A/N: Hello again ladies and gentlemen. This here is the rewrite of "Naruto: The Dark Knight", and with less bashing. Keep in mind, I am still having this to be a harem story…rest assured, I will not make it so large as to be unreasonable like in "First Male Nin", but it will still be quite large. I am also taking possible gender-bender targets into consideration…but Haku will most definitely be a target (and the possible return of the Uchiha twins). With that said, do read and review, would you kindly? And please, oh please, no 'I don't like this story, so I'm not reading it anymore', 'this story sucks', or even 'sorry, I'm done'…if you don't like this story, then do the smart thing and don't bother reading it in the first place! Or at the very least tell me what you don't like about it so that maybe I can fix it in the future (which is an even smarter idea)—therefore I must respectfully ask that you don't waste my time and your brain cells on trolling.
...
[Forests of Konohagakure no Sato, night time]
Ah yes, it was a very lovely night for a walk in the woods; the indigo of the sky added contrast to the silvery light of the full moon that shone through the branches of the trees, while adding highlights to patches of clouds that threatened to block it out. A slight breeze rushed through the dense foliage and the grass of the clearing, for a relaxing chorus of rustling vegetation; this was the exact moment that a now ten-year-old Uzumaki Naruto found to be very wonderful as he looked up at the moon; well, whenever he was not out and about pulling pranks on people that had deserved it, and maybe the pining for a little attention here and now. So far, things were good enough in the past few days since he joined the Ninja Academy that he was able to forget the glares that were fired off in his direction once or twice throughout the day.
Day one of the positive turn for his life started in what might possibly be the most fun day of his life; and it all began when some asshole decided to put himself on Naruto's shit list by calling him a bastard more than a week ago. 'Served that dickhead right for that low blow!' he thought to himself as he remembered the day; after days of planning beforehand, all it took to put that guy in his place was a well-placed tripwire (found in a general store), a generous amount of tar, and a few sliced-open feather pillows that he 'borrowed' from other people on his shit list to turn the asshole into an over-sized chicken. That wasn't even the end of it, because Naruto watched him stepping into a well-hidden snare that dragged him by the ankle to hang him upside down and outside a butcher shop next to the other chickens about to be de-feathered. How was he to know that this would be the start of the good times to come? And with Kiba and Akamaru from the Academy eventually joining in on the pranking spree it gradually became, it only made the day better as the three of them had managed to prank out some of the snootier villagers! He was surprised however, that the two of them had gone on that long without being caught, and that the Snake-masked ANBU agent pretty much defended the three of them, which left them off the hook, for now.
The next day, he rescued that weird white-eyed girl from bullies. Those jerks thought they were so tough, ganging up on a harmless little girl. Unsurprisingly, he took his fair share of licks in the fight, but at least he managed to pay them back with interest for what they'd been doing to the girl by beating up their leader, like that dog-masked ANBU agent taught him to do whenever he had to deal with bullies. After beating up the bully leader and dispersing his fellow gang of morons, Naruto had earned himself a friend in the shy, white-eyed girl (whom he later learned was named Hyūga Hinata). As he was doing stuff that seemed to cheer Hinata up from whatever depression she seemed to be feeling, a grown-up with eyes like hers walked up and gently led her away by the hand, giving him a cautionary glance. True, it was depressing that a girl that he was beginning to be friends with was taken away so soon, but he felt he did good in rescuing her and in cheering her up. 'Maybe I can play with her next time.'
Earlier today was probably the start of the best day so far, comparable to the Ichiraku family giving him a free all-you-can-eat ticket at their ramen stand a little earlier for dinner. Tenten's dad finally found some free time to spend with him and his daughter. The three of them went to the theater to watch a movie about a samurai travelling with his son in a baby cart as they travelled the land for revenge. He'd always liked the movies, especially the ones about badass swordsmen and the battles they fought: like the adventures of the blind masseur who fought against yakuza and government officials to get justice for the people who couldn't fight back, and the one about the rōnin who got two yakuza gangs in the same town to fight each other before finishing off the surviving gang.
Yeah, it was overall a pretty good few days, and his birthday was by far the best day of all. Sure, no birthday party waiting for him, but at least he got to spend his time with people he actually cared about later on in the day. Although the presents he received at his doorstep earlier in the morning seemed to remind him that there were people who cared: a frog wallet; a basic survival guide; a kunai with a longer, curved, and double-edged blade that was still usable in one hand; and a book of basic jutsu with a written note attached to it making him promise to study hard every day. None of these gifts had a tag attached to them, but he stored them all away for later. The kunai on the other hand, he chose to carry in its sheath on the small of his back…better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it, right?
"Oi! Kunimitsu! You hear about what happened earlier?" slurred a voice from afar, prompting Naruto to quietly run towards its source. As he quietly peeked out from behind a tree, he saw that the owner of the voice was a fat and inebriate shinobi by the name of Yamada Hiromu. Not a big name to be sure, otherwise the other shinobi and kunoichi would've been respectful to him, but Naruto knew that he was plenty competent in spite of his obesity. The friend he spoke of was the skinnier man sitting across from him that obviously needed more meat on his bones, as he looked more like a skeleton than a man. Manji Kunimitsu was never too far away from his friend Hiromu, the two of them being by far one of the best 'Naruto-catchers' in the village. The 'Hard Guys', as he had taken to calling them, were by far the most difficult people to outrun in the village, right next to Iruka-sensei who was number one.
"Who hasn't?" added Kunimitsu, the slight tinge of red his skin took showing his drunkenness as he downed another shot of sakè, "Catching that Taki shinobi was nothing but good luck on our part. Shame he was DOA in the hospital—although he was probably lucky that he died, and that Hazama-sensei was not the one who was assigned to him. If that man were successful in saving him, then I'm pretty sure that that sadist Ibiki in T&I would've had a day interrogating him."
'This is interesting,' thought Naruto, 'I've never heard of Ibiki, but I do know that Hazama-sensei is a really good doctor, probably the only doctor who really wanted to treat me. All that aside, this is probably a very good chance to practice on my escape techniques…that, and I'll probably get to see a battle up close.'
That said, he made it a point to slip away quietly; no good if the two of them managed to catch up to him that quickly.
…
[Elsewhere in Konoha]
All was quiet in Konoha, not a vendor in sight, with only the chirping of crickets and the buzzing of cicadas. The monotony of the sound was broken up by a loud 'whoosh' followed by a silent 'thump' as a lone ANBU agent with a dog mask landed on one foot. It'd been a long day, and Inu was very tired. The mission in question was a cleanup job…a bunch of genin were ambushed and robbed by a gang of bandits; the trouble was that the bandits had a bunch of mid-level nuke-nin in their midst, and their leader was a rōnin of some skill. The pay for the mission alone was lousy, but that was fine, because the heads that were turned in were enough to make this job a B-ranked mission.
'Well, another day, another ryo.' He thought to himself, 'all I need to do is to check up on Naruto before catching up in Icha Icha Paradise. Hopefully, he'll enjoy a gift that he'd be getting a lot of use out of. That kunai is not very aerodynamic for throwing, but it's pretty useful as both a tool and a weapon, which is a must for someone who is going to go through survival training.'
As he walked around the town, taking in the sights, Inu caught something that was out of place; a lone figure was wandering the streets. There was something off about that person. 'What is that guy doing, dallying about the streets of this village at night? Whatever it is, I'm following him.'
And so he moved quietly to mask his approach and to get a closer look from around a corner: a hooded cloak obscured everything to identify the person, but his posture belonged to that of a seasoned warrior, which was contradicted by the slight wariness in his step, telling the ANBU agent that this was probably a blind man. In any case, he'd learned the hard way long ago that one should never underestimate a blind man.
He watched as the blind man stopped in front of the movie theater to kneel down and reach with his right hand to brush up the air into his face. The quiet sound of his nostrils sniffing up the subtle scent registered in Inu's highly-trained ears. "I know you're following me, Shinobi-san," said the figure as he stood up, revealing himself to be an old man somewhere around in his seventies, "I truly understand why you are doing so, but I am in a hurry to find someone. Go home, and forget you ever saw me."
Before he could reveal himself, Inu watched as the robed old man melded into the shadows…as though he were never there to begin with. He honestly didn't know who that man was looking for, but the ANBU agent needed to make sure Naruto was safe before deciding to pursue that old man any further!
…
[Forest of Konoha, an hour later]
An hour had passed since he had begun his stroll through the woods, and so far, there was nothing interesting to catch sight of, just trees as far as the eyes could see. It was at this point that Naruto was beginning to wonder if this walk was going to gain him anything. "Damn it!" he said to himself, "You'd think you'd see something of a battle being left behind! I mean come on! What's so wrong about wanting a little bit of firsthand experience?"
Just as he was about to give up, Naruto caught sight of something hidden in a bird's nest; walking in close, he could see a straight line attached to a ring contrasting with the moonlight. He leaped into the branches, and upon landing, the impulse to touch the thing saw his hand reaching out and touching the bar to feel a sort of fabric stuck to the surface, and the hardness underneath the bandages that formed a handgrip made it clear to Naruto that this was some kind of kunai. The second he picked it up, he took the time to inspect his trinket. It was a weird-looking thing; not like the standard-issue kunai he was used to seeing. This one had two prongs, a long and straight one, and a smaller one jutting out in an angle. 'This thing looks like one of those jitte I've seen those samurai cops using in the movies,' he thought to himself, a grin beginning to form on his features, 'Awesome, that must mean that the fight took place somewhere around here!'
Before he could celebrate his personal victory, Naruto had a feeling that someone was coming. Was he being chased? In any case, he needed to hide and figure out his next course of action, and he found his hiding place in one of the bushes. Once he managed to settle himself down, he started to relax himself; if he panicked, he would be found out and who knows what'll happen to him. True enough, three figures showed up in the moonlight—going by their gear and the way they carried themselves, they were most obviously kunoichi, one with silver hair, another with dull reddish-brown, and the last one had a dirty blond hair color.
"You think we'll be able to find the kunai here?" asked the blonde, searching the area with her colleagues.
"Just shut the fuck up and keep looking!" snapped the silver-haired kunoichi, "We need to find that kunai Hiyami sent that message about, and get the fuck out of here before we run into a Konoha patrol."
"And what if we are found by one?"
"Then we'd better hurry up now won't we? I sure as hell am not going back to Taki empty-handed."
It was then that the bronze-haired kunoichi decided to voice her concerns…if only to take their leader's focus off her colleague. "I don't understand, what's so special about that kunai Hiyami left behind?"
Turning to face her subordinate, the silver-haired kunoichi simply let out a glare that threatened to burn holes in her face. "That kunai contains intel on the Konoha border patrol. Just think for a minute what this would mean if we could find out just what Hiyami learned! Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if we used that information to sneak that freak Fū into these borders to destroy Konoha!"
Upon hearing this, Naruto found himself backing up in shock when he heard something snap. As if hoping what he'd just heard was not true, he hazarded a glance downward and found that his heel was standing on a broken twig. "What the hell, who's there?!" Crap! He needed to get away now! With that on mind, he quickly turned, and began to make his escape! As he fled, Naruto could hear the silver-haired kunoichi shouting, "Get him!"
As he took quick strides through the forest, running through nature-made obstacles, Naruto could hear the sound of near-misses following his trail. After seeing a large rock in the ground, he simply vaulted over it, hearing the 'chink-chink-chink' of multiple projectiles embedding themselves in the rock before he rolled on the ground under a low-hanging branch to continue running. As he ran, avoiding every obstacle in a fluid manner, his main thought was: 'Thank kami that the Hard Guys were some of the guys chasing me! Otherwise, I wouldn't be lasting this long running from those crazy bitches!'
After leaping forward and swinging on a branch to get himself over a boulder, Naruto tried very hard to remind himself not to look back…doing so would slow him down just as much as if he'd tripped, maybe even worse! His mad dash to escape soon came to a skidding halt the very second he saw the edge of a cliff. Shit! How could this night get any worse? He soon turned around to find himself surrounded by three very tired, and very pissed-off kunoichi.
"Well now we know where that intel is," said the silver-haired kunoichi with her eyes locked on the funny-looking kunai Naruto found, and a feral grin on her face with the panting adding to her already frightening aura, "and to think that the witness was just a civilian boy! Now then, back to business; give us the kunai, and we'll let you live!"
While most people thought of him as a hyperactive idiot, Naruto was anything but stupid. He knew that whatever it was that those kunoichi chased him for on that kunai was way too important to let anyone not from their village to know. All that considered, Naruto knew exactly what to do—it wasn't the smart thing to do, but at least it was something. He drew his curved kunai, and brandished it in front of the kunoichi. "Fuck you!" he shouted angrily, hoping the terror wouldn't show in his grip, "You're just going to kill me anyway!"
To his shock, the silver-haired kunoichi let out a snicker. "You know something? You're right!"
…
[Elsewhere in the Forest of Konoha]
This was not good! It seemed that Naruto snuck off into the woods! Whatever happened to his protection detail for the day?! All that aside, Inu ran through the forest and silently made a note to himself to chew out the idiot that was supposed to be doing their job today. He wasn't going to bother scolding the boy for his recklessness though; Iruka was more than likely going to do that job already if he survived, considering how much like him Naruto was at his age.
He'd learned from his ninken that Naruto's scent was heading into the forest, and so Pakkun and the others split up to aid in the search.
"Kakashi!"
Well, speak of the devil! That little pug just fails to disappoint! "What is it Pakkun?"
"We found Naruto, but he's in trouble! He's being chased by foreign kunoichi…now I'm not worried that he won't be able to outrun them, the problem is that I don't know how long he has until he runs into a dead end."
Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit! "Then we need to hurry! Which way?!"
"North of here."
"Then get everyone to move in that direction. We need to intercept them before it gets really bad!"
It didn't take long for Pakkun to lead Kakashi over to Naruto's current position…unfortunately, his hopes that he was okay were dashed upon watching as the silver-haired kunoichi stabbed him with her sword!
…
[Cliffside…]
They say that time slows down when you're about to die—unfortunately for Naruto, he found that that saying was a pile of crap! Deep down inside, he hoped that the one who said that had died a slow and painful death. This was because in the span of two seconds, the silver-haired kunoichi drew her sword, rushed him, and slashed him across the throat. It took a good few seconds after that for his mind to register the pain that he was feeling pain from getting a sword running through his heart; in total, it took no less than seven seconds for him to die.
It was at this final moment that his brain soon went into overdrive as the blood loss began to kick in. He'd failed to stop them from getting that intel, that was for sure, but in his dying moments, his mind was conflicted as to what he was feeling at the moment—at first, he felt the despair that he would be letting these bitches get away with what they were doing; that they would allow their nation's shinobi forces to sneak into Hi no Kuni with impunity so that they could burn down everything he ever cared about. However, looking at all things considered, he found a new emotion…partially from his own failure to stop this from happening, but because these bitches didn't seem to care who got killed so long as they got the job done. With his mind settled more on his anger than despair, Naruto had finally made up his mind! He was not going to die here! However, it seemed useless at the moment as he blacked out—perhaps death had finally come for him.
…
[Unknown Location]
The sound of dripping water could be heard in the distance as candles illuminated the cell with their dim lights. The occupant of the cell simply sat in the lotus position, deep in meditation with their back to the bars, never minding the dreary surroundings as the lights traced a glowing orange highlight around their silhouette, giving a vague hint that it was a very-much naked woman. After all, to be trapped in such a place, what else was there to do but meditate?
Before long, something caught the woman's attention, causing her to break her meditation and look around in an attempt to find the source of the commotion. It was at this time that she began to feel a sort of angry aura about her—it was rolling around like a forest fire. Normally, any emotion was a drug that provided entertainment in this monotonous place (especially rage while facing a worthy adversary), but now was not one of those times. Instead, she opted to throw a tantrum at what she had seen happening through the eyes of another, winding up punching the ground angrily. "Baka! Baka, baka baka!" she sobbed to herself, "You've had a hard enough life as it is! And now you're going to suffer even more because of this!"
After a moment's deliberation, the woman started to calm down. It's not his fault that this happened, well, technically he shouldn't even have been out in the forest at this hour, so it was kinda his fault that he got killed. But all in all, it wasn't his fault he had no parents to tell him about the Curse, and he most certainly was not to blame for having the Curse already in his blood. And above all, it was not his fault that she had to be locked away again in this depressing place, putting him in even greater danger of activating the Curse in the first place.
Ah well, what's done is done. She may as well sit back, enjoy the ride, and be there for the boy; because whether he knows it or not, he will need her help in the future.
…
{Play: "Asura Unleashed" from "Asura's Wrath"}
[Forest of Konoha]
Kakashi was not happy—no, he was shocked at what had just happened. After kicking the body off her sword, the Taki kunoichi wiped her blade and re-sheathed it. The leader of the group reached down, and picked up the kunai they were looking for. "For all the trouble you caused us, gaki, you really should've died slower."
That one remark was all it took for him to feel rage building up. Those bitches were going to die soon!
"You really think that was a good idea?" asked the blonde, watching as her leader turned to regard her teammates, "he had no hitae-ate, so it's likely we killed a civilian."
"Yeah, that's right, we killed a civvie! And if you tell anybody we did that, I'm going to…" before she could say any more, a scream of pain had startled all three of them into turning to face the source of the noise. Kakashi was surprised, as he thought she'd killed the boy for sure, and here he was, hunched forward in a fetal position, screaming in pain.
Neither Pakkun nor Kakashi could make sense of what the two of them were seeing. They were only a few feet away from avenging his sensei's son, and the first thing they saw was Naruto screaming loudly to the point that his voice gradually became less human and more beastly by the second. As if to signify the worsening of his condition, the boy began to undergo a transformation that would probably haunt the ANBU agent and the ninken's nightmares: his skin had turned a fierce red starting from his limbs and towards his neck, his nails and canines began to sharpen themselves into deadly claws and fangs, his hair began to whiten to become a feral cream color, and his eyes started to blacken at the sclera while the cerulean pupils turned into a savagely glowing red.
With his scream of pain dying down, Naruto turned his attention back to the Taki kunoichi, issuing forth a bestial roar in front of the frightened leader, causing all three kunoichi to leap backwards to throw a multitude of shuriken at the transformed boy. The howl issued from Naruto's mouth sounded something akin to a battle cry, as he simply dodged the storm of shuriken flying in his direction, before pursuing the three kunoichi with his claws outstretched and ready to cut into his targets. After seeing that their screen of shuriken failed to kill the target, the three of them worked together to form the dog, rat, and tiger hand seals in sync with each other. "Katon Renkeijutsu: Karura!" Once the sequence was complete, the three of them exhaled a stream of fire at Naruto, which soon became a large dragon of fire that engulfed the boy.
The three kunoichi simply waited with bated breath, watching carefully in the smokescreen caused by their jutsu, hoping that the jutsu had succeeded in killing the monster. In a split second, their hopes were dashed; their target had pounced upon their blonde colleague and slashed her across the abdomen with his claws, causing her to bleed profusely before he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her above his head before she could even grunt in pain. As she struggled for air, the blonde seemed to glow for a mere second before letting out a pained and terrified scream and then exploding in a bloody mess that demoralized her surviving teammates with the manner of her death.
It was clear that Naruto was not satisfied with his kill, as he turned to face his two remaining victims. It wasn't long until the blonde kunoichi's blood started gathering into his hand before crystallizing and taking on the shape of a tsurugi-pattern sword, and Naruto howled at his next victim; the silver-haired kunoichi found her nerve, and drew her sword. "Come on you bastard! I'm right here!" Her opponent had suddenly rushed her so quickly that she was unable to counterattack, bringing the sword upwards to sever her right arm at the shoulder before bringing the blade back down to cut off her left arm, and spinning around to slash her across her thighs, before kicking her in the chest and sending the torso to the ground in such a manner as to be standing up on the stumps of her legs and screaming painfully. Once she was confirmed dead from blood loss, Naruto then reached his free hand forward, and started forming a second blood-sword from his victim's blood.
A single sound was all it took for him to react, as he threw one of his blood-swords at the retreating kunoichi as she was crawling away, the tip being driven into the back of her leg, cutting into the lower end of the femur and the condyle of the tibia, and penetrating the patella, pinning her down briefly before the sword detonated! As the remaining Taki kunoichi was blown away by the blast, she was thrown forward in such a manner that she was able to see that her entire leg was missing! After letting out a scream of pain, she looked up with the same expression as a deer in a headlight to see that her teammates' killer was advancing upon her slowly. Every step he took only served to increase her fear by tenfold. The moment she saw the monster stop in front of her with his remaining sword raised in the air, there was little doubt in her mind that she would die a very messy death like her colleagues. The blade was brought down, her gaping mouth let out an ear-piercing final scream! And just when it was guaranteed that the Taki kunoichi was going to die, Kakashi watched as a cloaked figure ran up to Naruto, leaped into the air, and brought his own sword down. As though sensing the incoming attacker, Naruto turned and blocked with his own sword, and pushed back the intruder.
"How unfortunate," said the figure, the voice revealing its owner to be the old man that Kakashi had encountered earlier, "it would appear that your curse has finally been activated; such a shame, to happen to someone so young…"
Naruto let out a loud roar, and charged the old man with his sword in hand, beginning the fight with an upwards slash, which was parried. The old man was about to get in a counter-slash when Naruto grabbed his hand, and tried to stab him with his free hand, only to be dodged and kneed in the face, followed by getting tripped up. The berserk boy's response was to back flip away from the old man, only to be kicked in the back. Naruto roared, and switched from a one-handed grip on his sword to a two-handed one, charging in on his opponent with fierce slashes, all of which were blocked and countered, before he was pushed back, revealing that he had many scratches all over his body, while the old man merely had cuts on his robes with negligible injuries. Another roar, Naruto jabbed his claw-tipped fingers into his shoulder, nicking the subclavian artery, and issuing forth a small gush of blood which promptly turned into a hilt that he grabbed and pulled upon, creating a large single-edged blood-sword with large, fang-like protrusions along the edge of the blade.
The standoff between the two swordsmen generated enough pressure to drive anyone insane. While the stranger in the robe was silent, Naruto's bestial panting seemed to increase the tension already being felt in the air. It was Pakkun who broke the silence. His lowered volume betrayed none of the desperation he felt. "You've got to stop this before it gets out of hand Kakashi!"
"You don't need to tell me twice," said Kakashi, feeling the tension in the air, "but either way, I need to time this just right. Can I trust you with taking the Taki Kunoichi to Ibiki alive while they're at it?"
"I know Bull is nearby, and he's listening in as we speak; not sure if she'll have anything useful to say though."
"We go on my mark…"
Howling into battle, Naruto began the fight at high speeds with a single swipe with his new sword, causing the stranger to dodge and parry his opponent's attacks with impunity while countering with his own attacks. Every slash was knocked away and repaid with three cuts, and every thrust was missed and answered with an attempt to grab him. The difference in skill between the two swordsmen was clear—Naruto was simply fighting on rage and animal instinct, and while his attacks were wild and unfocused, they had the force of a mountain behind them; the stranger on the other hand was obviously a true master of the blade, not letting his opponent's ferocity get to him as he wove around the boy's attacks with the grace of an experienced dancer, changing grips fluidly to suit his needs.
"Impressive!" shouted the stranger in the heat of battle, "You actually made me work a little!" With a quick kick, Naruto was sent backwards briefly before the stranger's sword took on a blue glow. As though sensing what the stranger was about to do, he quickly hopped to the side upon landing just in time for the older man to swing his sword upwards, sending a wave of ice after him. Once he regained his bearings, he kicked off the ground with both swords at the ready, and managed to catch his opponent in a deadlock; his two swords were being held back by the stranger's single blade.
This was the moment he was waiting for! And Kakashi knew he'd be a fool if he didn't take this opportunity! His voice cracked like thunder, and action was taken with one word: "NOW!"
It all happened so fast; Pakkun relayed the order to the large bulldog that was near the Taki kunoichi to snatch her away before she was drawn back into the conflict. Meanwhile, Kakashi made his move to snake his arms around Naruto's neck and under his armpit, clamping down on his carotid arteries, causing the boy to drop his swords, which splashed into puddles of blood upon hitting the ground while he struggled to throw the ANBU agent off his back. Every second he tightened his grip on the boy-turned-beast's neck, he found himself getting more and more tired the longer he held on. Did this transformation grant Naruto's superhuman strength and durability? Whatever the case was, Kakashi knew that he had to hold on if his sleeper hold was going to be effective.
Within a good ten seconds of trying to shake off his assailant, Naruto's motions gradually became more sluggish before he fell to the ground, having passed out from lack of oxygen. Once he was certain that his target was out cold, Kakashi watched as the boy's body started reverting back to the way it was: the cream-colored hair started turning back to gold, the canines and claws dulled to human standard, and the redness of his skin had receded to the point that only his left arm remained transformed. "I would step aside, Shinobi-san," said the stranger, walking closer while sheathing his sword, "if he wakes up, there's no guarantee that he'll remain like this."
"And what are you going to do?"
In response, the stranger pulled out a pair of items from a satchel in his robes. It was a pair of thick and ornate shackles with runes inscribed upon the surface. Attached to each shackle was a short and heavy chain, eliciting a silent question from Kakashi as they were presented to him. "I know this looks bad, but these shackles are necessary. The runes inscribed on the surface will limit the amount of power he will receive from the cursed arm, and keep him sane. Put them on that arm, or there will be a repeat of what happened just now, and I'm fairly certain that you don't want that."
There was no sign of deceit in the stranger's voice. Kakashi took the shackles and placed the smaller one on Naruto's wrist and the larger one on his bicep; as soon as each one was clamped over their respective areas on the arm with a metal click and the gasping of pressure being applied, followed by a subtle whirring and briefly-glowing runes as the shackles automatically adjusted themselves to fit snugly.
He'll be fine." Reassured the old man. "I don't envy him the pain he'll be in when he awakes, but at least he'll still be alive."
"You do realize I still have to bring you in for questioning, don't you?"
"There will be no need for that," began the stranger, hefting Naruto over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, "I have a concern for the boy's welfare and future, and so I need to have a word with him in the hospital when he is awake and aware. Although, I would recommend bringing the Hokage in for this, as I feel that this should involve him as well."
While his voice was calm, Kakashi could tell that he wanted no argument on the matter; he would speak with the Hokage and Naruto, and that was final. From what he'd seen of the man's skills, it'd be almost like sparring with Gai, except this Gai wielded a short sword and used techniques he'd never seen used before. "Fine, I'll meet you in the hospital with the Hokage, but the second you make a move to kill either of them, and I will take you out no matter what it takes."
The elderly man nodded. "Fair enough."
"I'll let the Hokage know of the meeting so that you can keep an eye on Naruto," said Pakkun, temporarily drawing attention to himself, "he needs to know what happened tonight."
…
[Konoha General Hospital morning]
Blurry eyes had opened to the sight of a white wall before things gradually cleared up to reveal shades, and then the texture of painted plaster. All in all, Naruto felt weak, but even then, he knew that this was the hospital. 'What the hell happened last night?' he asked himself, 'Why am I in the hospital? And why do I feel like I've had a bad case of sunburn?'
"It seems you had quite a rough night yesterday," came a very familiar voice. "Luckily, you were a relatively easy case to treat."
Naruto used what strength he had at the moment to look at the speaker with recognition in his eyes. The man that stood close by with a medical chart in his hands was in his thirties, and was dressed in a black kimono and hakama with a white kimono underneath and a white obi. While not so obvious on his arms, Naruto knew that under the kimono were a large number of suture scars crisscrossing the man's body, and dark skin grafted onto the corner of his face over his left eye. Another distinguishing feature of the man was the fact that there was a patch of white against a background of unkempt black hair. To the average patient and doctor, he was Hazama Kurō, possibly the best surgeon and general practitioner in Konoha at the moment—but to Naruto, he was 'Fusuma-sensei'. "So Naruto, how do you feel right now?"
"I feel like I was thrown in an oven and cooked alive," began Naruto, watching as the doctor scribbled on his clipboard, "Oi, Fusuma-sensei, how did I get here?"
"I'd ask the man that brought you in last night about that," said Hazama, finally putting the clipboard down to regard Naruto, "he said he wanted to talk to you about something with the Hokage present as soon as you wake up. I'm guessing it has to do with your left arm."
A raised eyebrow was all that was needed to show Naruto's confusion. As soon as he lifted his arm to see what Dr. Hazama was talking about, that confusion soon had a good amount of fear mixed in, as instead of matching his right arm, the skin of his left arm was a bloody red, with pointy nails at the end of each finger and the thumb. It also had a metal band clamped on the wrist, and another on his upper-arm, each with heavy chains attached and rattling in the air.
"Naruto-kun!" called out an old voice that Naruto knew quite well, "It's so good to see you again."
The voice belonged to the Hokage, who was walking in with a stranger in a hooded robe that hid the face. Following them was the dog-masked ANBU agent that Naruto had seen around once or twice. "How're you doin' Hokage-jiji?"
"Fine, all things considered," answered the Hokage, his caring look turning to a concerned one, "Naruto, do you remember anything that happened last night?"
"No, I was hoping you could tell me." Naruto said shaking his head.
The Hokage let out a relieved sigh upon hearing that. "It's probably for the best that you don't. Trust me when I say that there are things in the world you don't want to remember."
'He's probably right,' thought Naruto, 'Hokage-jiji is actually someone who is nice to me, and he always tells me stuff that always seems to make sense. He doesn't have any reason to lie to me.' His train of thought was soon disturbed as soon as the man in the robes cleared his throat. "If everything is squared away, then perhaps we can make this a private conversation between the four of us?"
Hearing what the robed man said, the Hokage turned to Inu, and gave him a nod. The ANBU escorted Dr. Hazama out of the hospital room, and placed a piece of paper on the closed door. "The seal has been placed Hokage-sama," he said, walking back into the room.
"Now then, since everything is arranged as you have requested, you owe us all an explanation mister…"
"GSD," said the robed figure, taking off his hood, "you may call me GSD."
Everyone took the moment to inspect the man's face; he was old and bald, with a cross-shaped blindfold covering his eyes, and a large mustache and a beard. "I suppose the best place to start would be why Naruto has changed," he began, before turning his attention back to Naruto, "the reason you have a red arm, boy, is because of a condition known as the 'Curse of Kazan'. It's a terrible curse that drives the victim crazy enough to start killing people left, right, and center; and it doesn't matter if they're women and children, the curse would make the victim kill anyone in sight."
"And how would you know this?" asked Naruto.
GSD's response was to take off his robe, shocking everyone that saw what was underneath; he wore a suit of light armor, and a short sword holstered at his lower back, but the most eye-catching part of the old man was that he had a red left arm, with glowing runes going up from his wrist to his shoulder, and a cross-shaped scar on the deltoid. "I know all this because I am also suffering from the Curse."
"You told me yourself that Naruto needed to wear those chains to keep in control," growled Inu, feeling that Naruto was somehow being cheated, "why do you not need them?"
"During my training, I studied in a special art," answered GSD, "the reason that Naruto needs the chains and I don't is because I studied that art. Thanks to that, I no longer need the chains I gave to Naruto, as the seals you see glowing on my arm already keep me sane."
"What were you doing in the village?"
"I was in the village, checking to see if anyone had awakened the Curse. If they did, then I would've tested them to see whether or not they were in their right mind, and if I should kill them. You on the other hand, Naruto, I've decided to take you with me on my travels to teach you."
This did not sit well with the Hokage. "What makes you think I'll let you take him out of the village? You are still very much a stranger, and in my eyes, you're practically a nobody. So what assurance do I have that you have honest intentions? Come to think of it, how do I know you're not just here to kill Naruto?"
GSD's demeanor had changed from cordial to downright aggressive as he turned to regard him. The two of them seemed to have an unwavering air about them that practically dared anyone, even Naruto to say a word. "Allow me to make myself clear before you accuse me of foul play," he began, the calm coldness of his tone betraying none of his anger, "if I wanted to kill the boy, then your shinobi wouldn't be alive either. All that aside, if you don't allow me to train him in how to control the power of his demonic arm, then he may as well be a threat to everyone he encounters."
Neither of the old men was willing to back down…it was like a silent war was going on between them, with how tense the air of the room felt. It was the Hokage however, who made the next move. "And how much is your word worth? How do I know you're not lying to us right here and now?"
"I admire your persistence in finding fault in my honor." sighed GSD, frustration clear in his voice. "Since you still seem to think I'm lying to you, then ask the heads or elders of the Senju, Uchiha, and Hyūga clans about the Curse; I guarantee you that they know damn well about it, and may tell you stories from their respective families that may disturb you. Back to the subject at hand, I am keen on taking the boy with me on my travels, as my student; and I'm willing to follow any conditions you may put forth for his training. But the heart of the matter is that this all depends on Naruto's choice."
At that, GSD turned his attention back to Naruto; and he felt that gaze behind the blindfold. "Naruto, if you want me to teach you, then I'll wait for you to fully recover before giving you time to pack and say your goodbyes. If not, then that will be the end of it."
As he considered the possibilities, Naruto felt all eyes on him—seeing or otherwise. GSD seemed to be hoping that he accepted the proposal; the Hokage and Inu on the other hand were practically begging him not to go. 'Damn! What am I supposed to do now? How can I make the right choice? I didn't even hear everything!' he asked himself. 'Okay then, pros and cons of going: I can get real one-on-one training so I can be a better shinobi; I can see the world; and I don't have to deal with the glares in the village so much. Those are the pros. On the other hand, I won't be able to see my friends anymore; I might get homesick; and that blind baka may be lying after all. Damn it! Why does it have to be so damn hard?!' With his gaze briefly on the red arm, Naruto began to think carefully about his decision; with a sigh, he had finally made up his mind: "I'll go."
The Hokage's reaction was instantaneous. "Naruto, I really would think carefully about that. For all we know, he's lying to our faces, and he's really a bad guy that wants to kill us all."
"I did think hard about it," replied Naruto, trying hard to resist the Hokage's plea to refuse the man's offer for training, "Jiji, what if he's not lying after all? A lot of people were assholes to me, but that doesn't mean I want them dead, and I really don't want to put my friends in danger all because I didn't listen to him. Besides, I don't know why, but I think he is who he says he is."
Nodding his head in defeat, the Hokage then turned to face GSD with a determined look in his eyes—the voice he spoke in made it clear that he would not compromise a bit. "Very well then, Naruto may come with you—but under the following conditions: firstly, you will be accompanied by a shinobi of my choosing to keep an eye on you, and to teach Naruto shinobi skills; and secondly, you must have Naruto back in three years so that he can become a genin of Konoha. Are these terms acceptable?"
GSD snorted; the amusement was clear in his expression. "By far, you are the worthiest opponent I'd ever had the pleasure of encountering," he said with a smirk, "very well, I accept your terms. And Naruto, I bid you a good day."
…
{"Reset (Piano Version)" by Rei Kondoh}
[North Gates of Konoha, three days later, evening]
The sun was beginning to set upon the village of Konohagakure no Sato, a moment of sadness as Naruto was leaving. He'd had to go to each of his friends' homes to say goodbye, it only made it harder to leave whenever he saw them, but he remembered each moment perfectly. When he went to the weapons shop that Tenten lived at, her dad gave him a frightened look upon seeing his arm before calling her down. Higurashi-san was a scary-looking guy because of his huge size and his big muscles, but he was also a good man at heart; and one of the few who didn't glare at Naruto, or whisper behind his back…he'd seen him breaking people's backs for trying to steal from his shop, but he was also a great guy in general. The second that Tenten had arrived, he told her everything that happened in the morning, and that he was leaving for three years to get some personal training. She seemed positive about the recounting, but he could see something wrong in her eyes, like she wanted to say something, but chose not to. In the end, she managed with a very sincere 'you watch yourself'.
His next destination was at the Hyūga complex. When Naruto was at the gates asking for Hinata, those snooty guards just kept pushing him away until GSD arrived and threatened to cut their hands off if they continued to give him trouble. Hinata's dad Hiashi came and asked about the commotion, until he saw the old man, which caused him to yell at the Hyūga guards before letting the two of them in. According to Hiashi, Hinata was out training and he'd just missed her. Naruto told the man that he wanted Hinata to have the same message he just gave to Tenten that he was going to train with GSD. It looked to him that the 40-year-old man wanted to protest that action, but seemed quiet about it with GSD present; as though he'd be killed for arguing with him, and that he'd suffer an even worse fate if he didn't give Hinata the message.
As he went to the other compounds, their reactions were different, Kiba and Akamaru seemed dejected, but the former wished him good luck and a safe trip while he was away.
Shikamaru didn't seem to care, but Naruto seemed to understand that this was because he didn't want to say it out loud.
While he didn't seem to have any thoughts on the matter, Shino's exact words on the matter were, "I honestly don't think you should have to leave town to get training, but it is probably the best chance for you to get some real good assistance."
Choji said that things would not be the same without their eating contests at the Ichiraku Ramen. That being said, the two of them had one more ramen-eating contest with Ayame-chan and her dad watching. Naruto suspected that Choji only let him win, but promised to come back and beat him fair and square next time. The goodbye with Ayame and Teuchi-jiji on the other hand was even harder, because those two treated him like family—in spite of his status to them as a customer.
The two of them arrived at the North Gates to see a shinobi waiting for them. His dark brown hair was spiky, and held up by a steel face mask with a T-shaped visor and the crest of Konohagakure no Sato engraved upon the forehead, and he wore the standard flak jacket for a jōnin. The coffee-brown of his eyes regarded the two of them with a seemingly friendly look in them. "Greetings, I am Yamato. I'm the shinobi that Hokage-sama has assigned to the both of you and to teach Naruto shinobi skills during this trip."
With a snort, GSD turned to face the man named Yamato with a knowing smirk on his aged features. "Hopefully you'll do your job well."
"If we're done here, then we're ready to hit the road," replied Yamato, "so where are we going?"
The elder man's response was rather quick, as though he'd had that in mind from the start. "Our first destination would be northeast to Yu no Kuni," he said, taking the first steps out of the village with Naruto and Yamato following, "I have friends there who could assist in teaching the boy fundamental skills that he'll need in the future as a warrior."
…
A/N: And here we go. Hopefully, this is up to par for the first chapter. This time, ladies and gentlemen, we are going slower. And to you reviewers who think he should get a Rinnegan or even a Sharingan, I will make this clear: he will not get a dojutsu as that would OP him beyond all reason, because the Slayer techniques he will likely be learning should be more than enough.
…
Vocabulary:
Fusuma-sensei—it pretty much means 'Dr. Quilt' in Japanese, as 'sensei' can mean 'teacher' or 'doctor'