warned , but when he looked at the figure , he saw bruises along the persons neck that their hair didn't cover up.
Hinata , who was frightened from the surprise , jumped out of the bushes , but was pulled back into the bushes by Drake. Clear that he didn't want anyone to disturb Naruto in his training.
"So tell me little Hyuuga...What brings you here?" Drake asked.
Hinata , being the shy Hyuuga heiress that she is , poked her fingers together , trying to explain herself.
"Anou... I was ….um...wondering...where Naruto kun walks off to...I didn't think...he would be training." She explained , her eye's averted to the ground because of the look Drake was giving her.
He looked over to Naruto just in time to see him get kicked in the stomach , Drake let out a low 'Ooh' as he looked back at the Hyuuga.
"hm..I didn't think you would follow him , well , it's gonna be a while before his training is done. Care to join me?" Drake asked as he didn't know how to entertain guests.
Hinata was hesitant at the request but nodded lightly , she followed the tribal marked boy to a nearby tree that over looked the vast opening of the training ground. Drake sat as he placed the scythe blade on his lap while the staff was extended along the ground. Hinata sat next to him but she shuffled in her place due to the awkwardness of being next to someone that was like Naruto , but more...Dark.
"Anou...Are you …..Drake?" Hinata asked.
Drake looked next to him on his right and stared at the huddled girl.
"Why yes...were you the one that fainted last time?" Drake asked Hinata.
The shy Hyuuga nodded , causing Drake to chuckle .
"My my , you are a shy one."said Drake with a smile.
They looked over to see Naruto still fighting , he sustained numerous cuts and bruises as he found it difficult to fight many at a time. His clothes were torn and cut, slightly coated with his blood , he had a cut above his right eye from when a shuriken just barely cut his eye brow. The last clone was staring at Naruto , the original wiped the blood away from his eye as he was ready to take down the last clone.
"Huh ….guess the clones gave him a run for his money." Drake spoke to himself.
Hinata looked at the original in fear as she was worried because of his injuries, she got up to help him but Drake raised the scythe up , stopping her advance.
"Wait...He can do this himself." Drake growled , he didn't like anyone trying to pamper Naruto, pampering leads to weakness , weakness in turn would get him killed.
Naruto ran at the clone and jump slightly in the air to do a spin kick at the clones head. The clone dodged it and launched an uppercut , Naruto blocked it with his left hand , he wrapped his left leg around the clones throat . Leaning side ways as he fell onto his back while he held an iron grip, rolling back to face towards the tree. he forced the clone up above him and with his right foot, he kicked the clone in the back where it hit a tree and dispelled on impact.
Naruto , started to breathe heavily as he laid still on his back, he looked over to see Drake getting up and walking over to him with-
"Hinata? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked as he lifted himself.
Drake smiled as he spoke in a mocking voice.
"Why, she was ever so worried on what you do by your lonesome." Drake joked.
Naruto gave Drake a blank look before he looked over at Hinata.
"Anou...I was wondering...what you do outside the village.." Hinata quietly replied.
Naruto tilted his head to the side.
"You could have just asked Hinata , I have no intentions of keeping secrets from you." Naruto spoke with an assuring voice, however this made the little Hyuuga blush.
Naruto got up and wiped more blood away from his eye as it started to heal up. He started to wipe the blood away from the cuts as they started to heal in front of Hinata , seeing the surprised look on the girl's face.
"Anou... I...um..Are you...ok?" Hinata asked as she poked her fingers together.
Naruto nodded and kept wiping blood away from his cuts , Drake started to walk out into the open and held the scythe in his right hand , waiting for Naruto to train some more . Hinata stood there admiring how Naruto could train despite his injuries and how hard he trained. She decided to watch and wait.
'It must be nice...having someone who is similar help and care about you.' Hinata thought to herself.
"Ready for scythe training?" Drake asked.
Naruto nodded ,as Drake threw the scythe at Naruto , out of reaction Naruto raised his left hand into the air and caught it by the staff.
"So for now we are going to go through the basics . Stances , swings , staff jabs and combo's. Ready?" Drake asked.
2 hours later.
Naruto panted heavily as fatigue had started to take it's toll on his body. Drake walked over to Naruto and gave him a hearty pat on the back.
"Well...You have done pretty well with the training. Won't be long till you get stronger." said Drake with a smile on his face.
Naruto made his way from Drake and over to the tree where he placed his bag down. He leaned the scythe against the tree and sat down against the tree , taking the the water and the apple out of his bag. Taking a big swig from the bottle of water , Drake made his way over and leaned against the tree looking out towards the pond and the trees.
Hinata slowly made her way over and sat next to Naruto , blushing slightly .
"We should get back to the village soon." Naruto suggested before taking a bite out of his apple.
"Why is that brother?" Drake asked while looking down to his other half.
Naruto looked towards the sky , seeing dark clouds approaching the village.
"It looks like there's going to be rain." Naruto replied.
Naruto looked to his left and saw Hinata sitting near him , he gaze averted to the ground.
"You ok, Hinata?" Naruto asked.
Hinata wiggled in her spot , her blush reddening as she looked up to the blonde boy.
"H-hai...I'm ok..." Hinata stuttered.
Drake looked over and saw the edge of her bruises that were on the back of her neck , he knew Naruto would over react if he knew. He kept it to himself and and looked at the sky , the light , cold wind started to pick up as the sky started to darken from the oncoming clouds.
"We should get goin." Drake suggested.
Naruto quickly finished off his apple and his water and picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He picked up his scythe and hung it over his shoulders, ready to get back to the village, Hinata got up and brushed herself off before walking next to Naruto. Drake stood back for a few seconds watching the retreating couple walk off.
'Brother would be most displeased if he saw that girl injured...I should tell him when she's not around.' Drake thought to himself , looking up at the sky , watching the clouds approaching.
'If the kid found out who did it...then there would be blood amongst the water.' Drake shivered before a smile broke out.
'Then lets hope he does!' Drake laughed before he followed the retreating couple.
A Few Minutes Later.
The three children made their way past the main gate , walking along the streets and passing by numerous shops before Naruto stopped in front of his two companions. They made stopped at Ichiraku's Ramen Shop for rest.
" Hinata , do you want to eat with us?" Naruto asked as he took a seat.
Hinata nodded as she took a seat, Drake sat next to her , his eye's still fixed on the back of her neck. Naruto did not know why he was looking at her like , it was weird how he gave her his full attention. Teuchi came out with a smile as he saw three customers.
"Ah Naruto , what will you have my friend?" Teucji asked as his day was brightened from a visit from his number one favorite customer.
"A bowl of beef please teuchi san." Naruto ordered.
"A bowl of miso please." Hinata ordered quietly.
"Ok , and you sir? What can I get y-" Teuchi was cut short as Drake looked at the man with his crimson eye's.
Teuchi looked from Naruto back to Drake as the two looked similar to him , he couldn't quite understand yet.
" Is he a friend of yours Naruto?" Teuchi asked as he looked back to the blond child.
Naruto looked over to see Drake reverting to staring at the back of Hinata's neck.
"Yeah , he's a friend. Just give him a bowl of beef, Teuchi san." Naruto replied.
Teuchi nodded and left to prepare the meals , Naruto looked over to see what drake was looking at. Drake moved his gaze over from Hinata's bruise to his brother.
"What?" Drake mouthed out , knowing that Hinata should not know that he found out .
"What are you doing?" Naruto mouthed in his reply .
Drake smiled and shrugged before looking back at the counter , awaiting his meal which would probably fall to the floor when he dispelled.
Naruto looked at Hinata from behind and saw dark markings underneath her hair. His heart skipped a beat as he gently moved his hand up to the back of her head. Hinata saw this and moved her head back and pushed his hand down.
"I'm ok...anou...it was an accident." Hinata quietly explained, not looking Naruto in his eye's.
"What happened?" Naruto asked as his stoic voice became more alarmed.
Hinata continued to avoid his eye's , but unknowing to both of them , Drake had a small smile on his face.
'His heart rate is starting to rise, he knows somethings up.' Drake thought in excitedly
Naruto moved his hand up and lightly lifted up the lock of hair that was covering the bruise. It was purple and stretched from one side to the inches to the left and about an inch in width.
"It was a training accident, anou..nothing to be concerned about." Hinata looked up and mustered a smile towards the blonde boy as her cheeks started to blush.
'He cares about me ! Oh my , I hope I am not flustering too much.' Hinata thought with a mental smile.
Naruto nodded slightly with a concerning look in his eye's. Unknowing that the girl in front of him was blushing. Drake was still smiling , as he knew that it must be a lie.
"Your orders are ready!" Teuchi announced as he came in with three bowls of ramen and placed them in front of his customers.
Naruto, Hinata and Drake all sat in silence as they ate their meal , outside started lightly sprinkle with rain. Drake spared a glance at the raven haired girl next to him and and saw that her eye's held sorrow , shrugging , he went back to his meal.
At The Hokage Tower.
Sarutobi awaited for the reports of Naruto's situation , a knock on the door was heard and Sarutobi looked up at the door.
"Enter." The Hokage called out.
The door opened to reveal Kakashi , Inoichi and Asuma , walking in and standing in front of the desk. Sarutobi looked at them as they were bearing grim faces.
"Is the report done?" Sarutobi asked.
The three jounin nodded , Inoichi was the first to speak.
" I ran through a test and found the memory about the incident. Naruto wasn't the cause but instead it was his brother. He was sadistic at the time and the situation was brutal. He thought of the incident as a game or a sport. He was also protective and aggressive when I checked Naruto's mind."
Sarutobi nodded .
"And how did the bandits get dismembered?"
"It turns out that Drake had some sort of chakra that turned Naruto's guitar into a scythe. Black chakra." Inoichi explained.
" The chakra took on a powerful wind affinity , the signature of his chakra is still laced on the scene of the massacre." Asuma added.
Sarutobi sighed heavily. " Gentlemen , everything on Naruto and Drake is now on a need to know basis , between the four of us , we must keep this 'Drake' in check . Asuma , I need you to keep an eye out on the signature in case it appears again. Inoichi , I need you to check on Naruto's mind at the end of every week , make sure this Drake is contained. Kakashi , you have been training Naruto for some time now, do you know how he behaves or how he acts?" Sarutobi commanded.
Kakashi nodded , " Yes , he never acted out of the ordinary , if I were to regret one thing , it would be that I should have stayed with him longer on that day."
Sarutobi nodded.
"Well I need you three to keep an eye on him and report back to me as soon as Drake comes up." Saurtobi ordered.
All Three jonin nodded.
"Asuma , Inoichi , you are both dismissed. Kakashi , I want to speak to you for a moment." Said Sarutobi.
The two jonin left after bowing to the Hokage and left. Kakashi remained in the same spot.
" How's Naruto's Training going?" The elderly man asked.
" His training is going smoothly , Hokage sama, he has recently learned the Kage bunshin no jutsu and he performs it flawlessly. His Taijutsu is aggressive , he uses his anger as his strength , but he has remained focused. Unclouded by judgment. He has been taking great strides in making himself stronger. If he were to keep up his training , he would become a remarkable Shinobi." Kakashi explained.
A small smile could be seen on Sarutobi's face as he felt somewhat relieved. He got up and turned to face the window , seeing it starting to rain.
"I hope to Kami that this ordeal does not spin out of control." Sarutobi hoped as he sighed from the situation.
"It should be fine Hokage sama." Kakashi assured.
Sarutobi sighed "I hope your right , Kakashi."
Back At Ichiraku Ramen.
The three customers had just finished their meal before Naruto paid for the three of them so they could leave. They looked outside to see the light rain falling before them.
"Do you want us to walk you home Hinata?" Naruto asks as he looked at her.
Hinata shook her head. " No , Naruto kun... I can get there ok ….. I don't want Father to overeact like last time." she replied quietly.
Naruto nodded , "Would you like a goodbye hug?" he asked with a small smile , Drake however just looked away and snickered with his hand over his mouth. Naruto glared a dagger at him but looked back at the quiet Hyuuga.
She nodded and quickly latched onto Naruto before he opened his arms towards her. As he was being hugged by Hinata he placed his arms around the middle of her torso and returned the hug.
"Take care of yourself Hinata chan , make sure you don't get yourself hurt ok?" Naruto
He felt her head move in a nodding motion before she let go and smiled at him. They said their farewells and started to make their way home. But Naruto stopped in front of a clothing store that was just 3 minutes away from his apartment. Drake stopped right beside his brother and looked at the store.
"Whats up kid?" Drake asked.
Naruto looked back to his darker side.
"Should I get some black clothing for the funeral?" Naruto asks.
"May as well have a look eh?" Drake replied as he walked into the store.
As they walked into the store , they saw various clothing ranging from casual wear to formal clothing in dark and light colors. Naruto looked around and found normal button up shirts . Drake looked around and found long black jeans and bought them back to his brother. The blonde jinchuriki picked up a black shirt and and a pair of black casual shoes. They lingered in the store for a few more minutes just looking , knowing next time they get more money they should get Naruto more new clothing . Mainly because the old ones that he has are mostly ripped , torn or worn out.
Naruto paid for his new clothing and both boys made their way back to the apartment. Luckily they made it in time before it started to pour down .
"Hm , guess the clothing will do for tomorrow. What time do you have to be there tomorrow?" Drake asked
" Twelve o clock , tomorrow." Naruto replied.
Naruto placed the bags of his new clothing on the couch , and sat on the end. Drake moved the bag onto the ground and sat at the other end , leaning the scythe against the wall next to the couch.
Naruto let out a short sigh , Drake only looked up at the ceiling.
"Bit of a long day , eh brother?" Drake asked .
Naruto nodded , closing his eye's .
"That little Hyuuga...she seemed like a shy one." said Drake.
Naruto remained motionless , but Drake continued his musings.
"But what puzzle's me is when she blushes or seems distant when you speak to her. But she latches onto you like your her life line. It's something like this , that truly makes humans interesting but also a mystery." Drake continued.
He looks over to see Naruto...fast asleep.
"...Huh...Guess he was tired from the training." Drake spoke to himself.
He got up and walked into Naruto's room , taking a blanket and walking back out to lay it on his brother's slumbering body.
"Well, guess its time to go , today wasn't too bad ." Drake chuckled to himself.
Thinking on how to dispel the jutsu , he looked around and looked outside , smiling as he thought of an ingenious and humorous idea . Walking out of the apartment and started to climb up the roof, because no one was looking up due to their umbrellas because of the rain. He looked up at the sky and walked near the edge , with his arms stretched out to his sides.
"This is either gonna hurt or be real funny." Drake said to himself as he fell forwards off the building.
Plummeting to the ground with a smile on his face , he shortly hit the ground face first . The people who saw the tribal marked boy fall to his feign death started to scream in horror as they thought he was dead . But the jutsu dispelled leaving the witnesses screaming in confusion as they saw the remains of what looked like his intestines when really...it was just ramen. Luckily Drake heard the reactions and started to laugh hysterically , leaving Kyuubi confused , thinking he missed out on something funny.
The Next Day.
Naruto woke up on the couch , stretching his arms as he felt revitalized . He had no dreams , only darkness and warmth within his slumber. He looked up at his clock and saw it was only 10 o clock . He jumped up and went into the bathroom . After he used the toilet , he jumped in the shower and started to wash the dirt , sweat and dry blood off his skin . He found it slightly annoying when he was washing his hair as it was in the mid stages of becoming dreads , mainly because when he washes it he never combs it. And he never had it cut in a long time , he decided to just try and tie it back to look more respectable and presentable.
After brushing his teeth , he got his clothing and started to dress. With jeans , black shoes , a white under shirt with a black button up shirt. Buttoning up his shirt he looked around and found a small band that could hold his hair back into place . After tying his hair back , he looked up at the clock and saw it was only eleven o clock. Picking up his guitar and strapping it to his back , he made his way out locking the door before leaving.
It didn't take him long to reach the Graveyard , he saw many grave stones on a green field. Looking up at the sky and saw the previous day's weather still lingered , the cold wind blew gently across the land , and a drop off rain fell every so often. He looked over and saw a willow tree , walking over and leaning against the cold bark as he waited half an hour for the girls he was commissioned to protect and help.
Half An Hour Later.
Naruto saw along the path several shinobi carrying nine coffins , a picture on each coffin that he thought were the families of Tayuya and Kin.
Two pictures , Naruto assumed was Kin's parents , her father had black hair and green eye's a small scar over his left cheek, he looked handsome and care free.. A woman with brown hair and brown eye's , she was beautiful and had a sort of elegance. A small boy had brown hair and brown eye's , he looked slightly similar to Kin.
The other two adult pictures , the father had red hair and blue eye's and a five o clock shadow beard , he looked rough and fierce. The mother had brown hair and hazel eye's , she looked like the sort that cared but would fight if need be. The other picture was of a little girl , she had brown eye's and brown hair , Naruto assumed it was Tayuya's little sister.
He tilted his head to the side and saw Tayuya helping Kin walk with her crutches. Naruto's heart felt like it was weighed down as he saw the sorrowful expressions on their face. Accompanied by the two girls were Sarutobi and Kakashi.
Naruto approached them and nodded towards his sensei and his adoptive grandfather , before he turned tot he girls.
"Tayuya , Kin...I'm sorry for your losses. You have my condolences." Naruto greeted with a soft tone.
"Thank you Naruto ." Kin replied with a sad tone on her voice.
Tayuya remained silent as she had her left arm arounds Kins arm while her right hand held , tears sliding down her slight pale and beautiful face.
Naruto stood aside and allowed them to walk over to the funeral. He looked back to see Sarutobi and Kakashi walk towards him , Kakashi held a bouquet of white roses in his left hand while Sarutobi had two in each hand . Holding a bouquet out for Naruto to present to the funeral .
"Thank you Oji san , is it necessary to present flowers to the deceased in a funeral?" Naruto asked
"Yes , Naruto. It's traditional to present flowers as a farewell offering at a funeral." Sarutobi explained to the young boy.
Naruto lifted the flowers to his nose and smelled the scent , thinking the floral and fresh aroma was rather pleasant , but due to the situation it was respectable and necessary.
He looked back and took his place a meter away from the girls. His head bowed to face the ground , As the coffins were being lowered to the graves , Sarutobi stood next to the girls , Kakashi stood next to Naruto.
Tayuya And Kin approached the graves and lowered the flowers , Sarutobi followed and did the same.
"I wish that day never happened...I wish they were here right now." Kin spoke softly , her voice close to breaking from sorrow.
Tayuya was silent still , the tears freely falling from her eye's , she never took her eye's off the lowering coffins.
Naruto walked over and placed his bouquet of white roses on the coffins.
'Kit , maybe it would help if you say something to help the girls in their pain.' Kyuubi suggested.
And almost as the Kin herself heard the great mighty fox , she spoke to Naruto as he stepped forward.
"Will someone say something?" Kin asked as she looked towards Kakashi , Sarutobi and Naruto.
'Kyuubi can you help me?" Naruto asked his companion.
Kyuubi nodded , "Just repeat what I say.'
Naruto took a deep breath before he started to speak.
"Family of Tayuya , Family of Kin , I offer my condolences to you . May the light of the heavens guide you to the sanctuary of paradise. You may leave this world but your soul will always remain with your daughters. I was commissioned by my Oji san to help your daughters in any way I can help. I will be true to the agreement and if need be , I will protect Kin and Tayuya. This you can be sure of , for I am true to my word ." Naruto finished Kyuubi's speech , hoping it was enough to help .
Kin smiled weakly and mouthed a 'thank you' before she sobbed , Tayuya started to sob with her left hand over her mouth . As Naruto started to walk back to his sensei , Tayuya grabbed his hand with her right and and gave it a small squeeze. Sarutobi and Kakashi nodded in agreement towards the blond boy , knowing that he has made a choice that only a decent person would make. Seeing Naruto change in just under a year , with a minor side effect to his psyche. Going from someone who could never trust a stranger , to seeing through a request to help two girls he had never met before. After all these years of mistrust and pain that Naruto had suffered , was this just a start to him becoming a person he never thought of becoming? A protective , strong and endurable person withstanding what he can to make sure those he cares about are safe?
One thing is for sure. In the future with many obstacles ahead , only time will test his resolve.
Next Time Chapter : Graduation , Jutsu , and New Friends?
Demon Of Vengeance.
