KG: Ah, I'm in such a good mood! Something good has happened to me this week! Anyway, let's get you your chapter.
Music of the Week: Dystopian Underground City by The ASMR Geek.
Quote: "I won't lie to you. Should the end of the world come, it won't be by Mother Nature. It shall be by the hand of man for our folly against ourselves."
"Drop our weapons?! Are you insane? They'll kill us!" someone said to Ao's side.
To be honest, the former Kiri nin didn't blame these expressed thoughts. However, they didn't see what he saw. They could feel what he felt. They didn't see the nigh overwhelming, overpowering, unstoppable, dare he say… god-like chakra that surged from the blond.
They just didn't understand that even if they had their weapons, they would still lose. The only hope for them would be Ranmaru and Raiga. As much as he loathed the latter, the man had their savior's complete trust. The former always gave the latter more than enough chakra where everyone else was only given a fraction of that.
A bead of sweat fell down his face. "Listen to me. He's an existence which only Ranmaru-sama and Raiga-san can put down. Just follow my lead," he said before they all felt the sudden rise in chakra again. Ao gulped.
The beast was coming.
Meanwhile, Naruto was ready to use another jutsu. He was prepared to cut down these people who attacked them. To think they'd have the gall to use a jutsu against him of all people? How offensive.
"Naruto, wait!" Kurenai exclaimed which got him to stop before he swung his arm which would have released a whirl of wind-enhanced fire blades. He'd have turned the entire Yugakure village into a pile of smoldering rock.
"What?" He asked.
Kurenai watched the opposing group jump on top of a building. One of them, seemingly the leader of the group, began hand signing to them. She'd seen it a few times. There was a universal sign to shinobi of all nations in the way of surrender. Of course, the enemy wasn't obligated to care about the surrender, but it showed strength to give mercy.
"They're telling us they surrender," she said.
Ayame blinked. "Why would they surrender? They have more people than us. Something's wrong," the former waitress said.
Slowly, the Genjutsu Mistress agreed. "Perhaps they were terrified of Naruto's jutsu. Just like us, who knows when was the last time they've seen a jutsu like that. I think we should take it. That one with the sword could use jutsu. If he can, we don't know how many others can. If Naruto was by himself, I'd be a bit more confident to rely on him, but unfortunately Ayame and I might not do too well against people with chakra. If we push it, we could be taken hostage," she replied.
Naruto snarled. "I'd sooner raze them to the ground than allow that to happen, dattebayo!" he replied, his tone notably darker which made them both shiver. Whether they shivered from excitement or surprise was only known to them, but… both smiled. They couldn't help the odd, yet welcome protectiveness of their blond leader.
"Should we just disengage then? Just leave?" Ayame asked.
Kurenai frowned. "I don't think so. It's not impossible that they'd follow us if we left. They could return with greater numbers if they are a community. We'd have to go far and we don't know how far we'd have to go. Should we hear them out?" she asked.
Naruto clenched his fists and sighed. He quickly pushed some green chakra into his eyes. He looked around the area. "I don't see anyone else," he said.
Ayame stared out as well. "We also don't know why they can use chakra. Either way, the fact that they can, and they're scared of Naruto-kun means that there's something about him they can't face. What do you think, Naruto-kun?" she asked.
The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's frown deepened. He eased himself despite the displeasure on his face. He didn't like this, but he couldn't explain why. "Alright. Stay close to me," he said. Both agreed.
He grabbed them both and jumped them to another rooftop away from the opposite team. As the wastelands of Yugakure got even stronger, the two forces stared at each other.
Ao stared at the sandstorm that threatened to overwhelm them in a moment. Once again he was left in awe of the blond's jutsu. Just one jutsu had changed the nature of the environment so heavily. He had to be one of them, a Wasteland Royal. That was a term that seemed to start popping up around the world as of late. Many of the survivors who joined Ranmaru's community started calling him that as well.
That was the name given to those who, somehow, could supply chakra to others. He never spoke of Ranmaru outside of regular trading provinces. A few settlements had been created far and wide. Had he spoken of Ranmaru, he truly feared how many people would try to either kill or take the boy. That said, could they even resist his presence enough to try? Ao didn't want to find out.
The older man exhaled. "We surrender. We don't wish to fight you. I believe this is all a misunderstanding. Perhaps we can go inside and talk?" he suggested. Chojuro and the rest of his group looked at him strangely.
The same could be said for Naruto's group. "We'll stay out here," Naruto replied, his arms folded.
Ao wasn't sure why he gulped, but he turned his head. He looked at the prevailing winds. They were getting stronger. He could see some of the destroyed buildings beginning to crash into each other. "If we stay out here, then we'll all be trapped in the sandstorm. I don't know where your group's been, but these storms… can hide terrible things," he said.
Ayame and Kurenai stared at the approaching sandstorm. Though they didn't see anything, they suddenly felt anxious by Ao's words. Naruto's eyes quickly darted to the sandstorm and back to the group in front of him. He snarled. "Go back home then. We'll stay on this side of the village. If you come over to this side, I'll kill you," Naruto remarked before he turned away. He grabbed Ayame and Kurenai. He took them off the rooftop and they disappeared into the village.
Ao sighed. "We're leaving. Report to Ranmaru-sama and Raiga-san. They'll know what to do. Besides, we were running low on chakra anyway," he said. The others quickly agreed. They then stared at the oncoming sandstorm. Even now, they could all see the hulking figure within it. It seemed this would be a night for no hot food.
Meanwhile, Naruto, Ayame, and Kurenai took residence in a Yugakure hot springs hotel. As one might expect, the hotel was just as trashed as every other building they'd been in prior. However, at least it wasn't in danger of being brought to its knees.
They settled into one room. Naruto grabbed some ripped curtains and nailed them to the wall around some windows. It wasn't long before the three heard the buffeting sounds of harsh sand and wind outside. The distant howls and echoes of the wasteland made the trio rather melancholy.
Ayame marked off some things from their list of what they'd gotten from Yugakure. They then began to make more plans on where to go next with their map while they ate their food.
"It might be best to leave this village in one or two days," Naruto said which both agreed with.
"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if that group leaves tonight to bring people back. We don't know how many people they've got. We also don't know if any of them are like Naruto. I think we just got lucky that of that group, they must not have had a lot of chakra left. I bet that was why they were scared of Naruto. They couldn't contend with him. The situation changes if they bring more," Kurenai replied.
Ayame tapped a part of the map. "To the west, there is Takigakure. We could try something there. We could also head north into Shimo, Frost Country. Though I don't think we're equipped to deal with cold weather, it could be a bit from Yugakure and these people."
The others agreed. Once that plan was made, Naruto unsealed their sleeping bags and they began a leisurely time reading or talking. They did speak a bit on why that group could use chakra, but the theories were just too many.
As the sandstorm got stronger, so much that it made the hotel shake, the trio fell asleep while a clone kept watch. As Naruto closed his eyes, he thought he heard the sound of thunder rolling in the desolate clouds. He also thought he saw… something hop across the rooftops.
As the moon hung in the late-night sky, Naruto slowly opened his eyes. A sense of dread moved through him. His eyes moved through the room he, Kurenai, and Ayame were sleeping in just to make sure his head wasn't messing with him. It was as he feared. His clone… was gone.
No, not gone as in it went somewhere. It was gone because… it got popped. His clone had been forcibly dispelled. All of its memories flowed into his head.
The clone had been practicing with some chakra control exercises before it heard something creak downstairs. It ignored it at first since it sounded like nothing different from the sandstorm rushing outside, but then… the creaks continued in intensity. The clone moved to investigate. It walked through every hall before it came to the very bottom of the hotel.
…the door was open.
As soon as that realization appeared on the clone, it was destroyed.
Naruto snarled. "I knew I should have killed them!" he thought before he quietly unzipped his sleeping bag. He moved away from Ayame and placed his ear on the floor. He channeled the green chakra inside him to his ears. If that group came to their side then they chose the wrong place.
There's been a reason that Naruto chose this hotel. It was very creaky. It would be hard for anyone to move through it and sneak up on his friends. Already the blond was making plans for when they would leave in the morning. Once he killed this group, who knew how long it would take for their community to find them?
Anyway, Naruto continued to listen for a few minutes. He frowned when he heard one, two, three, four… fifteen… twenty… pairs of feet. What the hell?
The blond shivered, he heard some type of pattering steps moving through the halls of the lower floors of the hotel. The steps sounded too small from the usual grown men and women he'd heard. It didn't seem like they were trying to be sneaky, they were just… roaming around. Could that group's people have come already? He didn't think so.
Naruto then moved the chakra to his nose. Aside from the pleasant smell of Ayame and Kurenai, the stench of the hotel, and the dry sand outside, he wasn't sure if there was any other stench.
No, wait. He did smell something. It wasn't a human smell, it smelled like… blood. An odd mixture of blood and saliva dropped on the floor. He knew because he heard it. It was like someone who hadn't eaten in weeks being given a wonderful, delicious meal. Their mouth watered ceaselessly.
He then heard… sizzling of some kind. It was very minor, almost like when a small drop of water lands on a hot stove.
Drip! Drip! Sizzle!
Drip! Drip! Sizzle!
It was then that he heard something else. He heard a sound that made his fears warranted. He heard the small, skittering screech of an unknown creature. He then heard another, and another, and another.
Leaning up, Naruto quickly channeled his chakra into his eyes. He gasped. If one would describe his chakra as a massive inferno. What he saw was an unconquerable firestorm, burning long and wide. It was like the tiny green flames of each body were melding together to creak this beast of chakra that surpassed his own. When was the last time he felt this feeling of utter dread? Was it back in Konoha? Was it at the Fire Capital?
Then, he heard something that sounded like scraping. He thought he heard claws. It wasn't the Bone Crawlers. They were much bigger than the average man. They couldn't pitter-patter like this. Was this something that formed while he and his friends were on Uzushiogakure?
Either way, they couldn't stay here. Naruto silently walked over to Ayame and Kurenai. He shook them both. Both groaned. He shook them harder.
"Wha-hmmm?!" Ayame asked before she felt Naruto cover her mouth with his hand. He placed a finger to his lips. Though drowsy, the former ramen waitress couldn't mistake the sense of urgency in her friend's eyes. She silently nodded.
Then the Genjutsu Mistress woke up. Just like with Ayame, Naruto urged for her silence. Confused, but understanding, she nodded and remained silent.
"Pack our things. Creatures!" Naruto signed to them. The two widened their eyes before they heard the floorboards a floor below them creak.
"Do you know what?" Kurenai asked back. She laid horrified when Naruto signed that he didn't know what they were facing.
Ayame shivered, but both quickly removed themselves from their sleeping bags. The creaking got stronger. The two women could now hear the tiny squeaks from below. Something that sounded like a sheet being ripped alerted them.
Ayame and Kurenai gave Naruto their sleeping bags. He sealed them into the scrolls. They each picked up their kunai and shuriken sets. They thought to make their way out the window, but the sandstorm had gotten stronger. Tons of debris flew everywhere. They even heard the crash of one of the buildings as it was brought to its knees.
Once they were ready, the trio made their way to the door. Naruto slowly opened it. He peeked through the door. The hotel's hallway was clear. In fact, it was so clear it was downright creepy. The shadows moved along the wall and floor almost ominously. The noises had stopped. All that was left was a distant howl in the wind.
The door creaked open. When Naruto pushed the green chakra into his eyes, he could still see the raging firestorm that was these creatures. However, it was too large for him to point out any of them specifically. They just seemed to be standing, waiting, maybe even… listening.
Another finger to his lips, he walked out. They followed him. Once they vacated the room, they entered the hallway. Naruto set up a tripwire with some explosion tags and a broken match. They then continued on their way. It was times like this the blond was grateful for the green chakra. It made him come up with a plan of just in cases. He'd gone through a few escape paths out of the hotel on the thought that they might get attacked.
The trio turned around a corner. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki took a moment to look around the corner they just left. He swallowed the lump in his throat. Like tiny bulbs of light, he saw multiple eyes illuminated in the darkness. The eyes blinked.
What? How did they even get up here? He hadn't even heard them move!
Worried, Naruto took out a kunai. The hall extended past the corner they turned and he threw it all the way down. It clanged against the wall. "YAAAAAUAUauaua!" the eyes darted forward.
Naruto grabbed Ayame and Kurenai. They hid behind a barely standing ornament cabinet as they heard the pitter-patter of feet. They watched the eyes run across the open corridor towards the hall that Naruto threw the kunai down. One of them gave pause and stared down the hall the group was in. It tilted its head to the side before it ran off as well.
Once the steps moved down the hall, the trio continued down the path they were in. The leader of the three remembered a series of steps that led to a window in the corner of an alleyway. That would provide cover from the sandstorm and hopefully cover their escape.
The three made it to the staircase. However, they shivered. Beneath the barest of light from the outside, they spotted their enemies. The creatures which littered the entire hotel now occupied the stairwell.
Upon close inspection, Naruto couldn't tell if they were human before or not. If they were, then he pitied them greatly. If they were animals before, then they were not something Kami could have made on her own. For one, their backs were horribly hunched forward. They had beady eyes, glowing like phosphorus light. Their mouths were filled with jagged, curved teeth. They were very small as well. If you dared give them a size comparison, Naruto would think they'd come up to either his kneecap or his stomach.
Next, their snouts were elongated. They seemed to breathe through little holes on their forehead. Razor-sharp nails lengthened from their fingers. They screeched and squawked at each other like birds. Their heads made irregular movements left and right. Behind them wiggled some type of tail forged in reinforced bone marrow. On their neck laid disgusting sem-bloated sacs of puss. What those sacs were for, Naruto didn't want to find out.
He urged his friends to stay where they were. He didn't understand why, but… his danger senses were going haywire. Something within him was telling him that he could not fight these tiny creatures, not yet anyway. How he knew this, he really didn't know. Trust him, he didn't. It'd been so long since he felt this way. This sense of fear and mystery.
"Yaaaaugh! Yauauagh! Grayayaaaa!" They screeched together.
Naruto made it to the stairwell railing. He noticed at least five of the creatures there. Their pulsating skin, green-luminescent veins, and soulless, white eyes moved as the creatures bit the sides of the stair handles. Just where the hell did these things come from? Maybe this was what that guy from before said.
Naruto inhaled and exhaled. He then held out his hand. He watched the green chakra strings move through the air. He'd have to clear the stairs, and there'd be no better time than now. Even now he could see the outline of the green chakra around one of them.
Just as he practiced, Naruto latched his chakra to the nearest one. It squirmed strangely for a moment. As soon as the blond held control over the creature, he shivered. Through its eyes, he could see some kind… outline by which it hunted. At the very least, he noticed that it didn't have great eyesight. It was close to the window and even that couldn't be seen clearly.
From the fact that he threw the kunai and they followed it, they must have had exceptional hearing. It couldn't have been a sense of smell, he and his friends would have been spotted right away. Either way, his body felt absolutely disgusting. A mix and mangled mash of flesh and unknown circulating fluids laced together that just felt sickeningly unreal.
"Brat, hurry up! I sense something wrong," Kyuubi stated as he watched what his host was doing.
"Right," Naruto replied.
"GRAAAAAAAAAH!"
The creature Naruto controlled suddenly roared and attacked its friends. All hell seemed to break loose as they crashed, clawed, and bit at one another before they went crashing down the flight of steps.
Soon the fighting escalated as the sounds of crushed bones, snapped limbs, and torn flesh ruptured through the hotel. However, at least they got off the stairwell. Unfortunately, their noise started bringing others over. They attacked each other viciously, almost… psychotically. Forgive the Uzumaki heir if he didn't stick around to find out what they were gonna do to each other.
He pulled up the window. Kurenai and Ayame joined him. Naruto tied a rope to the railing and soon the last of the three went out. The others covered her, growing more worried as more illuminated eyes pierced the darkness. The Genjutsu Mistress gasped as one of them suddenly roared.
Naruto cursed before he grabbed the former jonin. "Kuso! Just go! I'll catch up!" He said as he pushed Kurenai out the window.
"What?! Wait, Naruto! Do you da-"
Kurenai gasped as the winds from the sandstorm blasted into her face while she fell out the window. For her, time to seemed to slow down in agonizing ways as she saw Naruto pull out a kunai and shout as one of the beasts crashed into him. The Genjutsu Mistress felt like her entire body shut down before she fell into the dusty alleyway.
"Kurenai-san, are you alright? Where's Naruto-kun?!" Ayame asked.
Before the jonin could even give a reply, she cursed when they saw white eyes appear from around the alleyway's corner. "Shaa… yaaaaaa. Shayaaaayayayaya!" They snarled, their teeth dripping with bloodied saliva. Both ladies felt the fear settle in their hearts when one of them dropped a torn limb. Its flesh saturated with teeth marks.
For someone like her, perhaps it wasn't right to say this, but… all thought left Kurenai. On pure instinct alone, she grabbed Ayame and the two ran away into the depths of Yugakure's sandstorm. '
"Kurenai, stop! Where is Naruto-kun?!" Ayame asked, fearful of the answer. She nearly felt her very soul crumble to pieces as Kurenai grabbed her even tighter. Both ladies ran as fast as they could as the creatures roared, hopping along the rooftops and stalking them as they did so. The ramen waitress turned back to the hotel they had been sleeping in just moments ago.
This damn world. This fucking world. What had humanity done to deserve to be cursed like this?!
The two women disappeared into the village of Yugakure's destroyed area, blocking debris and crashing buildings as they did so. More of the creatures which roamed outside chased after them, stalking them, waiting for them to get tired, toying with them.
Meanwhile, Naruto roared as he grabbed one of the creatures and slammed its head into the wall. He ran through the halls of the hotel as more of these… things ran after him. The sandstorm raged outside as… a Tongue Lasher, he'd call it that for now, jumped on top of him. He decided to call it that because, like a flower blooming in the spring, the flaps of its face blossomed in four directions. Then, he dodged his head as a tongue laced with sharp bone-like blades stabbed the floor behind him.
He had to admit, though they were small, these things were fuckin' strong. He moved his head to the left as its tongue lashed out again.
"Raaaaaaek! Reeeeeaaak! Yaaaaayayayak!" others screeched as they observed. The blond didn't know why they weren't attacking. However, that was going to prove to be a vital mistake!
The Kyuubi Jinchuurki pushed both green and red chakra through his body. He kicked the Tongue Lasher through the ceiling several floors above him before he faced the others. They slowly advanced on him, their glowing eyes a constant reminder of their presence.
Naruto slammed his hands together. "Kneel," He said with an ungodly smirk on his face.
"Katon: Chō Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Super Grand Fireball Technique)!" Naruto exclaimed as he placed two fingers over his lips and blew a massive stream of bright, orange flames towards the ten or so Tongue Lashers he'd seen. They screeched from the sudden intrusion of light before the flames overtook them. He heard the screams of pain through the burning halls.
As he kept the fire jutsu going, he then took his other hand and formed a series of one-handed signs. "Raiton: Jibashi (Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder)!" he called out next. The floors beneath his feet surged with powerful thunder currents. So powerful was it that, if anyone outside was watching, they would have seen a giant ball of fire covered in lightning crash from the hotel room and roll through the eastern quadrant of The Village of Hot Springs.
The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki brushed the side of his face as he stared at the charred tunnel of flaming debris he'd created. "Kurenai-chan, Ayame-chan, please be alright," Naruto thought. The air was laced with so much green chakra that he couldn't properly point them out.
Suddenly, Naruto heard a crash through the wall. Another Tongue Lasher launched at him. He barely had the time to grab a fuma shuriken and block its strike. This one must have been unique before it crashed him right through the wall and into the outside. Naruto kicked it away from him as he flew through the air and crashed into the hot sand. His body ragdolled before he jumped back and landed on his feet.
The wind blasted in his face mercilessly. It was very dark and he had to keep his eyes covered. Thankfully, he reached for his goggles in time and placed them on. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case needed for his adversaries.
The blond gasped when he suddenly found himself surrounded. He knew because he could feel the green chakra all around him. With his goggles, he could also see the white glare of so many eyes. Some hid behind buildings, but others began making their way to him. He swore he saw over fifty pairs of glowing white eyes upon him. When had so many of them appeared?
"Yayayaya… yahahayayaha!" They whispered as he frowned. They got closer.
The Uzumaki heir growled. "Don't get fucking cocky!" he exclaimed to himself before he pushed the green chakra into his legs and he dashed off to the west side of the village. The ground beneath his feet exploded in sand from each step he placed on the ground.
The blond growled as he surfed on the sand with the added chakra to it as the wind created various sand tsunamis threatening to overwhelm Yugakure. As he moved through the village he saw the Tongue Lashers snarl as they jumped across rooftops, keeping up with him at great speeds. All the while, some of them lashed out their considerably long tongues at them. So fast were they that even with his reaction time, he could barely dodge them all as they clashed with his kunai.
The blond grabbed about fifteen shuriken and unleashed them all. He then sped through his handsigns, kneading the green and red chakra within him. "Katon: Hōsenka Tsumabeni (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson)," he shouted as he blew a white-hot stream of fire over the shuriken. Each weapon was illuminated with the light of flames as they raced for their targets.
He saw the Tongue Lashers, ready to move. He was ready to add another jutsu, but he watched their mouth flaps open. Those chasing after him, showed a toothy grin before they swallowed the shuriken and the chakra from the jutsu he just used. The flames got smaller and smaller as they ate more and more. The blue-eyed teen gawked. "They can eat chakra?!" he thought.
Kyuubi growled. "It seems like it. Brat, whatever you're gonna do, you'd better do it fast."
Need Naruto be told twice? No, not really.
Naruto jumped from the sandy lands and onto the rooftops. The Tongue Lashers clawed after him. He shivered when he thought he heard a scream from somewhere. He looked to the north, it was from the area where that other group was. Unfortunately, Naruto didn't know what to do . He roared as he swung his arm. Green and red chakra-infused wind blades flew out from his arms. Instead of the creatures, he aimed for the buildings. He took away their footing. They screamed as they fell down.
Naruto's chest burned and so did the rest of his legs. The mixture of the green chakra and the Kyuubi's chakra was phenomenal but utterly painful at the same time. He could feel his lungs collapsing and his heart clenching. He hated it. No matter how much he trained with this green chakra, this pain never subsided. He could feel every piece of sweat fall down the side of his cheek.
He suddenly gasped as five Tongue Lashers suddenly appeared in front of him. He pulled up his kunai, but cursed when two creatures behind him wrapped their tongues around his left arm and leg. They pulled him back and, with the green chakra massaging the corners of his mind, he followed a correct path to counter. The young Uzumaki rolled back with the momentum. He jumped over the two that grabbed him and grabbed non-sharp parts of their tongue.
Naruto roared as he swung them around and around. They bashed into the five that ambushed him and fell off the side of another building. However, as they fell, their bodies covered the other three tongues. The blonde gasped when he groaned as three bladed tongues struck the side of his face. He rubbed his cheek before his legs suddenly stumbled.
He inhaled a deep piece of sandy air as he fell to his knees. "W-What the hell happened to me?" He questioned himself before his body began to twitch. He blinked as all around him became a blur of mangled lights and spots. The blond tried to get up, but his chest burned. He fell forward and coughed. W-What was going on? Why did everything hurt?
Every cell in his body was screaming. Don't ask him how he knew. He could just tell that they were. He grabbed the rooftop ledge. He could hear them snarling behind him as his muscles stiffened. His breath became raspy. He tried to lean up, but his arm suddenly spasmed. His hand smacked him in the face and he fell off the side of the building. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki groaned as he bashed against a rusty stairwell. He crashed against the side of the wall all the way until he hit the ground.
Sand in his mouth, he coughed up some blood. "K-Kuso, those damn things did something to me!" he cursed.
Kyuubi remained silent. He couldn't afford the conversation. The fox was too busy trying to dispel all the lethal poison in his host's body, but it was unlike anything he'd ever dealt with. It was like it was poisoning Naruto, and the fox at the same time. Even the Kyuubi felt sluggish. "Brat, you gotta get us outta here. I… can't…" the Kyuubi didn't get to finish before he fell silent.
Naruto clawed at the ground. How the fuck had this mission gone so wrong? He snarled. You… pieces of fucking shit! You dare raise yourselves against him?! You dare strike him?! YOU FUCKING DARE?!"
Naruto roared as he slammed his hand into the sand. "Doton: Shin Gōdoryūdan (Earth Release: True Great Earth Dragon Bombs)!" He yelled as he forced up another handsign. He felt the chakra within him soar so much he thought he'd explode from the inside out. However, for them, for Ayame and Kurenai, for the two he loved, he… couldn't fall right now.
"R-Raiton: Shin Gōraijūdan (Lightning Release: True Great Lightning Beast Bombs)!"
Naruto's chakra coils burned, but if anyone was alive in Yugakure, then they would have been utterly stunned by the sight before them. The ground beneath the sand rocked and shook with the force of a mighty earthquake. Hot steam expelled from pockets beneath the sand. Once standing buildings crashed and smashed into each other. A massive dragon-shaped beast made of stone blasted up from the ground and high into the air.
The Tongue Lashers turned to it and screeched at it as it roared back. Then, the thunder in the skies exploded with a deafening boom. Lightning struck the ground, it struck the debris of fallen structures causing them to catch fire. The winds got so strong, they caught on fire, creating blazing tornadoes that met with the flames around the village. The flaming winds tore through the ground. Tongue Lashers across the village screamed as they were consumed by fire, lightning, and cracked earth.
The clouds and skies tore apart with another roar. All eyes turned to the heavens and nearly felt the urge to kneel in reverence when a lightning dragon's head appeared above them all. A mighty currency of lightning surrounded it as it roared down as well. Then, both dragons opened their mouths, what happened next would have been ingrained in everyone's memory for a long time.
A stream of mud and hot lightning struck through the village, explosions rocking the land like the very first time the meteor had fallen upon the Elemental Nations. Tongue Lashers cried in the distance as they were crushed beneath mountains of earth or waves of lightning so strong it burned the sand in beautiful crystals. Some of the lightning even mixed with the flaming tornadoes digging into the ground and tearing the village in two. The earth dragon buried the other half of the village in a cataclysm of torn, burned stone.
Apartments and former hot springs, shops and stalls, hotels and motels, all crashed into each other as the maw of the earth opened up. Anyone unlucky enough to get away fell inside. Mountains and waves of sand fell down into the abyss below.
As the two enormous jutsu finished, Naruto panted heavily. The tax of the green chakra and the remnants of the Kyuubi's chakra that he could control were heavy. His body felt like it was being torn in two. He tried to move, but the pain was too unbearable. He could barely keep his eyes open. The numbing neurotoxin within him made his eyes roll into the back of his head before he passed out.
The Tongue Lashers surrounded Naruto. They waited a moment or two longer just to make sure their prize was dead. It was a difficult prey to put down, but the overwhelming numbers finally showed their result.
Two of the creatures stood over him, their claws itching. As one of them placed its mouth to the blond, it suddenly screeched as a hand grabbed its face. "HeheheheheheHAHAHAHAHAHA! Not bad! Not bad at all!" Naruto's voice said as he struggled to his feet. He tightened his hold on the creature's face while its pack members jumped back. They watched as the Tongue Lasher, like an old prune, got more and more wrinkled as the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki held it.
If one looked closely, one could see the young man's demented smirk as the tendrils of green chakra in his body stabbed into the creature's skin. The chakra which powered the creature was swiftly sucked away, adding to the blond's own. "You dare raise your hands to me? You dare raise your hands to your god? I fucking made you, I own you, and I shall collect my recompense. That shall be the penalty of your sin! Feel honored that you shall become one with your god!" Naruto claimed as his eyes glowed with a harsh green.
He then opened his mouth. He sucked up the chakra from the Tongue Lasher until the creature faded to dust. It crumpled in his hands and he licked his lips. Amazing. Simply fucking amazing. Why had he not done this before? Hell, if he could take just a few more then…
The green-eyed blond turned his head to the others, silently observing what happened. The one that approached with its partner took a step back. Naruto's grin widened. "No! There is no escape! You shall cement my legacy, the Legacy of Uzumaki NARUTO!" The blond screamed as he charged at the creatures.
If one was to look upon the sight before them, they would have seen the grotesque sight of a sprawling of blood, broken bone, muscle tissue, and organs. Naruto cackled as the green chakra strings sucked the life energy from the wasteland's creatures. The Tongue Lashers that had gone against him, one by one, fell to dust as their chakra added itself to the former genin's. He could feel it, his reserves getting stronger, his body forming and morphing the chakra to his own needs, Tch, it was a shame. What would he gain if he killed one like himself?
Wait, actually, there was a way to do that. Yes, there was that way.
Amidst the mountains of Tongue Lasher corpses, the green light faded from Naruto's eyes. The poison took its hold again and the blonde fell with his face in the sand. The last thing he thought of was Ayame and Kurenai. He hoped… they were alright. He closed his eyes. Over time, the invasion of Yugakure had come to a close.
Slowly, Naruto opened his eyes. His head hurt like hell. If this was what that pervy sage described as a hangover then he sure as hell swore he wouldn't ever drink. When he observed his surroundings he stiffened. One thing Naruto noticed was that he was in what could only be described as a cell.
Iron bars stabbed in the top and bottom of rock walls, a cold, hard floor, and his hands bound behind his back? Yup, definitely some sort of prison cell. The blond groaned and tried to lean up, but he found he couldn't move. Hell, he couldn't even talk.
The young man tried to lean up, but unbridled pain moved through his body. He tried to channel some of his green chakra to enhance his strength and snap the ropes, but he couldn't summon up the power. He sucked his teeth.
"I see you're awake."
The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki turned his head and he noticed a woman with short, black hair and onyx eyes. She wore some type of torn and ripped, bluish-black kimono. He could make her own from the cavern lamps tied to the top of the walls. He stared at her with narrowed eyes as she opened the cell doors.
As soon as the woman opened the door she shivered. It seemed Ao hadn't been lying when he spoke of the strange things about the boy he brought back. Unknown to her, Naruto didn't miss that shiver. He watched her step inside and close the door.
"I'm Shizune. I'm a medic-nin that's been taking care of you for the past six days. I hope you understand the accommodations. We have to be safe in these dire times," she replied as she stood next to him.
Naruto didn't reply. Instead, he continued to glare at this woman named Shizune. He could see a bit of her, but his vision was still very hazy. She seemed more like a walking blob to him more than a human being. However, once she got close, he started to see her more defining features.
The woman named Shizune knelt next to him. She opened her medic box and pulled out some supplies. She decided not to tell just how terrified she was. Just being in this young man's presence made her feel the same unease she felt whenever she was close to either Raiga or Ranmaru-sama. Perhaps he was one of the people who could grant chakra to others. She could see why they restrained him.
"You know, you're lucky to be alive. Ao-san found you passed out amongst a large group Walking Fly Traps. It might be because you're an Inheritor. You took three strikes from their tongues. Most would die from a simple peck or bite wound. Their saliva contains toxins which can cause hallucinations and numbness in minor cases. On the third day you were spasming violently and coughing up some blood. Had we left you unattended, I think you'd have been paralyzed until you died or until they devoured you, or dragged you off somewhere," she said.
While that information was slightly… okay, very disturbing, it also made him very worried. He worried for Ayame and Kurenai. He had no idea what happened to them. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he returned to Kosuke, Shino, and Tenten without them. Even more than that, what would he say for himself? He didn't know why, but the thought of losing them was utterly unbearable. If he lost them, why did he fear what he would do?
If only he could get out of these bounds. He could knock out this doctor and find some way to escape the area. That said, he couldn't really feel anything right now. Perhaps he was paralyzed for a little while.
"We've dealt with a few of them before. They're a problem for this area. Your ability to talk will come back soon and you'll be able to move more fluidly. Raiga-san and Ranmaru-sama have questions they want to ask you, especially since you're an Inheritor like Ranmaru-sama is. I'm going to give you some more medicine, it's in short supply these days, but you're too important to die," she said as she pulled out a needle with a vial.
Naruto's eyes narrowed, but he was too weak to move like he wanted. He couldn't do anything except glare at Shizune angrily as she pierced his shoulder with the needle. She then released the medicine into his body. She checked his temperature and his pulse before she wrote some things down and stood to her feet. Her open-toed heeled sandals clacked on the stone. She locked the cell doors and left Naruto alone.
As Shizune passed the rows of guards standing in front of the prison, she sighed. Really, she wished someone would take her away from all this. This wasn't what she signed up for when she joined this community a year ago. Still, people needed her help and… her master would have wanted her to help whoever she could.
"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune thought as she rubbed her eyes. She exited what could be considered the prison area and entered the main hallway that led to other areas of the underground structure. This had been an underground bunker used during the time of the Second Great Shinobi War. An entire community of civilians and warriors populated the area.
Very warriors, named Apostles by Raiga, patrolled the hallways. There were the men and women who proved themselves to Ranmaru-sama, being allowed access to their chakra for the utilization of ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, and even some medical ninjutsu. Yes, even Shizune was one. She had to be to heal the people around her. She was the only experienced medic-nin in the community. Certainly being trained by the Best Medic In The Elemental Nations didn't hurt her qualifications.
Don't mistake Shizune. She didn't hold the title with any type of pride. If nothing else, it was a silent curse, one that she hated.
After passing by the personal guards, she knocked on the door. "Enter!" a voice called.
Shizune opened the door and walked through. She frowned when she saw Raiga sitting in his chair, a woman on his lap with a bottle of booze that she'd rather not name. The medic nin also saw the unpleasant expression on Ranmaru-sama's bodyguard. There always seemed to be a new woman on the man's lap… and another one missing.
"Hmmm, Shizune-san. Just the one I was hoping to see. How is he?" Raiga asked.
Shizune bowed. "Well, he's awake. He's definitely an Inheritor like Ranmaru-sama. We've flushed most of the toxin out of his system and he's still restrained to the cells. It'll probably be two or three days before he can talk again. What would you like to do?" she asked.
The man named Raiga frowned as the woman on his lap toyed with his green bangs on the side of his face. "Simple, I'll talk to him. He can either join our community or die. If the others learn there's someone here who can supply chakra aside from Ranmaru then there shall be a great fallout," Raiga replied.
"We put a few good supplies of medicine into him to keep him alive. I don't think the return investment would be good if we just killed him," Shizune returned. She didn't want to say it, but the young prisoner had a much more refined and commanding presence than that of Ranmaru.
It also seemed, based on Ao's reports, that his command of jutsu was as spectacular as what any Kage could do. At best, Ranmaru's command of jutsu wasn't too impressive. However, his ability to use it whenever he wanted, and pass it to others, was why he was so important. No wonder the young man had some… eccentric followers under the command of Raiga.
Raiga frowned. "You find fault in my decision? I understand that you're a medic, but these are your people. Your obligation is to them," he said.
Shizune glared. "I don't need you to remind me of what my obligations are. I'm just telling you of the prisoner's health. Take that as what you will. I think you should just be mindful of what wasting medicine on the dead is," she returned.
The green-haired man nodded. "Rest assured. He has his uses even if he refuses. Ranmaru might not be of age yet, but… our prisoner seems to be just fine, don't you think?" Raiga asked.
Shizune frowned. "You don't want to know what I think. Good day, Kurosuki-san," she answered before she turned around and walked away. She opened the door and closed it while Raiga chuckled.
"She wants me you know," he said while the woman on his lap chuckled.
"Not as much as I do," she answered.
"Yeah, well. Should that brat refuse, you'll probably want him a lot more," the Guard of Ranmaru said. The woman's lips curved upwards. She wasn't going to complain. She doubted some of her friends would either. The woman then laughed as she drank from her bottle and kissed Raiga's lips. He reciprocated.
Meanwhile, far away in a broken-down shop about two or three miles away from Yugakure, Kurenai sighed as she pulled up a fallen door over the entrance to her and Ayame's home. She slipped through and placed it back as she heard the distinct howl of the wind outside. When she came inside, she noticed Ayame… still in the corner, her head in her hands.
Ever since they'd managed to get away from Yugakure and the creatures that followed them, the former ramen waitress had been like this. No matter what Kurenai tried, the only thing she got out of Ayame was her disdain for the former jonin. To be honest, the Genjutsu Mistress couldn't argue that she didn't deserve it. She hoped Naruto would find them by honing in on the minimal amount of weaponized chakra that they did hold.
Unfortunately, the days turned longer and longer until both began to fear the worst. Nights for Ayame were unbearable. She refused to go to sleep and the bags under her eyes showed that. When the girl tried to go to sleep, she'd end up screaming not even half an hour later. They couldn't even unseal the food and supplies in their scrolls. All they could do was take shifts going outside to the ruins of Yugakure and search for what they could. It wasn't a lot.
Kurenai feasted on some stale crackers and sighed. "You should eat, Ayame," the black-haired woman said.
Ayame didn't reply. She continued to sit in her corner, her legs hunched together like a statue.
"Ayame…"
"Can you just shut up, Kurenai-san? I don't feel like eating," Ayame answered in a raspy voice filled with sorrow.
The older woman sighed as she heard some sand and dust beat against their door. The wood beneath their feet shook and creaked irritably. The two settled into silence and Kurenai pinched the bridge of her nose. "You'll be too tired to travel if you don't eat," she tried.
"Who says I even want to? You should just leave me here like you left Naruto-kun," Ayame said and Kurenai stiffened. Perhaps it was the days of going hungry or having no sleep, but the Genjutsu Mistress slammed the box of stale snacks on the floor.
"I didn't leave Naruto-kun. He wanted us to escape. What the hell could we have done except get in his way?" Kurenai asked.
"Then what the hell were we even training for? Naruto-kun would have returned by now! Maybe we should all have just stayed on the island if we were going to run away when things got tough! You're a goddamn Jonin! You should be capable of handling situations like this!" Ayame snarled.
Kurenai's frown deepened. She shivered with anger. "And what would you have liked me to do? Make myself feel worse about fighting in a confined space with Naruto-kun protecting me, knowing full well the whole building could collapse on top of us? We were helping Naruto-kun by…"
"Help?! What the hell do you know of help?! I bet you just wanted Naruto-kun gone! You and everyone else isolated him back at the Fire Capital! You all in Konoha hated him despite the fact that all he did was try to live his life! When was the last time you ever cared enough to help him?! Now… now, he's gone. What if he doesn't come back? I didn't help him. I never even got to tell him… I love him," Ayame said, which made Kurenai widen her eyes.
She stared at her friend before the jonin felt rather vulnerable as well. "I guess that's one thing we have in common today," Kurenai said.
Now that revelation got Ayame to look up in surprise. She saw the blush on Kurenai's face. The latter scratched her cheek and chuckled. "You?" Ayame asked.
The former jonin cleared her throat. "He's… filled out as he's grown up. I believe I've had two years to get over the shame," she answered.
Ayame should have been jealous. Hell, she should have been angry at this revelation, but she found herself rather intrigued. Then again, it did make sense. She'd seen Kurenai taking long glances at Naruto when she thought no one was looking. Their training had quite a bit of close body contact.
"What about you?" Kurenai asked.
Ayame chuckled when she stared off into the distance outside the window. "Naruto-kun was always someone special to me, but… I always thought of him as just a little brother. The little brother who paid for my, and my Dad's, food. However, maybe it was all those times sleeping together and… the morning embarrassments, but… I grew to love him. I'll admit it was a little romantic when he… saved me back in the Chunin Exam Stadium. It was like something out of a romance novel. I thought that maybe it was just because there were only two others to compare him to, and one of the others was taken, but I think I knew long ago that wasn't it. I feel safe in his arms. I enjoy his smile in this fucked up world. I feel his leadership and his concern for all of us. I can't say I've felt this way about any of my former boyfriends," Ayame answered.
Kurenai sighed. She thought of Asuma for a moment. "Agreed."
Both fell into silence. "So… what do we do now?" Ayame asked.
Kurenai shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. Without Naruto, we can't unseal the masks from the scrolls. The boat is near those tar pits and who knows how those have changed in that time. We also don't know if more of those things are out there. We also don't know if Naruto-kun is…" the jonin didn't want to finish.
"He's alive! Naruto-kun wouldn't die on us! I know he wouldn't! I feel it!" Ayame asserted.
"Yeah, I suppose not, but that still doesn't change our position. If we say Naruto-kun's alive then we don't know where he is," the red-eyed woman said.
Ayame frowned and thought for a moment. "What about that group we met from before? Maybe one of them took him?" she questioned while Kurenai sighed.
"It's possible, but we don't know the situation if they did. Assuming they took him by force, that means they have someone who can match Naruto-kun. I hoped we wouldn't have to use these, but it seems we might," the black-haired woman said while Ayame nodded.
While on the island, the group of six had plenty of time to research the types of creatures which populated its forests. Kosuke and Kurenai taught the other four about the special types of poisons made. Since they couldn't use chakra, this was to be a shinobi's best friend, the art of silent assassination.
"Never thought we'd use these on a human, but if it's to save Naruto-kun, then I'll gladly do it. But how do we…" Ayame stopped her sentence and touched her head. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, but she felt the beginnings of a small headache. She massaged her head a few times and tried to steady her breathing.
"Are you alright?" Kurenai asked.
"I… think so. It's probably just a… head… ache."
Ayame widened her eyes. It was small, but she could see a greenish outline around Kurenai's form. "What the-" Ayame thought. She stood up and walked over to her friend. She touched the former jonin's shoulder. Her hand passed through the green outline.
The former ramen waitress then stared at the floor. It was odd. She could see some kind of tether between herself and Kurenai. However, there was another tether that led out of the house and way into the vast void of nothingness.
"Kurenai-san, can you see this?" Ayame asked, pointing at the ground. Her friends looked down at the broken floorboard, confused.
"See… what?" Kurenai asked.
So, the Genjutsu Mistress couldn't see it. The only question was what the hell was it? Ayame didn't think herself to be going insane. "Erm, nevermind. I thought I saw a bug," the brown-haired girl answered back. She stared at the green outline, sailing off into the distance. Maybe she was tired, but… without Naruto, could she even fall asleep?
As the harsh wind blew over the wasteland that was the Elemental Nations, two days passed by slowly for Naruto. The woman, Shizune, had made several trips to his cell. As she said, his ability to walk had returned. His ability to speak came back as well. However, the green chakra within him had not. It remained dormant for as long as he called it. He wondered if she had put some kind of chakra-restricting fluid inside him through the medicine. It was probably done to ensure he wasn't a threat. Either way, he didn't like it.
He wished he had a way to contact Ayame and Kurenai if they were even alive. However, he'd need to find some way to get out of here first. If only he could access his chakra then he'd be able to break out without issue. Of course, his hands were still bound. That was the annoying part.
Suddenly, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's ears perked up. He heard the sound of a door opening. He then heard footsteps. One… two of them. One with larger chakra than the other. One of the signatures he recognized. It was that doctor woman again, Shizune.
The door to enter the room where his cell was opened. He watched the familiar medic-nin come through the door along with a man that made his already distrustful gaze even more prominent. The man held up a candle lamp and the flames revealed the blond's appearance. As soon as their eyes met, Naruto saw the green-haired man take a step back. The man then chuckled and cleared his throat.
"Hmmm, a strong gaze. One that even made me shiver. It's been a long time since I've felt such a gaze since we've come upon these wastelands we call The Elemental Nations. I see Ao's reports were true. You are indeed an Inheritor," the man said, but Naruto didn't respond. Instead, his gaze hardened.
They might think he missed it, but Naruto saw a bead of sweat fall down their faces. If he could, he would have smiled in triumph, but that'd give them something they needed. He wasn't about to give these fuckers anything.
The man frowned before he stood in front of the cell bars. "Now, now. Don't be like that. We did save your life after all. I think that deserves some pleasantries right? Surely, you understand the need to be careful when someone could turn into those creatures on the surface. So, how about we start off on the right foot? The name's Raiga Kurosuki. What's yours?" he asked.
"…"
Naruto continued to glare at both Shizune and the man named Raiga. The two stared at each other. "You told me the poison would allow him to talk after two days," Raiga said.
The dark-haired medic looked at her notepad. "I'm sure he can. Judging by the focus in his gaze, I'm sure he can walk, talk, and act fine. I don't believe he wishes to converse with us," she answered.
Raiga scowled and turned to the blond Uzumaki. He unlocked the cell doors. He walked inside and knelt in front of the young teen. "Now you listen to me! We've been very accommodating and even shared our medicine supplies with you. We've already got sick people here, but we gave some to a complete stranger. I assume you'd feel some type of gratitude from that!" Raiga exclaimed.
Still, the leader of the Konoha group said nothing. He just continued to look at the two almost as if he'd incinerate them where they stood if he could.
"Heh… hehehehe… hahahaha," Raiga chuckled and laughed before he grabbed a fistful of Naruto's hair and held a kunai to his throat.
"You listen to me. I can either make things real easy or real fucking difficult for you. Let's try this one more time. You'd better get it right this time. My name is Raiga. Pleased to meet you. What. Is. Your. Name?!" he asked with a heated glare as he pressed the kunai against Naruto's skin.
Suddenly, Naruto's lips curved upwards.
KG: Whew, finally done. Anyway, before I speak on the chapter, I just want to say. YES! I did it! Hey guys, your FF entertainer is now an official author. My novel just got published on Kindle, The Adventures of a Betrayed Captain: The Vengeful Tide. It was a lot of fun to write. I hope it becomes an excellent career for me since that will allow me to keep my schedule and keep making fanfics for you all until my bones turn to dust. If you do read it, I just hope you're 18 and over lol.
KG: Anyway, the sellout moment is over. As for right now, I realize I made a mistake earlier. Actually, I made a few mistakes. One, to all of you telling me, you were right. I'd forgotten that summons exist on an entirely different plane from the Elemental Nations. So I'll work on something for summons. I still want to handle them carefully.
KG: The second mistake was that there were actually two Konoha shinobi still alive aside from Naruto's group that he'd meet. Naturally, you already met Shizune. However, there is one more. At the time, I really forgot Shizune was even a Konoha shinobi when she was traveling with Tsunade. Totally my fault. I have no excuses. So starting from now, there is one other Konoha shinobi.
KG: Again, forgive the way I'm doing this. I think spacing these out is better than reading one big thing in bold. Anyway, some told me about the Uzumaki Ruins. Those will most likely come up later. I didn't forget them.
KG: Anyway, CREAM SODA!