"This is certain, that a man that studieth revenge keeps his wounds green, which otherwise would heal and do well." –Francis Bacon

The 18th chapter finally presents itself in a rare opportunity to celebrate the anniversary of this story as my way of apologizing for taking so long to make it as we continue our favorite Dark Elves' situation with the scarred Iruyana; of which played a hand in stalling me from writing this chapter as one of the things that kept me from writing it in which a certain thing you'll see later might not resonate.

I'd regret also not thanking all of you for helping me reach 1000 subs to this story; something I didn't think I'd earn until much later but to my humble surprise, I've all of you to thank for getting me here despite this story's bumpy journey.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any hentai you see in this story.

A SKETCHRAPTOR PRODUCTION

1000 years ago

"Alright, stash it here!" said a pirate captain as he and his group hailed a treasure chest shrouded by chains through the rainy archipelago that thumped about even after they set it down.

"What in the hell is that smell coming from?"

"Break it open!" The Captain barked with his crew started to undo the chains and the burliest of the bunch brushed the rain off his forehead with a blur shooting past. Looking in the direction it was, the burly pirate merely blinked and returned to the chains with another flash of lightning happening to reveal a freshly severed head now on top of the chest.

"How in the hell…?!" The lead pirate said with a wild scream filling the air and he looked to see his hefty subordinate get his throat slit by the masked Iruyana before being slammed onto the ground. As his group swung their swords at his direction just in time to see the blade of his carving knife, now mounted atop a makeshift spear, hack into his mouth until his head was lacerated beyond recognition.

As the thugs attacked, a lightning bolt flashed across the sky to reveal he was no longer on the goon and they frantically looked around until another one appeared with Iruyana grabbing the nearest pirate by the jaw to yank him down. Smashing him headfirst into his knee, Iruyana followed up his attack by squeezing his eye socket while slamming his foot into his skull with his nearest thug stabbing at him and he lifted his feet off the sand.

With acrobatic agility, he tucked his feet in only to kick his captive where his chest and his ally's sword connected with Iruyana yanking out his eye with a wild shriek from him being drowned out by yet another lightning bolt. The lead pirate scowled as Iruyana was now gone again and ordered his crew to stand back to back in a circle with his eyeless crony groaning as he clutched his socket.

Nothing happened when the next bolt of lightning tore across the sky until Iruyana's spear was launched into the one nearest to his leader from the water. The soaked Dark Elf fell from above to land in the center of the circle with his foot connecting to the back of the lead pirate's head.

"Damn!" The captain said with Iruyana swinging multiple carving knives grasped between his fingers about and managing to slice into the backsides of his crew. While his one-eyed victim still howled at his predicament, Iruyana kicked him over and used the chains from the treasure chest to throttle him.

Moving fast, he dragged the man to the nearest tree and sprang up to the highest branch before wrapping the chain around it. He dropped to the ground though now before shoving his victim's eye back into his mouth with enough force for it to end up dislodged in his throat with Iruyana jumping again to slash his belly open and return to attacking the other pirates.

As this happened, the one-eyed pirate gagged for a time as he felt a certain warm and wet feeling moving past where his stomach had been only to realize his intestines were falling to the ground as he grew weak. The pirate's eyesight quickly grew dark until his suffocating and wound were completely out of his thoughts and he slumped with the Captain having been tossed against the tree just in time for Iruyana to gut him.

Just as he prepared to rip the spear out to hack into him again, he grabbed the Captain by the face and instantly recognized him as one of the pirates that raided his island; this particular being having personally ripped Sophie from his arms.

"You...!" Iruyana started to say before his emotions got the better of him and he booted the pirate in the face.

"Wait! You can have the treasure if you…" He didn't get to finish with Iruyana slamming his face into the sand and getting behind him to grip his arm. It was then with a single twist that he snapped it with holding his head against the ground and venomously eyed him.

"Please! Why are you doing this?!" The Captain squealed while looking back at him and Iruyana ripped off Sophie's mask while jerking his arm to another unnatural angle.

"You, of all creatures, have the gall to ask me that?!" Iruyana roared at him with his heart straining just from looking at the man who took his daughter.

"Ahh!"

"Where is Reuben?!"

"I don't know who…" The Captain spoke before Iruyana dragged his knife down his backside and split his hand apart with one slash.

"I'll ask again, where is Reuben?!" Iruyana said with him stabbing the man in his ribcage and gruesomely twisting the blade about.

"I don't know anyone named Reuben and I don't know you!" He shouted with Iruyana's muscles tightening and his heart beating faster before hacking into his backside while screaming his lungs all the while. As this drowned out his victim's own screams, he spun him on his back before reclaiming his spear and thrust it through his abdomen while working his way through his ribcage until snapping the spear apart.

"Why are you doing this…!" The Captain continued to scream until they were abruptly stopped by Iruyana placing the spearhead into his mouth and carving the inside apart with his boot on his head. He then broke his victim's other arm while pressing his heel into him while gashing and tearing the spearhead down his throat to stop once it was lodged.

The Dark Elf jerked him to his knees before getting in a headlock while squeezing his throat enough to sink the spear deeper overtime. While his daughter's attacker struggled, Iruyana's grip slowly tightened as his hateful eyes never left his pained face as his blood spilled down his arm while he gagged and wheezed.

The Captain was suddenly lifted in the air with his feet dangling off the ground and it was then that Iruyana thrust his clasped hands into his chest akin to a violent Heimlich maneuver. With a few more hits to his chest to slowly pierce his heart with his strength quickly leaving his body until a final strike embed the entire tip to where his struggling weakened and more blood spurted from his lips.

Iruyana spun him around before clutching his throat and bringing him closer to where they were nearly face to face. As the vengeful Dark Elf's face stared down his victim, the pirate's eyes started to close before Iruyana ripped his eyelids apart and slowly intensified his throttling.

The image of his killer's rage-filled expression stayed within his mind even after his eyesight faded for several minutes after his heart ceased while his body was chucked to the ground to only be given a spiteful stomp to the throat. Standing with the corpses surrounding him, Iruyana pondered the Captain's words that he didn't recognize him and his hand immediately went to his scars.

"Forgetfulness must be bliss for the vile." Iruyana, not caring if his victim's words were lies or the actual truth, thought before looking to the now-still treasure chest and retrieved the head. Before he could carry it off, he cast a glance at the chest and approached it; thinking whatever was inside it that required so many pirates to carry it would be worth a fortune.

"The perfect bait." He told himself before breaking the lock and opening the chest to look inside. Just then, multiple tentacles launched from within to envelop his head with something latching itself onto his face and squeezing his skull as he fought against the being.

As he struggled, he heard a horrendous screeching noise from the tentacled beast before feeling a liquid spray into his jaws that made an intense heat spread throughout his skull and he punched at the creature while shrieking in agony. Though nothing came of this, Iruyana felt himself being lifted off the ground until he was sent hurtling back down and clutched his head blazing with pain while he began to lose consciousness though not before catching a glimpse of the tentacled being spreading wings on either side as it dove into the tide.

Awakening the following sunrise, he spat out a reddish-black liquid before arising and holding onto his skull for a time. He looked at the still-open treasure chest before inspecting it at an angle and focused his attention on the fluid while putting on his mask.

Iruyana flexed his fingers before retrieving a makeshift cart to load his victims onto and starting to load them one by one until he was tasked with the eyeless pirate still hanging from the tree. Springing into the air, Iruyana shot over the branch to where he overtook the entire tree and fell back to the earth.

Though he broke his fall by grabbing onto the chain, it snapped apart for him to safely land on the ground with him looking at the snapped segment and glancing at his victim's body. He looked at his biceps before brushing the thoughts aside and lifting it overhead before finding he could support with a single hand.

Speechless, he tossed his body into the air before hitting it to where it over the sand until it land in the tide with his gaze going to his palm. He fanned his arms out to stretch until opening his palms and got to work in rounding up his victims before carting them to the interior of the arcphilageo where he took to setting the bodies in burial plots.

Iruyana then carved his victims open after he had set a fire and removed their hearts and lungs. Once storing them in a space deep in the earth, he arose before climbing the nearest tree until he got an idea and looked down.

With a deep inhale, he let go of the tree and kicked at the side before launching backwards until he felt what he was sure was adrenaline yet different in nature while twisting about in the air. This action enabled him to collide against a tree before the unfamiliar rush of energy intensified for him to continue spinning to the burial plots until he crashed next to them and he remained still.

He looked to his hands to see black magic coursing throughout his palms and got to his feet as he became frantic; shaking his hands all the while. It wasn't until he picked up on multiple noises behind him that he came to a stop in silence and gawked ahead.

With the power continuously running through his hands, he moved his left one about while keeping his vision ahead with his eyes wide the entire time before settling on his hands and back ahead again for a time. The Dark Elf opened his palms and guided his hands forth with a dumbstruck expression remaining as footsteps filled the air.

Present time

Chloe mentally fought to keep herself together in front of the still-kneeling Iruyana as he was helped to his feet and she handed the picture back to him while avoiding looking into his sad face.

"Iruyana, I'm so sorry…" She said as Iruyana fixed her an appreciating expression.

"Thank you."

"Come with us and we'll help you get rid of those scars." Origa said before Iruyana got to his feet again.

"I cannot allow that to happen. Getting rid of them is impossible for something like me to do" Iruyana started to say before Meiriin set her hand on his shoulder.

"Why's that?"

"Getting rid of them would change nothing and worse of all, it'd be the same as me choosing to forget my tribe's fate while something like me continues to draw breath on this earth." Iruyana said in a tone that made Origa briefly frown in thought with the Dark Elves not knowing what to say to him with Chloe still avoiding eye contact.

"Forgive me for weighing your minds with my failures to not only you, Your Grace, but all four of you as well." Iruyana upon seeing Serafina had left.

"You needn't apologize for anything, Iruyana." Chloe managed to speak with him giving her a sad regard with Miria and Meiriin escorting him out of the throne room with Origa again considering what should be done with her kingdom's new resident Dark Elf. While sitting back down on her throne taking in all she had just learned, she looked to the equally troubled Chloe as said half-elf stood in silence with her head bowed and her eyes frozen in the direction of the entryway.

Between Iruyana being her mother's husband and the fact she wouldn't tell her real name, Chloe's mind was on overload with question after question with she and Origa sharing looks as the Dark Queen placed her hand on her protégé's shoulder and gave her a sympathetic look.

"Thank you, Origa-sama." She said and the Dark Queen only nodded; holding off on asking her from sensing how troubled her thoughts more than likely were.

"I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that I never knew but…" Chloe thought with her troubled expression staying as it was before Origa stood and guided her out of the throne room until they met Octavia cleaning the statue wagon.

"Ah. Origa-sama, how may I be of service today?" Octavia asked.

"You can stop cleaning the wagon as we won't need it today." Origa said with Octavia looking at the pair as she got to her feet.

Meanwhile

"Iruyana, are you sure you don't want to rest?" Meiriin asked the elder Dark Elf as he arose.

"Miria, Meiriin, I thank you both for the concern but if moping and loathing wasn't enough to kill me in the long time I've carried them, I doubt they'll make any difference now." Iruyana said as if disappointed as he headed down the vast hallway.

"Hang on." Miria said before she and Meiriin followed him and just a while into his trek back to the livestock, his ears twitched upon hearing Origa and Chloe speaking to Octavia. While he was relieved that Hermione apparently didn't know about his scars, it still weighed on his mind that the rest of his kind did and he stopped in thought.

"As you wish, Origa-sama." Said Octavia's voice down the hallway and caught his attention.

"Thank you for understanding." Chloe said.

"It's no trouble at all, Chloe-san." Octavia said while stepping out of the room.

"I suppose that's that for now." Origa said.

"Circumstances aside, perhaps it's for the best that she remains where she is." Chloe said with the pair then noticing Iruyana passing in the hallway and the male Dark Elf had lost Meiriin and Miria by now. As he walked, he again found himself thinking of Chloe's earlier expression upon seeing Galadriel's picture and realizing how grim she stood out compared to the other Dark Elves present.

Though tempted to tell himself that he was overthinking, he couldn't help but find it odd that Chloe would look the way she did before he even told her who his wife was and stopped dead in his tracks with a puzzled expression. Back with Chloe and Origa, they were headed back to the throne room until Iruyana appeared before them and the younger blonde elf looked to him.

"Iruyana, are you…" Origa started to ask before he presented his family's picture.

"…Forgive me for how unorthodox this may come, but do you know my wife?" Iruyana asked with Miria and Meiriin joining them just in time to hear his question as Chloe's still-shaken expression deepened.

"…Yes." Chloe immediately answered before Origa or her subordinates could answer with the five going to the top of the citadel.

"Is she still alive?" Iruyana asked.

"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you but she…" Chloe started to say before Iruyana once again studied her face until he acceptingly bowed his head after a pregnant pause between the two.

"I understand." Iruyana solemnly answered with an odd feeling of peace; though he would never say it out loud, he had hoped in the thousand years he spent alone that his family didn't survive being taken to spare them what he knew without doubt was an endless existence of suffering.

"As for how I know her, she was in slavery when I was born and passed on while I was young." Chloe said and Iruyana's expression grew saddened.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." Iruyana answered.

"As am I for your loss." The half-elf returned.

"And my daughter is gone well?"

"Growing up, she told me next to nothing about herself and as for your daughter, I never saw or heard anything about her in the time I was in slavery so I don't where she is." Chloe said and before Iruyana thought to do anything else, he thought about her words about slavery and Galadriel.

"Is there anything else you'd want to know?"

"And your mother, if I may ask?" Iruyana asked with his eyes immediately studying the expressions of his fellow Dark Elves looking as Meiriin did the previous night when she saw Galadriel's picture until he returned his gaze to Chloe's and he then slowly started to grimace upon looking at her.

"No. No. No. NO. NO. NO…" He repeated in his head over and over until he started uttering the word as Origa and Meiriin touched his shoulders in sympathy with Chloe now looking at the ground. Iruyana's gaze traveled to his feet as he felt sick to his stomach with his hands clutching the top of his head and attempted to steady his breathing until briefly looking at her again.

With Iruyana's eyes now back on his feet, he tried focusing but he didn't know which reality was worst; the fact he was face to face with the result of his wife's enslavement because of his former damning trust in humans or the fact this young Dark Elf existed with human genes every single day just like a living disease.

He then tried to look at her once more but couldn't bring himself to do so and placed his face into the ground as if in penitence. Despite hearing his fellow Dark Elves try to speak to him, all he heard going through his mind were the screams during the raid of his home from just seeing Chloe's fact with Galadriel's in particular ringing out the loudest for him and his muscles tightened before he steadied himself.

"Iruyana…" Origa said.

"…Forgive me." Iruyana spoke the moment he lifted his head but still didn't look at any of them and it was then Origa could his fists tightening with his shoulders becoming tense. The standing Dark Elves all froze in place with Iruyana jumping to his feet and launching his gauntlet at Chloe's throats just before Origa swiftly cast a barrier around him.

"Iruyana, wait!" Meiriin said with Chloe jumping back as Iruyana tried to escape and seemed to give up until he went at it again by bashing his head against the barrier. No matter how much he bled, he kept at this until he smashed a hole big enough to grab Chloe by the throat and bring her close enough to plant his palm on her forehead.

"Enough!" Origa said with the Dark Elves casting binding spells on him though not before his magic appeared and Chloe strangled as she received a mental image of his eyes within her brain that stopped upon seeing his wife's demise. Howling in anguish, it was enough for Chloe to split his hand open with one of her daggers and force him to release her.

"Run!" Miria said with the half-elf already running with Iruyana looking after her and thrashing about until he smashed through the barrier. Hustling after her, Chloe stopped within the vast hallway and drew her melee chain along with one of her daggers before whirling it about the second he appeared before her with a spear in his hand.

"Iruyana, don't do this!" Chloe said with Iruyana's hands trembling as he looked back with all he had seen in her mind making his stomach churn all the while.

"For your murder of Galadriel's captive, I'll make your end as swift and painless as can be." Iruyana hoarsely answered with Chloe readying herself and he flexed his gauntlet for a time. Springing at her, he thrust the spear in the direction of her neck with her responding by cracking the whip at his feet and managing to hit him mid-air.

Recovering quickly, he swung the tip at her feet with her whipping the chain at him again with him catching it this time and swinging it to the side; resulting in Chloe landing next to a window. Before she could ignite the chains with electricity, Iruyana appeared over her and poised the spear to strike her between the eyes.

Refusing to back down, Chloe grabbed the spear and did her best to keep it at bay as she fought with him. Iruyana lifted her before trying to cut at her and watched her struggle in the process while feeling something akin to a mild pang at seeing this.

While he had killed more beings than he cared to remember, he had never claimed the life of a child before and even a half-bred being the thing of nightmares to him didn't make it entirely easy to him from not bearing to think of himself ever harming one so young. Iruyana and Chloe's struggling wound up cracking the window behind her and she nervously eyed the two-story fall with adrenaline coursing through her body as she head-butted Iruyana's bleeding forehead.

Though not stunning him by any means, she wielded her dagger as he roared while thrusting the spear again at her side and she freed the chain to grab his tongue. Using all the energy she could muster, Chloe ripped it out with enough force for him to spew his blood onto her face and maneuver him against the window before charging her dagger with electricity.

Iruyana held her in a bear-hug as she pierced the roof of his mouth with the dagger with the electricity spreading through his head and paralyzed him enough for Chloe wrap the chain around his neck. Before she could throttle or electrocute him with it, he fell back out the window and took Chloe with him.

The Dark Elves continue to struggle during the long fall as they broke apart with Chloe still hanging onto her chain and roll in the air with Iruyana hitting a nearby wall with this interrupting their descent to the ground with her daggers dropping from her hands. Iruyana yanked Chloe to him and prepared to squeeze her skull until he plummeted into the earth with the half-bred aide landing against him.

"Chloe-sama!" Rutejia's distorted voice called out with said Dark Elf shaken by the fall and managed to get her bearing by the time said elf arrived with Sera and a handful of attendants to help her off Iruyana's body. She looked to see his neck and spine were broken to the point of his head being upside and caught her breath with Sera supporting her.

"What in Ana…Kami's name happened?" Rutejia said while sending the attendants to get Origa.

"He tried to murder me just now…" Chloe directly answered before Iruyana sat up right and gripped his neck before snapping it while getting to his feet as they all backed away. The male Dark Elf stood on his feet and twisted his head a full 180 degrees until his body was to normal and he heavily breathed as he marched to them while tossing the chain aside with the spear back in his possession.

Meanwhile

"All right, this way!" Hermione said as she headed to the nearest portal with Naruto and the rest of the Chivalry warriors in tow.

"If this Iruyana guy is anything like you said, he must be quite a riot." Catue said.

"Trust me. You're gonna love this guy." Hermione smiled.

"Sure can't wait to meet him." Naruto smiled.

Oh, Hermione. It was tough figuring out how Iruyana would find out about Chloe but the answer of him putting two and two together was right in front of me the whole time.

But don't go anywhere; I'll get to work on the next chapter right after this one and thank you all so much once again with a Happy New Years!