Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto or Fairy Tail
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By Any Means
Chapter 17
Home Is Where...
Opening: The Way Back - One OK Rock
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"I see…" Fukasaku sighed as he looked at the blond and the dark haired girl sitting across from him.
"They destroyed Shadow Heart, using the very people we were trying to protect against us." Naruto glared at the tea table Fukasaku had directed them to. "From what I've been able to piece together they've been letting the fallout of our absence slowly deteriorate the stability in every country on the continent. It's the only way to explain why they haven't made a move in nearly 13 years."
"But why come here? You said something about not being able to tell who you are." Fukasaku was genuinely curious.
"I… I can't remember the last 5 years. Not well, I should say. I remember but I don't at the same time. It's hard to explain," Naruto said, struggling to find the right way to explain his situation to his old sensei.
"I believe his mind is blocking a number of things he did as the Hitokiri." Haku spoke up for the first time since they sat down at the tea table and Naruto filled the old toad in on the truth of Shadow Heart's destruction.
"And you think going to the waterfall will unlock these memories you can't seem to remember?" Fukasaku questioned giving Naruto a pointed look.
"I do."
"And what if you do remember? Remember exactly what you did as the Hitokiri, what then? How will knowing help you? What will you do if what you see isn't what you're expecting? If you go back to being the Hitokiri?"
"..."
The room was silent as Naruto pondered Fukasaku's questions.
"I don't know."
"Then I can't-" Fukasaku was cut off as Naruto continued.
"But I do know I'll finally know why I can't sleep at night. I'll know why I remember mothers looking up at me in terror. Why I can so clearly hear children's bloody cries. Whether I go back to being the Hitokiri or not, I can't fight Kyosho no Issan if I don't even know who I am." Naruto closed his eyes as his shoulders sagged. "And maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Maybe I need to be the Hitokiri to fight them. A shinobi shouldn't have a heart, only a mission."
Fukasaku remained quiet as he debated over showing Naruto the way to the waterfall or not. After about 5 minutes he finally spoke up.
"Naruto… I never wanted you to return to the Hagoromo. What I wanted for you was so much more than to just be an assassin for a brutal takeover of a country. It hurt knowing the path you had taken and being unable to turn you from that path. Everything in me says to turn you away, to never allow you to return to being that… that thing." The elderly toad stared at the blond in front of him. He saw the conflicting emotions in his eyes, the way his fists tightened.
Fukasaku closed his eyes, body sagging as he made his decision. "However… I will not stop you. You deserve to know, to understand, who you are. So I will show you the way."
"Arigatou, Shishou." Naruto bowed slightly, showing respect to the toad.
"Further up the mountain pass you will find several paths. Each leading nowhere and everywhere. The path you seek can only be found by one who has achieved enlightenment. Face the three toads and show respect for those who came before. But be warned; only those true of purpose will be granted access to the waterfall," Fukasaku finished, voice ringing with solemnity.
Naruto just stared at him, eyes squinted shut. "..."
As the silence dragged on, a vein started throbbing in the toad's temple. Finally, he could take it no more. "Activate Sennin mode and take the center path up the mountain, you numbskull!" he snapped, startling the blond.
"Eh heh, thanks," Naruto mumbled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"I will remain here, Naruto-sama. I have a few questions I'd like to ask your shishou," Haku chimed in.
"I'll be back soon." Naruto said as he got up and began to collect his things when Fukasaku called out to him.
"Your weapons. You will not need them." The toad pointed to Naruto's kunai holster and shuriken pouch.
Naruto just looked at him and smirked as he left them on, finishing putting on his sandals. "I have a feeling I will."
His piece said he left, continuing up the mountain pass.
0o0o0 Several Hours Later 0o0o0
Having activated Sennin Mode, Naruto took his time finding the waterfall. He knew where it was and was in no rush to reach it. Instead, he decided to take in the scenery, sensing the mountain life for the first time. It amazed him, just how many animals surrounded him. They were all around him, walking past him as if he wasn't even there. He stopped to look at the plant life he'd always ignored before and found them intoxicating.
Finally, after some time, he could hear the roar of the falls. Clearing the brush he rounded down the path and found a mighty waterfall crashing down into a small pond with a lonely island.
"It amazes me, just how much we remember about that this place." Naruto spoke aloud as he made his way to the island, sitting down upon reaching it. "So you're going to hide? Or are you going to tell me why you brought me back here? Not like you or I can change what happened."
"Hehehehe, annoying as ever. Took your time too. I remember how frantic you were to reach this place when you returned, desperate to know. Was the trip memorable?" A voice rang out from behind the falls.
"Surprisingly so. Who knew I remembered so much? You would think the journey up here would've been just a blur," Naruto said, looking back at the forest behind him, a peaceful look sliding over his face. "Now, what do you want?" The blond returned his focus to the waterfall, as a shadowy figure now appeared against the raging falls.
"A little tea party, just the two of us of course." Naruto didn't miss the sarcasm.
"Of course."
"I'm getting stronger. It won't be long now. I can feel it. I'll be free of this blasted prison and I will take back what you stole from me." The shadow spoke evenly, but Naruto could sense the rage behind every word.
"You're never getting out of there. Your reign of terror is over." Naruto glared.
"IT IS NOT OVER!" The water shook as the shadow pounded against it. "And you know it. You've been parading around as me, using my name, my power. Did you think you could do so without any consequences? Do you truly think you can escape your true nature? That perhaps those Fairies can bring out some hidden good within you? That you will ever be able to escape your past? Don't be a fool."
The Uzumaki sat there, a blank look on his face, not responding to the accusations.
"You can deny me all you want, but deep down you know just as well as I do that you can never be one of them. You are not a mage. You are not a sage. You are a shinobi. Or have you truly forgotten your promise, our promise? They're still out there, hiding like the rats they are... and you're wasting time trying to get laid with a fairy whore!"
"Don't call her that!" Naruto yelled as he jumped up, barely able to contain the sudden surge of rage that boiled up.
The shadow laughed glibly. "And my point is made. How long do you think you can keep the truth from her? How long before she realizes the devil you are? Before she looks at you as all the others do? Before she knows what you've done?"
"That was you, not me. You killed them. You're the one that made those decisions." Naruto shook his head desperately, trying to deny it.
"Have you already forgotten? I am you!" the shadow crowed. "Trying to claim that whatever I did has no bearing on you is ridiculous. And besides, we both know the truth. You wanted it just as much as me."
"You killed children!" Naruto cried. "They didn't deserve what you did to them!"
"They deserved it all! Stop thinking like a fucking mage and remember! Remember how good it felt to end those miserable little snot nosed brats! The relief of knowing their whore mothers would never push out more monsters like them! Delivering the justice that was due them!"
"They were innocent women and children!"
"Innocent!?" the shadow shrieked."Do you not remember what they did!? HOW COULD YOU EVER FORGET!?"
As the yell faded, the shadow spoke once again, voice quiet and rough with pain."How could you forget her?"
Naruto closed his eyes as he turned his back to the shadow as his mind flowed with unwanted memories. "How could I not…?"
0o0o0 Boscoan Desert Hagoromo Headquarters - X780 0o0o0
"You summoned me Mei-sama?" Kurotsuchi asked as she entered the tent, her brow quirking up at the sight of the blond shinobi standing off to the side. Naruto was the last person she expected to see, as it was rumored that he was still suffering injuries from his last mission. He'd been missing for over a week and most had assumed he'd been killed. Then he was just there; clothes torn, covered in blood, and the most demonic eyes she'd ever seen. She shivered slightly as his gaze fell upon her. She returned her attention to the auburn haired leader as she was addressed.
"Yes. I'm sure you remember Naruto?" Mei watched as the young kunoichi quickly responded with a "Yes, Ma'am," noticing her discomfort of being in the same room as Naruto.
Much had happened since Naruto had killed the Archduke Ferdinand. The rumors of a bloodbath occurring in the heart of the capitol had escalated their conflict to all out war. While it was planned to eventually escalate to that point, it was too soon. They were not ready to openly engage in full scale battles just yet. Many of their soldiers were still recruits who knew next to nothing about fighting, let alone winning a war, and only a handful of brave mages had joined their cause. No... while useful, it was the dependency of her shinobi would make or break them. They were only a few hundred in number, facing off against 100,000 loyal soldiers and mages to the crown and the aristocracy.
Most of her war counsel had suggested handing Naruto over to delay the inevitable a bit longer. She had considered it, at first; Naruto had gone beyond his mission parameters, and now the public was in an uproar demanding justice. Many had taken to calling Naruto a ruthless manslayer after the reports of the Archduke's family's bodies had been discovered. They were mangled almost beyond recognition. She had wracked her brain, trying to come up with a solution. This war wasn't going to be won just by bolstering their numbers. They needed to deface the enemy and win the public's favor in order to claim victory.
And that was when she remembered the Uchiha's words. "... I am not sending a boy to the wolves. I am giving a devil to the sheep who believe themselves to be wolves."
A devil.
It was not a savior or gallant knight that they needed to overcome the odds. It was a devil.
Mei could use this to her advantage. Naruto was a unique case. The Uchiha had trained him to be an infiltrator. To never be detected, never be seen, never be caught. Trained in archaic ways that only the Uchiha clan had bothered to remember. He knew how to survive and kill without the use of chakra. He was a weapon, a sword to slash and hack away at her enemies. And she would use him. She just didn't have a sheathe for him.
That was where Kurotsuchi came in.
"Good. I'm removing you from you current squad and reassigning you to a new 2 man squad with Naruto. Kisame-"
"What!?" Kurotsuchi cut off, an angry expression falling across her face as she took a step forward. "If this is about my squad's last mis-" Cold steel slid up against Kurotsuchi's neck as she was suddenly surrounded by the few ANBU that protected their leader.
Mei sighed. She should've figured the girl wouldn't like being separated from her current squad. Her squad had been assigned just before Shadow Heart's destruction and had never been reassigned before. Not that there had ever been a need to. Kurotsuchi lead the group competently and Akatsuchi kept the other two in line. But in order for her to control Naruto she needed to sacrifice one squad for another. Mei motioned for the ANBU to back down and they did, returning to their hidden posts. Kurotsuchi rubbed her neck as she kept a steady glare directed at Mei.
"This has nothing to do with your former squad's last mission. Akatsuchi will take over as squad leader and another will fill in your vacant slot. Now as I was saying…" Mei raised an eyebrow, waiting to see if Kurotsuchi would interrupt again. "...You are being placed on a 2 man squad with Naruto. Kisame will be your squad's handler and will debrief you on all of your missions henceforth. Are we clear?"
Kurotsuchi remained quiet as she silently defied her new orders.
"Are we clear, Kunoichi?" Mei asked, now getting upset with the girl.
"Hai, Mei-sama," Kurotsuchi responded unwillingly, refusing to look at her leader.
Mei sighed. "Good. Naruto is to be squad leader." Kurotsuchi's eye twitched at that. "You and he will have a 2 week reprieve to get to know each other and work on your teamwork. Dismissed."
Kurotsuchi turned and stormed out, whilst Naruto bowed and casually left at his leisure.
0o0 3 Weeks Later 0o0
"Goddamnit blondie, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Kurotsuchi screamed as she and her new squadmate bolted across the rooftops. "We were just supposed to kill the weapons manufacturer, not blow up his damn workshop!"
"What, it killed him, didn't it?" The red eyed blond replied, easily keeping pace with the girl.
"Yeah, it killed him alright. It also destroyed his house and the two buildings next to it!" Kurotsuchi buried her face in her palms. "Do you even know how many other people you probably killed and injured?"
"..."
"And besides that," the black haired girl continued, shooting him a glare, "I didn't even get a chance to grab his schematics and trade logs. Kisame-taichou is going to beat us into the ground, again."
Naruto just glanced at her from the side of his eye and cocked an eyebrow, as if to say "you expected anything different?"
Kurotsuchi just screamed unintelligibly and sped up. She hated her new squad. There was no way she'd ever get along with that blond bastard.
0o0 1 Month Later0o0
Dodging a spear thrust, Kurotsuchi retorted with a kunai to the face. As he fell, the soldier was replaced by yet another. Growling, the kunoichi jumped back and sped through a series of hand seals. "Doton: Doryuheki!"
As the mud wall rose up, blocking off the passageway, Kurotsuchi turned to see what her "partner" was up to. Her annoyed expression froze at the sight of the blond surrounded by bodies, his clothes dyed crimson from all the blood.
Shaking her head, the kunoichi whistled as she joined Naruto in middle of the warehouse. "For a warehouse supposedly full of 'useless' luxury items, there sure were a lot of guards, huh?" Seeing the blond remain unresponsive, she shrugged and walked up to a stack of crates. "Let's see what they've got in here…"
As her hand reached out to open one of the containers, she never noticed the nigh invisible wire slipping around her neck. As her hand made contact, the wire pulled taut, yanking her off her feet. She quickly reinforced her neck with earth chakra, preventing the wire from digging in any further. As it was though, she would run out of air in under a minute.
"Kekeke…" a voice echoed from somewhere inside the warehouse. "It seems a few flies have entered my territory. I wonder, will you cry and beg for mercy?"
As Kurotsuchi swung around in a desperate attempt to free herself, she caught sight of Naruto, hand on his sword as he scanned the warehouse. She tried to call out to him, but could only get out the barest of grunts. "...Na…"
Not hearing her, or maybe not caring, the blond continued his search, not noticing the shadow silently dropping from the ceiling. The shadow's six arms tensed, each with it's own golden dagger aiming for Naruto's back.
"Game Ov-"
A flash of light was all Kurotsuchi saw as she abruptly fell to the ground, the thread choking her cut. As she coughed and massaged her throat, she glanced up and saw their assailant lying in two pieces on the floor.
Footsteps near her caused her gaze to shoot up, locking eyes with her squadmate. Immediately, she felt ashamed. She, an elite member of the Hagoromo, had been caught off guard. Naruto's next words didn't help.
"Pathetic."
Kurotsuchi's blush intensified as shame and anger warred within her, and she looked away, unable to bear the blond's disappointed gaze. "This isn't over," she thought to herself, nails digging into her palms. "I'll show him who's pathetic. I'll get stronger, and make him admit who's better."
0o0o0o0
"Yo taichou!" Akatsuchi greeted as he took his seat next to Kurotsuchi at the BBQ restaurant she had discovered in the most recent "liberated" town.
"I'm not your taichou anymore Akatsuchi, I'm not even a taichou at all," Kurotsuchi angrily grumbled.
"Aw don't say that Kuro, you'll always be my taichou." The rather husky man grinned at her sour face. "That face brings me back to the good ol' days back in Fiore when Onoki-sama caught you sneaking sweets for everyone! You and he would argue for hours!"
"Whatever. Are the others coming or is it just you?" Kurotsuchi inquired as she looked at the menu trying to figure out what should be ordered.
"Unfortunately it's just me. The squad was in the thick of it this time around. They said not to worry about them though, they'll be up and about in no time. And speaking of squads, is that blond still giving you grief?"
"Please don't mention that ass." Kurotsuchi glared.
"I'm sure he'll come around, after all who couldn't love that sour face of yours?" Akatsuchi laughed as Kurotsuchi glared harder.
"He's such an inconsiderate jackass! I swear, sometimes I just want to kill him and blame it on the enemy. At least then I could get reassigned back to the squad."
"It can't be all bad. From what I hear your squad's been gaining quite the reputation throughout the forces. They even say your pay is amongst the highest."
"We have a rep?" Kurotsuchi looked at her former partner with a confused look. They'd been running missions almost nonstop and she hadn't had the time to even think about catching up on the latest rumors.
"Yeah, even gained a nickname too. Though… I think it's more of your partners to be honest."
"Of course." Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes. "And what is it? The Bloody Blond of Jackassery?" She asked with as much sarcasm as she could manage.
"The Hitokiri."
"... really?" Kurotsuchi blinked a few times. "That was the best they could come up with? And why only him!? He doesn't do these god damn suicide missions alone!"
"Might have to do with the fact he's a lot scarier than you are."
Kurotsuchi couldn't argue there. Half the time she wasn't sure if he wouldn't turn on her or not.
"To be honest I was worried when I found out who your new partner was. The guys and I tried to appeal with Mei-sama about your reassignment but she wouldn't listen. She knows just how dangerous he is, told us straight to our faces."
"Then why did she reassign me of all people to work with him? Why not someone like Omoi or Kankuro? They're expendable."
"I asked the same thing. She said that was exactly why she didn't assign them to his squad or anyone else for that matter. She needed someone that could keep pace with him. "He needs a squad that can stay alive. That he doesn't have to watch out for. Otherwise we'll be replacing his partner every other day." Mei-sama recognizes your strength Kuro. So yeah he may be insufferable, but he's challenging you. I've noticed you've been training a lot more since this reassignment."
"Challenge? Pfft, that's a load of shit. I could beat him any day of the week!"
"Uhuh, anyway looks like the grub is finally here!" Akatsuchi excitedly exclaimed as he noticed their waitress heading their way with a serving tray full of food.
As they started eating, Kurotsuchi couldn't get that thought out of her head."Could that be it though? Am I really strong enough? Mei-sama seems to think so but… no! Don't second guess yourself. You're strong. You're the granddaughter of Onoki the strongest Tsuchikage! I'm not going to let that smug ass get to me!"
Despite her thoughts she couldn't help but remember her awe and fear the first time she'd watched the blond work.
They were right about him.
He was most definitely a manslayer.
0o0 1 Month Later 0o0
"They went that way!" a mage yelled, pointing down an alleyway. The thundering of footsteps rushed by, leaving an echoing silence.
Kurotsuchi warily peeked over the edge of the roof, scanning for any enemies. "I think we've finally given them the slip," she muttered, glancing back at Naruto. Said blonde was leaning against a chimney, hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He casually glanced back at her, before returning to scanning the rooftops.
Sighing in exasperation, the kunoichi stood up and joined him. "I know you could've killed them, but Mei-sama specifically told us not to massacre them this time."
"..."
A vein began twitching in her forehead. "For the love of the Sage, will you-"
"Up there! Fire!"
The two had to dive to the next rooftop as several spells smashed into their previous position, demolishing the house. As they landed, the sound of several guns cocking had them splitting up, just in time to dodge a hail of bullets.
Kurotsuchi bounced off of a closed window and landed on top of a mage, driving a kunai through his skull. "I swear, why does every mission keep going wrong!" Grinding her teeth, she sidestepped a soldier, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and tossing him at another mage.
A quick glance told her that most of the enemies were congregating around her, trying to ignore her devil of a partner. "Are these bastards underestimating me?! They think it's easier to take me on than to go after Naruto?" That was the final straw.
Quickly jumping back, Kurotsuchi sped through a short handseal sequence. "I've had enough of this! Doton: Chidokaku!" Her palms slammed into the ground, a tremor causing everyone to pause. Before anyone but a trained shinobi could react, the ground gave way, dumping mages, soldiers, and buildings into a massive sinkhole. Naruto landed on a building outside of danger zone, an eyebrow raised.
"I'll show you bastards! Yoton: Yokai no Jutsu!" A massive wave of a viscous lava spewed from the kunoichi's mouth, rapidly filling the hole. Immediately, screams began to ring out as those trapped discovered the lava rapidly rising, engulfing everyone. Within the span of a few seconds, the only sign of destruction was the cracked ground, the sinkhole entirely filled with hardened lava.
"Hah… hah…" Kurotsuchi panted as she straightened out. "See, no match for me. Try and make light of me, will you?" she said to herself, turning as Naruto landed beside her. The two stood side by side for a second, before the blond spoke up.
"...Weren't we supposed to not massacre them all?"
The kunoichi froze, remembering the warning they had been given. Her head dropped as a small raincloud appeared above her. "Mei-sama, I'm sorry," she moaned out.
Naruto just walked past her, only stopping once he noticed she wasn't following. "Kurotsuchi," he called out, using her name for the first time. "...let's go."
Hearing him call her by her name broke her depressed mood. It wasn't often that the Hitokiri called anyone except his superiors by their name. As she pondered what it could mean, she finally noticed that the blond had once more resumed walking away. "Hey Naruto, wait for me!"
0o0 2 Weeks Later 0o0
The desert sun was high in the sky, radiating an oppressive heat. Despite that, two cloaked figures were running as fast as they could, a much larger ragtag group right on their heels.
"C'mon boys, we've almost got 'em!" a tall man from the middle of the group called out, waving a sword in the air. "Once we cash the bounties on these two we'll be set for life!"
"YEAH!" the motley collection called out, redoubling their efforts to catch the two fleeing from them.
The shorter of the two cloaked figures snorted. "Not only do we have to worry about the government's forces, but mercenaries too?" Her right hand tightened where it was bracing her left arm, slowing the flow of dripping blood. "This is just too much."
Her companion just kept running, eyes scanning the landscape for anything that could help. They were in a bit of a bad spot; immediately after completing their mission, they'd been ambushed by a group of soldiers. Taking them down wasn't hard, but their numbers had been a bit of a problem. In the end they'd triumphed, but Naruto's sword was broken, and she was out of weapons and low on chakra.
As the two had left the city, the piecemeal group of mercenaries had jumped them. It was carelessness that had done them in. Kurotsuchi had barely managed to avoid the tetsubo that smashed the ground, but ended up using her left arm to block a sword slash at the last second, using the opportunity to smash the man's face in with a punch. Naruto, on the other hand, was a flurry of fists and feet. She thought she'd seen him take a dagger to the back, as well as several hits from a mace, but he kept moving, quickly clearing a path for them to retreat.
That led them to their situation now: running through the desert while injured at high noon, being pursued by bounty hunters.
Kurotsuchi stumbled, the continual blood loss causing her vision to fade briefly. Naruto's arm caught her before she could fall, roughly righting her and giving her a push forward. "Keep going, there's a ravine up ahead."
"A ravine?" she called out, looking up and noticing said ravine was almost upon them.
"Jump!" the blond yelled, hands flashing together into a ram seal.
Kurotsuchi obeyed, leaping off the edge, Naruto right behind her.
"Dai Sunaarashi no Jutsu!"
As they fell over the edge, a massive tornado of wind and sand, fueled by Naruto's chakra appeared. The mercenaries were caught by surprise, immediately being swept up in the technique. Unfortunately, the tornado didn't end there. Fueled by both chakra and the abundance of natural elements, the technique took on a life of it's own, expanding to cover the ravine and a good chunk of desert beyond.
Landing with a heavy thud, the two shinobi stumbled as they scrambled to get back on their feet, the raging wind and dust rushing down toward them. Kurotsuchi saw it first and called it out, "There's a cave!"
The blond, who'd had his attention up above them for any signs of their pursuers, turned toward the direction his partner was pointing. After a second, and a glance back up, he nodded, the two making a dash for the entrance.
As they reached it, the wind reached the ground and came barreling toward them, kicking up more dust and sand. As they dove in Kurotsuchi turned, using the last of her chakra as she flashed through half-seals with her one good arm.
"Doton: Kabe!"
A wall rose just in time as the wind and dust slammed against the cave entrance, sealing them inside.
"That was close," Kurotsuchi wiped her dirtied brow. "Now how about getting a fire going, I can't see-" She heard a light thud and turned in the pitch black, calling out to her partner, "Naruto?"
She received no response and cursed lightly, "Shit, you better be messing with me! Damn it, answer me!"
Still receiving no answer, Kurotsuchi dove into her back pouch for a supplies scroll and unsealed a flare. She lit it quickly and saw Naruto slumped against the cave wall unconscious in the green light, bleeding heavily.
"Fuck!" She rushed over to him. "Don't do this to me, not after the day we've had! Fuck! Damn it, you know I'm shit at medical jutsu! Even dying you're a pain in my ass!" Kurotsuchi yelled, frustrated with just how shitty her day had been up until this point. Shaking her head, she refocused herself. "I gotta get your shirt off so I can see just how fucked you are."
She pulled his upper body away from the cave wall, pulling his armor and shirt off and gave him a once over, looking for his injuries. His chest was badly bruised, probably from the mace that hit him, but was otherwise free of wounds. Deciding he'd live through the pain, she laid him flat on his front and barely managed to catch her gasp at the amount of blood spread across his back. "How the hell did you last as long as you did?" She questioned as she spotted the nasty gash above his right kidney. "You better hope this works."
Going back into her supplies scroll, she found what she was looking for and popped out an emergency medic pack. Inside was a medical seal, designed for these type of situations and allowing for squads such as theirs to exist without the need for a medic to accompany them. An ingenious piece of medical achievement designed by Tsunade of the Sanin. Getting medical tape ready, she slapped the seal down on the wound and began to wrap it around his now raised torso as quickly as she could.
After a few minutes of making sure the bandage was compressed enough and the bleeding had at least stopped, she plopped back and wiped her brow. "You better live bastard. I won't forgive you otherwise."
Too exhausted to bother with setting up a proper camp, she closed her eyes and let the greenlit cave fade into darkness.
0o0o0o0
"Nng…" Kurotsuchi groaned as the crackling of a fire roused her from her sleep. "Wha?" She did her best to blink away her blurred vision as her memory came rushing back. "Naruto!" Not even giving thought to the blanket covering her, she stood up to find the blond sitting on the other side of the fire, slurping noodles from his never ending supply of instant ramen cups, still shirtless.
"Hn," was all he said as he continued to slurp up the noodles.
"You're ok." She blatantly pointed out, almost blinking stupidly at him.
"...I am," he said after a few moments, clearly debating about reaffirming to her that he was fine.
"Y-you're sure? I can check if you want," she offered.
"I'm fine." He glared at her.
"I just want to make sure! That was a pretty bad wound. I don't even know how you managed as long as you did!" She glared back at him.
"I said I'm fine," the blond bit out, hand tightening on the ramen cup.
Kurotsuchi snapped. "Why do you have to be such an ass, huh!? I'm just being concerned for you! You were hurt so badly you fell unconscious! For all we know you're bleeding internally! Sage, would it kill you for just 3 minutes, just 3 fucking minutes, to appreciate the fact that I'm here and let me help you!? And stop glaring at me! I saved your fucking life! The least you could do is thank me! But no, you have to be all fucking emo and sit there quietly and glare like you always fucking do! Is glaring the only facial expression you know? What happened to you? You used to be so much nicer, even friendly. But then you come back with what can only be described as demon eyes and act like everyone is out to get you! Guess what asshole! We're not. We're on the same fucking side! So turn the fuck around and let me check your goddamn wound and when I'm done you better fucking thank me or so help me Sage I am going to kill you!"
Before she could register the fact that his ramen was now spilt on the floor, she felt the wind knocked out of her as she was roughly pinned against the cave wall, an intense surge of pain flaring from her wounded arm as Naruto tightened his grip on it.
"I'd like to see you try," he growled out, eyes flashing.
Too angry to be scared, Kurotsuchi's feelings boiled over. "Fine!" She hooked a leg behind his and pulled, knocking the two of them to the floor. As they hit, Naruto twisted, throwing the kunoichi on her back. She retaliated with a punch to the face that broke his nose with a sharp crack. The two separated, and Kurotsuchi watched as he smugly popped his nose back into place.
The blond motioned her forward, and she obliged, launching herself at him. The next several minutes consisted of the two participating in what amounted to a schoolyard brawl, all finesse and technique forsaken. In the end, though, Kurotsuchi's injury proved too much, and Naruto sat on her stomach, holding her arms above her head as they both panted for air.
"God...damn...you," the kunoichi panted out. "I hate you."
"Really?" the blond asked, eyes taunting.
Kurotsuchi answered by leaning up and kissing him passionately.
0o0 3 Months Later0o0
It was lunchtime at the Hagoromo's main camp, and the mess tent was packed. Shinobi and kunoichi were chatting, playing small games, and catching up in between missions as they ate. The lively cacophony was at odds with their profession, one would think, but this was par for the course.
The tent flap lifted, and silence spread in a ripple across the room. After a few seconds, hushed whispers shot back and forth as Naruto fully stepped into the mess tent.
"Is that-"
"No way!"
"Why is he here?"
Ignoring their unease, the blond walked over to the retired Akimichi who was serving as their cook. With a smile, the elderly man filled a tray and handed it to him. "Enjoy it!" The man then turned and began filling another tray, getting ready for the next person.
Tray in hand, Naruto turned. Spotting an empty seat in one corner, he casually made his way over, ignoring how everyone else vacated the table by the time he got there. Then he began waiting.
As the minutes passed by, tensions began to rise as the blond just sat there, staring at the tent flap. Eventually, just as someone was working up the courage to ask what he was doing, the tent flap was thrown back as a black haired kunoichi dashed inside.
"Gomen, Naruto!" Kurotsuchi said, as she dragged Akatsuchi in behind her. "This idiot was wandering over on the other side of camp." She quickly snatched up a tray for both herself and Akatsuchi, before herding the man over to the same table as Naruto. Quickly taking in the tray in front of the blond, she raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been sitting there?"
"..."
"I said I was sorry, Sage! And what are you looking at!" She snapped at everyone looking on bewildered, watching them hurriedly turn back to their own meals and conversations. She shook her head as she sat down, clapping her hands together. "Bunch of old women. Itadakimasu."
"Itadakimasu," Akatsuchi mirrored her, glancing between the two. Waiting until Kurotsuchi had a mouthful of food, the large man asked a question with a grin on his face. "So I thought you said you couldn't stand this bastard?"
Eyes shooting wide open, the kunoichi began choking on her food. Grabbing a glass of water and downing it in a few gulps, she slammed it back down, glaring at her oldest friend. "~Aka~tsuchi," she sang out eyes squinted shut and menace radiating off of her as she clamped a hand on his shoulder, "I think we need to have a little talk about keeping secrets, don't you?" She punctuated her point by squeezing harshly, watching the larger man's face pale.
"Hn."
Kurotsuchi released her friend and immediately shot around, seeing the blond calmly eating. Only his eyes gave any indication he was paying attention to them. The normally frigid crimson orbs showed amusement, as good as a laugh for someone else. She flushed, only to hear Akatsuchi start laughing next to her. "Stop laughing," she growled out, punching him in the arm.
Rubbing his arm, Akatsuchi turned toward Naruto and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Naruto. I'm Akatsuchi, part of Kuro's former team."
The blond stared at him for a minute, never stopping eating. The bigger man sweatdropped, the situation growing increasingly awkward until the kunoichi reached across the table and flicked Naruto in the forehead, to the amazement of everyone in the mess tent. "Play nice, now."
Scowling, the blond glared at her before clasping Akatsuchi's extended hand. "Hn."
0o0o0o0
"Nng… come back to bed," Kurotsuchi groaned sleepily, missing her main source of body heat. It had been a few minutes since they'd both been woken up by the knocking at their new apartment door. Naruto had gotten up, telling her he would kill the soon to be dead man that was disturbing their sleep.
"We have a mission," was all he said when he re-entered their bedroom and headed to their dresser and began digging around for a shirt.
Kurotsuchi groaned in annoyance and dug into their sheets. They'd only been back for half a day and had finally managed to turn their usually empty apartment into the makings of a home. "Send a clone."
"Mei-sama wants us there personally." She groaned louder at that.
"Why does the Sage hate us?" She complained as she unwillingly got up.
"Hn," Naruto replied in agreement.
She yawned closing her eyes and stretched her arms out as she arched her back in an attempt to wake herself. As she opened her eyes she couldn't help but appreciate the view of her bed partner dressing himself. With a sultry look she called out to him, "You know I'm sure Mei-sama wouldn't mind if we were say…" She looked at the clock and saw that it read 4:15 a.m. "...another 15 minutes late."
"When we get back," she pouted at his response.
"Come on… you know how long these missions take. Do you really want me distracted out in the field?" She sauntered over to him wrapping her arms around him and pulled him into a kiss.
They parted after a minute and she was positive he would indulge her if the look in his eyes was anything to go by before he replaced himself with her Jonin uniform. "When we get back," he repeated, heading to the kitchen to warm up a cup of ramen.
"This morning sucks," she complained as she began to dress herself. "Probably for the best though. We've never finished in 15 minutes anyway," she thought as she went to join her lover and partner in the kitchen to make her own breakfast before they both went to report in.
0o0 1 Week Later 0o0
Naruto and Kurotsuchi were hiding a rooftop, surveying the target's location, a grand villa located on the outskirts of Teschen. Info had been acquired revealing that the one of the Boscoan government's top brass was going to be spending some time at this lavish estate before heading to the capital to prepare for one of the largest military endeavors in the war yet.
As the kunoichi panned the binoculars back and forth, taking note of any guards, the blond glanced around, hand tightly clasped on his sword. Something wasn't right. His gut instinct was warning him that something was going to go wrong. He tried to push the feeling away, but couldn't quite succeed. Naruto was pulled from his thoughts as Kurotsuchi spoke up.
"So far, all I'm picking up are the handful of guards mentioned in the briefing and our target himself. This should be easy enough." She tossed the binoculars to the blond so he could confirm. A quick check, and he couldn't help but agree.
"...Suspicious," he whispered, his partner rolling her eyes at him.
"Just because we normally get sent on suicide missions all the time doesn't mean Mei-sama won't give us an easy one now and then."
Naruto glared at her.
Shaking her head, Kurotsuchi raised her hands. "Fine, fine. I'll make sure to be doubly careful." Taking the binoculars back, she quickly stowed them in her back pouch. "Now let's get a move on. We need to catch him before he leaves."
As the two made to jump down, the Kunoichi spotted a speck of white in the corner of her eye. Body moving on instinct, she changed her angle and dove into Naruto, throwing the two off the roof just in time to dodge the massive explosion the obliterated their hiding spot.
As they roughly hit the ground and regained their feet, Kurotsuchi heard a voice she hadn't heard in years.
"Yo, Kuro. I see you've kept up with your training!"
Whipping her head around, she spotted the speaker, lazily gliding down from the sky on a large white owl. "Deidara-nii..." she trailed off, eyes wide.
"The one and only, un! Now, I couldn't help but overhear you there." The pony tailed blond shook his head, shrugging. "I can't believe his plan worked. I mean come on, we're all shinobi here right? How could you fall for such a blatant trap?"
As if not hearing him, Kurotsuchi took a step forward. "How? Why? I thought you died years ago?"
Cocking his head, Deidara smiled. "Well, about that… I was actually rescued from that death sentence of a mission. Thanks to sensei, I learned a lot of things. Both about shinobi and this world."
"Sensei?" she questioned, before her eyes widened in alarm as another explosion rang out from behind her. "Naruto!"
Before she could try and rush to his aide, Deidara was sending several clay birds zipping at her, forcing her to dodge, pushing her farther and farther away from her partner. "Hang on Naruto!"
0o0o0o0
Naruto was too focused on dodging to really hear the exchange between "Deidara-nii" and Kurotsuchi. The moment they'd hit the ground and separated, he'd been jumped by another shinobi. And not just any shinobi. Bakuton no Gari had been a high A-rank jounin before he had died on a mission for Iwagakure.
Another dodge, and this time Gari's fist made contact with the ground, exploding violently yet not harming the man at all. The blond's eyebrows furrowed. Bakuton was such an annoying technique. It made him almost impossible to block unless you had a specialized defense. Normally this wouldn't pose too much of a problem for him, seeing as he specialized in speed, but the man was fast.
Sensing Kurotsuchi being pushed farther away, the blond grimaced and jumped back, opening up some distance.
"Bakuton no Gari, what's a dead man doing out here in the middle of a desert?"
The spiky haired brunette gave a half-smile. "I could ask the same of you, Hitokiri."
Naruto frowned. This much resistance was unexpected. Either they had a spy… or this had been a trap all along. Drawing his sword, he took a deep breath and released it slowly. His gaze sharpened, the carmine glare sending shivers down Gari's spine. "It doesn't matter. I'll just have to put you and your partner down."
Gari's smile widened as he smoothly shifted into a new stance. "Fair enough. But you won't be able to. Once Deidara finishes off your partner, we'll drag your half dead carcass back with us. My superiors have quite a lot to ask you."
Naruto responded by dashing forward, sword flashing out, several arcs of wind chakra screaming through the air at Gari, who met them head on, punching them out of the air with explosions.
0o0o0o0
The door to the safehouse burst open, letting Naruto tumble inside bonelessly. His clothes were in tatters, and he was bleeding heavily. He lay still for a moment, gulping air like he hadn't breathed in a week. Slowly, he picked himself up and limped toward the bathroom, shedding the remains of his clothes as he went. Fumbling around with the latch on the medical kit, it took him a second to realize that his hands were shaking because of bloodloss. "That's… not good," he thought numbly as he plastered on several emergency medical seals before binding them tightly in bandages and passing out.
By the time he woke up, the blood trail through the living room to the bathroom had turned brown, and the medical seals were completely exhausted. Wincing as he picked himself up from the bathroom floor, he stumbled his way back out, taking note of where his gear lay haphazardly across the room. He blinked, straightening as he checked a second time, once again noticing only his own gear.
A bolt of fear froze his blood. Kurotsuchi hadn't made it back.
In a whirlwind of motion, Naruto had grabbed new clothes and supplies. As he loaded up, his mind kept jumping back to when they had split up. "Kuso! I'm still not good enough!" The blond bolted back out the door, ignoring the way it aggravated his mostly healed injuries. "Hang on Kuro! Just wait for me!"
0o0 2 Weeks Later 0o0
A figure in a tattered and worn cloak slipped through the entrance to Graz, Bosco's capital, deftly avoiding all patrols. Quickly pilfering a handful of fruit, the hooded person turned down an alley before jumping up to a recessed eave. Quickly devouring the fruit, his sharp eyes followed the flow of the crowd, noting how most seemed to be streaming farther into the city.
Dropping back down to the street, the man joined the crowd, slipping into and through the gaps effortlessly. Soon enough, their destination came into sight. The Royal Coliseum. Seeing it caused the man to falter slightly, bumping into someone else. They turned around, a curse on their tongue, only to find no one there.
Now back above the crowds, he slowly and silently began making his way toward the roof of the coliseum. It was slow going though, as security was at an all time high. He was half tempted to just slaughter everyone in his way, but that would draw too much attention, and he'd never make it to his goal. He couldn't afford to be reckless here.
The noise from the crowd redoubled, causing him to speed up. He reached the coliseum roof just in time to several soldiers tying up a dark haired woman between two posts. His fists clenched as he held himself back. He had to plan, had to think of a way to-
"In the name of the deceased leader, the glorious Ferdinand, I sentence you to death!"
Several iron gates around the stage were opened, letting a multitude of feral magical beasts spill into the arena.
"No time!" Without a second thought, he flooded his body with chakra and rocketed toward the struggling figure. He hit the ground with a crash, throwing up a large dust cloud. His bones creaked in protest, but he was moving before he could think about it. His sword flashed once… twice… three times, before he reappeared in front of the beaten and broken Kurotsuchi.
As the dust cleared, the clamoring crowd grew silent at the scene before them. All the magical beasts lay dead, and the figure's hood had been thrown back in his rush, revealing spiky yellow hair and scarlet eyes.
Ignoring the crowd, Naruto walked toward Kurotsuchi, drinking in the sight of her. His heart tore as he catalogued each injury, his stomach threatened to rebel as he traced the latticework of scars and burns that now decorated her skin.
He stopped at arm's length, before a quick slash freed her of her bonds. As her body dropped to the ground, he swiftly and gently caught her, removing the blindfold and gag.
"Kuro.." he whispered out, voice cracking from disuse.
"Naruto… I always knew you'd come for me." Her voice was hoarse and scratchy, and Naruto winced at the implications. "Help me stand up."
As they stood, the kunoichi turned and tried to smile, but a scar across her cheek pulled it into an ugly grimace. "Thank you… and goodbye."
Before he could begin to question what that was supposed to mean, she pushed him away with the last of her strength. As they parted, he saw her veins turn black. As he hit the ground, the chakra building up inside her peaked, and her body was torn apart in an explosion that would've killed him had they been standing together.
The force of the blast caused him to tumble back, and he made no move to right himself as he rolled to a stop. The ringing in his ears slowly faded, allowing the sound of the cheering crowd to gnaw its way into his brain.
His blood froze though as he heard someone speak up from quite near to him.
"Aw, what a shame. Why'd she have to go and do that? She ruined the perfect masterpiece! Two lovers, separated by fate, only to be reunited forever in oblivion, un!"
A pair of sandaled feet walked into his view, followed by the blond bomber's face as he crouched down. "You know, all she would say was, "Naruto will kill you, and if he doesn't I will!" and "Just wait until I get out of here!". She never gave up any info on the Hagoromo though." Deidara sighed, shoulders slumping, before he looked up with a mad smile. "But that's fine with me, un. All I needed her for was bait."
He reached forward and pulled Naruto up by the hair, eyes alight with insanity. "Ya know, Gari-sensei died from his wounds after fighting you. Why didn't you die? He was definitely stronger than you."
Naruto tuned Deidara out as one word he'd said echoed through his mind. "Bait? ...Kuro was killed… because of me?"
Seeing the younger blond's attention waver, the nuke-nin punched him in the face. "Hey! You better be listening about how I turned your girlfriend over there into my greatest masterpiece!"
It was too much. After two hellish weeks of tracking down Kurotsuchi, only to find her and have her be killed in front of his eyes, all because of him?
Deidara cut off his rant as Naruto began shaking. "Oi, are you gonna cry now? How pathetic are you-" He fell silent when it was not tears that flowed from his eyes, but blood. The shaking redoubled, but this time it was accompanied by sound.
"...heh...hehe...HAHAHAHA!"
Deidara was blasted back as crimson energy exploded from the downed blond. The energy spiralled around Naruto, carving grooves into the ground. Pure energy was not supposed to make sound, but this manifestation of chakra roared, causing everyone in the coliseum to cover their ears and tremble in fear.
"Oi oi oi oi!" Deidara scrambled back, thrusting his arms into his clay pouches. "What the fuck is this, un?!" he yelled out, the intensity of the energy and the feeling of pure hatred it was giving off causing him to break into a cold sweat.
A drop of sweat slid down his forehead, down his brow, and pooled in his eye, causing him to blink. In that moment, the blond, and the monstrous chakra disappeared from in front of him. Spinning around, he threw his arms forward, willing his clay creations to fly at the back of the blond who now stood behind him, only to find nothing happening.
Quizzically, he looked down, only to find both his arms missing from the bicep down. Looking up, he noticed the appendages at Naruto - no, the Hitokiri's feet. "Kuso. Looks like he was the real deal after all." With those last words, Deidara's vision split as the top of his head slid off and hit the ground, his body following immediately.
The coliseum was so silent you could hear the terrified heartbeats of the audience. No one moved, their instincts telling them that to move was to mark themselves for death.
Hitokiri turned in place, glacial ruby eyes surveying the entire venue. When he had completed a full turn, he uttered only a single word.
"Die."
0o0o0 The Waterfall of Truth 0o0o0
"I could never forget her." Naruto grit his teeth as tears streamed down his face.
"Then why are you trying!?" The shadow boomed from behind the waterfall.
"Because I can't let the past weigh me down. What happened, happened. Nothing we do can bring her or anyone else back. You got our revenge, we have other problems to deal with now," Naruto angrily turned back around as he let his tears dry out.
"Revenge? You think I got our revenge killing those demons in Bosco? Hahahahahahaha! Don't be a fool! We're not even close to fulfilling our revenge!"
"I know, and trust me Kyosho will-"
"I'm not talking about them!" the shadow grinned at the confused look on Naruto's face. "I'm talking about the Fiorans."
"You know they were manipu-"
"It doesn't matter! It's because of them that we lost everything! It's because of them that she died! Had they never betrayed Shadow Heart she would've never been on that mission! Did you really think I would ever be satisfied with just the Boscoan's deaths?"
"No. But you know the truth just as well as I do! You know who's really to blame for Shadow Heart's destruction as well as Kuro's death. And as long as I'm in control I will not take another life that had nothing to do with it!"
"We'll see about that," the shadow growled, it's piercing red eyes glowing brilliantly.
"We will." Naruto turned back around and began to stalk off.
"You can't run from me, Naruto! I'll be here, watching, waiting for you to admit I was right! That you need this power, need me!" The shadow faded away, it's mad laugh echoing long after it had disappeared into the depths of the waterfall.
"Maybe… but I won't lose myself, like you did." Naruto closed his eyes as the world around him began to fade to white. "I can't afford to…"
00000000000
This was longer than intended.
Yeah, this kinda spiralled out of control.
But that's a good thing… I think. Nice long chapter that was supposed to be short as well as more info about Naruto and his days as the Hitokiri.
I guess.
Before anything else though we do need to address a few things.
Me first. So about Natsu and Amaterasu… I could just throw out the "it's our story, whatever" line, but I actually put some thought into it. Natsu isn't going to get an automatic power up like lightning dragon slayer mode. Also, Natsu has spent years at this point unknowingly eating chakra based flames, which are fundamentally different from pure magic based flames. And as an aside that may or may not become a thing, deities might have more of a role than cameos that get their asses handed to them here. And besides, who says Natsu is going to get off as lightly as he did in canon for "doing the impossible"?
That and when I originally created this story, it was always with the intent that magic and chakra were different.
Which hopefully you readers picked up on in earlier chapters.
The next issue is how close to canon we were in the last chapter. And well… we had to be. There just wasn't much that we could change with this arc. But we did change quite a few things about a few characters such as Ikaruga. And trust us we were struggling with the canon because of how much of it we needed to have occur while still being in this world where shinobi exist.
Yeah, it gives us more opportunities to explore how the shinobi and magical world are integrated.
And do make sure to let us know what you think.
Yeah, your reviews help us figure out what we're doing right so we can keep doing it and what we're doing wrong so we can fix it.
And also make sure to head on over to my profile page and check out our P.a.t.r.e.o.n link and help support us there.
If you feel so inclined. No pressure.
But do it.
…
Just do it! Or actual cannibal Shia Lebeouf will find you.
*facepalm* Don't feed into his delusions.
Or actual cannibal Shia Lebeouf will find you.
Ronin, I think it's time for your meds again...
Psh, I don't take meds.
And therein lies the problem.
Till next time guys!
See ya!