A/N: So it's getting really late down here and I'm pretty tired myself. Most of you may be wondering about my absence and I have to say, it really was about time I put myself back to work. It wasn't easy, what with my school and other activities I had to partake in, but please, do enjoy the chapter which I hope will live up to your expectations. Expect me to update sooner, if only with smaller chapters.
The Ashbringer: Shinobi of the Light
Chapter 21: The Day the Fire met the Ice
It was one of the most agitating nights Kakashi had to push over in his entire life. What of the endless enemies he had defeated thanks to his copy eye or Raikiri, what of the countless adventures he had endured as a shinobi, all of them proved to be in vain against this single foe.
A plant.
A God damn plant.
There where very few ninja around the world that could actually use plants to fight. It was something akin to a bloodline, one that gave the user dominance over certain aspects of nature. In the ranks of these few nin was the Shodaime, a man that could manipulate wood in any form and shape. It was a marvelous ability to rely to.
But it was also a troublesome one to fight against.
Wondering around this maze had proven to be of no avail, since the jounin found no openings, no route of salvation. And finally, yes, finally, something different had occurred.
Rin had popped out of nowhere, grinning and smiling at him, several attempts to seduce him being made as she approached with a sway in her hips and a glimmer in her eyes.
That was the moment Kakashi had shot a few kunai through her head and throat, resulting to the woman being reduced to countless vines and leafs. Whomever made this stupid illusion probably had no knowledge of his past…
But it was also a grave mistake whatsoever, for the enemy at least. The moment the vines touched the ground, they began retreating, running away. Kakashi had used these retreating appendages to track down the chakra trail they left behind.
And here he was after minutes of plant hunting, finally having found his target.
Truthfully? It was an ugly plant.
Large and red, with several long and fidgeting lashes, what one could consider a flower now looked ready to bite his head off. One point for nature it is.
Kakashi had wasted no time being stunned by surprise as he leapt away from the oncoming lashes, which slammed on the ground he was mere moments ago. The jounin was amazed at the dent they left on the earth…
More lashes came after him, some trying to slam him to death, others going for a piercing blow. Kakashi had quite the hard time avoiding them all as he sidestepped, ducked and jumped away from several attacks. His sharingan was the only reason he was still unharmed, but that too was pushing it far as them an had already been using it for some time already. He wouldn't have the luxury of his special eye for long.
"What the hell is this thing…?" he mumbled to himself, standing still on his spot. Another lash smashed right next to him, Kakashi freezing in place from sheer amazement. Not moving from his spot, he waited to dodge the next attack…
Yet it never came. As he stood and kept a frantic eye on every God damn lash of this thing (And they were many, mind you), no attack came again for a whole minute, as if the plant had stopped registering his presence.
'Why would it stop…?' Kakashi relaxed his muscles, only a tiny bit, still looking at the gruesome man-eating monster with a bit of fear. Always fear your enemy. He's the one that can end your life. Not having fear for something or someone leads to underestimation, and this miscalculation often leads to the valley of death.
Kakashi wasn't ready for that journey yet. He had many Icha Icha books to read still.
As he rolled his options over in his head, his foot unconsciously moved a tiny bit…
That was when one of the large lashes came crushing upon him. The man had no time to dodge the sudden attack…
The appendage came crushing down on him…
XxxxX
…
Dripping… he could hear the faint sound of dripping…
…
Water…? Was it water…?
…
Maybe he was dead… and this was paradise… it felt excessively warm in this place…
…
More dripping. A low growl. Did water growl…? No… it did not…
Slowly opening his eyes, his vision blurry and unsteady, Naruto forced himself to focus on what was before him instead of the itching pain in his chest. Why did his chest hurt…?
Oh right… Hinata… she had killed him.
But if that was the case and he was indeed dead, he idly wondered if paradise, or hell whatsoever, was ever described to be looking like a sewer.
A chuckle echoed in his mind… it was dark, heavy, like air itself gained weight as the sound passed through it. He did feel heavy, truth be told.
"Killed…? You think that, I would allow my container to be so pitifully killed?" he knew this voice, a voice filled with hatred and malice, an undertone that spoke of pain, a twist in it that spoke of blood…
"Becoming more perceptive when on the verge of oblivion, Naruto?" that mind curling chuckle again…
"Come to me, foolish little mortal." It wasn't an irony, it wasn't an insult. It was a statement. The voice didn't think he was inferior. The voice knew it.
Was his body even there? He didn't feel it whatsoever. Yet his vision trembled with each step he took, he felt pain shooting through his being with every muscle that budged. It was painful, but he kept moving…
Finally, after what seemed to be whole years, Naruto reached where the voice had called him to, where it wanted him to be. He tried gripping a wall for support, as numbness took over his feet, forcing him to the wet ground. Had he touched the wall? He didn't know… he felt too cold to make out the difference between his skin and the concrete.
"Ahh… that is the feeling of dying, Naruto. Is it cold? Is it painful? Marvel in it, boy. Savor this last feelings as your very soul dies along with your body." He knew that voice… in the haze that was his mind, he recognized it as the Kyuubi, the demon that resided within his body, trapped within the Shiki Fuuin seal…
"I… can't… die…" was this his own voice? His own words? He felt no pressure in his neck as he spoke, no vocal cords struggling to form phrases. Was something playing tricks on him…?
"You, are only mortal." Again, that superiority. But he found nothing in him that cared though. He didn't remember what that word was supposed to mean anymore.
"Excellent…" the monster seemed to purring at some good news, glad, happy of something. Naruto forced his gaze upwards, to where he knew the fox's face was supposed to be. How he knew…? He didn't remember.
"You… I'll… take you… with me…" now he did feel the pressure, and the pain, as he forced his throat to form the words, his lips to move and his brow to narrow. But nothing seemed to be phasing the wide grin that had spread on the demon's fanged face. That grin was evil… overwhelming…
"Where is your precious Light now, Naruto? Where is the pride and strength of your heart? The will of your mind? The force of your strength? Nowhere… it was all lost the moment you decided to allow yourself in the hands of this…" he snickered, as if it was a joke to even speak of it
"This power! You think the Light would grant you power? That it would make you strong enough?" sneering, the demon came down to meet the blonde in the eye, his crimson gaze weighing down upon Naruto with all its force.
"Accept me, Naruto, and you'll have power beyond what the Light could ever give you…" it spoke. It felt tempting, it felt… like he wanted it. His whole body screamed at him to accept it, to take it all…
"Yes… give in, paladin… give in to the darkness!" that comforting, shielding darkness… it felt so warm… so welcoming…
Naruto's hand reached over, as red chakra leaked out of the cage, straight to his form…
XxxxX
There where times like this that Kakashi hated being right. Many people did the same thing when they got pushed to their limits. The jounin of course was far from his limit, but doing nothing but weaving around heavy, and probably deadly, lashes was such an irritating course of movement, doubled by his inability to actually attack back.
It didn't take long to figure out the plant's attack pattern either. It was fairly simple, really. All it did was sense the disturbances Kakashi's form caused whenever he touched the ground, the vibrations, albeit tiny, being enough to give away his location.
So he had no time to form a nice katon jutsu and burn this thing to hell. You can't form seals when you have to dodge with every fiber of your body.
Kakashi's eye focused as his mind travelled miles per second. He was the only one here, so all the lashes where focused on him, his vibrations where the only ones caused in the immediate area, so the plant in return was focused on him…
He nearly grinned as the simplest of things, which he wondered why he hadn't done so earlier, came to mind. Need more vibrations? Then why don't give yourself a hand?
"Kage bunshin no jutsu." He spoke as he crossed his arms in a seal, forming three copies of himself in that brief moment he was airborne.
All four Kakashi's landed on the ground at the same time and needless to say, the plant was confused.
It was very likely that this particular enemy could make out one vibration from the other. That would explain why it couldn't be tricked by falling rocks or maybe a leaf or two, and start attacking randomly for no apparent reason. It had made out already Kakashi's vibration pattern, so it knew where he would be.
But now that there where four vibrations of the same wave going through the ground, the plant was confused.
It was all Kakashi needed.
Forming seals rapidly, thankful that the Gokakyou had few to begin with…
"Katon: Gokakkyou no jutsu!" and he exhaled a torrent of fire that washed over the rampages lashes, burning them to ashes and engulfing the massive monstrosity in flames.
Well… that was quick.
XxxxX
Something was boiling within him… something was churning and turning, twisting and expanding as he was gripped away from the void of his mind. The world was slowly returning to him, his senses where tracing back on the material world, grasping every inch of it, the sounds, the smells, the touch… everything was so clear, so pristinely clear it almost scared him.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes to peer at… nothing. He was just laying there in the middle of their clients' garden, blood sprouted around him… blood… it smelled like his blood.
He shouldn't be able to smell blood, let alone recognize it. He shouldn't be able to see that far into the distance, and that clearly to add to it. He shouldn't be aware of every damn little sound that was made by insects or his own movements around him.
His senses never were that sharp.
"It feels good… doesn't it?" that voice… it didn't scare him, neither did it sooth him though. It was the voice of the demon. The demon within him.
Naruto sat up, slowly straightening his body in a standing position, surprised that he didn't wobble an inch. There was dried blood on the grass and on his jacket, but no pain was touching him. The exact opposite, he had never felt so healthy… so… alive.
Looking down at his hands, he realized they had turned into deadly sharp claws, hell, he even prickled himself by accident. There was something strange about them… something…
It didn't take much for his enhanced sight to see the faint red outline of chakra that covered his hands, his wrists, his whole body. It was like a thin cloak of chakra had surrounded him, shimmering and moving along with him.
"Come on… try it out…" he heard the dark voice urging, and Naruto nodded without thinking, still marveling in this new feeling.
Deciding to check his vitality first, Naruto prepared to make a sprint for the other end of the garden.
And his feet took off so fast he nearly fell backwards, not used to the immense power. Grabbing a hold of himself and concentrating on the self-implanted task, Naruto focused his mind into the run.
All these happened in the span of three seconds. It was all it took him to reach the other end of the massive garden in the blazing speed he moved in.
It was… magnificent, this power, this speed, this… feeling. He felt like he could conquer the world.
The Kyuubi laughed within his mind, amused.
"You haven't taken up even a 1/9 of my power, boy. Don't be overconfident." It chuckled at the deflated look Naruto's face took over.
"Wha, you mean there's more to it?" he asked, noticing the unusual term of calculation the demon used.
"Of course there is, foolish little human. Right now, I've simply granted you a tiny friction of my chakra to keep you alive from that stupid wound. You haven't even summoned one of my nine tails." Naruto was in no illusions that the demon held any love for him whatsoever. There had to be catch in this power.
The Kyuubi smirked, and Naruto could practically feel it "Oh, ain't you a smart one? Indeed, with power, there comes a price, kojou." The demon chuckled again in some self-amusing contemplation
"I've given you this power for you to see and understand what you can win… or lose, depending on your choice." Naruto looked down at his clawed hands once more. What would he lose…?
"My powers, demonic as they are, would fail to work with that Light of yours. All I want you to do, boy, is to drop that pathetic excuse of strength that Paladin taught you of and turn your eyes towards where true power lies!" Naruto's eyes widened at the demon's suggestion. Turn back on the Light? Turn back on Tirion's teachings? On everything the man had sacrificed and worked hard for… for his sake?
'… no power comes without a price, Naruto.' Tirion had once told him. You couldn't get something without giving away something else. You couldn't win without losing. The wagers changed. The fact did not.
'It is our duty, and honor, to protect our homes from the flames.' Tirion had passed through many trials to become the man, the fighter, the warrior, he was. The Paladin he had become.
'Evil will try and taint you, darkness will come to grasp you. If you stare into the abyss, rest assured, it will stare back at you my boy.' The man had warned him, once that Naruto had actually done something bad… he didn't remember exactly what that was, but the lesson still lay burned in his mind. Tirion had warned him about how one can fall from virtue, how many noble warriors, how many righteous paladins had fallen over the alluring taint of the Scourge, how they had forsaken the Light and turned into beings of darkness… how they lost everything, for power.
'The power of the Light knows no bounds. The only boundaries, is what you put upon yourself. Open your heart, steel your mind, and rest assured, the Light will be there for you.'
"BAH! You actually believed all that bullshit the paladin told you? You actually think the 'oh-so-mighty' Light will be there to save you every damn minute of your life?" the demon barked in his mind, cutting away all reminisce, letting him focus on the choice at hand.
"Where was your precious Light when you where bleeding to death? Where was the all-mighty force of reckoning when Azeroth, Tirion's homeland, was reduced to ashes? Nowhere! Everyone was slaughtered, and for what? For the Light! They let their minds and souls be turned into mindless undead, for the Light! They sacrificed everything they had, their own being, for the Light!" mock, anger, venom dripped from the Kyuubi's tongue as he shouted his reasons at the blonde, who kept heading them without retort.
"Azeroth trusted in the Light… and met its doom. Will you allow the same to happen here, kojou? Will you let them destroy everything here as they did there?" its tone became quieter, but no less imposing. Naruto's eyes widened for a brief moment.
"Who…?" he asked, his stomach clenching as he awaited the answer. Who would want to destroy his home? He didn't have that kind of enemies… but… Ho did. Enemies lied everywhere. This was a world of ninjas. A world of deception, of lies, of killing and death.
"This world… will meet its doom by its own hand… rest assured, kojou… I only hope that you'll be here to see it. That way… you might understand… the folly of your ways…" the demon's voice became weaker as it was reduced to faint whispers, retreating back into his mind. Naruto felt the power leaving, absorbed within him as well, his claws becoming normal human hands once again.
And suddenly, he felt very weak too.
Without the immense strength of the demonic chakra to enhance him, Naruto fell to his knees, breathing hard, his chest aching where he had been stabbed before.
A bargain, huh… did Kyuubi honestly think he would drop all these years of hard work and sweat for instant demonic power? Did it really believe that Naruto would betray one of the very few people he ever trusted, all for power?
No… he would never do that.
Would he…?
"Ah, there you are!" he heard a voice from behind him and turned around quickly enough to…
Miyako nearly bumped into him, and he stumbled in an attempt to avoid impact, resulting to his wobbly feet to betray him and let him fall on the ground. Face first.
"Oh my God, Naruto-san! Are you okay?" did he look okay? No, he did not. So he wasn't okay.
He hated stupid questions.
The fact that he spoke them too at times was a different matter entirely.
A muffled grunt was the answer to her question, as he tried to sit up, finding even the muscles in his hands to ache horribly with each attempt at movement. He barely made it to a sitting position, trying to relax his suddenly tired body. Being resurrected like that probably was no easy thing, even for a demon.
And it sure took a toll on his body. A grimtoll. (xP)
Naruto tried to call upon the Light, invoking its healing powers as he forced himself to mumble the chanting for the right spell.
But nothing happened.
Naruto's eyes closed in concentration as he pulled himself together, crouching on the ground and chanting the spell again, this time adding extra words that would help the invocation.
Still, nothing happened.
The young Paladin gazed at his hands with wonder, seeing nothing of the familiar glow of power that came with the Light. Something felt terribly off…
And then it hit him. He felt nothing, absolutely nothing, like his connection with the power was severed by something, like a net cut in one place and then being ripped piece by piece, not able to withhold its contents anymore.
He felt like that net.
A low chuckle erupted from within him…
"Foolish little human… you think the Light would obey you after you've made a pact with my demonic powers? Hilarious!" the demon began laughing within his mind, laughing hard, mocking him. Naruto glared at nothing in particular, Miyako worriedly checking him over for injuries, bewildered by his strange behavior.
Naruto gritted his teeth, chanting the spell again and again, putting the force of his whole soul in the incantation, pleading with all the power of his heart.
And it came. Like a surge of warmth and protection, like a worried mother trying to sooth her troubled child, like rain on dried earth, the Light heard his plea.
The Kyuubi's laughter was cut in an instance, as it too felt the presence of the divine power. Frowning, the demon growled lowly, annoyed and curious at the same time. Naruto shouldn't be able to invoke it again so soon. It should have taken quite some time, time the demon intended to use to turn him completely.
But Naruto was paying his tenant no mind as he felt the surge of power wash through him, healing tired muscles and joints, granting him the ability to stand on his own two feet again.
Miyako… for one part, was scared. Naruto had suddenly started radiating some weird light. Damn ninjas, she could never fully grasp their tricks! Yet, that serene and peaceful expression on his face… it looked like he enjoyed it.
She decided to try something.
And that something was to slap him across the face.
Nope, didn't work. Naruto fell over to the ground, still mumbling things in an incoherent language and grinning like an idiot at the same time.
Now annoyed, Miyako grabbed the senseless nin, pulled one of his arms over her shoulders and started carrying him away with great effort, miraculously keeping good balance even though her more petite untrained body lifted the heavy for her Naruto.
All the while, between the girl fighting to carry Naruto across the huge court and into the house, and said blonde still mumbling, Kyuubi worriedly turned round and round in its cage, carefully thinking what he was supposed to do next.
And the simplest of revelations hit him.
The demon grinned, a wide, fanged gesture that would give a lesser creature a heart-attack…
XxxxX
Kakashi was not surprised to find his student slightly battered, though for no obvious reason. Had Naruto encountered a plant himself? Maybe, maybe not. He was fine the last time the man saw him.
Right now, all the boy did was mumble in some incoherent language and shine. Really shine. His whole body was encased in a thin glowing sheet, feeling soft and warm to the touch.
Maybe that was the 'Light' Naruto seemed to believe in. Kakashi had never questioned the blonde's ways when he was younger and still under training, from him and some other guy called Tirion, as Naruto had informed him. What was this Tirion doing with Naruto, though? Was he the one that taught the blonde how to use this Light? Likely.
"I-I'm so sorry, Kakashi-san! I… I had no idea such a thing existed in the first place!" Rikou did his best to apologize to the inconvenience from before (After all, that fight was nothing but a nuisance to the jounin).
"It's alright, Rikou-san. Since we're all alive and well…" he glanced at his student
"There's no noteworthy problem." He nodded and turned back to Naruto, who was lying peacefully on the flimsy couch, still mumbling. Miyako had found an interest in the dreaming blonde in the past hour and had been hovering over his head watching him sleep and mumble the whole time. It was kind of interesting, and unsettling at the same time.
Kakashi sure didn't want someone peeping at him when he slept.
That's why he always had a kunai with him.
Always.
"But… how could something like this exist in my garden?" Rikou spoke to himself, still bewildered by the jounin's little story. The question lingered in the ninja's mind as well, since he knew his friend to be quite the pacifist. It would be strange if he suddenly decided to decorate his garden with man-eating plants, or killing-lashers and whatever.
"Someone must have planted it there, dear." Riku's wife, Yozora stepped into the scene to add her own two words. Kakashi looked as bored as ever to her plain explanation, but Riku seemed to find it far more interesting than it should be.
Weird man.
"Oh! How right you are darling! Kakashi-san, what do you think?" was he dealing with a duo of idiots? Well, they where indeed civilians, but Kakashi nonetheless hated it when the obvious was stated verbally like this. It was like a kindergarten kid suddenly realized that the sky was blue.
"… someone planted a plant." He said no more, as he turned and took a kunai out, setting it before his blonde student.
Precisely and too fast for civilian eyes to follow, Kakashi shredded the sheet of Light to pieces, the power dissolving and Naruto's mumbling finally seizing as well.
Riku, Yozora and Miyako, all stared at him.
"… it was getting on my nerves." And there was no more illumination given as he stepped outside of the room.
XxxxX
"… so this is pretty much how the situation goes." Kakashi finished explaining to his two other students in a more remote room within the mansion. Sasuke and Sakura both listened intently as their teacher unfolded the situation.
"What do you make of it?" he asked after a moment of silence, leaning back on the wall, a single eye watching both pre-teens intently.
Sasuke was the first to speak up, strangely enough "We're probably dealing with a summoner…" he began
"One that uses plants as summons?" Sakura's voice was bewildered, and none of them could blame her for her naivety. It was common knowledge that summons, usually used only by strong shinobi, where limited to animals only, like felines, canines, birds, even fish, but never the immobile and relatively harmless plant-life. The fact that Kakashi encountered such a monstrosity was worth a new legend!
"There are many strange things in this world Sakura; this is probably just one of them." The jounin waved it off, speaking words of experience. Truthfully, in a world that people flew around blasting junks of rock with their bare hands and shot fireballs out of their mouths, the word 'unbelievable' took a whole different meaning.
Sasuke raised a hand "I suggest we patrol the perimeter, keep a close eye to the other labyrinth complexes around the mansion. For all we know, there could be more of these things hiding in there." He suggested and Kakashi happily nodded.
"I'll have Naruto do that for us when he's awake again. Now, question number two: If these things really are summons, then there must also be a summoner close by. You might not know it, but no summon can stay in this world for too long without its master being nearby. There are some exceptions, like my dogs which are both messenger summons and battle companions, but large-sized ones can't stir too far from the summoner." He explained fluidly.
"Why is that, sensei?" Sakura cleverly added in. The most basic questions are usually the most useful as well, though.
"Summons, generally don't belong to this world. They exist in a realm away from our own, and we kind of pull them away from this realm and link them here, through our own bodies. Small summons, like my dogs, require small links, thus it is easy for them to handle their own existence in this plane, thus supporting themselves on their own. Big summons on the other hand, require a larger link, one which requires a subconscious focus from both the master and the summon. That is why the 'Boss' summons are really hard for someone to achieve, but also hard to control as well."
Both genin nodded, satisfied with the explanation. It did make sense, whatsoever.
"So, you think the threat lies close by?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at his teacher.
Kakashi smiled, that one-eyed, mask hidden expression of his.
"Ma, not only close by." He glanced backwards, towards the door.
The small gape closed in an instant, whoever had been spying on them already gone. Sasuke and Sakura didn't turn fast enough to see him…
But Kakashi did. And he smiled.
XxxxX
His labored breathing nearly echoed in the empty hallway as he dashed for his life, pressing past door after door, to the only safe heaven he knew, to the only place where none could find him.
He did, however, spare a glance backwards, and felt a wave of relief wash over him at the sight of nobody. It seemed that they hadn't really noticed his presence, or thought him too unimportant to get involved with. That was good.
With a satisfied smile and a lighter heart, he turned forward to…
Come face first with a grinning Cyclops?
"Haven't they told you not to run in the halls?" Kakashi berated with that unsettling smile of his, patting him on the head. The culprit turned around in wonder, gazing at the empty corridor as if it had betrayed him.
"H-how…?" he tried to squeak but Kakashi was quick to give him another of his oh-so-creepy smiles, the ones that made you want to look away yet captivated you all the same.
"Ninjas have more abilities than you can guess. Now, let's go have a talk with your parents Sora-kun." He rested a hand on the boy's shoulder, and in a matter of another second, both of them where gone, the corridor empty once more…
Something stirred in the corner, dark eyes peering through a blanket of darkness, gazing at the spot Kakashi and the young Sora boy stood mere moments ago.
Soon, it too left the hallway, dissipating into nothing…
XxxxX
"While I understand your concern, Sora-kun, wandering on your own is not safe, not now." Riku spoke to his child, both he and Yozora scolding him for running around alone this late at night, while in a normal situation he should be sleeping soundly in his bed.
Miyako kept poking a sleeping Naruto on the couch. The firm muscles where fun to tease, in her opinion at least. She mildly wondered how a boy her age could be so well endowed. She knew most civilian kids weren't.
Sasuke approached his teacher carefully, intent on not letting the other occupants of the room realize his movement.
"Kakashi-sensei, you think the boy could have any relation to this?" he half-whispered, half-mumbled as he took on his cool mask, letting no emotions slip on his face.
The jounin made a throaty sound, not sure how to answer.
"I've known Sora-kun for a long time, and he doesn't seem more dangerous than a six year old with a dagger, and that's if he ever got his hands on one." He said after a few moments of berated silence.
Sasuke snorted "You can't imagine what a six year old can do with a dagger, sensei." He said, grumpily reminiscing on the way his older brother could handle weapons with ease and grace from a very early age.
Kakashi glanced at him, nodding his head.
"If he is up to something, then I don't believe it's a plan of his own volition. Sora is a gentle boy, albeit quiet." He added in the youngster's defense. He had seen how Riku and Yozora had brought up their family. There was little if not any chance that they made murderers out of them.
While Riku and Sora where finishing their father and son talk, Miyako was getting onto pulling on both of Naruto's cheeks, Sakura sneering at the creative grimaces she made out of the unconscious blonde.
"It's about time that idiot wakes up…" Sasuke mumbled more to himself as he walked over the duo of torturers. Kakashi grinned in his own way.
"Come on, Hinata-chan, not in the face…" Naruto mumbled in his sleep, catching both Sakura and Miyako off-guard. The first for hearing the familiar name and the last for it being peculiar.
Sakura giggled, while Miyako's expression turned a little more sour than it should.
"Who's Hinata?" she asked, point a finger at the now drooling Naruto and the question at her fellow torturer. Sakura grinned
"Some girl from our class that he seemed to really get along with; maybe they're dating, don't really know. He doesn't talk about himself much." She shrugged, not really caring about Naruto's romance. She had been really glad when he finally stopped drooling over her in the academy some time prior. His change of tastes was something strange, as well as the fact that he hid his otherworldly powers from them as well.
Not that she minded not having him go after her, and having an actual fan that was loyal… to some extent… nope, she didn't care at all.
Frowning, Miyako slid closer to the young boy's face, leaning towards him with a grin beginning to form on her lucid lips. Sakura on the other hand, was twitching in bewilderment, her imagination running wild as she thought of how would it be if it was she that was leaning at the very moment… that sent quite a few unpleasant goose-bumps over her whole skin.
"Naruto-kun…" the blonde girl whispered in his ear.
"Sasuke-kun is trying to k-i-s-s you." She said a little louder into his hearing appendage…
The girl lost no second as she grabbed the oncoming Sasuke and forced his head towards Naruto's…
"TEMEYARO!!" the blonde screamed, startled from his dream in fear of what the God's had warned him of…
And resulted in bumping his lips, hard I might add, to his Uchiha teammate's own, resulting in both of them being knocked backwards in their respective directions.
Sakura couldn't help the laughter than came over her, and not even Miyako had restraint enough to not roar in joy at her successful prank. Kakashi walked up himself, grinning at them all.
"I know you kids want to form some bonding and all, but its about time we get some sleep." He explained but to no avail, as Sasuke and Naruto had entered another debate over which one was the homo.
"You freaking tried to kiss me!" Naruto yelled in anger.
"You were the one that kissed me first, idiot!" Sasuke retorted in boiling rage.
"Wha?! I didn't kiss you, you self imploded bastard!"
"You don't even know what imploded means…"
"Damn right I don't!"
…
"Ma, I'm off to bed. Naruto, make some clones to patrol the mansion and the outskirts. See you all tomorrow." Kakashi batted in the opportunity of the silent moment and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. All four looked at each other, then began laughing for no apparent reason.
"I… I should have taken a picture of this…" Miyako blurted in between her laughs.
"And… And… did you see, Naruto? Hhahaha it was, it was, like… Buhahahaha!" Sakura couldn't even form a comprehensible sentence.
"Maybe we should do it again and tape it! Haaahahaha" If the world was going to be destroyed at this very moment or should aliens ever want to invade this planet, now would be the right time. For Sasuke was rolling on the floor laughing, something that no one ever was graced to see.
His friends didn't seem to notice a thing though as they indulged within their own hysterics, mumbling whatever came to their distorted minds.
"Wh… Why are we laughing?!" Naruto yelled, clutching his stomach, fighting to breath.
"I don't freaking know!" Sakura yelled back and returned to laughing, hitting the couch with her fists in an attempt to alleviate some of the frustration that was building within.
"S… something… is wrong…. Ahahahaha" Naruto tried to yell again but to no avail, as the joyous sounds of his friends covered the power of his voice. He had scarcely noted the fact that Miyako's family was nowhere to be seen and the room felt strangely… strange…
'…Cleanse…' a voice, maybe that little thing called reason, spoke within his mind. Naruto gripped that string of hope within the encroaching madness, calling upon the Light for the particular spell.
And he felt it rushing through his whole body, through every vein, muscle and joint, a purifying flame that made the world seem clearer, if only for a moment.
Everything stopped. His laughter abruptly came to an end, even though it was only his own, as his friends kept on with their own hysterics. Looking around, he finally recognized that feeling, one that spoke volumes of what was happening.
Taint. Dark, malicious taint was creeping inside the room like a swarm of worms, intent on devouring them all while they where unable to do anything but laugh till their heart exploded.
Laughing gas? A spell? A demon's mind trick? Naruto had little idea of what was going on, but thankfully he had freed himself of the trance.
With haste and care he approached his friends, casting the spell on each of them and freeing them from the grasp of insanity that had come over. They all blinked over and over, making sure their senses weren't as dulled.
"W… where is everyone?" Miyako spoke worriedly, noticing her family was nowhere to be seen in the strangely darkening room, the lights faltering, something gloomy and dark creeping through the walls and windows, visible even to her eye.
Naruto paused for a moment, stretching out his senses…
"Kakashi-sensei is… at the other side of the mansion?" How he got there in this short a time, was a mystery. Nevertheless, they had to reach him and inform him of the situation at hand, lest things got out of control…
"And the clients lie a floor above us… there's something that dulls my tracking though… as if a shroud has covered them." There where very few things that could actually stop the Light from tracking the life-force of someone. A few of these things was either demonic or dark taint, both of which though where easily recognizable and easily felt by anyone who dared call himself a Paladin.
Naruto couldn't feel anything.
"Sasuke, Sakura, you go grab Kakashi-sensei, wake him up if his sleeping or whatever! I'm gonna go check on the clients." Naruto ordered in a fashion not so appealing to his onyx haired friend. He couldn't help some sarcasm.
"The all-mighty Paladin wants to take care of it on his own?" he suggested with one raised eyebrow. Naruto glared at him, straight in the eye.
"No, I just don't want any of you guys killed. There's something big up there. Come assist me when you grab sensei, ok?" he nodded to his own plan and Sasuke grunted in approval. He did have a point, even though the Uchiha thirsted for some combat after such a long and boring excursion that this mission seemed to be.
"Let's move!" he shouted and they all run at the door, which was closed for no apparent reason.
Naruto didn't hesitate to kick it down with a chakra-powered kick…
And all hell broke loose.
Outside in the corridor, if he had ever seen something more maddening, something more frightening, disgusting, dark, dangerous and everything wretched, it was no match for what lied before him. Sakura turned around to puke.
Bodies lied twitching and wailing on the floor, malformed and destroyed, skin peeling away and eyes bulging out of their sockets, hands like claws grabbing for their feet and mouths full of distasteful fangs going for their throats, the walls tainted with blood and some other crusty matter they couldn't recognize, an icy mist settling on the floor, hiding the otherwise expensive carpets, now stained with human intestines and more blood.
Everything assaulted their senses head first. The sight of the wretched things, probably zombies, the thick smell of blood and gore, the chill, probably very low temperature that beheld the room… everything hit them as if a ship had just collided with their heads.
Naruto was the first to grip himself out of the stun, having seen such a scene before from what Tirion had shown him to be Stratholme… or what remained of it. The eternally burning city…
The same shouldn't apply here. He should have felt this many undead lurking just outside their door! He should have seen this coming! Then why, oh why, had he not noticed the slightest of clues about their presence?
A Necromancer…?
Not having much time to contemplate, Naruto gripped the Ashbringer and called upon the Light's might.
Jumping in the middle of the corridor and away from his friends, Naruto whirled rapidly, sending bolts of holy energy on each and every undead that was unlucky enough to be close.
The zombies where instantly decimated, their weak undead bodies not able to withstand the power of the attack.
Naruto clenched his teeth as he stopped his spin. "What are you looking at?! Get a fucking move on!" he yelled as more undead approached from both sides of the corridor. Sasuke gritted his own teeth. This was nothing before the butchery he had seen in his home! NOTHING!
He yelled that in his mind as he gripped Sakura's hand and dragged her along.
Naruto was ready to run for it when he remembered another thing…
"Miyako!" he had to duck for a fireball came his way… wait, a fireball??
The blazing fury hit the wave of encroaching undead with a blast, killing some instantly and putting other on fire. The immolated ones didn't seem to mind one bit though as they continued their mindless assault.
Naruto gazed at Miyako and then at her smoking hands like a child that just learned the earth was going round and round.
"What? Never seen a mage before?" she said, blowing a smoking finger and smiling at him.
"Uh… uh…" not really having a smart answer at this pressing moment, Naruto just grabbed her hand and began running for where he thought the stairs for the second floor should be.
Miyako squeaked at the contact but made no other sounds of protest, letting him drag her along and shooting small fireballs at the still pursuing zombies. Naruto could see Sasuke and Sakura being a few meters ahead, running towards what seemed to be a two-way corridor. Sasuke took the turn left, towards where Kakashi was supposed to be… hopefully alive.
The blood on the corridors was never ending, the creeping mist hanging at their feet like a cold blanket.
"Right! Go right!" Miyako instructed and so the paladin did.
This part of the house seemed even more horrifying than the last, filled with twitching corpses, some even reaching to grab for them out of nowhere. Both youngsters forced themselves to ignore them, not having time to ponder about how unsettling the sight and smell of the place was.
How could this happen? They had been in the living room for merely, maybe half an hour, and it came to this! The whole household's staff seemed to be slaughtered and turned into mindless zombies, the stench and sight of blood were everywhere, and all they had was themselves to fend to this situation!
Soon, faster than they had expected, they came to the last hallway that led to where Hinata had seen the bodies of Ms Yozora and Mr Riku. Were they still alive? Was, by some magic, this room unaffected? Even though they knew such hopes where naïve, they couldn't help thinking them, if only to ease their hearts.
Naruto set the Ashbringer before him, preparing for anything, while Miyako carefully put herself a step behind him, eyes peering at everything, the ceiling, the walls, the ruined carpets and tapestries…
"Aah, the entertainment has arrived…" a chilly, husky voice said. Naruto gripped his blade even tighter, bracing himself for anything. Miyako was taken aback for a brief moment, as the power he emitted unconsciously seemed to slip outwards, giving him a soft golden glow…
The blonde was no fool to casually open a door that could very well be booby-trapped with God knows what contraption. Setting himself in a stance, Naruto gathered his strength and sliced the wooden concrete in two, splintering it open.
Inside awaited an image they would have never expected… not in a million years.
XxxxX
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Sasuke swore at his own stupidity. How could such a powerful presence escape his senses? How could he be so dulled as to entirely miss the existence of this being? As they had been running down the gory corridor, Sasuke had suddenly felt that surge of power, that aura of darkness that seemed to haunt and engulf him, a choking presence that called to his very soul…
He had hastily shaken it away from him. Whatever this darkness was, it had nothing to do with him! Whatever this saturating power seemed to be, he would not let himself fall prey to its call!
"Sakura!" he yelled after he realized he was running alone. Starting to panic, the Uchiha spurred around, calling after the pink haired girl again and again.
But she was nowhere to be seen.
He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth and began to run back. Sensei was a strong ninja, he could take care of himself for a little more while.
Again! Again he let his attention slip, again he lost something, something important to him! No, wait, that didn't sound right…
Regardless, he had no time to ponder on his feelings. He had to find and save Sakura, if the situation demanded so.
He only hoped that he would make it in time…
"Are you… looking for this?" a dark voice, dripping with evil and sneer, said from behind him. Sasuke froze for barely a second, spinning around with kunai in hand, prepared for anything.
His shock though could have been greater than his awe…
XxxxX
"I believe we have met before? No, probably not." The man before them said, sitting casually on a leather sofa, not the least affected by their threatening gaze. His robes had a yellow hue to their color, decorated with skulls here and there, while he wore some kind of horned helmet that concealed his eyes, a long pointy grey beard decorating his chin. The skin of his hands was pale, seemingly devoid of blood, and his lips an unhealthy color.
But what was even stranger than the man's sense of dressing, was the state of this room… which was surprisingly normal.
The doors slammed to a close behind them, startling them both. Even though the whole house seemed destroyed and decorated with human intestines, this particular room was clean and neat, not even a drop of blood staining it.
"You see, if we had indeed met, you wouldn't be here, young ones. Heh, at least not alive." He sipped his tea casually, making both of them fidget in anticipation. What was he plotting?
The man seemed to glance up at them, as if he had just remembered something.
"Oh my, but where are my manners? Please, do sit down." He motioned to a couple of chairs, the only thing separating them from him being a low table. None of the two though seemed eager to oblige as they peered cold daggers at him. Not that he was affected in the least.
"I insist…" he spoke, the polite tone being overly there, a threat underlined in his speech.
Naruto felt a pressure from behind him, something akin to a hand grabbing at his shoulder, pushing him forward. He barely held a scream when he saw that what applied pressure on him was a skeleton, an animated skeleton! Miyako wasn't as subtle…
"I wouldn't advise you harming my servants. We have much to talk about, after all. Tell me, young Paladin, have you ever heard of…" he titled his head to the side slightly, an almost frightening sight.
"The Scourge?" Naruto's eyes widened as he remembered one of Tirion's narrations… it was the story that led him to his demise and final merging with the Ashbringer, the reason he had become such a legendary pursuer of justice…
"I see revelation dawning on you. Thankfully, that'll spare me the pleasantries." He took another sip from his tea, relaxing back on the couch.
"What you saw within the mansion, boy, is nothing." He chuckled "What Lord Arthas is capable of far exceeds the minorities you've witnessed within the halls. Whole kingdoms have fallen in his wake, armies have been decimated, destroyed." He put the cup down, glancing back at them with chilly eyes, frozen eyes…
"Women… children… elderly… none shall be spared the master's wrath. None ever did. Death, you see, does not discriminate one from another. It claims all, it rules over all. We've paid you a visit today as to warn you of what lies ahead, young Paladin. Oh, but you're not the first, mind you. Countless Paladins had fallen against the Scourge in the past, your downfall will be no different."
"As a shinobi, you must already understand the concept of death, do you not? You pitiable fools would accept your deaths as if they where nothing, if only to save your homeland. Azeroth… was different. It was their desire to live, the burning passion to exist that brought them over many challenges. Even King Arthas had a very hard time against the joined forces of their world."
"But what Tirion Fordring did atop Icecrown Citadel signaled the downfall of the very land he wished to protect. At our King's defeat, the forces of the Scourge had no leader, no master to watch over their mindless souls. Free from his grasp but with no soul to call their own, all the undead that didn't turn into Forsaken became mindless monstrosities, scouring the world with no restraint or pity. It wasn't long before more than half of Azeroth was engulfed in the flames…"
"Now, with one world destroyed, my master would of course not be satisfied with just one turned kingdom. Eternity, you see, requires bigger conceptions. So we took advantage of the gathered magical knowledge, and hunted down what survivors tried to escape our grasp in other worlds. I suspect you've met some of said refugees?"
"Two more worlds aside Azeroth have already fallen, and the Scourging of this one has already began. But you know what I find most pleasurable above all, paladin? The screams of despair, the fear embed in the souls of humanity, whenever I meet it, never seizes to amaze me. It's intoxicating."
"Give this message to the leader of your village, paladin. Tell him that, whichever way he decides to deal with this information, nothing will change. The end is imminent, unavoidable. Struggle as you wish, fight as you will, but death claims all in the end…"
Naruto's mouth hang agape as everything the man was telling him finally sank in, albeit slowly. Setting his jaw firm, Naruto glared at the ground with downcast eyes. What was he supposed to do now? Talk back to him? Try to reason? But who could reason with a merciless killer? Diplomacy was not the way out of this…
So he gripped his blade. Gripped it tightly.
One swift motion was enough to turn the skeleton that held him to ashes, burning him in the cleansing fire of the light. Naruto called upon the divine force to launch a bolt of said energy to the skeleton holding Miyako, incarnating the undead.
When he turned back to the robed man, he only had an eyebrow risen in amusement.
"Then I have something that you should convey to your own leader." He pointed the Ashbringer to him.
"Do not underestimate us! Do not look down on the spirit of fire! I am a paladin! We are shinobi! If you think you will so easily defeat us, then you're gravely mistaken. We will resist till our last ounce of breath! We will destroy anyone who harms the peace we have fought so hard for!" the man titled his head once more, this time seeming more weird and frightening than before.
"How naïve… still believing in heroism and honor that is. You'll soon find out what my previous words meant, boy. I assure you, in a few years to come, nothing will remain of this world more than ashes and oblivion. Struggle, struggle till you can squirm no more! I delight at the sight of such lively prey! You'll see the darkness, paladin… the cold embrace of the Scourge awaits…"
Naruto launched forward, poising his blade to cut the gibbering man in half. The older 'human' laughed as he vanished in a swirl of shadows…
"Unfortunately I have other matters to attend to, less I would have stayed longer. But I do believe that your friends need more attention than I do… and… are you confident that your other paladin friend will survive?" the man laughed once more, his voice eerie, lost in the shadows of the room.
"We will meet again. Farewell, Ashbringer…" and with that he was gone…
Naruto gritted his teeth as he unsheathed his blade from the ground. Furious, he turned towards Miyako and the door.
"We move now! Sakura and Sasuke probably need help!" he said and rushed towards the door, the agitated blonde girl mumbling complaints from behind him. Just where were her parents?
Naruto was worried sick at even the idea that Sasuke and Sakura probably hadn't made it in this hell. But what bugged him above all was the mysterious messenger's last words…
Would she be alright? She had to be alright, the Light protected them both! He prayed to whatever God was up there that she would be okay… alive for him to see and embrace once more.
'Hinata…'
XxxxxX
Fear, was something that Sasuke thought he would never again experience, for he was led by the belief that nothing would be more horrid to him than the image of his whole family, his clan, being slaughtered right before his eyes, a courtesy of his brother's genjutsu powers. He would never forget that night…
Yet right now, that so horrid emotion was beginning to take a grip of him. Sasuke tried to focus on anything, something that would spare him the feelings that began to arose, that would get in his way.
It had to be an illusion. It just had to be some strange genjutsu cast upon him to make him lose his cool.
There was no way that he was looking at Sakura's head right now. There was no way those empty green eyes where really hers, the blood dripping from her severed neck real. It was too much to accept… too much to actually be.
When? He had lost her from his sights for barely a few seconds, and this had to happen! Frothing rage began building up behind the fear, an unbridled fury both at the culprit and at himself for failing to even protect his teammate at such a time. How pathetic could he be? How more powerless and degraded?
He would have no more of this. This bastard would pay, pay with his life! No, his life wasn't enough. At that moment, Sasuke swore that he would slay every one of these bastards that he found, for it was very unlikely that this man acted on his own.
Between his anger, fear and despair, Sasuke mildly noted that the world suddenly seemed clearer, more pristine, the low mist at his feet being nothing but thin air as he could observe every detail, every twitch the man's body did. But he paid it no mind, no heed.
Sasuke's eyes had grown red, a single tomoe on each of them, and the man's smirk had grown so much it could split his face…
"Yeeeessss… I see hatred. Gooood." He hissed, tossing the lifeless head aside.
But Sasuke was already on the charge, tossing projectiles at his enemy while he approached. The man seemed to be middle-aged, dark robed with stitched skulls adorning his robe, his skin pale as death, foreign tattoos adorning what skin was visible and eyes an empty pale gray, more like blind rather than the all-seeing eye of the Hyuugas.
Yet the avenger paid no mind to his outward appearance. All that mattered now, was vengeance.
It gave little surprise to his mind that the man instead of dodging his ranged attack, erected a shield around himself, a thin barrier of dark energy that engulfed him from head to toe. He then began chanting, dark energy forming in his hands. Sasuke had sane enough a mind to react, forming seals to counter whatever was to come.
A bolt of shadowy energy went for him as the man finished his incantation. But the shinobi was prepared, bringing his fingers to his lips…
"Katon: Hitama no Jutsu!" he shouted and the corridor was engulfed in flames…
When everything dissipated, Sasuke blinked once, then twice. He had used a more concentrated version of the fireball technique, one he'd been working to use in narrow places like this, in order to avoid possible damage on something valuable, a teammate or maybe an item. It was a lot weaker than the normal Gokakyou, but it was good for single-targets.
But this? Had this man really defeated Sakura? Hell! All that remained of him was a small pile of ashes on the ground! There was no chakra in the air that indicated he had kawarimied, or teleported away in any other way. Wait, how could he see chakra? He could make out the thin outlines of blue energy, leftovers from his own attack, he could see every tiny detail on the ground, but Sakura's head, which had previously been tossed aside, was nowhere to be seen. There wasn't even ash or any other indication of the severed skull around.
Sasuke turned around, noticing a mirror on the wall. Even in the relative darkness, he could see himself…
And smiled. Then grinned, grinned widely, seeing the red sea that where his eyes, and the single tomoe that adorned each of them.
He had the Sharingan… maybe that was something he should thank the man for. He had always heard that in order to achieve his bloodline, a certain surge of emotions, battle-adrenaline or close to death experiences where ways to trigger it. And he had done it! His previous rage had probably been enough to bring it forth!
But, speaking of the source of said rage, if that wasn't really Sakura's head, then where was sh…
"Sasuke-kun?! Sasuke-kun!!" he heard a girly voice screaming from behind him, a very familiar girly, screaming voice.
Turning around he saw Sakura charging at him, eyes watery with fear and arms extended as if to hug him, which she did, and he had to take a step back to balance himself.
Wait, why did he allow her to hug him? Normally he would just have dodged the attempt. But, she had already done so and it was too late now, and he held him tightly too, her body temperature a striking contradiction to the coldness that was taking over within this mansion…
Sasuke pushed her back a little, enough to be at arm's reach.
Then slapped her. Hard.
"Don't… you ever…" he started, she not having turned her head towards him again yet, probably from the shock.
"Do this to me again." His tone was soft, shaky, clearly indicating something that Sasuke probably hadn't meant to say, or rather, Sakura's fantasy was screaming nonsense at her again.
She turned to him with eyes teary with delight "Sasuke-kun, I didn't know you where so… so…" she paused to sniff "worried!"
The Uchiha looked at her as if she had grown a second her. Him? Worried? For her? Since when? Okay, so he had gone a little berserk at seeing her beheaded, so what?
"Oh! Right! We also have to run!" she said cheerfully, surely not befitting the situation. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at her. Then looked past her shoulder.
Hordes of zombies even his bloodline couldn't count where marching towards them in a hastened pace, rotting mouths agape and yellow-deathly eyes peering at them with unholy want, probably itching for fresh human flesh. Some strange humanoids with their heads in a bag and a single eye popping in the middle where the face should be where also scaling the walls, looking at them intently.
"The liiiiviiiiing… geeeet theeeem." One of the cyclopic monsters leered, increasing its pace.
Sasuke was sweating. Sweating hard, his eyes wide with both bewilderment, and tones of fear accompanied with adrenaline.
"See? Aren't they just adorable?" Sakura commented, which bewildered him even more. What was this? Some weird dream he was having or something?
He didn't want to find out. So he grabbed her hand, and run. Run fast.
Sakura was amazingly keeping pace, and even passing him, an expression of silent terror written all over her face.
XxxxX
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Naruto screamed as he saw his two teammates running, a horde of undead right behind them, screaming and screeching in the hunt.
"No time for chit-chat! Get moving!" Sasuke shouted and pulled the blonde paladin with him. Miyako seemed to be quite fast on her legs too, despite being a girl and wearing a dress. She mildly decided to tear the bottom part at the sides, just to make it easier.
"Why don't you Gokakyou them or something?" Naruto shouted, but then again, those cyclop like undead seemed pretty fast, hell, if Sasuke and company went even a step slower, he was sure they would jump them on the spot. The Uchiha would have no time, even while making the seals on the run, to stand, turn and sprout the fireball at the monsters before they were on him.
"Why don't you stay back and be the meal?!" Sasuke shouted, still running. They where blindly turning the corridors, too much in a haste to even consider their path of choice. At some point, after a few more wild seconds, they came in a corridor with a closed door, an ominous sign.
Naruto though wasted no time in gripping his blade and smashing through the wooden obstacle, easily removing it.
But, to the accomplishment of their fears, instead of another corridor or any other waylay, it was a room. A simple, empty room.
Team 7 eyes widened as they noticed their sensei sleeping soundly on a bed at the other end of the room, seemingly without a care in the world. Hell, he even snored!
"I'm gonna kill him, I'm gonna kill, hell, hold me 'cause I'm gonna kill him!" Sakura screeched, marching towards her sensei. Even the zombies and geists behind them had stopped to peer. Two glanced at each other, then shrugged.
"Beeen a looong time, since we haaaad fresh meeaaaat." Said one of them, and Naruto froze for a moment, remembering the reason they had run all this way. Quickly he spun around, the Ashbringer poised before him.
The undead seemed to cower for a moment, taking a small step back at the sight of the blade which had turned whole armies of them to dust.
Sasuke also noticed the fear the monsters held for the blonde, though he couldn't tell if it was for him or his blade. Nevertheless, he prepared his hands to form seals the moment Naruto made his move. They had little chances over this… even with his powers, he was sure that Naruto wouldn't make it in such a narrow space that was provided.
"What do you want here, undead? How dare you intrude in this house, and kill everyone!" the blonde shouted with rage.
The horde grunted, then looked at each other, as if they communicated silently. One of the geists, the cyclopic undead, stepped forward. Sasuke could see now that he was calmer, that the monster indeed had its head bagged, a single eye popping where the face should be, a foul smell emitting from its being. A rope was tied loosely around its neck, keeping the back in place, and peasantry-linen cloth hid its horrid body. Claw like feet and hands adorned their respective places, and the undead was slim, thinner than any normal human. It was probably to increase its versatility. Hell, who else could climb walls with his hands?
"Kiiiill? Noooo, master didn't let us kiiiiiill… not yeeeet." It sprouted. Naruto looked bewildered for a moment.
"What are you talking about? Who is your master?!" there was no way…
The horde of undead split in two, letting a narrow passage between them. An armored man stepped forward, his armor black like a starless night, his hair a silvery-white, his skin of similar color and his eyes a pulsing, deathly-teal…
"A death knight...?" Naruto wondered aloud, making both Sasuke, Miyako and Sakura glance at him before focusing back on the man.
The man frowned at each and one of them, then his eyes focused on the blade Naruto held in his hands.
"You…" he pointed "Are you the Ashbringer?" the other three, who probably hadn't heard a death knight's voice before, couldn't help but shiver at the raw coldness of his voice, like frozen emotions that raged within a cask of ice.
"Umm… yeah?" he said, unsure of how to reply. The man didn't even seem to carry a runeblade, the trademark weapon of their class. And the undead had halted at his command, so…
The man bowed lowly, not like how it was a custom here, with your arms at the side, but with one arm making a semi-circle before him as he went down. Then he rose, and kneeled, as if the whole set of movements was planned beforehand.
"By order of Highlord Mograine, I present to you an invitation of friendship to the Knights of the Ebon Blade. The highlord would be very pleased to meet you in person, young Paladin." He said and rose. A zombie behind him moaned for no apparent reason.
"Uhh… thanks… but… why? I've heard of these knights, and there's a rumor about a powerful group growing somewhere in the mountains of Snow being spread around my own village. Would that group be the ebon blade?" he asked, and the death knight nodded.
"The reason we've found ourselves here and other details, you might inquire at the highlord. I am but a messenger of his will." He said smoothly, even though his voice still seemed to give Naruto's group the chills.
"And the undead behind you? The attack on the manor? What is going on here?!" Naruto asked with as much of a controlled voice that he could.
"It seems that a demon had previously cast a spell around you and your group, young paladin. But, said monster was easy to deal with, worry not as he is already slaughtered. As for the initial attack…" he paused for a brief moment "As you may have already noted, the Scourge is aware of your presence, lord Naruto." All but Naruto gaped at the title the man had given their friend, who was more likely to be called an idiot by a rock rather than a 'lord' by… well, anyone.
"The Ashbringer is a very perilous weapon to them. Whatever unholy it touches, it turns to ashes. It is the greatest weapon the Light ever made to battle the shadow. That weapon, and its wielder, they want destroyed, or rather, on their side once again."
"The tides of darkness close on upon this world as well. Whomever you once thought your enemy, now make your friend, for only together will we ever stand a chance against the Lich King and his minions. I… was born here, in the Elemental Continent, Uzumaki…"
"I was fifteen years of age when I died, it was a simple delivery mission from Iwa to Kumo. I was an Iwa shinobi, a genin back then. It's been almost ten years since then… regardless, we were ambushed by a small group of undead. Their numbers were still growing back then, or rather, the Lich King has yet to stabilize the portals which will pour his armies into this world." He noticed their gaping stares, and sighed, almost bitterly.
"Portals? What do you mean? And what happened here anyway?!" Naruto asked/shouted once more. The death knight glared at him.
"Dimensional portals, way-gates that allow passage to either another area, or another world, depending on the power and scale you create them for. Think of it as a massive version of kawarimi. One portal needs another to push/teleport something through, just like that jutsu needs the body of the caster and an object for the exchange. Not the most accurate description I have, you should ask a magi about such things." He said and took a breath, which made Naruto wonder. Wasn't he already dead? What did he need oxygen for?
"As for what is going on here, I already explained. And, if you step outside the mansion, you'll find a beautiful ol'boney Lich-lord waiting for you. By the way, Miss-Miyako…" he turned towards the girl.
"Your parents are safe in anti-magic secured cells, two rooms down that corridor. My minions guard the door, they'll let you through if you so wish." She nodded, but looked sick, or rather terrified, to even try and walk through all those undead to reach her parents. They weren't and the best sight to behold, sadly.
"You mentioned a 'spell' before. What's that?" Sasuke inquired, interested. The man sighed again.
"Similar to the jutsus of a ninja, though it's a far more generalized term, a spell is an invocation usually used by wizards to summon forth powers, minions, attacks or defenses. They are referred to as 'spell-casters', since their magic is usually their only way of attack. The invocations you use of the Light, paladin, are also considered spells." Naruto was also not so pleasantly reminded of that undead warlock they had to take down some time prior. How could his life get so messy in a matter of days? Wait, his life become a hell of a mess after he became a ninja. Maybe it was a good idea to go back…?
Nah. "Regardless, the matter is that you were all under the effects of a spell. Of an illusion. The Scourge wanted to take you down quietly, it seems. And, if I may comment, a job well done, Uchiha Sasuke, on the takedown of that cultist." The boy in questioned quirked an eyebrow.
"What you faced in that corridor was a lowly servant of the Lich, a cultist. They are usually humans, or other races, that have taken up the cause of the Lich king and aid him in the destruction of life, usually because of the promise of power. But enough chit-chat we had already. I believe it's time to cleanse this land. Come, follow me. We have an undead-lord to destroy." He leisurely walked through the small opening his minions left, they not moving an inch as the death knight made his way with ease.
He glanced back at them, seeing how Naruto and his group hadn't moved. Then he noticed their grossed expressions as they debated with themselves whether they had the courage to walk through all these atrocities. The death knight laughed.
His minions began pulling back, filling out of the corridor.
"That look never gets old." He said with a small smile as he kept walking, his minions in the front, hurrying away. Meanwhile Sakura was trying to hold her own bile… as did Miyako.
Sasuke and Naruto weren't fairing much better.
XxxxX
A/N: So, in my opinion the opening scene of this chapter is a little fail, since the 'plant-opponent' Kakashi faced seems to have no point whatsoever, unless you want something to fill the page up. I do feel too that the way and the reasons this chapter rolled out for where a little… rushed. I mean, I'm getting Naruto from one fight to the other, again and again. I think I should rest him a little better, before he dies from exhaustion or something O.o
On another note, I'm looking for a Beta that can help me with this story, someone who can catch little mistakes and give some advice, meaning his thoughts on how the Chapter was written and how it… looks, for lack of a better term.
So all in all, I need an advisor who can help me keep track of this story . I'm having some major headaches today too… it's annoying.
And, because I don't want to disappoint, here's a semi-omake-canon-nitrofiltered-boostedwithstupidity-andlotsofbadassness little side story which will help keep some things on track and possibly satisfy your raging hunger for a laugh or too… if it'll manage to bring said noise out of you that is.
Semi-omake-canon-nitroblablabla: The day Kakashi stood still
Kakashi rose from the small bed he had found himself in, examining his surroundings. He could hear the noise of battle and slaughter taking place outside, but for the life of him he couldn't remember who was supposed to be fighting this late at night. Didn't they know that people where actually trying to sleep?
Oooh, so that how it was. Aliens from an alien word where trying to alienate their world, which in turn would result into even more madness than they already had their hands already full with. And why was a pink elephant dancing on the ceiling for?
Maybe some cabalistic mating call. Maybe not.
Stepping outside, Kakashi's lone eye went wide at what he beheld. The corridor was filled with the stench of copper, bodies lay twitching on the sides, thick redness was splattered across the walls and there where even some zombies lurking around aimlessly!
This was… this was…
The best freaking haunted mansion he had ever seen!
How had they done it? How had they achieved such a marvelous omnipotent deed? Hell, this blood and corpses almost looked real! He bent down, touching one of them, and it twitched! Kakashi nearly died there and then from excitement, but thankfully was too young for heart attacks.
He approached one of the zombies, which was aimlessly staring on the wall for no apparent reason, paying him no mind. He poked it, and it grunted. He poked it harder, and it moaned. He punched in it the face, and it fell on the floor, gurgling but giving no other reaction.
He then proceeded with cuttings its head off with a kunai, marveling that it didn't even splatter blood. With a huge grin still on his face, the jounin made his way across the hall with his trophy at hand, the chin of the monster slack and its mouth hanging agape, empty void eyes seeing nothing.
Kakashi found two more zombies in his way and couldn't resist having some more fun in this fantastic place. These ones seemed more energetic as they approached him at the sound of his steps, reaching out with bony hands, flesh hanging loosely here and there. The jounin grinned widely as he gripped the head he held from the hair, started spinning it, and then tossed it with all his might at the two like a missile which found home.
The first monster had its head cut off by the force of the attack, while the second caught the other's head in its lap, stopping its stumbling and gazing at the severed head with wonder. Funny thing was, the cut head was staring back.
Kakashi watched with interest as the first zombie moaned, and the head responded in similar fashion. Soon they had engaged in what seemed like an argument where they moaned/grunted/groaned things at each other. The jounin went forth after a few minutes, growing bored of the constant nonsense.
Soon he had made it outside, after passing a rattling skeleton that seemed very interested in beheading him with that massive axe of his. Kakashi couldn't help laughing at how well it was all set up, as right at the moment the skeleton made a swing with its axe, a ghost came passing by, which resulted in the phantasmal being been torn in half. The ghost screeched like a banshee and then started bitch-slapping the skeleton to death, who went running away, and had to re-attach whichever limb fell off.
Then he had also found a huge spider, which was preparing a net-like sticky thing to throw at him and probably immobilize him with it, then eat him alive while he screamed bloody murder. It wasn't to occur though as the skeleton from before kept running from the screeching banshee and was swinging his axe around aimlessly, chopping the large spider in half completely by coincidence. That guy did seem to have a tendency with symmetrical bisections it seemed.
And then, when he stepped outside, he was even more amazed, to the point one could say his mouth hang bellow his mask, when he saw his students, along with Miyako, standing over countless bones and corses, Naruto having his blade in his hand and panting heavily, the others in similar condition. There was even the big boss of the area over there, looming over them like a curse prepared to take their miserable life and turn them into undead minions that would suffer in the darkness for eternity.
Kakashi was absolutely sure now.
This was his best fucking day.
Ever.