Rain: Hey guys, Rain here and I'm here with a brand new chapter so let's just get right into it!
Naruto (Hellfire): So sit back, relax and enjoy!
Forged in Hellfire: Lost Soul Reborn
Chapter Forty–One: A Ghost, A Friend and A Shroud of Smoke in the Shinobi Lands
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Uchiha Sasuke
There were drums in the distance.
That was the first thing that Sasuke noticed as he walked through a lush forest. He didn't know how he appeared in this forest but he found it breath taking. He had never seen so much green around him in his entire life.
He felt at peace.
Sasuke traversed through the lush forest until he came across an opening where a simple bonfire sat before in front of the bonfire was a wolf with glowing green eyes.
Sasuke let out a sharp gasp as he opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling.
"You're awake," A kind voice said.
Sasuke turned his head to the left and saw a familiar face in Ayame. "W-Where am I?" Sasuke stammered out weakly.
"You're in my home," Ayame said with a warm smile as she poured a cup of tea and placed it on the table beside the couch where Sasuke laid. "You fell asleep after crying so I carried you home to make sure you didn't get sick."
Sasuke felt embarrassed and mentally admonished himself for looking so weak. "Thank you for your help," Sasuke said. "I apologize for you having to see me like that…"
"You don't have to apologize for having feelings," Ayame told him with a gentle smile. "That's like apologizing for being human."
Sasuke nodded and looked at the tea curiously. "Is that for me?" he asked.
Ayame nodded and said "Normally I charge for tea but for you? Consider it free." She gave him a playful wink and for a moment Sasuke found himself taken aback by how cute the wink looked to him.
"Thank you very much," Sasuke said as he took the tea cup and drank it. It tasted very good. It had a strong hint of peach but there was extra sweetness that he enjoyed and he normally did not enjoy sweet things.
"Country Peach Tea. It's my favorite. I hope you like it," Ayame told him.
"I do," Sasuke said as he took the cup away from his mouth. "Thank you…"
"Anytime. Father always says that went your heart is hurting, Always drink Country Peach Tea. It's clinically proven to start the healing process," Ayame joked.
Sasuke let a small smile appear on his lips and said "He may be right."
Ayame smiled at him. "I know this might be a little forward but do you want to talk about what hurt you so much? You don't have to of course but that's always the second step in healing."
Sasuke paused. If it had been anyone else, he would have flat out refused to speak about what has been weighing on him. He was an Uchiha damn it and he was too proud for that…But as he looked into her warm and carrying toffee brown eyes…he felt himself nodding.
"It's a long story," Sasuke said.
"I've got time," Ayame replied.
Sasuke looked into the cup of tea and said "Well…My name is Uchiha Sasuke and up until recently, I lived only for revenge…."
Netherrealm Palace– Portal Room
Tomas "Smoke" Vrbada
"Are you ready?"
Smoke placed the final piece of armor on his right arm before he turned to the owner of the voice.
The owner was a blonde haired, blue eyed revenant female wearing a blue beret, a wedding band necklace and two dog tags, a two colored blue and black leather jacket with a navy blue shirt beneath it, black pants with blue leather pieces attached to them, a holster gun on the right side of her hip and black gauntlets on each arm and finally, a pair of black boots.
She was former General of Earthrrealm and new General for the Netherrealm army, Sonya Blade. "As ready as I will ever be…" Smoke replied.
"Are you concerned about doing a mission like this solo?" Sonya asked.
Smoke shook his head and said "No, I'm used to this. Besides, Emperor Kang as requested this of me. No doubt due to my skills as former Lin Kuei member…"
Sonya eyed him for a moment before she handed him a small rectangular device with a pale blue orb that dim and glowed repeatedly. "This is portal. Once you get through to Earthrrealm, you will place this where the spiritual energy is at strongest…" Sonya paused and handed him a small circular device. "This will help you locate where the energy is strongest."
Smoke nodded and placed the object around his right wrist and placed the other object in a pocket. "Anything else?" Smoke asked.
Sonya looked around and took off her dog tags and handed it to Smoke. Smoke looked at her curiously and asked "What is this for?"
"I realized that while Jaqui, Takeda and Kung Jin are here, Cassie is not. I was able to confirm this after years of scouring the Netherrealm…It means that she must have been reincarnated somewhere…" Sonya explained.
"I didn't think you believe in that sort of thing," Smoke said.
"I've fought alongside demons and gods," Sonya quipped with a roll of her eyes before they softened.
After spending years as a revenant, anger, bitterness and fierce loyalty to anyone that put them in this state were the standard revenant way but after the Kung Lao and Kitana incidents, Liu Kang managed to learn the magical ability by studying Quan-Chi's tomes to allow revenants to feel other emotions but the core three always took precedent over the others.
It allowed them to feel a little more human than before.
"There is a chance I may not find her there could be a chance her soul is in Heaven," Smoke said as he held out his hand to her.
"I know but why leave it to chance?" Sonya replied, the softness in her eyes become hardened as she placed the dog tags in his hand, their unspoken agreement settled. He placed the dog tags in his pocket before Sonya walked over to the console and pressed a few buttons.
Suddenly, the portal he stood in front of activated, causing a bright lime green glow to spread across the chamber. "Stay safe and be careful. There is no telling what will happen over there…" Sonya said.
Smoke nodded and determined eyes, he walked through the portal.
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Hatake Kakashi
The sounds of thunder rumbling was the first thing Kakashi heard as he awakened from his slumber. Slowly, the Copy-Cat shinobi opened his eyes and the first thing he realized was…He was looking at the dark sky with both eyes.
Kakashi rose up sharply and reached up to grab his Hiate-Ite to pull it down only to feel his forehead.
"Hello Son," A familiar voice said from behind him. Kakashi stood up and turned around to see a face he hadn't seen in a long time.
"It can't be…" Kakashi whispered.
Standing in front of Kakashi in the middle of a large field with dark gray storm clouds above was a man. The man had dark eyes with deep lines running underneath them, spiky, silver-colored hair that reached into the middle of his back tied in a ponytail and bangs that hung over his forehead protector.
The man wore a standard Konoha-nin uniform with a pair of gloves, flak jacket, bandages on his right arm, and the addition of distinctive short white sleeve which had red edges and the standard crest of Uzushiogakure on it. He also carried a holster worn diagonally over his right shoulder which held his White Light Chakra Sabre.
"My, you sure have grown," Hatake Sakumo said with a faint smile on his face.
"W-What are you doing here?" Kakashi whispered, shock radiating through his very core. His father was standing before him.
Was he hallucinating?
Was this a trick from Shao Kahn?
Was he dead?!
"I came to talk to you," Sakumo answered as he took a step forward only for Kakashi to take a step back.
"Stay back," Kakashi said with concern.
"Relax son…" Sakumo said with a placating tone in his voice, his hands raised slightly.
"How do I know you're really my father and not hallucination or some Shao Kahn magic?" Kakashi asked. "Tell me something only you would know!"
Sakumo was silent for a moment before he said somberly "When your mother passed away, you had to smack me in the head with a brick because I was too depressed to get out of bed for missions. You then berated me for giving up on her memory as well as you…"
Kakashi's guard instantly lowered as his father's somberness quickly latched onto him. "Okay…Maybe it is you…" Kakashi said reluctantly. "But still, stay back."
Sakumo let out a laugh and instead sat down in the lush green grass beneath him. "So, how have you been son?"
Kakashi stared at him and replied "I've been okay."
Sakumo let out a small laugh and said "Even now, I can tell when you're lying. You get this gleam in your eyes. I'm glad to see that hasn't changed"
Kakashi huffed a bit and said "Okay…You're right…I'm confused."
"Sit down and talk to me kiddo," Sakumo said with a welcoming smile.
Kakashi nodded and sat down, still keeping his distance from the man who says is his father and took a breath. "It's a long story…"
"I've got time," Sakumo said with a smile.
Kakashi exhaled and started with "So it all began when I killed my student…"
Kakashi took his father step-by-step, explaining everything that had happened and when he was finished, he let out an exhausted sigh. "And that's what happened. I don't even know if my allies and students survived their battle with Shao Kahn without me…"
Kakashi punched the ground in a sudden burst of frustration and said "If I wake up…If I'm even alive, will I wake up in a warm bed with my friends around me? Will I never wake up? Or will I wake up a slave of Shao Kahn with those I failed? I don't know and that is the worst part of it all."
It was then he felt a hand touch his shoulder and when he looked up, he saw his father in front of him with that familiar lopsided grin he often gave to disarm his frustrations. "Relax kiddo," Sakumo told him. "I can tell you for sure that they are safe and okay. Those alive at least…"
"Those alive?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes. Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Sarutobi Asuma, Akimichi Chōji, Karui and Uchiha Itachi…Those are the ones that have passed on due to their battle. Everyone else that assisted you during the battle with Shao Kahn still live, with the emperor himself slain," Sakumo explained.
Kakashi was both glad and deflated at the same time. Deflated that he lost those allies but glad that they survived Shao Kahn.
But something nagged at him.
"How do you know that?" Kakashi asked.
Sakumo chuckled softly and it was then Kakashi saw it.
There was a brief streak of lightning in his eyes.
He ruffled Kakashi's hair and stood up off the grass and said "There is so much you don't know Kakashi…So much I need to tell you but right now, our time is up. We'll see each other again soon."
"Wait!" Kakashi exclaimed before he noticed that his hand became see-through. "Father!"
"The ones that I showed you, they must live," Sakumo said as he smiled. "And so must you. I Love you son…"
"Father!" Kakashi yelled with his right arm stretched out before he looked around. He was in a hotel room. He could tell that by the gaudy decorated walls and the lack of personality in them. Seconds later, the door opened up to reveal a panicked Gai, who instantly relaxed.
"Ah! Kakashi-kun, you're finally awake," Gai said with a relieved tone in his voice.
"Y-Yes…" Kakashi said as he lowered his hand.
Was it all a dream?
"You have been missed and have missed much my friend," Gai said as he walked into the room and pulled up a chair beside Kakashi's bed.
"How long was I out for?" Kakashi asked.
"A few days. Kurenai, Anko and her others…Sans a few of them…carried you back," Gai explained.
"Wait…Kurenai! She's alive? She was killed by Shao Kahn!" Kakashi exclaimed.
"Yes…She was but she was brought back after meeting an God named Fujin," Gai said.
Kakashi blinked.
"C-Can you run that by me again?" Kakashi asked.
Gai chuckled and said "I told you that you had missed much…Come. You must be hungry. Let me grab you something to eat."
"No," Kakashi said. "Tell me now. What in the hell did I miss?"
Earthrealm – Shinobi Lands
Tomas "Smoke" Vrbada
With a crash, gray particles of light slowly formed into a humanoid shape before fading away to reveal Smoke's form. Smoke let out an intense coughing fit as his body shook in terror.
That was the second most painful experience he had in his life.
After dying of course.
Smoke narrowed his eyes at the sky in thought. He was barely able to slip through the barrier that surrounded the realm but as he was passing through, he felt a presence follow him but as he looked around, there was nothing.
Perhaps it was his imagination.
The revenant Lin Kuei member stood up and looked around his surroundings. He was standing in a forest beside a waterfall. There were various animals around.
Deer and birds and frogs…
It had been an eternity since he gazed up at the moon, felt the cool air hitting his burning hot skin, the wonderful scent of nature surrounding him…
It was such a shame that he would have to destroy it for his Emperor.
With a roll of his shoulders, Smoke began to pull out the spiritual energy locator when he was kicked in the back of his head, sending him sprawling forward against the ground.
Smoke turned around to see a teen with a brown afro, a long white coat with a golden collar the covered the lower half of his face, only showing the pair of white circular glasses with a golden frame over his eyes.
But what caught Smoke's attention was the wisps of white and gold energy the flowed from his body and beneath the glasses, there was a faint glow of his eyes
Heavenly energy.
"Hello, my name is Aburame Shino, Shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato and protector of this realm and I believe you're trespassing," Shino said with a dry tone.
Rain: And that is the end of this chapter. So Sasuke's arc is in this fic has begun and Smoke has found himself facing down against recently named Earthrealm Protector Shino. As for Kakashi…Hehehehe. The next chapter will deal with Shino and Smoke and we will be touching base with the infamous Suna siblings.
After that…The Chūnin exams.
Shino: Until next time.
