There are two times Naruto was on the edge of suicide. First time was when he was four, when loneliness overwhelmed him. Madara brought him back, he instilled a dream to his mind and trained him for it. Second time was after the incident he choked Tsukimaru with his yin chakra and stabilized his chakra. Hiruzen was the one brought him back that time, he was first human to show compassion to him.
Naruto gaped at the god for several more minutes.
"He bound 3 souls to him and contract had been applied. His soul is going to be devoured by me with those others until it decays and get poured back to the ethereal lake. Until that moment, they will fight endlessly. However, I am giving you a choice." The deity explained. Naruto was staring more intently than Shinigami ever seen the boy do. Blue, softly glowing slit eyes locked on his gray ones. The deity felt something he couldn't identify from that gaze so he ignored it for now.
"you can let me take him and other 3 or you can take them."
"I… take them?" he repeated as a question; all the while deity watched the blue orbs intently. They got confusion in them but the intensity was not any less that before. He felt the emotion again… it got ignored again.
"I will let you take Hiruzen's soul and your contract with the dead will be upgraded. Others will be bound to you too, until they decay… no they are torn from the ethereal realm so until you undo their shells." The blond closed his eyes in thought. A fleeting feeling of disappointment passed the deity.
"Is the Shiki Fuujin irreversible?" there were a pinch of hope and a pinch of desperation in the blue gaze now. It took several seconds for the deity to suppress the unease he felt.
"There is a way but the snake mortal used it to break a contract. The mask can only be used once in every millennium, a time no normal spirit can endure." Shinigami almost gritted his teeth when sorrow tainted the eyes. They were no longer carrying that captivating intensity.
"You must go, if Hiruzen dies I will have to take his soul."
"He is still alive?"
"Indeed, but not for long."
Naruto was gone before the deity can finish the sentence. The snake fell down almost comically.
(Song sug: Dante Theme – FMA)
Hiruzen – the real one – was on his knees when he arrived, three edo tensei had been caught by his kage bunshin. He could see the ethereal arm of the death god sticking out from Hiruzen's soul. By the blood on his lips and overall worse for wear state showed the edo tensei did helped Orochimaru before they caught, Hiruzen would crush him if no one helped him. First one to sense him was the Nidaime, for he was a legendary sensor when he was alive and his question paused the fight.
"Who are you?! Are you with this bastard snake?!" His father took a single look at him.
"N-Naruto? Is that you?" The blond ignored them both.
"Jiji… what have you done" the anguished whisper settled a heavy silence on all of them. Naruto walked but his feet didn't touch the ground, stared at the old man on his knees but his eyes didn't see, fell to his knees next to the old man but his body didn't feel.
He was in his memories.
He remembered the time they met… also the first time they had a meal together.
First time he held his hand… first time someone held his hand.
First time they eat a bowl of ramen… he met the ramen chefs through him. Even if he didn't really like the food very much, he liked to be with them so he visited frequently…
"Naruto, your time is up. You must make your choice now." Naruto took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.
"A long time of battling with other three or ending it now… which one do you choose?" He asked to the hokage. He saw the old man's confusion and explained it through a genjutsu.
"I… see. In that case…" he took a moment to make his choice. "I choose you to take my soul, Naruto. Just… I want you to be the hokage after I -"
"Jiji…"
"I understand if you don't want to take such a burden but at least… at least make sure someone worthy sits on the chair." Naruto sighed.
"Alright." He didn't want to but he owed him at least this. "I will be Hokage until I find someone worthy. Shinigami, I accept your deal." Shinigami nodded and pulled his hand from Hiruzen's soul.
Sadly, it also put back edo tensei's control back to Orochimaru.
"Quick! kill them!" he shouted. The reanimated Hokage trio snapped to action. One threw a kunai and other two weaving handseals.
"Mokuton: Jukai-"
"Suiton: Suisho-"
*Squelch*
Before they could land their attacks or the kunai to reach the living blond, three spears of shadow impaled through them. More spears jutted out from their bodies when it did and they were immobile again. Orochimaru gritted his teeth.
Shinigami reached out to Naruto's soul and grabbed its mouth with one hand and Hiruzen's soul with the other. When he touched the latter's soul, the soul was absorbed by the arm. Hiruzen fell down, dead. Shinigami forced open the mouth in his other hand and shoved the arm with Hiruzen's soul in it. He let go the spirit's mouth and grabbed his knife then severed his own arm. Blond's soul gurgled and swallowed the arm.
Naruto fell on his knees.
He brought his hand down gently to close the old man's eyes but the body disintegrated when he touched it, leaving only the old man's armor and a pile of dust. He couldn't strangle down a sob as he took the helm to his hands. His seal started to activate with the Yin overload and red electricity travelled his body. The pain was nothing next to the one he felt on his heart. He turned the piece around, held one of its 'tails' and cut it with a kunai. The red lightning increased as he tied the long fabric around his hair to make a messy ponytail. He slowly got back to his after he was done, all the while the lightning increased more and more. His shadow started to climb up his body slowly, red lightning lashed at it like trying to push it down but it wasn't working.
When it reached his knees, his sharingan activated…
On his chest, his new mangekyou triggered…
On his nose it started to spin rapidly…
When it covered him fully his eyes were concentric ripples on a purple background.
Then the red lightning and shadow no longer fought and covered him in harmony. He no longer felt pain when red lightning danced over his body.
The explosion of chakra tore down the four violet flames formation like wet paper and anyone within three hundred feet were blown away. The explosion caused a temporary cease fire, even the Bijuu rampaging on village center stopped to look around for the cause of explosion. Naruto unsealed his skull mask and wore it. The seals triggered as he was Skull once more. He grabbed the Hokage hat and robe, putting the hat on and letting the robe rest on his arm. He focused back on the reanimated hokage trio and Orochimaru.
"Tie them to you." Shinigami reminded. The knowledge flowed into the blond's mind as he raised his palm towards the edo tensei. Three ethereal chains shot out of his palm and coiled themselves around them and making an ethereal connection, overriding Orochimaru's pact but not undoing the edo tensei. Orochimaru came back to himself with a groan and tried to call back the trio to make a retreat. He was confused when they didn't obey the command. Naruto turned his rippled gaze to him.
"Orochimaru…" he thought a moment; he could kill him and be done with his shenanigans. He could train Sasuke better than Kakashi. If Sasuke go to Orochimaru now the snake may use his immortality jutsu on him.
He blinked at the last part.
'seems I also take jiji's knowledge…' he thought. He threw around some ideas about what to do with the Snake Sannin then something came to his mind. His Rinnegan glowed with power and he touched the snake's arms. He pulled and a spectral version of his arms came out. He grabbed them both with one hand and chopped then with the other. They cut off and Orochimaru screamed, his hands lost its color and fell down limply.
"…get lost before I change my mind." Time will show if letting him go was right or wrong. Orochimaru didn't pushed his luck.
"Orochimaru-sama are you-"
"We are retreating!" he cut Sakon. Moments later they were gone. Skull turned to the once more rampaging bijuu. Chakra roared like a barrel of lit gasoline and climbed to heavens. Clones poured out from the roof to help direct the jutsu Naruto was about to cast.
"Lightning… Clouds gathered together by his will. "…Thunderstorm"
Then, it was raining thunders.
(End Song)
Ten minutes later the siege was over and research for survivors had begun. When a squad of four ANBU found him, Skull was staring blankly at what was left of Hiruzen; a suit of armor – the dust long since blown away. His back was at them. They cautiously moved closer until they spotted the remains.
"Is Hokage-sama…"
He just gave the robes to the ANBU leader silently. The leader and one other gasped when they saw his mask. Other two were new so they didn't recognize him.
"I am the hokage for now." his voice was hollow.
"You can't just-" One of the newer ones yelled but the captain cut him with a raised hand. He shut up.
"What are your orders?" the leader asked.
End of Chapter.
Guess this is the end of the first episode. Thanks for reading so far. I'd be happy if you play around with the buttons down there.
