KG: You won't read this. Bet!
Wifey: Read what?
KG: This.
Wifey: This what?!
KG: What are you doing?
Wifey: What?!
KG: I said…
Wifey: What?!
KG: Are you actually…
Wifey: WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT?!
Music of the Week: Fallout Radio
Quote: "So many people say that in order to build, we must sometimes destroy. Have they ever stopped to consider… maybe we need to destroy the human race to build something better?"
In the harshness of the unknown, three tents weathered the harsh winds, two small and one large. Currently, the remaining members of Konoha's people gathered in the large tent for their lunch. It had been close to two weeks since they left Konoha behind. For two weeks they had all been traveling together. Through scorching heat, arrid air, and their own frustration, they made it this far.
Inside the tent, everyone partook of the sandwiches Ayame made for them along with a round of a bag of chips. Everyone ate thankfully while Naruto pulled out a map. "Alright, we all agreed we'd try to make it to the Fire Daimyo's palace. If anyone else from Konoha's alive that might be the best place they'd go. Aside from Konoha, it's also supposed to be one of the more secure places. We should reach there soon. We're gonna have to hope that over there's a place to stay. If not, we'll plan our next moves," He said.
Kurenai pointed to one spot on the map. "I've been to the Fire Country Palace before. There should be a hill around there. We can scout out the area before we settle down. It's just a matter of who will go with Naruto," she replied.
Kosuke stared at the map and scratched his cheek. "Hmmm, perhaps it would be best if Tenten-chan, and Shino-kun went. This will be a good opportunity to see how they act on their own. Besides, this isn't too high-profile. I think this could be a good learning experience," he replied.
Everyone considered the Eternal Genin's opinion as they heard the roaring wind outside their tent. Shino leaned back. "And if we should find survivors?" he asked.
"I don't think we're in a position to be saving people, but exercise caution at all times. Remember, we don't know what's out there," Kurenai replied. Shino nodded as did Naruto and Tenten.
The group spoke a bit more about their plans and their current objective. They'd been lucky that they hadn't encountered anything violent since they left Konoha almost two weeks ago. That had been its own blessing, but also its own curse. The group became quite close from limited space over that time.
Once the meeting was over, everyone went back to their own tents. Ayame and Naruto's arrangement made the sorting of tents rather difficult, but everyone just agreed that Kurenai and Tenten would get the biggest tent. Shino and Kosuke shared one of the smaller ones while Naruto and Ayame took the other.
As night settled over the dusty plains, Ayame had already fallen asleep while Naruto turned on his portal lamp. He continued reading one of the books that Ayame pilfered from a store back in Konoha. It was a story about a pirate captain betrayed by his crew on his quest to regain his former glory. It was an alright book, it helped pass the time. He'd definitely gotten into reading since all this shit started.
He flipped a page of his book while Ayame slept. The howls of the wind outside his tent seemed distant, wild, and unmeasured. His brunette friend slowly moved her body closer to his. As he read, Naruto thought about his life and where it was going. Slowly, his thoughts drifted him off to sleep. His head leaned back against his tent.
"So, you've finally decided to appear before me, Uzumaki Naruto. Your stench is just as repulsive as ever," A deep voice that Naruto recognized all too well said to him.
The blond opened his eyes. He laid in a familiar puddle of water. Then, he frowned.
Just great.
Of all the things that could happen to him, he didn't think this would be one of them. Naruto leaned up and stared at the massive bars which held the source of his wretched life. Well, his former wretched life.
Naruto leaned up and stared at the massive wall of orange fur, murderous red eyes, and giant claws of the Kyuubi no Yoko. He stared at the thing which had caused his village's destruction 13 years ago. Who would have thought it would only be 13 years later that something else would finish what it started.
The young genin remained silent before the monstrous bijuu. The Kyuubi frowned. Well, he was actually angry. Why was this damn brat looking at him with such… indifference? It was grating. "Oh? The silent treatment? What's the matter, brat? Fox got your tongue?" Kyuubi bellowed to him, bearing his sharp teeth.
"What do you want?" Naruto asked tiredly.
The question threw the fox bijuu for a loop as its tails started swirling about. "Besides your untimely death, my freedom, and the destruction of you miserable humans, not much. Well, perhaps I should get rid of the third one. That meteor seems to have taken care of that problem," Kyuubi chuckled, nay roared in Naruto's face. Yet, the blue-eyed young man just stood there, unamused.
Naruto smirked. "Yeah, all it took was a giant rock to do what the All-Mighty Kyuubi couldn't do," he fired back.
The fox turned back to his host. He stopped his laughter and growled. "Watch it, boy. I could flick you from my teeth with one of my claws!" he growled back furiously.
The young Uzumaki rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever, Furball," he returned just as heatedly. However, that seemed to only make the large body of chakra only angrier. His tails slammed against the bars of his prison.
"Don't you dare get cheeky with me, you pitiful human brat! In fact, you should be on your knees, praising me for saving your pitiful life after you passed out not once, but twice! Did you really think you made it back to your pitiful dwelling with your mate on your own? Wrong! I was the one who pulled your mangy monkey-evolved carcass through the sand and mud! When you passed out from nearly being devoured by crawling INSECTS of all things, I was the one who gave your pathetic body the means to escape! So don't you dare speak back to me! The fact that I even have such a weak host sickens me!" Kyuubi growled out before he turned his head away and laid down.
The young blond stood in front of the large fox greatly shocked. So that was how he got back to his apartment both those times. While that solved the mystery of how he survived those two times, the blond was not as satisfied as he thought. Instead, he felt very conflicted.
"And for what reason would you save me? Better yet, what reason did you save Ayame-neechan? You never do anything unless it benefits you in some way. Even when you gave me chakra the last few times, I bet you gained something from it. Since all this shit's started I noticed something's changed about me. What did you do?" the blond asked.
The Great Fox snorted. "Indeed. My red chakra magically gave you green chakra. I guess you'll always remain stupid no matter how smart you get. While I would love nothing more than for you to die, I'd rather it be with me not tied to you. It's simple, you die I die. As for your disgusting human mate, well I know how "fragile" your pitiful emotions are. Had I left her to die, who knows what stupid shit you would have done. Perhaps you would just hang yourself from depresssion. I don't know and I didn't want to find out," he remarked.
Naruto's face tightened, but he tried to ease himself away from saying more than he should. "Well if you didn't do this to me, then what did?" he asked.
"And I would know that how?" The Kyuubi asked. The beast wouldn't say it, but he was also unnerved by the changes that took place in his host. He didn't know what had caused such impressive changes in the body of the brat, but clearly, it was something not even the Sage of Six Paths could have predicted. Then again, he couldn't have predicted the world to be turned into a ravaged wasteland.
"Then what do you think is going on with me?" Naruto asked slowly, almost as if to not let his irritation get to him.
The Kyuubi opened one of his eyes. "And since when do you care what I think?" he asked, his tails swirling around aimlessly.
The Kyuubi's host calmed himself with a few breaths. Though he was annoyed, he knew it wouldn't solve anything. "Look, I hate you. You hate me. Fine, whatever. I don't know why the Yondaime sealed you in me. My life could've been great if it wasn't for you! I don't know what kind of life you lived before getting trapped in me, but I bet it could've been great without me!" Naruto said while the Kyuubi listened.
"All I know is, we can't keep going on like this. Look, we can either work together, unwillingly, to survive this messed up world, or we can keep doing what we've been doing. I fight everyone, probably die, and you get to reform in 100, 1000, or even 10,000 years from now, free to roam a land with nothing to destroy, no humans to kill, and no lands to conquer. You can be alone until your fur turns grey!" the blond exclaimed.
A moment of silence passed through them both before he heard his prisoner chuckle. "You've got a lot of nerve to talk to me like that, brat. I don't know what the hell's going on with you. Believe me, I've been around longer than your feeble brain can imagine. I've seen countless marvels and wonders. Yet, I've never seen anything like what's going on with you. I must say it's an improvement though. You're not so weak anymore," the Kyuubi said.
Naruto wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not. However, in favor of their new 'strained' relationship, he'd just take it for one. "Then can you tell me what you think is happening to the world? It's going crazy!" he claimed.
"Hmph, who the hell knows what's going on with it. It happened because of that giant meteor which crashed into the ground. I couldn't tell you what it did to the earth and all it's chakra. It might be why you have this green chakra and why it's made you so much stronger, faster, and smarter," The Kyuubi replied.
Naruto grumbled. "No answers then. I guess it might explain where all those creatures came from," he said more to himself. He heard the large fox snort.
"Indeed. Now, get out of here. I've grown tired of looking at you. Just because I've agreed to work with you doesn't mean we're gonna start being all buddy-buddy. Let me sleep," the orange kitsune grumbled.
"Fine. Go back to your beauty rest. Looking at you reminds me of a cheap carpet I almost bought for my apartment dattebayo," Naruto fired back before his consciousness faded.
The Kyuubi stared at the spot where his warden had just been before he closed his eyes. "Hmph, stupid brat," he thought before he fell asleep.
The next few days passed everyone by in a blur of wind, sand, and hot weather. After that, another week passed and the group settled back in their usual three tents. The group tried to get in training where they could but the environment was very unforgiving. Yet, some days they trained anyway. The weather wouldn't always be favorable for combat. They'd have to make do.
Naruto's group just finished their morning training when he unsealed their breakfast. A few packaged bentos were spread to everyone. Ayame wrote down the inventory with Kosuke before they ate as well. Everyone made small talk for a time, but soon breakfast was over.
Once their food was finished, Naruto, Shino, and Tenten dressed in heavy garbs for the sand. They fastened the laces of their boots and pulled their face masks over their mouths. "Alright, the Daimyo's palace should be a few miles east of here. We'll scout the area together for eight hours. We'll report back what we find," Naruto said.
Tenten and Shino agreed.
"Be safe out there, you three. Remember, don't take any unnecessary risks. Please, come back," Kurenai spoke with a shiver in her voice. This group was all she had left of her home. How could she stand it if more was taken away from her than what they already lost?
The three young shinobi nodded and Naruto gave Ayame a quick hug. She hugged him back fiercely before the three exited the tent and dashed off as Kosuke, Kurenai, and the Ramen Waitress watched them leave. They quickly zipped up their tent… and waited.
Meanwhile, Naruto, Tenten, and Shino raced through the hot sand, and rough terrain. Miles upon miles of nothingness spread as far as they could see. Truly, the sand proved to be challenging. It was hard to run on top of it without chakra. It was heavy, it didn't provide the best traction, and it made them slip sometimes. How the hell did Naruto run across it so smoothly? He actually had to stop multiple times just so they didn't lose him.
After an hour of travel, the three made it over a rather large hill covered in sand. In the distance just below the valley, they could see the ruins of a large city. There was a massive palace-like structure in the middle of the city. Just like everything else, it too looked broken down and torn up. Nevertheless, it still retained some form of its splendor. Some areas appeared drowned in a sea of the sandstorm, but others laid free. In fact, it looked much better than Konoha did.
Tenten pulled out her binoculars and scanned the city. "Hmmm, I don't see anything," she said after about five minutes.
Shino frowned. "It doesn't mean nothing's there. Remember, we stayed close to Naruto for almost a whole month before we got to go outside. Whatever's affecting Naruto, it spread to us as well. We can't rule out the possibility that people are underground just like we were. We're also pretty far from Konoha. We don't know what else is out here," He replied.
Tenten wasn't about to argue that logic. "Yeah, so what should we do?" the Weapons Mistress asked.
Naruto thought about this for a moment. He channeled some chakra to his ears. He didn't hear anything down in the city. Aside from the occasional piece of wood floating in the distance, it was very quiet. "A place like a Daimyo's palace should have an underground passageway. It's the responsibility of the guards to keep him alive in case of enemy attack. Whether they've survived for these months, I don't know, but let's go down slowly. Package what you can if you can find it," he replied.
The two former genin agreed. Everyone picked up their stuff and slid down the sand dunes. The Fire Country Palace got bigger and bigger while they neared its border walls. Some sections of the walls were broken down. If there were bodies here, then they must have already turned to dust.
The three entered the city cautiously. It looked much like Konoha before the village was overrun with monsters, sand, and natural disasters. Broken homes, fallen shops, roads blocked up with debris, and dusty streets, that was all they saw. The sound of their footsteps sounded like drums in the vast void of nothingness. Naruto noted there was a pleasant breeze today.
"Alright, remember, we're not here to loot. If you find something nice then take it, but we're trying to find a suitable place to live even if it's for another month or two to plan our next move. Keep your headset active," Naruto ordered.
"Hai," Tenten and Shino said.
For the next two or three hours, that was how the team of Naruto, Shino, and Tenten worked. They carefully inspected each building offered to them, but they found no place where they could settle down. Well, technically that wasn't true. Some places were secure for a day or two, but none had the parameters that Naruto wanted. Space, a good place to defend, and sturdy. There was a thought that maybe… they'd have to build their own, but that required much more effort than the six of them had.
In some of the homes, there was evidence that people lived there. A few beds, blankets, empty cups of food, and… a few skeletons still not eroded away by time. One of them looked like a child. It was too small to be an adult, or so Naruto thought.
Though this wasn't a looting day, Naruto at least grabbed a map of the Fire Daimyo Palace City. He quickly began writing down the important places for some food, but it was clear some of them had been looted. Drawers were opened, food was taken off shelves, and there weren't a lot of general supplies. Granted, this could be because of the intense weather disasters, but the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki doubted it.
When the three reconvened, Tenten and Shino shook their heads. "People have been living in some of these houses," she said, vocalizing the thoughts of the entire group.
"Yes, it's obvious they've been on the surface. Perhaps the toxic air was something general to Konoha. Once we got used to it, it stopped affecting us. Maybe it didn't reach this far out," the Aburame heir said.
Naruto frowned and stared at the abandoned city. "So if there was nothing forcing them underground, where are they?" the blond asked ominously.
Tenten and Shino had no answers for him. Unfortunately, he had no answers for them either. The three genin started at this ghost city that was once one of the most prominent places in Fire Country. Something felt very wrong with it. Naruto didn't like it.
The blond's two friends looked to him for leadership. He stared at some of the larger buildings. Most likely they were the hotel or motels in the area. The City definitely seemed more… modern than what the jinchuuriki would expect for such a place. It wasn't as big as Konoha, but it would take more than a day to conquer it if it were invaded.
He noticed a large building in the distance. It showed some signs of wear and tear, but it still seemed stable. "Let's check that place out. If it's secure we can eat lunch there. If not, we'll head out immediately. I want to look through the Daimyo's palace, but let's not overreach. Something happened to this place, something different from Konoha," he suggested.
The two agreed and they all raced towards a large building. Once they got to it, they stared at it. Busted windows laid on its frame with shattered glass most likely inside on the floor. It looked like some type of administrative building from the way cabinets, bookcases, and office tables laid broken in front of it. There were a few sheets of dusted paper flowing in the wind as well.
"I always wanted to visit the Fire Daimyo's city. I don't feel that way anymore," Tenten stated.
"Indeed," Shino said.
Naruto walked up the building's steps. His friends followed after him. When he touched one of the double doors, they all watched them crack. They broke from their hinges and crashed to the floor, knocking up tons of dust. The blond coughed while he stepped inside. Shino and Tenten coughed as well.
The latter of the three shivered when she looked around the building. Talk about creepy. She swallowed a feeling of doubt in her throat when she saw a spray of dried blood on the wall. The kunoichi also saw a decapitated skull in the corner of the room. "M-Maybe we could not stay here?" she asked.
Naruto noted his friend's fear, but he continued looking around. He studied some claw marks that appeared on a wall. He channeled the green chakra to his ears and eyes. The building was kind of dark. Now that he could see a bit more clearly, he saw more claw marks on the ground. They looked much wider than the claw marks from the Bone Crawlers. Though those creatures could walk on all-fours, they usually walk on their hind legs. Whatever did this, it wasn't them.
The Kyuubi jinchuuriki's ears didn't hear anything either. Aside from the howls of the wind through the windows, he didn't hear anything. No growl, no footsteps, no labored breathing. There was just nothing again. Of course, as the blond remembered back from the Chunin Exam Stadium, that didn't mean there wasn't something out there in the darkness.
"Proceed carefully. Watch your sides, guys!" he said. He took out a kunai.
Tenten reached into her leg pouch and pulled out a kunai as well. Shino reached for one from his chest pouch. They stuck close to Naruto as they proceeded through the building. They slowly walked up the steps and into a long hallway.
Naruto looked through the hallway and he saw more scratch marks. They were large, wide, and ominous. Wordlessly, he directed Shino and Tenten to separate rooms. Both nodded. The bug user grabbed one of the handles and slowly opened the door. He noticed no traps and checked inside.
The female of the squad opened her own door. No traps for that side either. Meanwhile, Naruto scanned the rest of the area. "Clear," Tenten whispered into her earpiece once she finished checking one of the rooms. Aside from a few broken file cabinets, shards of glass, and fallen folders, there was nothing inside.
"Me too," "Shino called over the line.
"Guys, come here," Naruto said from his side.
The tone in the blond's voice worried the two shinobi. They quickly moved out of the rooms and met up with him. He'd gone into the biggest room. It was probably one of the executive offices. When they joined up with him, both shivered when they saw the corpse of a large… beast… thing in the middle of the room.
"What the…," Tenten said as she looked at the bones of a beast that laid in the room.
Shino stepped forward. The three watched a small bug fly through the open skull of the creature and out the window. The Aburame narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. "I've never seen an insect like that before," he said.
Tenten sighed. "Go bug hunting later! What the heck is this thing? Some kind of lion?" she asked.
Naruto knelt down and looked at the arms of the skeleton. "Not unless lions have freakishly long hands and arms… and sixteen saber-shaped teeth," he said. He picked up one of the arms, but it quickly turned into sand. It fell through the blond's fingers and down to the floor.
The Uzumaki heir stood up. He looked at the bones of the creature in front of him. He channeled the chakra to his eyes. "What? But it's dead. Why is there green chakra circulating through it? It's… moving. What's it doing?" Naruto thought.
The green chakra, like tiny tendrils, punctured holes into the bones of the creature that just perished. The blond quickly stopped observing. It was… a little disturbing. He turned around.
"Let's find someplace else," he stated as he moved from the skeleton like it was about to jump up and attack them.
Tenten sighed. "Best suggestion I've heard all day!" she said.
She quickly left the room, but Naruto kept Shino back for a moment. The Aburame heir turned to his leader. They both stared at the skeleton. "Shino, could… could an insect do this?" the former genin asked.
Shino's frown deepened. "Yeah, but it would take hundreds, if not thousands of them. Just one couldn't do this. If one can, then I think we shouldn't even bother with this place. We should just move on," he replied. He then walked out after Tenten.
Naruto turned back to the skeleton. He'd faced insects and bugs back in Konoha. The Kyuubi saved his life from them before he'd been overwhelmed. Yet, they never did anything like this. Was he just being stupid? He just saw one small mosquito-like bug fly from the damn skeleton. That proved nothing. However, the fact that the bones had the green chakra as well worried him.
Slowly, he walked out of the room, never taking his eyes off the fleshless corpse of the creature that died. He turned back to it. "No chances dattebayo!" he said. He threw a kunai with an explosion tag into the room. He ran out of the building with the rest of his team.
As soon as they exited, the executive office exploded in fire and debris. Naruto didn't bother turning around. His resolute stare told the other two young teens what happened. They didn't question him.
Once their side trip was finished, the three former genin feasted on chips, sandwiches, and warm soda. Of course, the soda lost some of its natural goodness from how long they had it, but it was a welcome delight nonetheless. For their lunch, the three spoke of better times and… where the future might lead them.
Hours passed them by and the makings of a harsh sandstorm seemed to be over the horizon. It carried with it some dry thunderstorms. The winds would be strong enough to destroy their tents. That left Naruto with a growl and deep reluctance. He quickly found them a suitable place far from the admin building. It wasn't as stable as he wanted, but it would have to do.
A thorough inspection later, the three young shinobi ran back to their base camps. Naruto asked for Kosuke and Kurenai to debrief him later. Everyone quickly packed up their tents. The blond picked up Ayame into his arms and they all ran to the Daimyo Palace City. The sandy winds got heavier.
The group just barely made it into the royal city before a tornado of sand and loud thunderstorms rolled across the sky. Everyone ran inside the apartment complex Naruto, Shino, and Tenten found. Ayame and Kosuke placed up some covers over the windows, blankets on the ground, and put away the tents.
After a quick inspection by Kurenai, everyone was allowed to relax finally as a deep drum of thunder rolled through the skies. Naruto unsealed two or three lanterns from the scroll and hanged them on the walls. He then unsealed the bathing tools. Thankfully, they still had tons of water and towels, but in this harsh environment, the thought of what they would do if the water ran out was prevalent.
That said, that was neither here nor there for the moment. So, Ayame, Kurenai, and Tenten gathered their bathing tools and moved to a far corner. The group had already established that for safety's sake. Two women would bathe while the third stood guard. Then the third would bathe while the two stood guard. This wasn't doing out of concern against their male companions. Instead, this was done in case they got attacked and none of the guys were there to answer.
Once the girls were done, the guys went next. Soon everyone was more relaxed. Naruto unsealed their food. Ayame made what she could in a pot over an electric stove. That was one thing about this city vs Konoha. Electricity still worked. That definitely provided a strong argument to stay here. Naruto quickly started recharging their headsets while everyone else ate their food.
While they ate, Naruto, Tenten, and Shino gave a rundown of what they saw and what they all encountered. The storms outside shook everyone while the apartment complex creaked eerily. They continued talking.
"Alright, then I think Kosuke-san, Kurenai-san, and I will head into the Fire Daimyo palace. If that place is clear or if survivors are even held up there, then that's a bonus. However, we should be cautious. We don't know what they'll do. Tenten, Shino, and Ayame-neechan will scout the area. However, if we meet more people, we don't tell them we have more of us," Naruto said.
"Why not?" Ayame asked.
Naruto sighed. "Ayame-neechan…," he said with a frown. "People do stupid things when they're scared…,"
The group settled into silence. Though Tenten and Shino didn't fully understand what the blond meant, Kosuke, Kurenai, and Ayame had a fairly good idea of what he was saying.
"Wise assessment, Naruto-kun. No need to reveal all our cards if we don't need to. That said, Naruto-kun, don't inform them of your green chakra unless necessary. While it is a valuable tool which has kept us alive so far, I have no doubts what the Fire Daimyo will do if you reveal that you can combat these creatures," The Eternal Genin said.
"What do you mean? Wouldn't it be a good thing?" Tenten asked.
Kurenai slowly shook her head. "Remember, the world is very much in a state of utter anarchy. Even the Fire Daimyo's power has been minimalized. To consolidate his power once again, he could use Naruto," she said.
Shino pushed up his glasses. "You mean if he learns about us then he could force Naruto to reclaim not only his Palace but also all of Fire Country. The Hokage and the Daimyo have always had a complex relationship. If the Fire Daimyo learns there's no Kage, much less unestablished order, he… might try to rule through Konoha," the bug user said.
Naruto exhaled. "But you guys would be safe," he stated simply. Everyone shivered from the sincerity in his voice. Perhaps, it wasn't wrong that he was their leader. Who else among them could have made such a thought?
"Well, we're all making these plans based on the assumption that he's alive. For now, let's confirm the situation at the palace. Once we do that, we won't reveal ourselves. We'll observe for a little while," Kurenai said. Everyone agreed.
The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki then asked for their attention. "There actually is something else we can try that I haven't in a few weeks," he said. He then crossed his fingers.
"You're going to try that again? But all it does is cause you pain," Ayame said with great worry.
Naruto chuckled. "Wouldn't be the first time," he remarked. He then sighed. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," he called out.
Everyone, perhaps even Naruto, was expecting the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki to double over in pain. It happened all the time before. Yet, none of them were ready for a puff of smoke to appear next to their leader. They all gasped when a perfect clone of the former genin appeared next to him.
Naruto and his clone looked at each other. They moved their arms at the same time. They each threw a punch with perfect synchronization. Effortlessly, the blond dispelled the clone. That… was when the usual pain came. Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as when he tried back in Konoha. In fact, it only lasted a couple of seconds before he laid on the ground, breathing heavily.
Tenten quickly echoed everyone's thoughts. "What?! Why can you use jutsu now?" she asked.
Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't sure what answer he could give to satisfy her. "I don't know. I just did what I normally do," he replied honestly.
Kosuke quickly flipped through some handsigns for a simple D-rank katon jutsu. When he blew his lips, nothing came out. He tried again soon after, but it held to the same result. Even Kurenai tried. Tenten tried to connect chakra strings to her kunai. She got nothing. Shino even woke up his insects for a moment. They buzzed angrily with having no chakra to feast on. The Aburame heir put them back to sleep.
"You've got to be kidding me. Now, Naruto's the only one who can do a jutsu?!" Tenten asked in frustration. She didn't want to be, but she had no idea what was going on here! Everything was just so damn confusing!
Maruboshi scratched his chin. "Hmmm, it seems that whatever was hindering Naruto-kun before isn't anymore. Naruto-kun, how many clones can you make?" Kosuke asked.
"Well, I tried to make the usual ten. I only got one," he answered.
Kurenai and Kosuke stared at Naruto incredulously. The usual ten?! Even that was too much for some Jonin-level shinobi. "R-Right. Well, that's definitely something we can't let anyone know. Arguably, your kage bunshin is the most useful skill in a world like this. Your ability to scout ahead, even with one clone and scavenge makes you invaluable. Can you perform any other jutsu?" he asked.
Naruto stared at his palm. He bit his thumb and slammed the floor. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu," he said. Everyone gasped when there was a puff of smoke came, but… no creature appeared from the summoning circle.
"Hmmm, the jutsu worked, but it also… didn't work," she said.
"I see. We've been so focused on ourselves, we never stopped to consider what would happen to summons for summon contracts. What about an elemental jutsu, Naruto-kun!" Kosuke asked.
Naruto scratched his cheek. "I… I don't know any elemental jutsu," he said embarrassingly.
Kurenai and Kosuke sighed. Well, that wasn't too much of a surprise. Aside from some clans such as the Uchiha, most genin weren't taught elemental jutsu until well into their career. That said, it was rather odd for a student of Hatake Kakashi, the man said to have copied over 1000 jutsu, to not know any of those techniques. It couldn't have been his chakra. Hell, Naruto, at least before all this mess started, had more chakra than Kurenai and Kosuke combined. Way more!
The Eternal Genin gained a thoughtful look. "Well, if you can use jutsu then we'll start elemental training," he said.
"Genjutsu as well," Kurenai added in. Everyone chuckled while the Genjutsu Mistress blushed a bit. While she did wish to teach someone genjutsu, it wasn't simply because it was her preferred style. It did benefit them if he learned what he could from their group.
"Indeed. Now, Naruto-kun, unseal what you've procured from the Konoha shinobi stores. If Kami's with us then we'll find what we need," Kosuke said.
Naruto shrugged and unsealed all the things he and Kurenai got from the shinobi stores in another room. Kosuke and Kurenai searched through the equipment for a little bit and returned. They returned with a small sheet of paper.
"You needed paper?" Ayame asked.
Kurenai smiled. "It's not just any paper, Ayame-san. This is called Chakra Paper. It helps shinobi identify which element their chakra most aligns to. I'm a little surprised we didn't try this much sooner. This paper is made from a special tree somewhere in the Elemental Nations. It's used because it's very sensitive to chakra. If you align to fire, then the paper will catch on fire and turn to ash. If water, then it'll become damp. Lightning, it will wrinkle. Wind, it will split in half. Earth, it'll turn to dirt and crumble away. Perhaps we'll find some understanding about Naruto's chakra from this," she said as she handed him the paper.
Naruto grabbed it and stared at it quizzically. "Sheesh, how come they don't give these out in the academy?" he asked.
"Genin don't usually have the chakra for elemental jutsu anyway. Besides, it keeps you from trying to practice too many dangerous techniques without supervision. Can't practice what you don't know," Kosuke laughed out.
Everyone watched Naruto channel his chakra in silence before Tenten turned to Kurenai. "Can a shinobi have two or more affinities?" she asked.
The former jonin nodded. "It is possible. Rare, but possible. There is usually a primary element and sometimes a sub-element. Naturally, anyone can learn all types of jutsu, but normally their affinity is much easier. Also, not many know this, but it's been studied by a few scientists that using your primary elemental affinity uses less chakra," she said.
Tenten hummed while everyone turned back to Naruto. They gasped when the paper split in half. "Wind," Shino stated.
"Hmm, a very rare element for a shinobi from Konoha. We usually align… to…," Kosuke stopped as he, and everyone else, even Naruto, stared at the paper in a mixture of shock, uncertainty, and fear.
Strands like wires shot from one half of the paper to the next. They pulled each other together and made the paper whole again. Then, the paper wrinkled with a tiny lightning current running through it. However, it still didn't stay that way.
The paper unwrinkled itself and then started to drip with water. After that, the water stopped. Next, the chakra paper turned to dirt. Everyone stared in utter bewilderment as the paper somehow… grew itself back from the earth it'd been turned into. It then bursted into a flame so high it nearly reached the ceiling.\
"Whoa!" Tenten gasped as she fell back. Shino did as well. Kosuke pulled Ayame back while Naruto and Kurenai stared into flames.
Once everyone settled down, they stared at the large, bright flame. It was hot, but… it was also very beautiful. It turned from its orange color to blue, then red, then black, then white, then pink, then violet, then green, then yellow. Every color in the world, some that the 6-man group never even saw or imagined danced in its flying body. The flame was beautiful, amazingly so. Some of the colors actually combined and swirled around to create new colors.
Soon, the flames grew smaller and smaller until the paper turned to ashes. This time, it didn't pull itself back together. Everyone stared in utter silence between Naruto and the ashes in his hand.
"I don't think that was supposed to happen," Shino said.
Naruto stared at his hands in shock. When he looked up, every eye was on him. Though they were not hateful or spiteful, those eyes were something he thought he'd never see again. Eyes that separated him from everyone else, eyes that told him… he wasn't the same as everyone else.
The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki stepped back from the group. He then turned and walked out of the room. He closed the door behind him. If nothing else, at least he wouldn't have to see those eyes anymore.
The rest of the night went back without incident. Naruto returned to his assigned room. He stared at his hands. Dammit, why him?! Why couldn't he be the damn normal one for a change? Why'd everyone have to look at him like he was some kind of freak?!
"KUSO!" Naruto growled as he slammed his fist into the wall. He shivered when he felt the building rumble. When he stared at what he'd done, he saw the cracks and splinters which lined the impact on the wall up to the ceiling.
The former genin dropped to his knees. "Kyuubi, what's going on with me?" Naruto asked in a moment of vulnerability.
He received no response. His sadness slowly turned to anger. "Dammit, what's wrong WITH ME?! You're a damn fox who's lived for over 1000 years right?! SAY SOMETHING!" Naruto exploded in his own thoughts.
Finally, the Kyuubi answered. "I don't know," he answered without anger in his voice. In fact, the great Fox sounded even more confused and concerned than his host. "I… don't know,"
Naruto wanted to be angry. He wanted to be very angry! Yet, he didn't know who he was supposed to be angry at. Instead, he just kept his mouth shut.
This damn world. This fucking hellhole of a world that changed him. Maybe that's what he'd be angry at. People might think he didn't notice, but he did! The stares had slowly started changing as he began his shinobi career. Some were still harsh, but they were changing. Now, it felt like he was back at square one. All of that, even though it wasn't his fault!
With his heart heavy, Naruto just climbed into bed. He pulled the sheets over his body and closed his eyes.
About two minutes later, a knock came on his door. "Naruto-kun, are you alright?" Ayame asked from the other side. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki didn't respond. Instead, he turned out his light and closed his eyes. He really didn't want to see anyone right now.
One more series of knocks came, but the blond ignored them. After a moment, he heard steps fade away down the hall. Naruto closed his eyes and went to sleep. The sounds of the sandstorm outside seemed just as tumultuous as his own heart. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki closed his eyes. For the first time in a while, he slept alone.
Next morning, Naruto woke up before everyone else. He unsealed everyone's breakfast and placed it in the meeting room. In the meantime, he took his own breakfast and walked to the roof. There, Naruto sat on its edge and stared out into the Daimyo's City. This morning, he feasted on some snacks of dried fish, stale rice, and some type of rich crackers. As the sun rose over the horizon, he thought about last night. He wondered what everyone thought of him.
One or two hours of thought passed. The young man knew he couldn't keep avoiding the others forever. He, Kurenai, and Kosuke had a mission later today to investigate the palace. He wished his breakfast could last for an eternity, but it barely for even five minutes. He'd have to go downstairs and face everyone eventually.
With a sigh, Naruto walked away from the roof. He walked downstairs and soon appeared in the meeting room. Everyone was awake, eating their food until they spotted him. It seemed everyone had some trouble sleeping. Tenten and Kurenai's hair looked messed up, Kosuke constantly rubbed his eyes, and Shino was a bit harder to tell, but… he was a little slower than usual.
Then there was Ayame. Naruto felt a little guilty from the bags under her eyes. Unfortunately, the silence made it hard for him to say anything. He discarded his trash. He then faced Kurenai and Kosuke.
"When will you guys be ready to go?" he asked, his voice notably uneven.
His question seemed to break everyone from their gaze. "Look, Naruto, about last night. We didn't…,"
"When… are you… ready. To. Go?!" Naruto asked in a way that made them all shiver. Kurenai never finished what she was going to say. She stared into the blond's eyes and they made her lower her head down.
"Give us an hour or so, Naruto-kun. We'll be ready," Kosuke then said.
Naruto walked out of the meeting room and closed the door. They heard his footsteps echo down the long hallways. In the end, Ayame slammed her hands on the table.
"What's wrong with all of you? Why do you keep looking at him like that, like you're scared? Naruto-kun's saved our lives!" she exclaimed.
Tenten and Shino frowned as they looked down at their food. Kurenai and Kosuke leaned back. "We're not scared, Ayame. If anything, we're just too amazed. I've been a shinobi for a long time. I've served under the Second, Third, and Fourth Hokage. All of them have don't amazing things, things I thought I'd never see, but I've never seen what Naruto-kun could do and that was just with simple chakra paper. Even worse, we don't know what that means," Kosuke answered.
"Then you should all be working to figure it out instead of isolating Naruto-kun. Even… even I was amazed. Even I messed up. I should have gone after him immediately. He would have done it for me," she said as she put her head in her hands.
Shino took a drink. "Regardless of how we feel about him, we need him to survive. We wouldn't be eating right now if it wasn't for him," he said.
"Yeah…," Tenten remarked which made the group fall into silence again.
Breakfast ended with that. Kurenai and Kosuke got dressed to go out along with Naruto. They grabbed their headsets, kunai and shuriken sets, and their garbs to protect against the harsh weather.
Everyone gathered on the rooftop of the building. Naruto handed Ayame the headsets for those who'd be staying. "We'll keep you updated as we move through the palace," he said.
Ayame slowly nodded. "And we'll look out for your back," she replied.
The blond didn't respond to her reply. Instead, he placed his headset in his ear and stepped on the rooftop edge. "Let's go," he said. The female former jonin and Eternal Genin nodded.
"Naruto-kun," Ayame called out. He turned to her.
"Be safe," she said.
The Uzumaki heir turned his head away before his face could break apart in shame. That kindness and pity were so welcoming, they actually hurt. "Right," he said as he sucked in his legs and dashed off. Everyone gasped when they saw the two deep grooves he made on the roof floor.
"Wish us luck. Never hurts in times like this," Maruboshi said. The two former genin and the Ramen Waitress nodded and waved them off. Both shinobi raced off to catch up with their young, blond leader.
It didn't take long for them to catch up to Naruto. Personal feelings aside, the three entered the type of professionalism meant for their career. They entered the streets. It was quiet. The sandstorm from yesterday covered a few buildings in piles of sand. Surprisingly, none of them fell over in the storm.
Everything seemed so… still. "Team SAT, do you read?" Kurenai asked.
"We read you, Team KNK. Nothing to see so far. You're clear to keep moving," Tenten answered.
"Will do," Kurenai said.
Naruto, with Kosuke and Kurenai behind him, spotted a piece of moving trash that rolled from one part of the street to the next. The distant creaking of a door left him oddly anxious. Memories of yesterday worried him. They worried Kosuke and Kurenai as well. So there was something out here capable of even hunting down these creatures. Dare they even ask what could do that?
After some time passed, the trio made it to the Daimyo's Palace. Usually, the place would be filled with so many guards that it'd be impossible to attack. Now, there was just nothing. A few strings of sculpted gold, precious stone and wood, and fractured glass laid around its body. The palace oddly tilted to the side as if something heavy had crashed into it. One of the castle gates was busted down. Judging from the rust, it must have been weeks since anyone did repairs on it.
They stepped through. What were once lush green pastures of land fit for gazing, were not sandbeds, free for roaming lizards, spiders, and other creatures that could survive the harsh environment. As Naruto stepped over the gates, they creaked. Kurenai and Kosuke followed after him.
"Never did I think I'd see the day when the Fire Country's Daimyo City would fall. Some always preached about the end times. Perhaps they were right after all," the elderly man said with a melancholic sigh.
"Indeed. It's rather sad," Kurenai answered through her face mask. Both noticed Naruto quickly ascending the long, cracked, palace steps. They followed after him.
It took a bit of time, but the three finally made it to the very top of the stairs. The palace's royal doors were also broken down. Their bodies were laced with claw marks. The inside of the palace was filled with darkness. "We're entering. Remember, if you see anything, detail it as much as you can, SAT," Kosuke said.
"Understood, KNK," Shino replied from the other side before the comms grew dead.
The three shinobi moved into the Fire Daimyo's palace. Naruto handed them each a flashlight. As they stepped inside, a bunch of dust covered the entrance. Kosuke slowly coughed before he swiped some of it away. Kurenai turned on her flashlight and so did Kosuke. The Palace's walls were definitely beautiful. They were lined with wonderful, torn fabric, and golden arches in certain corners. A regal, yet dirty carpet laid strewn about the floor.
Naruto touched one of the arches. His eyes narrowed. He looked back at the fallen doors with narrowed eyes. "Stay close to me. Let's start searching," he said. The two adults agreed.
The group walked up a large flight of steps, some that most likely led to the upper sections of the palace. They then walked to the right past a door. A sea of debris lined the precious carpets. They stepped through quietly. Yet, the corridor was so quiet, so oddly foreboding, the darkness so tense, that they certainly didn't feel like they were being quiet. Whether they knew it or not, they wished they had the wind from outside back. At least it'd give them something to focus on besides this tightening darkness.
Naruto stopped for a moment and opened one of the doors. Kurenai and Kosuke checked both ends of the hallway while the blond fully opened the door. Inside was a broken table with some papers and a broken cabinet. Some of the drapes from a window were broken down and slumped over a desk. Once the blond entered the room, the Genjutsu Mistress and Eternal Genin followed him in.
They scanned the room with their flashlights for a little while. The more they looked, the more unsettled Naruto got. In fact, his fears were confirmed when even the Kyuubi spoke. "Look sharp, Kit. Something's wrong here," Kyuubi said. Uneasy, Naruto nodded.
Jumpy, Naruto turned around when he thought he heard the pitter-patter of something far into the darkness. He channeled some chakra to his nose and ears. Yet, he smelled nothing and heard nothing.
"This… this doesn't make sense," Naruto said, which got the two adults looking at him.
"Indeed. I think we can rule out the possibility of survivors being held up here," he replied back as he shined his flashlight over the beautifully decorated, yet clawed up walls.
Kurenai stepped over some glass. "Yes. This is the Fire Daimyo's Palace. If there was going to be panic, this is one of the places where everyone in this city would go…," she said suddenly very worried as her thoughts began to connect together.
Naruto clenched his fists. "The doors were broken down, claw marks were on them. If this is where people were likely to go, then whatever broke the doors down got inside. If it did then, where… are the bodies?" the former genin questioned, a deep sense of dread running through him.
"There's not even any blood from a would-be attack. It's almost like a ghost town," the wrinkled man returned to them both.
Naruto kicked some glass out of the way and snorted. "Let's save the speculations for when we're done, dattebayo. We don't know what happened here. We'll keep looking for now. Maybe we're just overreacting cause of the claw marks. The wind could have knocked the doors down and a beast crawled through. The winds were that strong in Konoha, I guess," he said.
Though both shinobi knew the blond was only saying that to make them feel more at ease, they took it for what it was worth. As the two stepped out of the room, Naruto heard something move. He shined his flashlight in the corner. He saw a small fly on the wall. He also saw a cockroach skitter from the harsh light and hide in a corner. He oddly noticed traces of green chakra flowing through them both.
"Something wrong?" Kurenai asked.
The blond turned around. "Those bugs had green chakra," he said as he walked out of the room. Kurenai and Kosuke examined the bugs for a moment in surprise but quickly moved away. They closed the door behind them.
As the trio ventured through the Fire Daimyo's Palace, the more they moved, the more unsettled they got. Everything seemed to be in utter disarray. Rooms and furniture in one room were crushed and broken into the next. Even one of the Daimyo's bedrooms was broken down into another place. Naturally, Naruto sealed up the mattress and the sheets.
However, as they moved, Naruto began to smell something that he hadn't smelled before. He smelled something moldy, rotting, and decaying. It didn't smell like what a human body would smell like. All the same, it did make him nearly lose his breakfast. The same was no different for Kurenai and Kosuke. The three pulled up their face masks as they ventured up.
The reason they ventured up was because the lower floors had collapsed in on themselves. To be honest, they were surprised the palace was even standing. When they made it to one of the upper floors. They were met with another hallway, and this one confirmed their fears.
Kosuke knelt down and picked up a waistcloth with the Fire symbol etched into it. He saw six of them laying across the open hallway. Hundreds of broken kunai, shuriken, and torn scrolls surrounded them. "These cloths, they're the waistcloth for the Twelve Guardian Ninja," he stated.
"The shinobi who protect the Daimyo? I heard Asuma was one of them," Kurenai said to which Kosuke nodded.
"Yes, it's a most prestigious role, but also one wrought with danger. It seems something attacked them," returned. Kurenai and Naruto moved their flashlight around, but they saw nothing. Well, the Genjutsu Mistress didn't. For the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, he saw… another fly. His frown deepened.
"So if six are here, then where are the other six?" Naruto asked.
Ah, the question of the hour. Kosuke offered a silence prayer to the deceased warriors. The three then continued slowly, constantly updating Team SAT with what they found. Clearly, the news started to unnerve them all. Tenten actually suggested for them all to just get out of there and come home. Hell, that was starting to sound like a good idea.
It was only when Naruto, Kurenai, and Kosuke made it to the very top of the palace that the Genjutsu Mistress turned her head and wretched into the wall. The Eternal Genin's blood ran cold while Naruto, and even Kyuubi, stared in horrific shock.
"...I think we know what happened to the other six," Naruto said as he stared at the green, puss-like eggs growing in the stomachs of five men and one woman. Their eyes illuminated the darkness with a dark-green hue like those of a firefly.
The bodies silently twitched and spasmed while their lifeless eyes stared at nothing. Their skin had been sewn to the wall and in different corners, more eggs growing from their neck and the side of their face. All three saw a fly exit one of their mouths. It flew towards the ceiling.
Team KNK filled it with their flashlights. Once they looked up, their eyes widened again. What they saw could only be described in one word.
Hell.
KG: Well, I'm done for now. Yes, Naruto can use Shadow Clones again, however, I'm working through this carefully. Him having hundreds upon hundreds of clones kind of defeats more of the suspense of the story. Still, it's not very Naruto-ish if he doesn't have at least one clone.
KG: Anyway, onto Summons. I'm still deciding on what to do with them. Maybe some are around, maybe most are dead. I dunno for now.
KG: Well, CREAM SODA!