Here it is folks, the grand finale of the Forging of the Blades arc! The time has come for Naruto to forge his own Gunblades that symbolize him in the world of Fantasy. Will he succeed?
Disclaimer: Fan of Fanfics21 does not own Naruto or Final Fantasy XIII or any references to any other Anime/Manga
Pain and darkness that was all he could register as his conscious took over as he awoke in the land of the living. "Did anyone get the number on that Behemoth King's collar?" he groaned out as he felt a pat on the shoulder, adding more pain to it than last time. "Good to see you too sunshine." Lightning replied as Naruto's eyes adjusted to the light. "How long have I been out?" he asked as Lightning looked at him. "For nearly a few days, it's already noon." She replied as she helped him slowly sit up as he scrunched his face in pain. "Urgh, that fight did a number on me…" he grumbled as he flexed his right arm while noticing his left arm was bandaged up and was in a cast. "You sprained it, when I found you; you were covered in wounds both from within you and from the Balrog. Speaking of which…" she said as she gave him a curious look, "What happened when we went separate ways?" she asked as Naruto sighed, knowing she was going to ask away. He told her how he meet Tempest and how he, Snow Jr., and himself battled the Balrog as he acquired a new summon, how he defeated the Balrog by imprisoning it inside crystal with his new powers.
Lightning was silent, wondering, what this boy in front of her really is. She knew he was human, but also…not human at the same time. He had abilities that were not from the world of Fantasy, it was as if…he came from a completely different universe with its own set of rules. Who is he really? A single boy defeating a high caliber demon from another universe was impossible, but she scratched that, recalling how he made the impossible possible many times before. Was this world really the future of Gran Pulse? Or was it a paradox on a powerful level that is connected to this boy as history was severely altered? Somehow, she felt as if she discovers more about his true past, the more the world makes less sense. And it must be connected to Nione in some way, for he seemed to have had this planned out all along for some reason. Was the death of Naruto the key component for the many dimensions to topple into the Void? She had to make sure that scenario does not go through.
She had already taken Highwind's summon stone and locked it up in a multi-lock safe, so even if one lock is solved, over a dozen more need to be undone. She would not let this boy die; she had seen his pain and wanted to help him. But he seems to be a magnet of trouble that leads to life-threatening situations. She made her resolve, to be by his side and help him uncover who he really is and help him complete his focus. But something inside her heart was acting on its own, as if recalling something important to her. She helped him put his upper clothes back on as they exited the building, revealing Mifune and his samurai there. "I see he has recovered well. I must thank you two for saving our mines from these crystal abominations. Now we could return to mining them for our blades." He said as he and his samurai bowed in respect. "And as a reward," he added, gaining their attention. "We will let you come back for more ores for your blades as many times as you want as a token of our gratitude." He finished as he and the samurai stood up.
"Thank you; it was a real honor of meeting you Mifune-sama." Naruto replied, also bowing as the old samurai lord smiled at the boy. "I've heard from him of how you were planning on forging your blades. I look forward to seeing them once they are complete." Mifune spoke up, getting the boy's attention. "You're familiar with the blacksmith?" he asked as the old man chuckled. "Boy, he's a legendary smith that many samurai of the old era knew, one that many would die to see his unique blades come to life on the battlefield." He replied as Naruto began to slowly put pieces of the puzzle together, but still couldn't pinpoint the name of this swordsmith. "Collect what you need and be on your way young one, for the time draws near for you to face dark trials ahead." He warned cryptically, something Naruto understood. "Very well, I will face them then, even if I do not know what they are. I know that I will come out alive." Naruto muttered as Lightning was directing people to move carts of ores into the ship. He walked into the ship, heading towards his room there and rested, not knowing what he will dream of this time.
/Memories of a Blood-tainted Past/
This dream was one of swords and battles. He and his fraternal twin sister were fighting numerous Narutos, some of them female versions of himself as he newly dubbed them Narukos as some new twin sibling incarnations joined in this battle. All of them with the intent of killing him and his twin sister as they fought on, having each other's backs as they parried, deflected attacks as they killed the other Narutos, Narukos, and the twin incarnations relentlessly, disregarding their own wounds and exhaustion for the adrenaline kept them fighting as their hearts beating with the fury of titans as many fell to their blades. When the battle was over, the hill they fought on was stained with blood and littered with swords, as his twin sister's body began to fade away, due to so many battles, it couldn't handle any more. "No! Don't go!" he cried out, hugging his twin sister with tears in his eyes as she looked at him with a gentle smile. "Don't worry brother…" she spoke gently as she wiped the tears from his eyes. "My body may be gone…but my soul will live on inside you until we are reborn again like the other "Naturals". So please, live to see another day for me. I'll be asleep for a while, but when the time comes, I might even return to the physical world and continue the fight with you. But for now…I must rest." She finished as her eyes closed as her body faded away, leaving a floating, glowing sphere of light that went inside him. He held the empty spot like if she was still there, as his heart was torn inside as the pain grew inside of him.
The pain was unbearable, his right arm burned in his anguish as he roared to the heavens with his right hand outstretched as a blue flaming sword emerged from his hand as an angelic wing erupted from his right shoulder blade, and a demonic bat wing from his left shoulder blade as the area shook from the power as the souls of the dead became visible. They felt his anguish as the energy from the blue flaming sword danced around the area, showing them images of their torment as the dead Narutos, Narukos, and the multiple twins of different timelines were shocked after learning the cold truth. With that, they all knelt down to him, as if acknowledging him as their leader. He made is resolve and he wanted to atone for ending them, starting with the demise of the one responsible for this battle. "Ladies and gentleman, you have been cheated and lied too. The man promising to bring back your dead parents was a lie just to facilitate me and my sister's powers for his own gain!" he shouted to his army, "We have suffered many pains for this curse and in return ended your lives and dreams. You are all dead, but you're fighting spirits live on in this battlefield, your hopes and dreams in ruin when you died." He spoke remorsefully as they all understood him. "But today, this cursed cycle will end!" he declared as they all looked at him with full attention, as they felt his determination surging in them.
"Today is the day we storm the console he lurks in, working on his twisted experiments as he gets the laughs as he watches us kill each other for over false promises. He will face the justice he had eluded from for so long as this world will burn, cleansed from the stains of war as life will flow anew in this desolate land. My brothers and sisters, this is war!" he roared as he pumped his fist in the air as his newly formed army raised their weapons in the air and roared with him. Naruto watched this vision of his true past as his younger self lead the army towards countless victories in the rebellion; he was a great leader and mighty warrior…almost like a lion. He noticed how his twin sister's soul also joined the battlefield a few times, he knew from there that her strength to maintain her physical form was limited but she inspired the army to fight even fiercer than any Shinobi World War in history. He wondered how she did it though. He mused that she had a fiery spirit that was moved by his actions in looking for a tomorrow. He had no idea how long these battles lasted; it felt as if aeons had pass in this world as the battles raged on as it soon reached the grand finale. With one familiar face he had known to hate: Nione.
"So, you've become a rebel, eh?" Nione asked, clearly amused by what he was seeing as he sat on his throne as the younger incarnation of Naruto snarled at him. "It's time to end this Nione, your game is finished!" he snapped at him as the man responsible for everything stood from his seat with a smirk on his face. "Of course, after all…your time on the Wheel of Fate is already at its end. It is time to end this charade once and for all, mongrel." Nione mused as he held his had up as if gesturing something. The air rippled behind him as numerous types of weapons appeared as Nione had a smirk on his face. "Like it? It's the Gate of Babylon: King's Treasure. It took me years to recreate it after I slayed an incarnation of the King of Heroes. It is my most powerful and useful weapon of choice." He explained as Naruto looked at the weapons with narrow eyes. "What sort of sorcery is this?" he demanded as Nione laughed at him. "This is a symbol of a hero of the ancient past, a Noble Phantasm. In these gates hold all original weapons that mold into new weapons of legends as time passes through as they would be held by heroes of the next generations." He relied as Naruto looked at him with hate.
"If that's so…then it's considered an "Original" like the other Narutos, Narukos, and their twin siblings while me and my sister are "Fakes", correct?" he asked in a quite tone as Nione chuckled darkly. "Indeed, both of your origins are nothing more than that of artificial test tubes with an artificial womb to birth the two of you. You don't exist anywhere beyond this world. Surrender these pitiful hopes of freedom, relinquish your will, and feed the Wheel." Nione spoke as four pitch-black wings sprouted from his back with blue glowing veins on them. "Never!" he snarled as Nione frowned. "Then spend an endless eternity tormented in the Abyss until the end of all creation!" he replied as he gestured the weapons as they started firing at Naruto like rapid bullets as he was engulfed in an explosion. Smoke covered the area where Naruto stood as he was completely unharmed as he was wielding a sword and spear as Nione looked shocked. "Impossible…You've recreated the Noble Phantasm Knight of Honor?-!" he demanded as his slowly narrowed his eyes "Plus you've laid your filthy hands on MY treasures…You must really want to die, damn brat!" he shouted in anger as dozens of weapons appeared behind him. "I'm not sure how you recreated a Noble Phantasm like that, Cipher. But let's see how much your thievery will keep you alive, show me!" he ordered as he fired his weapons at him. "I don't know what you're talking about, but if this helps me kick your ass then I don't care!" Naruto shot back as he deflected more weapons
Naruto watched in awe of his younger self, of how he easily deflected and used the weapons of Nione against him as he threw two of them right back at him, forcing Nione to leap away as his throne as it was reduced to rubble as he stood on equal ground as him. "How dare you…" Nione growled as his shoulders trembled in anger, "-make me share the same ground as you." He finished as he looked at Naruto's younger incarnation with absolute hatred in his eyes. "I WHO DANCE AMONG THE VERY GODS THEMSELVES?-!" he roared as his flesh, muscles and such dissolved, revealing an angry, demonic skeleton in robes with hollow eyes glowing red with hate and anger in them as thousands of blades appeared in the air, all of them aiming at Naruto. "Your impudence has sealed your demise! Once I'm done with you, not even a shred of your soul will be left to be recycled for the Wheel you damn brat!" he shouted as Naruto stood there, his angelic and demonic wings outstretch as he had a satanic face as the wind started to twist around him as he looked at Nione as his blue fiery sword erupted from his hand. The two sides stared at each other in hate, one for ruining thousands of lives while the other for ruining his pride and ego. The air was tense from the desire to kill each other as they charged, Nione drawing two blades from the gate as Naruto had his unique "wraith blade" as his sole weapon as the two forces clashed against each other, creating a shockwave of such incredible force as the area around them collapsed, revealing the battle outside with the other Narutos, Narukos, and the twins of other timelines clashing with Nione's own army of the dead. The two sides stopped when they saw their leaders fighting for dominance as they fought to a standstill.
That was when Naruto's twin materialized, her own set of matching wings like her brother as she held her own set of blades as she shouted to the army, "My brother faces their leader, defeat the enemy's army and regain our freedom from this hell!" she shouted as the army roared with renewed vigor as she led the battle as it became even more intense than ever before. The sounds of blades clashing intensified as Naruto and Nione fought with inhumane speed in their swings, as one of Nione's own blades finally broke as he was forced to fight with one sword. "To think…" he started as he clashed blades with Naruto again "-that I'd lose to a mere counterfeit like you!" He roared in anger as he constantly screamed out "Bastard!" every time their blades collided as soon, his last blade broke. "Tch. Looks like I have no choice but to end this now!" Nione declared as the gate appeared as he began to pull something out, something that sent chills down Naruto's spine as he realized what it was. "Like hell I'll let you!" he shouted as he swung his wraith blade on the arm that held a scythe, or to be precise, Death's Scythe. The arm was cut as the weapon of Nione's flew in the air as he dashed backwards trying to catch it as Naruto was going to make the final blow on Nione.
That was when it happened; a black hole appeared from the gaping wound of where Nione's arm was once there as he looked at it in shock. "What?-!" he exclaimed in shock as he was sucked into the vortex as his army froze at the sight of their leader vanished in front of them. The undead army soon turned to dust, with no master to sustain their existence as the army of Narutos, Narukos, and the twins of all incarnations cheered in victory. That cheer did not last as something grabbed the younger Naruto's arm as they stared in shock as a massive black hole stood a good few yards in front of him, a chain of some sort latched on to his arm. "To think that my self-destruct system was to be forced to activate…" a familiar voice spoke from the void as something was slowly coming out of it. "But I won't do that unless I take you down with me!" Nione shouted in anger as Naruto's twin sister tried to sever the chains as a voice made everyone freeze at the familiarity in it, "Dodge to the right." The voice said as Naruto did so, as a tri-pronged kunai sailed passed him and pierced the skeleton's skull, with black blood leaking out of it. "Damn you to the lowest pits of hell Cipher…" he rasped, "-MINATO NAMIKAZEEEEEE!" he finished with absolute loathing and hate as the chains gripping Naruto's arms broke as Nione was completely swallowed up by the vortex as it vanished for good this time.
Naruto gasped for breath as his sister hugged him, tired from his duel with Nione as his sister helped him up as they turned to thank the person who saved him as they froze as the other Narutos, Narukos, and twins of various incarnations looked at the man who saved him. The man was an older version of himself minus the whisker birthmarks, and a short-sleeved long white coat, decorated with flame-like motifs on the edges, with the kanji for "Fourth Hokage" on the back. This made him and his sister look at the man with unhidden awe, the man they were all looking at, was Minato Namikaze, or at least, his Cipher counterpart. But a living legend in the flesh, "Are you alright Naruto?" he asked as Naruto merely eye smiled and chuckled as he fell into darkness, exhaustion consuming him completely.
/Memories of a Blood-tainted Past: Complete/
He awoke to the land of the living, sitting upright drenched in cold sweat as his put his hand to his forehead as he panted. "That was definitely something of my past." He concluded as he realized that the ship was flying, probably Lightning piloting it while he slept. He knew that he had a grudge from Nione unleashed as the physical form of Death is constantly toying with him at the moment, bidding his time to take full revenge for that humiliating defeat aeons ago. He had to be cautious now, now that he regained parts of his memories of his origins; he knew Nione would not rest until he got payback for his defeat. Knowing from his faint memories, he'll manipulate someone into killing him; well there was an old saying "One must keep his friends close, and his enemies even closer." He had a theory that it was someone he knew, but the main question was who.
Nione woke up from his small nap on a tree branch as he rubbed his forehead with bitterness, recalling from his dream of the past of how the Cipher Minato "killed" him all those years ago to save Naruto and his nameless twin. "One day Minato," he growled in absolute hate in his voice, "I'll make you suffer a fate worse than death." He finished as he checked his agenda and smirked. "Yes, for now, let's see how much your brand will grow after losing someone close to you Naruto." He grinned phasing out of existence with a plan in mind as the forest around the tree as said tree itself also instantly decayed as the animals around there were instantly turned into skeletons.
Lightning set the ship on autopilot as she went to check on Naruto after he awoke. He was fine, but it looked as if he had a nightmare of some sort. She reapplied some bandages on him as she noticed the minor wounds are already gone, probably from Kyuubi's influence as some of the major wounds were already healing up nice and slowly. He didn't use his Medic role as he thought of it as a waste to the effort that the nurses had applied for him, at least he's respectful for their effort and he was nice enough to not start using Cure on himself. "So, how are you feeling?" she asked as she looked at her young apprentice who gave her a tired smile. "I feel a lot better than before, thank you." He replied as he went to lie back down and closed his eyes to rest some more. Usually he's energetic, but it seems that fight with the Balrog took a lot out of him; she could use the quietness at the moment. She looked at the sleeping boy, proud of how he stood his ground against a powerful opponent and that drive to never give in; this boy is truly promising and would have made a great warrior in the Guardian Corp. when it was still around. As a reward, she took of his headband and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead as she placed his most treasured item on the stand and left, leaving the boy to sleep peacefully.
*In Konoha sometime afterwards*
Sakura panted as she focused her chakra into healing a fish. She constantly pushed herself to and beyond her limits with her sole drive to help her teammates. She felt guilty of how she had treated Naruto after all of those years, neglecting his feelings just so she could focus solely on Sasuke. She began to miss a bit of the old Naruto already, how he would constantly declare how he would defeat Sasuke and become Hokage. His cheerful demeanor was now gone after meeting that Lightning lady. He was cold to her and the others of Team 7, especially with Kakashi for some reason. She recalled how he talked to Naruto about something and he snapped, and whatever he said to him, Kakashi-sensei felt as if he was hit with a low blow from the expression in his lone eye. But after he came back with Lady Tsunade, he was acting like a brother to her.
Cheering her up as Tsunade healed Sasuke from his mental illness. She thanked him when he replied "No, I should be thanking you. If it wasn't for you and Sasuke cheering me on at a certain point, I would have been dead." She wondered what happened as Tsunade explain how he died in a battle against some sort of dragon, how her heart reconciled with him in the limbo world alongside with Sasuke and the others, giving him the fighting spirit as he came back to life and defeating the dragon, gaining control over its tremendous powers. She was also surprised when Naruto suggested to Lady Tsunade to let her take her on as an apprentice. From that point on, she constantly challenged herself in her medic studies as she mastered the basic tools in medical treatment as she began on her hardest challenge in medic ninja training: the Mystic Palm jutsu. If she could master this, then she's an official Medic-nin and she'll get to learn more advance medical techniques and prove that she isn't weak at all. She pushed every inch of effort into the Mystic Palm as the fish suddenly twitched and started flipping in the air as she quickly caught it and put it back in the water as it swam away.
"Not bad Sakura." A voice from the entry spoke up revealing Tsunade herself with a smile on her face. "Oh, it's you Lady Tsunade!" said Sakura as she bowed to her master who walked up towards her. "Good news, you're an official Medic-nin, Sasuke is out of the hospital, and Naruto is on his way back from the Land of Iron." She explained as Sakura looked surprised at all the news. "You can take a break and have a team reunion, though Kakashi won't join due to…extended injuries from making a mother extremely angry." She finished with a wry smile on her face. Kushina strikes again with her menacing fists of fury. "Thank you so much for the information, but where is Naruto going to come from, the west gate?" she asked as the Slug Princess shook her head. "Nope, he's coming home from the sky." She replied nonchantly as Sakura looked confused. "You'll see what I mean later." She quickly replied as she gestured to follow her.
The two went to the top of the Hokage Monument where a red haired woman was standing there, as if waiting for someone. The woman turned and smiled, "Tsunade! It's been awhile!" the woman greeted in a carefree way as Sakura looked at her, "She's beautiful…but she gives me this vibe similar to Naruto for some reason." Sakura thought as Tsunade smiled. "Well, I've been busy on my studies to help one Rock Lee recover use of his limbs. So far its successful rate is 55% at the moment, but I have a feeling with Naruto and Lightning's help, it could be even higher." The busty blonde replied as Sakura looked confused. "Excuse me Lady Tsunade, but who is she?" Sakura asked as Tsunade bopped her fist in her palm. "Ah that's right, this is the first time you two have met." She realized. "Sakura, this is Kushina Uzumaki…Naruto's mother." She explained as Sakura looked surprised at that. She looked at the woman and wondered how she could not see the resemblance between them. He had her eye and facial shape, but the hair and eye color were off the mark by a longshot.
"So, you're my son's teammate? It's a pleasure to meet you!" Kushina greeted with an energetic smile, one that made even Sakura smile. "It's nice to meet you too; I hope you can now help fix Naruto's common sense and pranking habits." She replied as Kushina had a questioning look. "What are you talking about?" the red head mother asked the pinkette as she realized what she had missed out on. "Well one thing was for sure is that Naruto was the academy's dead last and Konoha's master prankster as he would skip classes just to pull off crazy stunts like putting graffiti on the Hokage Monument." She explained as Kushina looked surprised at that while Tsunade could picture Naruto running from ninja after completing said prank. This made Kushina smile in irony, "Like mother like son, he really does take after me." She said with a smile as Sakura looked at her with shock. "You've got to be kidding me! I thought it was the father he inherited that personality! Why I could have sworn that his mom was a lady of noble birth or something to be that beautiful!" she thought with dismay. That was when the wind picked up around them as they looked up to see a massive, metallic flying object land right in front of them.
Sakura recalled seeing that thing twice, once when Naruto made his free fall stunt during the Chunin Exam finals and winning that Most Dynamic Entry Award (Which Lee and Gai were so focused on winning before), and when it took off to somewhere else a few days ago. The hatch opened revealing Lightning and a bandaged Naruto smiling at them. "I'm home guys! Did ya miss me?" he asked with a grin as Kushina ran up and demanded an explanation of how he got those wounds like any concerned mother would. Sakura was also curious of his injuries as Tsunade looked surprised at the wounds; the Slug Princess knew hands down that Naruto fought a powerful enemy in order to receive such wounds. "-and then me and my enemy charged at each other both knowing that after it was over, only one would be left standing so here I am." He finished explaining to his mother who sighed.
"For once, can you not go somewhere that doesn't get you nearly killed? You're giving your poor mother a heart attack." Kushina replied as Naruto hugged his mother, knowing he had her worried. "I'm sorry mom; I really didn't mean to make you worry." He apologized as Sakura noticed a glint of mischief in Kushina's eyes. She recognized that look instantly; it was usually when Naruto's newest prank victim was in position and ready for utter embarrassment. Never really a good thing for anyone, "So, did you meet any cute girls while you were away?" she asked, catching both Naruto and Lightning off guard. "Wait, what?" he gasped out as Kushina had a sly grin on her face. "What's wrong? Were you that ignorant of any girl staring at you while in the Land of Iron?" she asked as Sakura looked surprised at the name of the place, the neutral area home to the samurai, ones that can easily kill a ninja with their blades alone. What in the world was he doing there?
"Now that I think about it, I did recall a few girls hiding behind corners of the buildings in the village peeking at you when we were about to leave." Lightning pointed out as Naruto groaned, now she was ganging up on him with his mom, could it get any worse? Apparently, Murphy's Law kicked in. "Just like your father, you're a heartthrob to the girls in Konoha as well; I've heard there's a fan club focused mainly on you." Tsunade said adding her own two cents with a hint of dry humor in her tone as Naruto face-palmed himself with his right hand, causing Sakura to giggle at that. "So Naruto, why were you in the Land of Iron for? It's not the friendliest place for a ninja to go to." She asked as Naruto looked at her, as if she saved him from further teasing from the three women around him. "Well I went there to collect ores for forging my new blades, why do you ask?" he replied as Sakura merely shrugged, "Well I didn't really see you around in the village for a few days, so I was curious." She replied as she recalled something. "That's right, Sasuke's out of the hospital now. What to give him a visit?" she asked. "Sure, I still need to recover so I can't train or anything at the moment, besides…" he trailed off looking at his mother who was smiling innocently, "I haven't been around my team in a while so we have some catching up to do." He finished dryly.
"So how's it been sleeping beauty?" Naruto asked in a joking tone as Sasuke scowled at him while Sakura just giggled at his sense of humor. "Terrible." The Uchiha replied dryly as they sat down at the Dango Shop enjoying some nice tea as Naruto and Sakura ordered dango as Sasuke didn't want any since he didn't like sweets. It was quiet for the three as the air was so tense, you can easily cut it with a butter knife and eat it and suffer a stomach ache. "So…" Sakura started, trying to break the ice. "Naruto, what did you get involved in that had this Lightning lady be your teacher?" she asked as Naruto sighed as if he knew that it was going to happen sooner or later. This made Sasuke raise an eyebrow in curiosity, "I'm actually pretty curious myself, what in the world did you do that could get you into so much trouble…and acquire those strange powers." He admitted, curious of the powers Naruto used in his fight against Gaara. This made Naruto groan as he bit into a piece of his dango. "Fine, it's now or never anyways." He replied with annoyance as he finished his piece.
"One word: L'Cie, simple as that." He said as Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "You're hiding something, what is it?" he asked as Naruto wished Sakura didn't bring this subject up now that Sasuke is probably going to want those powers as well. "The L'Cie is a human chosen by some divine like crystal machine called a Fal'Cie that brands humans with a special mark on a part of their body." He explained as he unzipped his turtleneck to show his L'Cie brand that was right over his heart as it was in its fourth stage. "These brands enhance, and grant new powers to the humans they select, though any ninja will lose their chakra network if they are branded." He explained as he zipped up his turtleneck. "Hmm, but Naruto, you still have your chakra network though." Sakura replied, confused as Naruto looked sheepish. "Yeah, Light and I are wondering how that was possible, but the Crystarium System and my Chakra Network are merging into one inside my body right now." He admitted as Sasuke looked at him. "Where can I find a Fal'Cie and become one of these... L'Cie?" he asked as Naruto glared hard at him, one that actually made the Uchiha flinch.
"Sasuke, you are walking on dangerous grounds now." The Shinobi L'Cie spoke darkly as his eyes made contact with the Uchiha's. "With great power, always comes with a terrible price. After the branding, the chosen L'Cie is given a Focus, a task by the Fal'Cie they must complete. If they complete it, they are turned to crystal and gain eternal life until they are needed again by the Fal'Cie." Naruto explained as Sakura felt something was off if Naruto was this serious, "But what happens if the L'Cie fails their Focus?" she asked as Naruto looked at her and let out a bitter chuckle. "The L'Cie brand is a time bomb, it grows through time and when one suffers mental shock on a strong caliber. Once the brand completely grows, they turn into a C'ieth. A damned being cursed to walk the face of the earth in eternal agony as a monster until their bodies turn to stone, waiting for another L'Cie to fulfill their Focus in their stead or until they are slain." He finished darkly as Sakura gasped in horror as Sasuke immediately decided not to become one of those L'Cie. Being branded by Orochimaru was bad enough and he did not like the sound of what the dead last of their academy was saying. If the power comes with a price, then would using Orochimaru's Cursed Seal mean losing something of equal value as well? "Then I must never resort to using the Cursed Seal unless it is a last resort." Sasuke mentally decided, not wanting to know of the consequences if he used its power constantly.
"I'm asking you both as a friend, if I fail my Focus and become a C'ieth, just…put an end to me." He begged quietly as they saw it in his eyes, despair, one that made their goofy, care-free ramen loving friend look like a tragedy beginning to unfold. "Is this why you've trained with that woman? So you can avoid becoming this…C'ieth creature?" Sasuke asked as Naruto nodded. "Yes, she is one of the few who escaped from the curse and is helping me. But right now I'm still a novice L'Cie compared to her who's a Master L'Cie." He admitted as both Sakura and Sasuke began to feel like they understand their blond teammate a little more. "So, how's it coming along with forging your new blades?" Sakura asked wanting to change the subject before it became darker. This made Sasuke raise an eyebrow, what was going on while he was trapped in Itachi's genjutsu? "So far I've gotten the ores, now I need to smelt them and create the handle, hilt, mechanics, and the blades themselves and give them a test drive…Well that's the plan anyway." He admitted sheepishly as he bit into another piece of dango.
"What is this about forging swords?" Sasuke asked as Naruto filled him in on details while he was comatose. The more he listened, the more he felt that Naruto was reaching ahead of him in power. He listened and heard of Naruto's painful farewell to his sister, trapped in another timeline completely and is searching for a way back home to him. Something that Sasuke can't help but pity on the inside, the older sibling risking everything to save his younger sibling, he was completely different from Itachi, who took away everything from him. "You would have made a great brother if she was here now." He spoke out loud without thinking as Naruto looked surprised and smiled at him. "Thanks, it means a lot to me actually. Older siblings would sacrifice anything, even if it meant to be hated by their younger siblings, just to keep them safe from danger." He replied as the words echoed inside Sasuke's mind as he instantly recalled something all those years ago that he didn't remember before, on the very day he wished he didn't remember…the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Part of his memory returned as he recalled chasing Itachi in the dark district of their clan as Itachi turned to him, with that Mangekyo Sharingan in his left eye spinning as a single shred of tears fell from it as he was sent into the nightmare of Tsukuyomi and witnessed the butchering of his entire family.
"…ke…Sa…uke….Sasuke!" the voice of Naruto rang out, snapping him out of his trance as the lone Uchiha shook his head. "You okay Sasuke? Maybe you should rest some more, there may be side effects from whatever put you in a comatose state by him." He asked as Sasuke shook his head. "No, it's alright, just…remembering something." The Uchiha replied as he excused himself and left, walking through the busy streets pondering about what Naruto said and that flashback he had. "Itachi was crying…but for what? Was it really just to keep me safe? Or was there something else involved that I was too young to know? And how is it all connected to my clan's massacre?" he thought as he continued walking home, many new questions from that one statement from Naruto dancing in his head as one thing was clear: Did Itachi sacrifice his entire clan just to keep him safe? If so, keep him safe from what?
"That was unexpected of him, well I guess we should be heading back, want me to escort you home?" Naruto asked finishing his dango and tea as Sakura shook her head. "No, it's alright. Thank you for asking though." She replied as she left, leaving Naruto alone as he paid the bill. "Sometimes I wonder if this team will last any longer." Naruto muttered to himself as he went home, wondering what was for dinner.
*Late Night*
Naruto gasped for breath as he quietly focused on his newest project in his room. Jaken and his mom were already asleep as he focused on the task at hand. With his willpower, he shifted into Sentinel Role and started focusing on his new powers which he dubbed "Crystal Genesis" as he focused on creating gemstones of great power and value. He forged a few rubies and sapphires from his Commando and Ravager roles respectively, each of them containing massive amounts of energy inside them that could be useful in battle…or selling them for money. They took a great toll on his body as he created a topaz from his Sentinel Role. He realized why was out like a light for a few days after fighting the Balrog, because he ran on pure adrenaline alone as creating crystals made from his L'Cie magic had took a lot out of him and paid the price after his victory. So he was training himself to manipulate his crystal manipulation so he can use them in battle like last time. So far he worked solely on making jewels and imbuing them with his energy and tests their limits so he could see when they would start breaking from energy overload. He noticed that the bigger the jewel, the more it could store as he tried that once and creating them was taxing enough when he made one the size of a pendant.
The next phase was to shift them into whatever he desired in combat, but that will have to wait as he created more crystals, this time with chakra as they were created in astounding speeds. He realized it was because he was so use to using chakra so much that he can create chakra related crystals like the one he won from Tsunade, which he kept around his neck all the time. These chakra crystals were the easiest to mass produce but they held no powerful properties besides storing and releasing massive amounts of chakra in them compared to his magic infused ones. He could guess they could also be used to replenish chakra for any fellow shinobi ally if they ran out. So far he had created a jewelry box amount size of chakra crystals as he stashed them in a pouch and hid it under the floorboard, planning on creating more of them later. For now, he needed his rest.
*Dream Realm*
This place brought back many memories for a reason. This place was that forge that made many metal objects from horseshoes to swords. The very place that old man taught him how to make blades…"You've been busy." A familiar voice spoke up as Naruto turn his head to the side to see the very smith himself looking at him. "Indeed, now what are the next steps for creating my new blades sensei?" he asked as the old man smirked, "Bring the Scarletite and Electrum to the tower in Training Ground 44, there is a blast furnace there, but make sure to create more crystals. You will need 13 rubies, 13 sapphires, 13 emeralds, 13 topazes' and 13 massive chakra crystals. If I were you, I'd start working on it when you wake up." He replied as the dream was disrupted as Naruto was thrown into a world of darkness.
*Reality*
Naruto woke up abruptly, flexing his arms as he checked the clock on the wall; it was only 6 in the morning. "Looks like it's time to get working." He muttered as he went for his secret stash of crystals he created. He checked how many magic infused crystals he had and was slightly disappointed at the amount he had. He had 4 rubies, 3 sapphires, 6 emeralds, and one topaz. He was going to be busy for a while as he started using his Crystal Genesis ability. The time to create the magic infused crystals were agonizingly long as time flew, he had already completed making the required amount for the emeralds and rubies, but he was already tired. It annoyed him to no end as 3 hours have passed since he had been working on his Crystal Genesis abilities as his body was begging for food and rest. Something he could not ignore. "Good morning Naruto!" exclaimed one cheerful mother known as Kushina Uzumaki as she bursted into the room, startling Naruto as an explosion of magic engulfed the room due to trying to create a Ravager infused sapphire as he was electrocuted from the backlash. "Ittai…Ohayou Gozaimashita, kaa-san, how was your morning?" Naruto greeted as Kushina pumped a fist and grinned.
"Very relaxing son, how was yours?" she asked. "Mine was pretty good so far, nothing interesting happening." He replied sarcastically, one that Kushina couldn't tell due to him saying it with a straight face. "That's good!" she said as she had a curious look on her face. "So what were you doing?" she asked. "Just experimenting with my powers is all." Naruto replied half truthfully, if he told her how he could create crystals, Kushina might get a little greedy and have him create even more, something he wasn't ready yet. "I see well hurry up, breakfast is ready son." Kushina said as she left, causing Naruto to sigh. Sometimes his mom could be the death of him when she pops out of who knows where when he's working on dangerous experiments. Oh well, breakfast actually sounded good right now.
Naruto did not regret breakfast, whatever his mother put into it besides her love sure gave him an energy boost. He finished making his latest batch of crystals as he put away the sapphires into the pouch with the other gems as he began to work on creating topazes and be done with it. He paused, recalling his efforts in battle and decided to update his Crystarium System once more, wondering if he had enough to update his roles. He felt the Crystogen energy he had forgotten he had collected over the battles flow through his Crystarium System as he focused mainly on his Sentinel Role. He was fine with his current offensive abilities, but his defenses are the worst right now. He needed to increase his agility when taking on taller enemies like the Balrog, something he noticed earlier. He sacrificed a massive amount of his Crystogen energy and felt his body become…lighter. He felt a new ability enter his mind as he unlocked a new ability as he relaxed himself. He wondered what Lightning was up to in the ship, deciding to take his mind off of crystal making, he went to go visit Lightning. Maybe she could offer him some advice?
He wondered how it changed from asking Lightning advice to target practice…with him being the target. Even though she's shooting him with rubber bullets while they were in the training ground, those things still hurt like Sakura's punches back then. "Um…how is this supposed to help me exactly?" he asked as he dodged another bullet as it grazed his skin slightly. "It's to test your speed and agility to see if you've been slacking off. At least I'm using rubber bullets this time." She replied as she focused on her aiming again, pulling the trigger. Naruto focused on the bullet this time and saw its trajectory this time, it was still fast but he can see the trail in the air as it was heading towards the direction he was dodging towards, as if by instinct, his Crystal Genesis kicked in as a crystal version of Lightning's Blazefire Saber erupted from his hands as he used the flat end as a shield. "How did I do that?" he thought to himself, completely shocked that it didn't drain him like the time he was creating those crystals as the rubber bullet was deflected.
Lightning observed that crystal weapon with great interest. "Naruto, can I see that?" she asked as he tossed it to her. She observed it and felt the texture; it was smooth on the surface when her fingers gently trailed the weapon. She went to a training log and with the crystal weapon in hand, she slashed the log. When she turned around, the training log was split cleanly in half as Naruto had his jaw down. "Scary, I had forgotten how skilled she is with a blade sometimes…" he thought as he observed the result of Lightning's attack on the poor log. "Incredible, this thing is light as a feather but as hard as Adamantine. Very interesting…" Lightning thought as she swung the crystal Gunblade as if it was her own weapon before it shattered on its own. "It seems it has a limit before it breaks. Crystals are hard to break, but I can tell that the structure of this crystal is durable enough for a single battle before they break, forcing Naruto to create a new one." She mentally noted as the energy of the crystals eerily reminded her of a new born L'Cie's new Crystarium System. She's been around with former L'Cie pupils trying to use their powers to tell when they're newly born or not.
She secretly went through his current memories and was surprised as how his Crystal Genesis worked and how he was producing a variety of crystals for this forging. Was it some kind of ritual of sorts? Whatever it was, he was lacking the amount of topazes to complete the requirements. Judging from the amount of time he placed his effort in making them, it drains a lot out of his body. "Maybe it's time for me to use that." She muttered, getting Naruto's attention. "Huh? What was that Light?" he asked. "It's nothing; you might want to finish with whatever you're doing." She replied. "…Okay." The young L'Cie replied, skeptical of what Lightning was planning as he turned back home. Once he was out of site, Lightning turned towards the ship with something planned for her student. She was going to make the infamous concoction for Guardian Corp. members who stay up late and tend to crash from their own methods of getting energy. The bitterest drink in existence that had no official name but a nickname…Mystery Drink X.
Naruto sighed, sitting on a branch of a tree as he rested his back against the trunk. He was tired; his own body cried for rest, even his inhuman stamina has its limits before it too gives out. He was going to close his eyes for a little bit, yeah, just for a few minutes…
/Hero of Wrought Iron/
"My body is made of blades…iron is my flesh…glass is my heart…and fire courses through my veins as blood…I have faced many battles…both as the victor and the loser…Never understood, as I stood on the hill of swords alone…intoxicated in battle…I pray to one day reach the ever distant utopia…to reunite with my loved ones…I continue to fight, knowing that my life had no meaning…for this body was truly…made out of blades."
There was a barren wasteland littered with countless bladed weapons of every variety known to man, with some of them even unknown to them as well. The very sky was pitch black with giant massive gears turning in the distance, red embers dancing in the air as clouds rained blood on the field, as if the world was crying tears of blood in its sadness. On a hill of swords, Naruto stood, looking up in the sky as various metals, sorceries, and other components known and unknown to all worlds danced in the air as he held his hands out, transforming them into weapons of new legends. The blades, had the very souls of lions in them as they roared with majestic fury as he slashed at the very air, the aura of power radiating off of them as shockwaves danced from their edges as they transformed into guns and he pulled the trigger, causing the bullets to take off with the sound of a lion's roar. Naruto realized what they were, they were his new Gunblades, calling their master out, to forge them so they could taste the essence of battle and become swords of legends.
He accepted their calling, as the realm he was in shattered into many shards; the two mysterious Gunblades followed him into the darkness as he saw a katana following him. He couldn't make out the details but when he saw the blade, great sorrow filled his heart as everything was engulfed in darkness. He hated the darkness for a reason, he felt alone in it as even the blades disappeared. That was then he felt a hand grab his own as he looked at who it was. It was that blond woman in a blue dress; her beauty was still breathtaking as she smiled at him. "It is time for you to forge the blades truly meant for you alone Naruto." She spoke, her voice captivating him as his blue eyes locked into her green ones.
"Who…are you?" he asked, lost at the woman who smiled at him. "You may have forgotten me, but I have never forgotten you." She replied, as her lips claimed his own much to his shock. The kiss, felt familiar, as images of another life, flowed through him as a lone tear fell from his eye. "…Arturia." He whispered in a small, happy tone as his hand caressed her cheek. "I believe you have some explaining to do." She replied as Naruto chuckled, "Well sit down, because this is going to take a while." He said as the two blonds began to catch up on all the lost time in the realm of dreams, where time does not exist.
/Hero of Wrought Iron-End/
He awoke from his slumber, smiling at a nostalgic memory as his right hand was outstretched. "I will regain my lost memories, and reclaim my lost Noble Phantasms. Just you wait; Heroic Spirit Naruto will make his comeback, believe it!" He exclaimed with a determined look on his face as he knew what he had to do, "Time to forge me a new set of Noble Phantasms." He spoke to himself as he dashed back home with invigorated energy as he greeted his mother and told Jaken not to let anyone bother him until he was finished with his experimenting. That was when Lightning came in with a bottle containing a mysterious bubbling purple liquid inside it. "Where's Naruto?" she asked in a business tone that left no argument in her tone when she looked at Jaken directly in the eyes, the ones that can make any weak man cringe in fear.
"H-he's in his room working on his experiments, he doesn't want to be disturbed until he's done." Jaken squeaked, completely terrified of the woman in front of him. She walked away, causing Jaken to fall on his knees and started breathing heavily, that woman could have killed him with a glare if she wanted too. Kushina looked at poor Jaken with pity, "Don't worry Jaken, compared to others, Lightning is actually a nice woman once you get to know her." She said trying to reassure the poor boy. Jaken just became even more depressed now.
Lightning didn't even knock as she opened the door (*cough*kicked it down*cough*) and startling Naruto as he had just finished creating a topaz. "Light, what is-urgh!" whatever he was going to say was ruined as Lightning shoved the purple liquid down his throat. "You'll need it." She said bluntly as the last drop went down his throat as he choked and gagged from what he drank. "What the hell was that?-!" he demanded as he ran to the kitchen to find something to get rid of the incredible bitter taste in his mouth. Lightning looked amused at the reaction, recalling that as her first reaction when she drank the stuff. Sometimes he just brings back memories of her time in Cocoon, but inside, she felt as if there was a missing piece in her life, like something from a half remembered dream. She didn't know what it was, but she had a feeling at the end of the day, she might uncover part of Naruto's past, and the meaning of Nione's mumblings in the mines days ago.
Naruto came out of the kitchen and he was not happy when he saw Lightning's amused expression, was she trying to torment him or something? "Okay Lightning, what the hell did you shove down my throat…and quit smiling like that damn it!" he snapped as Lightning's smile just grew. "I just gave you Guardian Corp.'s infamous energy drink, known to be the bitterest drink ever created." She replied as Naruto blanched. "Urgh and it was the worst tasting as well." He grumbled as he still felt that taste on his tongue. "Well, you need the energy for today, so how is your "Crystal Genesis" going?" Lightning asked as Naruto gave her a thumbs up. "A lot better now actually, creating the topazes aren't that hard like they use to be." He replied as he showed her his hard work. She saw crystal energy erupting from his palm as it turned golden color as the magic became crystalized as a determined look on his face meant he was concentrating as he gritted his teeth as she saw a topaz created right in front of her eyes.
She was amazed by the scene; she had never seen anything like it as Naruto placed it in a pouch. "Now it's time to work on the easy parts, chakra crystals." He said as he sat on his futon and began meditating. Lightning was in for a treat as she saw his chakra leak out of his body, and like the magic, Naruto's chakra was also being crystalized, these chakra crystals were yellow, signifying that they were made from his chakra. Chakra was usually blue, but like Naruto's, a person's own chakra is a different color if they will it to be seen. She watched as the chakra crystal grew to massive size, until it was the size of a child as he began creating more of those chakra crystals. She wondered how he was going to move all of them out of his room without creating a scene in town; this is going to be interesting…
*Tower of Training Ground 44*
"Man that was ridiculous!" Naruto sighed as he placed the last chakra crystal inside of the massive blast furnace that the strange blacksmith somehow installed into the tower. He looked around as Lightning observed the massive furnace with interest as she examined mysterious writings on it. "Interesting, these are all languages from different cultures, one that I know of, and many others I don't know…" she muttered to herself as she recognized Etro script as one of the languages there. "Hey old man you're here!" Naruto greeted as the elderly smith walked in. "Ah, it's been awhile my pupil. I hope you don't mind the company I brought in." he replied as Naruto looked to the side to see Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru, Shino, Kurenai, Neji, Tenten, a still crippled Rock Lee and Maito Gai helping him, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Asuma, Konohamaru, Hizuren Sarutobi, Shizune, Tsunade, Tonton, and even his own mom!
"Hi mom, hey guys!" he greeted with a wave as most of the people there looked confused as they looked at Kushina who waved back. Most of the sensei's minus Kakashi looked shocked at the sight of a living Kushina Uzumaki while a few girls were stunned of how beautiful she was, Kiba's jaw dropped to the ground, Choji stopped eating his chips, Shikamaru just muttered "Troublesome", Sasuke had his usual expression but had a raised eyebrow, Neji kept his cool, Lee was spouting how "Youthful" Kushina was. Kushina smiled and politely waved, "Hello, my name is Kushina Uzumaki. Naruto's mother, it's a pleasure to meet you all." She greeted as many of the male genin politely greeted her, even the lazy Shikamaru and the wild Kiba were extremely polite. That alone surprised many of the female ninjas there at how those two reacted to her.
"That's mom for ya, she can change the people around her with her personality faster than Lightning shooting me in the head with her Gunblade." Naruto thought with a sweat drop and a sheepish expression. "What brings you all here?" he asked, "Well, Mr. Masamune told us that you were going to create your blades and we had to come." Sakura explained as they all nodded their heads in agreement as Naruto's eyes widen. "Masamune, as in Date Masamune, the legendary swordsmith whose blades are yearn by the samurai?" Naruto asked, completely in awe. "Yes." The old smith admitted as Lightning looked at the man with a keen eye. "Now I recognize that name, Sephiroth wielded your blade when I crossed blades with him." She said as Date sighed. "True, only those with a calm, sharp mind can truly wield my swords. It pains me to see a madman using it for bloodbaths." The smith replied with guilt at how one of his prize creations was being used for dark actions.
"Hey, don't pick on the man Light, it wasn't his fault, it's the wielder of the swords that give the smiths their reputations." Naruto spoke up, "Now let's get this started!" he exclaimed as he casted Fire into the furnace as it lit up with great fury. "Bring in the Scarletite!" he shouted as a dozen clones marched in with the ore of the fiery metal as they carefully inserted it into the blast furnace as the crystals inside there began to glow. "Great job Naruto, now you need to-"whatever the blacksmith was going to say, Naruto held his had up to silence him. "I have something else in mind for melting these ores. Everyone please do not freak out with what I am about to do…" he said out loud as everyone looked at him with a feeling something crazy was going to be involved. They were correct, as Naruto leapt inside the blast furnace and the clones closed the furnace door right behind him!
"What the hell is he doing!-? /Naruto!" everyone exclaimed in horror as Date looked surprised at the action. "It can't be, he's using himself as a human sacrifice to gain access to the blessings of the divine?" he asked himself, knowing of one pair of married swords were forged the same way…Kanshou and Bakuya.
*In the blast furnace*
"Okay, now this is what I call a disco inferno." Naruto said for no reason at all as he stood over the ores as the crystals glowed brightly as the flames danced around his body. He closed his eyes, and let the energy possess him as his eyes glowed brightly. And spoke in an ancient language as words left his mouth
Ancient smiths and craftsmen, mortal and divine
I call thy name in terms of our contract:
Chi You
Hephaestus
Muramasa
Svarog
Kotar
Wayland
Sethlans
Vishvakarman
Kothar-wa-Khasis
Luchtaine
Creidhne
Goibniu
Ninegal
Ogun
Qaynan
Vulcan
Azazel
Masamune
Grant thou sacred metal for thy blades. I the Descendant of Cipher, Naruto Uzumaki ask thee!
With that, the entire blast furnace was consumed in flames as the crystal radiated power and the flames devoured Naruto, his body was not harmed by the heat as it danced around him. The energy from his own soul leeched into the ores as they changed color and transforming into alloys, signifying the blessings of the smiths and craftsmen of old legends that heard his call. "Thank you, for helping me…" He said to the flames as they soon became embers and the inside of the furnace became very dark.
*outside of the furnace*
"What the hell was he doing Masamune? Was this some trap?" Lightning demanded as she held the smith in front of her with incredible force. "No, he did that on his own! He must be trying to acquire metals of the divine!" he exclaimed as Lightning shook him violently. "If he doesn't come out of this alive I'll-"
"You'll do what Light?" a familiar voice rang out as Naruto walked out of the blast furnace with two colored alloys of sorts in his hands. "You're alive!" Sakura exclaimed as the Rookies ran up to him, checking to see if he was alright as a few of them bopped him in the head for doing something reckless like that. "Ouch, okay I'm sorry! Sheesh, I told you guys not to freak out for what I was doing." He said as Hinata poked her fingers. "W-well y-you did startle us there Naruto-kun." Hinata stuttered shyly, relief her crush was still alive. "Yeah, I mean I thought you were turning into a filet minion in there Naruto…By the way, nice outfit." Ino replied as Naruto chuckled at her, she always one for fashion taste. "Naruto-kun your flames of youth burn even hotter than ever! If I cannot run through a field of hot charcoal 50 times barefooted then I shall climb the Hokage Monument with 4 boulders on my back!" Lee exclaimed as Gai and his pupil continued their rants of challenges causing everyone to sweat drop at their antics.
"That was insane with what you just did...and what kind of alloys are those?" Tenten asked with interest in her eyes as Naruto smirked, "Sorry hun, it's a trade secret." Naruto replied with a sly smile and a wink as she pouted. "Man, don't ever do that again Naruto. I could have lost my stomach thinking you were roasted in there." Choji spoke up after opening his new bag of chips. "Sorry man, how about we get barbeque after this?" he asked as the f…big boned boy gave him a thumbs up due to having food in his mouth. "Can you not be that troublesome again Naruto? I mean I was probably going to be forced to go to your funeral by my mom." Shikamaru asked with a glare, clearly not amused by Naruto's stunt. "No can do man, that's how I roll." Naruto replied as Shikamaru groaned and muttered "Troublesome."
"You really are an interesting person, Naruto." Said one Neji Hyuga as he observed Naruto with a sharp eye, "When I looked in there with my Byakugan, all I could see was something on kin to the sun inside of there…what was it?" he asked, his voice betraying nothing as Naruto looked at him with a straight face. "Sorry, like I said to Tenten, it's a trade secret. I'd tell ya, but then I'd have to kill ya." Naruto replied bluntly as Neji saw that Naruto was serious about it by the look in his eye. "Very well…" with that, he stepped aside so he could walk up to Sasuke and Sakura. "Naruto…" Sakura started as she punched him in the stomach, something he came prepared for as the Mythril Mail underneath his turtleneck shirt took the blow. "You idiot, what were you thinking scaring us like that?" she demanded as Naruto looked sheepish, "Sorry, but it was one of those…ancient kind of forging methods that tend to have good results." He half-lied, he recalled a few things about his true past, but the forging part came to him when the Scarletite was in the furnace. Images went through his head as the words and his actions took over him as he leapt inside the flaming furnace.
"Naruto, no matter how much you change in personality or fashion, you're still an idiot." Sasuke said bluntly as Naruto scowled at him, "Yeah? Well you're still an anti-social emo prick." He shot back as they bumped fists as they smirked. The fellow sensei's just sighed in nostalgia at how well they were all getting along as Kakashi felt as if their bonds were growing even deeper. "What the hell!" Lightning exclaimed as everyone turned to see the furnace burning with renewed flame as Naruto's eyes widened. "Shit, there's still ores in there. The ritual is still going on!" he said in shock as everyone looked at him. "Explain now Naruto!" Tsunade shouted as tendrils of flames started moving out of the furnace. "Well, you see…That ritual I did allowed one to acquire metals of divine origins for sacred blades, made from the finest components but require one important ingredient…a human sacrifice." He explained in alarm as he dodged one of the tendrils that attacked him.
"Did you just say human sacrifice?" Hizuren gasped as he created a wall made of earth that blocked a tendril of flame aiming for him. "Yeah, it's the craziest but effective method when trying to forge the perfect weapons." Naruto admitted as Date Masamune slashed at another tendril of flame while Lightning doused the ones coming after her with a simple Watera spell. "That does not explain why the flames are coming to life though!" Lightning snapped as Naruto felt stupid right now. "Well since there is still some Scarletite that has yet to be transmuted into a unique metal, it's looking for someone willing to offer themself to the flames so the Scarletite can grant a new type of metal." Date Masamune explained as he slashed through another tendril, when did he have that katana? "So the question is who is brave enough to sacrifice themselves to stop the flames?" Kushina asked in a grim voice as everyone became tense after hearing that from Naruto's mother of all people.
Sakura felt something hot around her waist, due to what Kushina said, she let down her guard from shock and looked down to see a tendril of flame wrapped around her waist. It wasn't burning her no, it was communicating with her. It showed her many images of Naruto's true past…along with his anguish and despair as his only companion was only a katana and his Gunblades…ones that remained loyal to his side as the blade of the katana itself was the color of cherry blossoms with a story of sacrifice, friendship, sadness, and hope behind it. "Do I…really want to do this?" she thought, as she realized time had frozen, and she was assaulted with images of another Sakura Haruno, one who was in a war being a medic nin as she tried to help Naruto take on a mysterious masked man using a massive statue of some sort as the world became undone, that Sakura stood beside that Naruto as a fellow ninja, a friend, almost like a sister.
She was then given another image of a different Sakura, one who became branded as a L'Cie as a white Pulse L'Cie mark on her hand as she sacrificed everything to help that Naruto, who had donned armor in the image of a dragon to help him on his quest. And then another image, of one where the Naruto she had now doubt was his past incarnation, was impaled by a strange sword. "I am…as before…your sword. Now you shall see...the true enemy…" he gasped out as his soul became trapped in the blade as a man who looked like an older version of Naruto looked at what happened with horror as the body of the boy faded away. "Naruto…" he said with anguish in his voice as he pulled the blade out of the stone and finally saw a creature to hideous to describe. She couldn't hear what they were saying as the man and monster fought each other, with the man being victorious as he was now standing on a balcony looking out to the stars. No they weren't stars; they were other worlds, both old and new, with many possibilities in them as the man looked up upon them
"…most ironic of all, was the last gift you gave me Naruto." The man spoke to the blade, as he rested it in front of him as he looked out the balcony. "More powerful, than the sword that now holds your soul. More acute, than even the sacrifice you had envisioned…The first, bitter taste of that terrible illusion: Hope." He said with a small sad smile as the vision ended.
"I wasn't sure what I saw, but it seems as if this Naruto I know…" she thought as time was moving slowly "Was involved in something, something that gave hope to that man, probably to save all of us from a hidden threat that existed before we were born. This is crazy, but deep down I know this is a cold truth. That Naruto had suffered so much, I resolved myself into helping him but that katana I saw meant my death…I'm terrified, despair is…overwhelming me. What will happen to my soul? Will it continue on, living somewhere? Or will it perish into oblivion? I'm scared but, those other Sakuras risked everything to help them, trying to prove that whatever they did helped their respective Narutos. If I cower from this, then I'd disappoint the other versions of me who wanted to help."
She looked at the metal burning inside the furnace, as if waiting for her decision. "It was then; I knew what I had to do." She thought sadly as her eyes narrowed, "I alone, could help him…" she finished as time moved forward. She ran towards the furnace, ignoring the shocked cries of her names as she leapt into the furnace as the flames swallowed her whole. Her whole body burned in pain, she didn't scream, she accepted it as her own means to help Naruto, the one who had suffered more than anyone else and was struggling for happiness. She turned her disintegrating body around and looked at Naruto who was horrified at what he was seeing as she smiled towards him. Her lips parted as she spoke something that only he heard, she saw his eyes widen in shock, realization, understanding, sadness and grief, and under it, a small confession of how he once loved her and a silent thank you. She smiled, knowing that in the end, her sacrifice would help Naruto escape from his fate as the cursed L'Cie. She had given him a sword that had given him hope…
(Epilogue: Four Months later)
Naruto stood with the rebel army, his twin Gunblades slashing through the enemy ninjas with grace and power as he turned his sights on their leader who challenged him to a one-on-one fight. Accepting the challenge, Naruto sheathed his unique weapons and drew a katana from its white saya (A/N: A saya is a Japanese sword sheath) that was strapped to his waist. Its design was unique to its wielder, it had lavender handle, a cross guard with an open frame, and a bronze guard. But what catches the attention of anyone is the katana's blade. It was a beautiful shade of pink, resembling the colors of cherry blossoms in bloom as it was surrounded by a red aura outline, giving it a beautiful, but deadly appearance.
"Bloom and scatter elegantly…Chizakura." Naruto whispered as the blade unleashed its true power upon his foe. One that brought terror to all enemies that dare try to harm its wielder with forbidden fury.
I hate myself for killing off Sakura, but this is how it goes in fanfiction. Most fics I read tend to bash Sakura and think of her as a useless fangirl. Some people just downright hate her for reasons even I don't know, but I wanted to give Sakura a unique meaning for Naruto's evolution in this fic. Chizakura means Blood Cherry Blossom in Japanese by the way and why it is named that will soon be revealed. The next chapter will have Naruto explain to Lightning about parts of his true past that he remembered from his journey so far and the connections to certain characters only a few people would know. The terms like Noble Phantasms…well those who know of them, be ready for fics showing what Naruto was involved in before he became the person in this fic. This is Fan of Fanfics21 signing out.