Summary:
' "Please Itachi… I know I can't save Sasuke but I can save you." Itachi considered these words before knocking Naruto's hand away.' Redemption begins in the form of salvation, at least that's what Naruto believes. ItaNaru Spoilers for Manga Chapters 365+
Pairing:
ItaNaru
One-sided SasuNaru
Challenge From:
xXxFrostyIceCubexXx
Warnings:
Character death, Manga incorporation, predictions as to 'what happens next', sexual situations later on/eventual Yaoi.
Cursed Salvation, Descending Redemption
Chapter Twenty Nine
Dream
a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep.
夢をみるDark light shrouded the figure and the onlooker tilted its head to accommodate to the odd glow that the figure seemed to bask in, almost as if it belonged solely in this light. The light itself reminded him of the light he saw inside of the seal when he was called upon by the Kyuubi; a dingy, matted yellow colour that seemed to invade every pore in his body.
A colossal eye whirled in its socket and the bloodshot orb glared in the direction of Naruto, seeing straight through him and into his soul. The iris was stained a dirty brown and the orb continued to flicker around until it appeared to be satisfied with the surroundings, focusing finally once again on Naruto.
"You contain too much power for this to be a mere coincidental meeting… tell me, why have you sought for my attention?"
Naruto startled at the booming voice and he twisted his body around slightly in the gloom, making sure that the question had been directed to him. When he was satisfied that he was the only one there, Naruto shook his head gently,
"I was not the one to seek you."
A huge head accompanied the eye as the beast's eye whirled madly and Naruto heard a snort escape its nostrils.
"You believe lying to me will do you any good? I will teach you to lie to the greatest of the Bi-"
"Calm yourself."
Both Naruto and the unknown figure turned to the voice that greeted them. Naruto had already known who it was, yet needed the visual proof to confirm what his mind suggested. The mark on his arm tingled as the Kyuubi no Kitsune seated his huge self beside the Jinchuuriki and, out of sheer instinct, Naruto rested a palm on the forearm of the fox.
"Kyuubi-sama…"
The fox inclined his head and red met watery black.
"It was you who called us here? And would this be… Namikaze Minato's son? Naruto was it? The Kyuubi was most adamant, at first, that we lend him the power to break free of the seal. I was already sealed, much like the Ichibi and the Nibi… the rest ignored out summons. Aside from the Gobi… the foolish elephant seemed quite happy to help you back then, if not for his own seal, but I suppose that was mainly due to the fact that he isn't a predator unlike the Nibi… and you defeated him centuries ago when he was a young calf…"
The fox shook his fur and peered into the mouldy light.
"Where is Bumblebee? Does he know it is rude to withhold his image at a Council?"
A low grunt escaped the other Bijuu's throat as he strained to hold his protests back.
"Kyuubi-sama, my Jinchuuriki bears the name of Killerbee and it would be in your best interests to not disregard the title as easily as if he were a mere human. He contains my power too, unless your brain has been fiddled with."
The fox clicked his claws against the floor and hummed his response, sliding down a little so that his head rested closer to Naruto's. It was unnerving to be so close to the 'demon' fox and yet Naruto merely felt calmed by the presence of the Kyuubi, even going so far as to rest a hand in the thick fur of his cheek, massaging gently.
"Regardless, I allowed Naruto to show here unannounced and have not even revealed why he is here."
The Bijuu in front of them – Naruto was still unsure of the animal species the power was contained to – widened its eyes and a hoof clicked on the ground.
"Do you not communicate with your Jinchuuriki? Are you so proud that you do not seek an alliance with the one who can wield your power, Kyuubi?"
Naruto's eyes flashed as the anger of the Kyuubi flowed through him, the seal in this blank space acting like a connection between them. Before the fox had time to construct a reply, Naruto had begun speaking,
"Whatever the Kyuubi and I do is of none of your concern, Hachibi. You lack the proper respect you show to your remaining kinsmen and me; if your Jinchuuriki does not show himself within the span of ten counts, we will have no other choice but to call a close to this meeting and consider you a threat… which appears to be the very thing you don't want at this point in time."
The stiffening of the muscles in the ox's – Naruto remembered the animal form of the Hachibi at long last – upper leg stiffening at Naruto's words. Although he was at a loathe to admit it; not even Killerbee and he had a bond that would have allowed the Jinchuuriki to form a reply based so strongly on what the Bijuu had wanted before the demon replied itself. It was merely a show of power that the pair had unconsciously put into play.
The light in the area shifted so it covered a broader plane, revealing the ox in all of its glory, the Jinchuuriki nestled comfortable on his nose. Sensing that he had been revealed, Killerbee descended from the thick muzzle and down to the ground, standing opposite to Naruto and waiting for the Hachibi to lay with his head closer to the ground.
The ground they lay upon was mostly blank – a material resembling a mix between concrete and marble coating the floor, walls and ceiling of the room they were in – and nine shallow impressions lay in a neat line.
Naruto remembered the Kyuubi's words, so long ago, about the rooms the nine Bijuu had seated in and taken place for their councils. Could this be the place where the nine had originally been seated before the introduction of Shinobi, the conscious thought of Chakra and the destruction these thoughts had caused?
Yes, Naruto, this is the very place my Kin and I seated so long ago and watched the land prosper and grow. It was here that the first of the nine allowed themselves to be swayed by Shinobi ordeals and so upset the balance of our lives…
Yes, it is here where it all began and I believe it is here where it ends for each of us. It will certainly explain why the Oushi has partially requested the council.
Naruto thanked the Kyuubi silently for his intervention. If not for the link between then – via the seal – Naruto knew he would be questioning a lot about the upcoming ordeal.
"What I wish to know is how you have enough strength to contact us when you are supposed to be going through the extraction progress of the Akatsuki."
Both Bijuu and Jinchuuriki started; evidently neither had been counting on the Kyuubi knowing so much.
"It is hard to keep such classified information… classified when your Jinchuuriki runs the Village of Konoha. Plus, you are not stupid and surely you could feel the others through the connections we forged here so long ago… and I bet the Nibi no Nekomata's cut the deepest didn't it? She was your partner, was she not?"
The pair bowed their heads in respect for the dead but the human shook his head.
"Yugito was not my partner, more of a sister to me. Much like the other Bijuu are to you and… Naruto is to me."
Although the hesitation had to be noted, Naruto felt honour swell up within him as Killerbee announced them as family. It made sense; Naruto was connected to Gaara – that much was proved when he took on the Akatsuki when they had extracted Shukaku – and there was no reason for him to stay cut off from this man, this man who had managed, somehow, to escape the Akatsuki on his own.
"But that still does not explain why you are here, Oushi."
The ox darted his eyes to the Kyuubi and withdrew his head slightly, allowing Killerbee to speak.
"It was a last minute plan, after Uchiha Sasuke and his team attacked us outside of the Temple, Unraikyo. We believe it succeeded and, although the Akatsuki will be after us again, we hope it has brought us enough time to retreat and escape to a more… convenient location."
The Kyuubi asked to hear details of how, exactly, they had dodged the Akatsuki at their final throw and the Hachibi spoke this time.
"Killerbee was fighting the Uchiha and probably could have defeated the runt if he wished to. Him and his team were on the verge of death and what does the fool do? He summons me, forces me to condense our power into one of my tentacles and them copy my body into that one tentacle. We allowed the Akatsuki to take my remaining body in the belief that they had won.
"In doing so, I lost an eighth of my power to the Akatsuki in order to keep them busy with the sealing and give us enough time that we could escape from Unraikyo with enough time."
The Kyuubi flexed his paws beside Naruto and Naruto shifted his weight down a little until he was sitting cross-legged.
"You say they were at near-death and yet you took such a risk?"
Killerbee raised an eyebrow at Naruto's reprimand and nodded slowly.
"Uchiha's are powerful, as you full well know Naruto, and he would have found a way to overthrow me if I had not ensured our security. Yes, we are alive, yes we are free from the politics of the village and no, I do not want our existence to be revealed again to the world unless we choose of it. We have been able to turn over a new leaf thanks to the Akatsuki and I wish for it to remain that way."
Naruto consulted with the Kyuubi in private for a moment, as he knew that Killerbee would be doing with the Oushi, and the Kyuubi gave much the same questions.
"You're walking away from protecting your village?"
Killerbee tilted his head and held his hands up, shrugging his shoulders. "The village is in control by my brother and he wished for us Jinchuuriki to protect it at all costs. If not for the Hachibi, I would have many scars marring my skin, as would have Yugito… her devotion to the Cloud drew her to lead the Akatsuki into a trap… and to her death."
Naruto felt a presence against his mind and instinctively called out to the Kyuubi in mild panic.
Allow the presence, Naruto… it is merely the Hachibi wishing to convey the emotions Bumblebee speaks of.
Naruto nodded and allowed the presence against him to edge its way into his consciousness, wincing at the cold feel of a bovine mind.
Greetings, Naruto. Thank you for granting me this opportunity… I am in no doubt that Kyuubi-sama is doing the same to Bee because in order to understand what our views are, you have to understand where they originate from. Maybe then we will come up with a compromise.
Naruto nodded and gritted his teeth as he prepared for the inevitable onslaught of memories that would overtake his mind any moment.
夢をみるThe air assaulted his nostrils as he took in the smell of wood smoke and burnt paving… the obvious stench of an explosion. Naruto wondered how big the explosion could have been for him to smell it so clearly out here.
"Killerbee…"
Naruto felt his body turn and it took a moment for him to realise that he was in Killerbee's memory… and so in the man's mind.
An onslaught of emotions suddenly gripped at Naruto's stomach and he bit back the bile that accompanied it. He remembered long blonde hair, purple eyes and a smile that could charm a snake. One name sprung to mind; Yugito.
Naruto had never known how to contend with another's grief but if there were any time to do so, it would be now. He had never known Yugito, never met her, hardly heard of her before her death, and yet these feelings – although not his own – were so real, so alive and so his that the tears pouring from his eyes weren't just Killerbee's.
Fear mingled with grief and Naruto forced Killerbee to regard the facts so he would not lose himself to the building pit in his stomach. Naruto recognised the darkness in the man's soul and could not allow Bee to fall to it.
"Yugito did all she could, Killerbee… do you want to see where she was taken from?"
Naruto listened through the temporary body as someone explained how Yugito had diverted the Akatsuki away from the village she had sworn to protect – under the orders of the Raikage.
"My brother authorised her to die away from her village, underground where she stood no chance whatsoever?"
The man flinched at the tone in Killerbee's words and nodded hastily, his had slipping down to his thigh, almost as if he expected an attack. Naruto knew, however, that Killerbee wouldn't attack this man, but that didn't hide the bitter anger drawing up in his soul. Anger to the Raikage, at Bee's brother, for allowing Yugito to do this alone, allowing her to die down below.
"We're here Killerbee."
The man thanked his escort and Naruto took in the inside of the tunnel they had come to. It led to a huge antechamber and it was obviously here that the explosions had taken place. A long track of blood stained the floor and Naruto knew, undoubtedly, that it was Yugito's blood that stained the floor.
As soon as Killerbee – and Naruto – saw the steak on the wall that had skin, blood and handprints coating it, they knew that Yugito had been strung up like a chicken after slaughter. That hurt more than anything; knowing that the Akatsuki were dogs, enough so that they would have no respect for the dead and merely taunt the life of a friend, ally and protector in such a disgusting way.
Killerbee learnt one thing then; he had nothing to fear from the Akatsuki because they were cowards who had no respect for life. If they had no respect for life then they could not be treated as human… and the only thing Bijuu truly had to fear was one who had enough power to seal them; a human.
夢をみる
Desperation coursed through his veins as he saw a red haired male's head bob out from the mouth of a huge clay bird. He felt the influx of Bijuu chakra – not the Oushi's but a darker, far more unpredictable and terrible chakra – and allowed the heightened senses to over take him, relying more on animal instincts than anything human.
"Let him go!"
The roar that surrounded them surprised Killerbee for a moment… until he realised that it was Naruto throat, his throat, from which it came from. The anguish in that cry reminded him of his cry for Yugito, upon seeing her dead and realising that she was gone forever.
It appeared that he was not the only one to form a bond of friendship with a fellow Jinchuuriki, though he could tell that Naruto and this…. Gaara had the most unstable reaction out of the two; both of these young men had been shunned their whole lives and were only now coming through, one as Kazekage and the other merely as unpredictable.
Emotions flashed before Killerbee's eyes as Gaara's corpse was left on the field and the head cradled by Naruto. Tear dribbled from his eyes as he shouted out to the field that no one understood, no one knew the pain… no one except the Jinchuuriki.
The Kyuubi relented in his connection and Killerbee realised that Naruto had felt much of what he had, only for a different person and a different place. Naruto had been lucky to regain Gaara and it made the man wonder how far the Hokage would do for him.
夢をみる
Naruto felt the Hachibi leave his consciousness and turned round to see dark skin above him. He smiled brightly at Killerbee and a flash of teeth let Naruto know that the man was smiling back.
"Brother?"
Naruto took the outstretched hand and confirmed the question, "Brother."
The air around them relaxed as the Kyuubi and Hachibi relaxed their muscles. It was evident that the both of them had been anticipating a fight, even if they had tried to avoid one between the two highest wielders of power in the Elemental Nations.
Killerbee removed a clasp bracelet from his arm and passed it to Naruto, placing it on the upper bicep of Naruto's non-sword arm. The gold shimmered lightly and Naruto felt immense gratitude. As he had nothing on him save for the necklace Tsunade had granted him and his weapons, Naruto knelt to Killerbee.
"I swear on the Council of Bijuu that you have Konoha's protection as long as you seek it. We shall be a safe house to you in your times of need. We wish that you will visit our noble village and see for yourself what a Jinchuuriki may achieve when the odds stack against him."
Killerbee held out his hand and Naruto kissed the knuckles in an allegiance pledge. They could both feel time slipping away from them but Naruto had to know now what it was that Killerbee would do. The bracelet and the pledge had merely been official ways to tie themselves together and Naruto didn't want to lose such a royal card in his hand.
"I plan on leaving behind what I know. At least for a while… the title of Jinchuuriki weighs heavily down on me, Naruto, you must know that. It pains me to turn my back on the Lightning but I have to do it for the greater good. I am sick of being a tool… even if I came to Konoha, the Raikage would see it as a betrayal. He would not understand the bond between us… he didn't understand the bond between Yugito and I."
Naruto nodded slowly and sighed deeply. It was as he was afraid; the Raikage believed himself to be sympathetic to Jinchuuriki because he didn't show outright animosity to them and allowed them to be seen as heroes, protectors of the land.
Yet deep inside, he saw them as nothing as below animals, creatures that could form no attachments… mere beasts that held incredible power, a beautiful mind even, but nothing more. They could not feel, could not form emotions and could not seek companionship from fellow Jinchuuriki because it would be unnatural.
About as unnatural as a swan mating herself for life, that is.
"Swear to us, Naruto, brother, that you will keep our existence hidden from the Raikage and Cloud. Keep the Hachibi and I a secret, a calling card if you wish it, for the last hurdles of battle. Through this council we will have a link in our minds that you will use when you need our help, and I will use for your help. We will help you… but only when you are in need of it."
The silence that gathered around them was deafening and Naruto fought to keep the silent howling at bay.
"Swear brother, please."
Naruto ducked his head and his eyes glimmered as he brought his face back up.
"Swear loyalty to Konoha and I will swear to your secrets."
Killerbee looked shocked for a moment before he broke into a chuckle, the deep boom cutting through the silence that had remained gathered. Naruto tensed slightly, unsure if he was laughing at the request or the boldness.
"Oh, little brother… only one such as you would request such a thing. Unpredictable; I'll give you that one, but very well. I swear my devout loyalty to Konohagakure until the day I die. You know, that's more than my blood brother got out of me; he never made any of us swear an oath to the Cloud."
Naruto rose to his full height, as did the pair of Bijuu, and held a hand out to Killerbee. The elder did not even hesitate in taking the appendage and shook it strongly.
"Hokage-sama," he muttered before walking back to the Oushi and staring forwards until Naruto felt himself return to the weight of the world, a warm arm slung across his chest.
Naruto's eyes were wide in the darkness and if not for the cool metal upon his bicep, he would have assumed the meeting at the Council to be a dream.
One thing was for sure; he would be talking to Itachi and the Kyuubi again in the morning.
夢をみる
"The Hachibi and his Jinchuuriki have sworn allegiance to Konoha if you keep their existence a secret?"
Naruto nodded and Itachi rested his head back on the pillows. After tossing and turning after he had woken from the meeting, Itachi had opened his eyes to meet with Naruto and got out of the bed without a single word. He had returned a few minutes later with two cups of coffee and settled himself back into bed, passing Naruto one of the cups.
The bed they lay in now was a double bed that, somehow (though Naruto suspected it was Shizune's way of apologising), had shown up in Naruto's room during the time he had been training with Fukasaku. It was a very comfortable bed and now allowed the two of them to spend their little hours of sleep together in warmth and content.
"If the Raikage has answered out letter then there is no doubt this will cause a rift in his trust… if he finds out that is. You will have to keep this the most secret you can. Is what… Killerbee…" Itachi was hesitant in saying the name and it rolled uneasily off of his tongue, "said true? Can you contact one another through a link in your minds?"
Naruto shrugged his shoulder and said that he didn't mind trying, reaching out to try feeling for the cold bovine connection he had severed last night. It was there, weak, but still there. He grasped on the ends and sent out a question to it, receiving an answer in a matter of seconds.
"He can hear me."
Itachi sunk into the covers and stretched his body out, limbs brushing against Naruto and making Goosebumps break out over his skin.
"We had best go see if the post has arrived yet then Naruto… give me five minutes and I'll be decent enough for you to use the bathroom."
It was the regular routine; Itachi would use the bathroom first and then, while Naruto was using the facilities, would cook breakfast. Neither of them showered in the mornings; there was too much that could happen in that short amount of time and they preferred to spend it together over butter and jam rather than separately in the shower.
Showers were restricted for the evening and it was always nice to know that you could come home and expect a refreshing, warm, shower.
They arrived at the office forty-five minutes later and Naruto allowed the Itachi-raven to circle the room a few times before he entered. Shizune greeted him merrily and brought in green tea for the pair, setting it down on the table as Naruto moved into the room. Shizune left the room and Itachi changed back into his human form, eyeing the table in discomfort.
On the table sat a letter marked with the insignia of the Cloud and Naruto felt his stomach plummet. He had to choose now whether it was to be the ties to his village that would make an ally or the ties to his birthright, the consequences of the Kyuubi attacking under Madara's influence, the title of Jinchuuriki would influence his choice. It would be a difficult choice and Naruto had already partially made it…
He now had to decide whether he could cope with lying to the Raikage about his brother while still having the knowledge literally in the back of his head.
夢をみる
Notes:
So
here we go, almost at number thirty and just when we all think that
I'm going to completely leave the manga... we get this little beasty.
Yes, here we go! So one of my favourite characters is still alive...
and not just by my means this time! He's really alive! Not to
convince Kishimoto to do it for Itachi...
Thank you for all of your reviews!
