Chapter 13:
Underverse
City of Solet Anu
The majestic city was the pearl of the Underverse. It was ruled over by the Elemental Empress and peace was held in the vast sections of the city.
The Upper City was above ground and surrounded by the walls. Lowtown and the Down Zone were sights that needed to be seen. Beyond the walls lay to the east the Estersands, a vast desert. To the west was the Spider Swamp, home to arachnids of humungous size. Actually they were of all shapes sizes and colors, but the AHS version helped keep tourists out, hopefully.
To the north was the lake with Nowomanisan Island with the Black Tower at its center.
And to the south was the Valley of Mist that led to the frozen tundra.
Above Solet Ano was the floating city of Aerial. The only way to reach it was either by flying on an airship, or using the portals that were under guard in the Gate rooms scattered around Solet Anu.
This was all explained to Naruto and Mica after they'd made their way across the Estersands, only encountering minor fiends in demonic wolves with numerous eyes, and one giant sandworm, but a Rasengan from Naruto destroyed that while Mica and his wind element sliced it to pieces.
Kyu just floated along a happy look on his face.
"What are you grinning about…Master Kyu?" Naruto asked, remember to add the proper address at the last moment.
"Happy to be home is all Kit." Kyu said. the shade paused and looked out over the vast desert. "Shukaku used to love playing here. She would create sandstorms miles in all directions that could rip the flesh from a man in seconds."
"Shukaku…WAIT!" Naruto stopped walking. "YOU MEAN THE DEMON GAARA HAS IN HIM IS FEMALE?"
"Yup." Kyu answered with a chuckle. "Add in the berserker seal his father put on him and the insane monk sealed with him, I'm amazed the kid is coherent. Shukaku hated sharing, and during that time of the month she would kill anyone that talked to her, or even looked at her sideways." Kyu said with a chuckle.
"When we get back, do you think we could help them?" Naruto asked.
"I think so, yes. The seal will be no problem I think but you and Mica for good measure will be working with a seal master once I'm sure your training is underway properly." Kyu answered after a moments thought.
"Master?" Mica asked getting the shades attention.
"Yes?"
"I…I feel…weird." Mica said looking at the shade. "My wind element is…screaming at me…it feels stronger…wilder…more…(shrugs) more."
Kyu sighed and looked around. "Let's take a rest against that rock formation. Its out of the sun and gives us ample protection should a sandstorm come up."
Once the two boys were seated Kyu sat himself as well. "There is a stronger connection to all things here in the Underverse. You both will find your chakra is more potent here, and when I begin to teach you how to use vunla, that will be rich and heady. When we return to your dimension, you both will be a lot stronger than when you left. A LOT stronger." Kyu said looking both boys in the eyes as he said this.
"So are you going to explain what vunla is now, and about Zate's?" Naruto asked.
"I might as well." Kyu said with a nod of his head.
"Vunla is a living energy force that surrounds us, binds us. It's a part of all things. You, me, the sand we're sitting on, the chakra in your bodies. With vunla you can do things that you once could only possibly imagine."
"Oh yeah, I can imagine quite a bit." Naruto said with a smirk and Mica chuckled.
"Baka Byty." Kyu muttered. "Kami is testing me with you. I know she's laughing at me. I can feel it." The fox lord said under his breath. "Bitch is a sore loser at cards."
"So, vunla is a source of power, of life. What is it to a Zate?" Mica asked.
"Zate are guardians, protectors. Think of them as enforcers of love and peace." Kyu chuckled at that last one getting weird looks from his two apprentices.
"Sorry, just remembered a crazy blond I knew a millennia or two ago who would spout off about fighting for love and peace. Crazy as a coon, but had a heart as big as a moon."
Kyu watched as the two boys ate ration bars and sipped their water.
"I will teach you their arts and show you how to manipulate vunla. With that you can level mountains, manipulate matter. You will be able to use vunla to enhance your body, manipulate the weak minded…"
"(snort) Well that's nearly all of Konoha." Mica muttered and Naruto sighed. "I hate to agree, but the more you think about it…"
"Quaint." Kyu muttered at his charges playful nature. "I'm putting the power of the universe in the hands of a couple of prank masters from hell."
"Oy. We aren't that bad." Naruto said.
"Actually…we are. We did put neon pink dye in Master Kwai's shampoo. Not to mention that blue wode we hit him with."
"He was reading that book, when he was supposed to train us." Naruto said.
"I'm not defending him, I'm just saying we do have a rather…playful nature." Mica said.
"You two would have made great kitsune's." Kyu said and they both looked at him. "I said that out loud did I?"
Both boys nodded. "Right then." Kyu looked at them. "Know that your physical training will continue here. But we'll work on your lessons as well."
"Bring it on you crazy fox. We're not afraid." Naruto said looking at the shade.
Kyu chuckled darkly. "Oh you will be kit. You will be."
Otogakure
Orochimaru looked at the reports. "Your spy says Sauske has awoken?"
"Yes Lord Orochimaru. He woke late yesterday. He's been placed in a chakra nullifying cell beneath the tower."
Orochimaru sneered. "Does that fat chested over priced hooker think she can keep me from what I want? Kabuto, send for Danzo and his boy…Sai was it? I have a mission for them and their ROOT force. I think its time they prove their loyalty to Oto."
"At once Lord Orochimaru." The glasses wearing med-nin says as he leaves the room.
"Kukukuku. Soon Sauske, you will be where you belong."
The snake like eyes looked at another report. "I left you with Tsunade till you regained consciousness. Now that has happened, you will become mine."
Anyone passing the chamber would have shivered at the chuckling they heard from beyond the closed doors.
Konoha…
Maito Gai was doing his morning workout. In the seventeen months since the exile of Naruto, Gai had become changed. He no longer yelled about the flames of youth. He still wore the green outfit and orange legwarmers and his Jonin vest proudly.
His team worked without him more now that he led patrols outside the village while they performed D and C ranked missions. He joined them for B and A ranked missions that popped up.
Gai had been shocked when he learned of his teams…bonding. But he smiled and told them he was happy they had found what made them happy.
More than once he'd protected them from other shinobi who judged the young trio for their choices of being a true trio in every way.
He learned that Naruto had helped them come together.
Gai increased his pace while his mind thought of his team. Lee had calmed a lot being with Neji and TenTen. There was still a competitive edge in their sparring, but Gai was happy to see it brought them together even more.
TenTen now was learning taijutsu more. Lee and Neji had convinced her reminding her of her weakness during the chunin exam. The pair worked with her giving her a close range style where she started using a pair of pantera claws she'd strapped to her forearms. (Tri-claws like wolverine). TenTen was now deadly at both long and short range. Neji teaching her a style of fighting with help from the Inuzuka boy…Kiba.
Neji. Gai paused in his workout. Of his three students, he was the most changed. He was more relaxed and smiled more around his friends and around his lovers. He would still put up the cold indifferent mask around many, but around the Konoha Ten and their sensei's he was a changed man. Gai had been surprised when he'd shown up to practice with Kiba and explained, TenTen's in close combat training would be beneficial if she learned the basics of the Inuzuka style and had made a deal with Kiba.
Gai was proud of his team, he admitted he was shamed to hear how Kakashi, his long time friend and rival had treated Naruto and favored the Uchiha and allowed the Haruno girl to constantly berate and pummel Naruto with no words from him to defend the blond.
If we ever find you Naruto, I will apologize for not helping you, as you helped my team. I will do all I can to repay the kindness you have done them. You helped Lee at his lowest point, you opened Neji's heart to his teammates and family. You even helped TenTen.
Gai had been shocked to learn that Naruto was responsible for keeping TenTen's weapon shop open. The blond would buy large quantities of kunai, shuriken and exploding tags.
Gai and his team learned that TenTen had nearly lost her weapons shop after Naruto's exile, but now the Konoha Ten shopped their exclusively for weapons, as did most of the older Jonin now.
The weapons shop near the Hokage's tower had gone out of business after the previous owner came down with a case of being comatose after Hinata hit him with her Penance Stare after she learned how he'd treated Naruto and sold him defective equipment hoping that it would get him killed.
Gai heard that the new wing of the hospital was up to thirty-seven people suffering the affects of the Penance Stare and Inoichi Yamanaka was still working on getting the Haruno girl out of hers.
Ino had informed the Konoha Ten and their sensei's that Sakura was currently up to age five. She said her father was having to piece the girls life together and it was slow going.
Gai had seen the older Yamanaka male at the bar shivering and swearing that teenage girls were scary with their thoughts.
Gai's laps took him past the Hokage monument and he looked up seeing Hinata sitting there and he was surprised to see Hanabi there, the pair looked to be relaxed and cordial around one another.
Gai passed a training ground next and was surprised to see Kakashi there working out. He slowed down and watched the former Jonin turned Genin going thru a series of punches and kicks. Kakashi stopped and swore. "DAMN IT TO HELL!"
"What is the trouble Kakashi?" Gai asked watching the former Jonin getting frustrated.
"WH-Oh, Gai." He said in return. "What are you doing here?"
"My morning laps. What are you doing Kakashi? I've never seen you out and about this early in the day unless forced, and then it's under protest."
Kakashi sighed. "You ever wish you could go back and do your life over? The more memories of mine that Hinata unlocks, the more I wish she would just end it all."
"What? Why is that Kakashi?" Gai asked in concern. His former rival looked so defeated.
"Over the last seventeen months I've seen how I treated Naruto since becoming his instructor and I find myself thinking Minato-sensei would be furious with me. It shouldn't have mattered if he was his son, or some boy off the street. I should have treated them all equally. But I allowed my pride in being chosen by the council to train the last Uchiha blind me. With each passing day Hinata is closer and closer to unlocking the mental blocks that were put there after I left ANBU, and I'm afraid what she will see. Will one more memory be my last? Will I die like Hiashi on my knees in the street, my brains splattered in the dirt?" Kakashi looked up to the sky. "I was furious when she took my sharingan away from me with that Juken strike. I'd allowed it to define me. I allowed myself to become lazy and overconfident in abilities I stole."
Kakashi sighed. "A thousand jutsu's I'd stolen, and Hinata has them all in her head now. She took the memories with that stare of hers. She didn't leave me like Sakura, but she left me a Genin. I have my skills, but I no longer have what I stole."
"And that makes me…liberated." Kakashi said looking at Gai. "I pray that whatever memories Hinata unlocks, I pray to Kami she allows me to apologize to Naruto for all the wrongs I've done him before she kills me, or locks me in my mind."
Gai looked at him. "You've changed Kakashi. For the better."
Kakashi laughed. "It took me seventeen months to see this Gai. Sleepless nights, beatings at Hinata's hands as she opened my memories of the beatings I'd watched Naruto get while being his sensei."
Kakashi sighed. "I'm afraid Gai. The mental blocks of what I did as an ANBU…did I do something to Naruto that will push her into taking my life? Do I deserve a second chance…hell this would be my third. I wasted my second chance that Rin and Obito gave me all those years ago."
Gai put a hand on his former rival's shoulder. "We can only deal with one day at a time Kakashi. Talk with Hinata. Tell her you repent. Tell her you'll accept whatever punishment she sees fit. Tell her that before she administers it to allow you to at least apologize to Naruto. Seek forgiveness Kakashi."
"Forgiveness…no. I don't deserve that. I just need to make things right."
"The Uchiha woke yesterday." Hanabi said while sitting next to Hinata atop the Hokage monument.
"I know." Hinata said.
"Right now Lady Tsunade has him in a chakra nullifying cell under the tower awaiting his trial. I am ordered to leave him be till then." Hinata said.
"How…how does Jahk'Ayhla feel about that?" Hanabi asked. She was still hesitant about the spirit that shared her sisters body.
"Jahk'Ayhla isn't happy with it, but we agreed to see what the new council will do at his trial tomorrow."
Hanabi smiled. "You going to intimidate them?"
"Hanabi, I let them chose. Free will an all that Kami gave us mortals. I just will enforce my will if the outcome isn't as it should be."
Hanabi sighed. "I can't believe they are even wasting time with a trial for the Uchiha. He left the village of his own free will, and to join up with an S-Class nuke-nin. Anyone else would have been executed for treason."
"If he'd just run away he would be doing a prison sentence, but his attempts to join Orochimaru and his attack of a leaf nin have moved it to execution, but you are right. Anyone other than the Uchiha and the sentence would have been carried out the moment he was brought back."
"I see why you hate more and more of the villagers as the days pass nee-chan." Hanabi said sadly. "I heard some of them discussing your Naruto…they blame him for what you've done. Many of them think he's bewitched you."
Hinata sighed. "Blind fools." She looked at Hanabi. "They make it harder and harder to keep Jahk'Ayhla from enacting his vengeance. It doesn't help that the host prior to me was Naruto-kun's mother and my own emotions make it hard to keep from attacking them."
Hanabi put a hand on her shoulder. "He will come back."
Hinata half sobbed and chuckled. "Why should he? He was exiled. He thinks the woman he saw as an aunt or mother figure signed his exile. The previous council told him they would have him executed should he return. He doesn't know I care. I was too much of a coward to tell him, and now…"
Hanabi's slap shocked Hinata. "Why are you doubting now? What happened to the Hinata whose been a force of nature around Konoha these last seventeen months?"
Hinata cradled her stinging cheek. "I-I-I've seen the aura of many in the village. They are happy Naruto-kun is gone. There aren't many that want him back. The Konoha Ten, Konohamaru, the Jonin-sensei's, a few chunin, ANBU, Ichiraku's Teuchi and Ayame, Jiraiya, Shizune and Lady Tsunade. Are about it."
"I want him back." Hanabi said and Hinata looked at her in surprise.
"I want him back because it would make you happy. Everything I've heard or have learned about Uzumaki, I want him back because he is special to you Hinata nee-chan. Because of him Neji-oniisan is happy. Because of him you found courage to stand up to Hiashi and freed the Hyuga family from their own blindness."
Hanabi looked out over Konoha. "I want him back, because he is special to Konohamaru-kun. I miss seeing him laugh and smile. Since Uzumaki's exile, Iruka-sensei and Konohamaru-kun no longer smile or laugh. They pull pranks on those that insult Naruto Uzumaki, but they do not laugh at them."
Hanabi looked at Hinata. "You have changed for him, and I think should he return, you will blossom even more. I want to see my older sister shine. I want to see you truly smile Hinata nee-chan. Your Uzumaki can do that, then I will use whatever means I have as the new leader of the Hyuga's to make it happen."
"H-Hanabi?"
"He will come back Hinata nee-chan. Even if I have to order every member of the family to hunt him down and drag him back here to lay at your feet. He makes you, you Hinata." Hanabi rose. "And I like seeing my older sister happy."
Hanabi turned and walked away leaving Hinata to sit stunned, and to ponder what she would do.
AN:
I'm BAAAAAAAACK!
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I was going thru stories and if you all like the Ghost Rider idea of being around Naruto, then check out Konohas Ghost Rider Revised by ZenoNoKyuubi. It caught my eye and I'd like to see more. Also for a good Naruto fic check out VFSNAKE's Naruto Rise of the Lord of Foxes. There are a lot of great fics out here and I'm gonna go blind reading them all…but feh, its better than what's been on TV (sick of reality shows or talent shows…I miss Firefly, Birds of Prey and Highlander type shows, CSI, NCIS, Bionic Woman, Smallville, Heroes, Supernatural, House and a few other shows keep me entertained (and my huge anime collection), but come on…KILL SURVIVOR.) I'm afraid I might do a Naruto Survivor fic one of these days and then I'd slap myself. Thanks for all the reviews and kind words. More coming stay tuned.