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Artemis frowned as she wiped the dirt off her skirt, beating up Apollo and Hermes had messed her clothes up once again. Unlike the dress, though, she could fix the skirt with a simple wave of her hand. That is, assuming that she could avoid having Truth ban her from using her powers.
She shot a look at her host, who merely nodded his head. Well, at least that answered that question. With a little burst of wind from her hand, her clothes were back to their pristine condition.
As she walked back to her seat, she never noticed red eyes staring at her butt. If she had, she would have beaten up Truth as well. Though she was wondering why Aphrodite was grinning at Truth... that couldn't mean anything good.
Truth rolled his eyes at the love goddess, "If everyone, not including Apollo and Hermes, is ready, I'll play the next chapter." He didn't bother waiting for a reply, he already knew that they were ready.
Hero or Monster
Chapter Four – Hell Hath no Fury
"That sounds so boring," Ares stated blandly, he personally wanted more fights to the death. One couldn't really even blame him for that, it was just in his nature to want violence. He literally lived on war and death!
This... this was going to be a crappy chapter... he could already tell. If this chapter was about women, like he assumed it to be, he'd shoot himself.
I sometimes wonder if my talents are nothing more than a curse. Why was I, someone so young, given the ability to understand things with such clarity?
That was a very good question, one that everyone wanted the answer to. Why was Naruto given his powers? Was there a divine reason or was it all by chance that he was given the power of a god?
Time and time again, I find myself regretting the power I was given. Why me? The need to be a monster grows more and more with each passing day. The more I try, the more I find ways that I am what I claim to be. Be it mentally, physically, or spiritually. So why is it that I usually end up a hero?
"I still like him," Dionysus stated as he looked up from his magazine, "The best heroes are those who don't want to be one." He ignored the thoughtful look on Apollo's face, "He doesn't hide what he is, he doesn't even try and contain the urges that make him the monster that he is."
"I almost forgot that you could be philosophical," Athena joked, her lips quirked up just slightly. It was such a horrid sight, no one even knew that her lips could make sure motions.
"No... not philosophical," Dionysus shot back, his eyes gleaming with latent power, "Just raving mad. For those dumb enough not to understand, it means that I see things differently than you lot."
At the end of the day, I ask myself these very questions, and reply with the very same answer.
Who cares?
"Exactly," Dionysus nodded his head, his eyes never leaving the magazine, "You need not answer to anyone else. Just yourself and only yourself." He didn't know how many times he had burned mortals to a crisp for questioning his actions.
Actually... not that he thought about it... wasn't his rampage across Asia caused by someone questioning him?
He shrugged his shoulders, it was a long time ago, didn't really matter anymore. That was the curse of immortality, time goes by so fast, leaving very little to treasure. It also meant that life wasn't sacred to him or the others, well, unless their domain had something to do with the aspect.
I am a monster, be it Nezumi or Naruto.
And every day, I become more and more okay with it.
Ares grinned, his teeth glinting in the golden light,"Good." He personally agreed with his drunkard of a brother, the more Naruto gave into his desires to be a monster, the easier it would be to convert him into a worthy heir.
He ignored the looks of his family, their opinion of him meant absolutely nothing. If he had his way, he would kill them and harvest their very souls. He would bring mans true nature to light!
He would watch as humans fought amongst themselves, killing and betraying everyone! He would watch as the entire world burned to cinders!
The only problem was that Zeus had put a limit on his powers, preventing him from ever achieving his true status as The God of War!
His grin grew wider, with Naruto's help... he would exact his revenge and show the world, show them all that he was not someone to be trifled with! He would show them all... he just had to get his hands on Naruto first.
When Mei returned to where Neko and her team were on standby, the young blond that accompanied her was now Nezumi. He'd had his fun. It was time to put the mask back on and act like he wasn't a monster.
Neko smirked under her porcelain mask, the way the leader of the Resistance kept glancing at her kohai told her all she needed to know. The woman had witnessed, with her own two eyes, the power Konoha had at its beck and call. Good. Now they'd pay attention to what her and her team said. Ah, the benefits of knowing a monster.
"I take it Nezumi was more than efficient in proving that you have been given four operatives who are more than capable of fighting the Mizukage's forces." Neko said somewhat smugly. Having Mei actually say that her kohai's were only worth half an agent really bothered her, and to see how the woman reacted to Nezumi's actions made her feel more than a little smug. Nezumi knew as much, even without his abilities to feel others. Her tone said it all.
Ah, the benefits of being a monster.
"Indeed," Dionysus stated with a drawl as he threw the magazine that he was reading away, "Many benefits, maybe too much for a mere mortal." He sighed dramatically, "Do you think Neko will scream when Naruto turns on her? Will she cry for mercy when Naruto rips her apart, piece by piece?"
"I'd hope so," Apollo stated, his eyes narrowed in thought, "Cause if she didn't, then it would mean that there was something wrong with her."
"Indeed." Mei finally said reluctantly. "I'll make sure not to underestimate you or your team again." She bit out. "You have my word. I'm," the woman actually looked to be in pain, "sorry." There! She said it, now it was time to move on and forget it. She would be hard pressed to admit that she was wrong and apologize to a Konoha-nin again. She loathed having to do it a first time.
"Heh," Poseidon chuckled lowly, "A Mortal-Athena everyone." He loved getting in shots like this, call it retribution for all the other times that she'd done it to him... stupid bitch.
Athena rolled her grey eyes, that was just like her uncle.
"Apology accepted, Mei-san." Karasu replied with a respectable nod of his head. "You didn't know if you could put your faith in us." Wow, this was the most the auburn-haired woman had heard the black-haired boy speak the whole time he'd been with the Resistance. "Now you know you can."
Mei nodded slowly. Having children talking to you like they were adults would take some getting used to, if she could ever get used to it. Really, what was that village feeding its youth?
"Steroids," Hermes answered, his silver tongue making its self-known, "And lots of it from what I can tell." He shared a smirk with Apollo, the both of them holding an ice pack to their bruised eyes.
The both of them paused in fear as they saw the ever scary sister of Apollo, her eyes set into a warning glare. They could feel their immortal lives fleeing as she drew her thumb across her throat.
Gods... wasn't she just adorable?
"Did your general get the information he was tasked with recovering?" Neko asked, wanting to know if Nezumi had been used for nothing or not. For the purple-haired woman, breaking people out who were already defeated and imprisoned wasn't the best way to spend their time. She hadn't planned to spend too horribly long in this war-torn country. She had a special someone waiting for her at home after all.
"Aww," Aphrodite cooed as she stared at the purple haired masked woman, "That's so cute!" She just wanted to grab the woman and cuddle her... and maybe get some one on one with her.
Hera sighed in misery... she hated Aphrodite with all her heart. On one hand, their domains complimented each other so well... and on the other hand... Aphrodite was a grabby whore who could not, and would not, settle just for one man. She was a terrible person, destroying everything that Hera had ever done just to satisfy her own desires.
If she had her way, she would strip the goddess of her domains and throw her into Tartarus to suffer for the rest of eternity. It would only be fair for all the pain that she had caused her family.
"Yes." A blue-haired man finally spoke up. "The factory is underneath Shio." Ao revealed. "That bastard stuck it somewhere impossible for us to get to without losing too many of our own."
Mei's fist hit the earth-made wall. "Damn it!" She all but snarled. "He really doesn't want to lose that damn place." She ran a hand through her long hair and sighed. "We really needed to hit that base. It's our greatest way to cripple his armies."
Neko thought it was a smart idea. Taking out the man's weapons factory would slowly make his men's supply dwindle down, causing more of them to lose battles with the Resistance, not having the equipment to properly fight back. More deaths would lessen moral, which would then cause even more deaths. It was slow and subtle, but it was a smart move. The smallest of bug bites could fall a giant and Team Ro knew it. Nezumi was practically the epitome of that very saying.
Very small.
And very deadly.
Very.
Saru looked at Neko, a silent request to speak. He was given it in the form of a nod. "Mei-san, if I may, I have a proposal you should consider." Nezumi smirked. Saru might not be very lazy, or constantly spam the word 'troublesome' like the rest of his clan, but the pineapple-shaped hair was a dead giveaway. The man was a Nara, through and through. And no other clan in the world could claim to be more tactically and strategically proficient than the deer-herding clan of Konoha.
"Deer?" Artemis asked for clarification as she hadn't expected her sacred animal to be mentioned the story. It made her wonder if there was anything different between their animals and the ones that she hunted.
Humans had obviously evolved differently in that dimension, so what was to say that the same wasn't true for animals? Different dimension meant different rules for how nature worked.
Heh, for all she knew, a single deer could have six legs, four eyes and shoot fire out of its mouth.
"Correct," Truth confirmed, "The Nara clan is famous for three things." He raised three fingers, "The first one is their ability to control shadows. If you were to face one in battle, try and do it where there are little to no shadows." He lowered one of the fingers, "Trust me. You do not want to be touched by their shadows."
He grinned at Artemis, "The second one is this. They share a special bond with the deer that live in the forest behind them. They are the only ones that can enter the forest without being attacked. The last poor soul to go in there, that wasn't a Nara... poor guy." He shook his head in sadness, "Another thing to note is that they use the antlers of the deer to make natural remedies."
"And the final one?" Athena asked.
Truth rubbed the back of his head, "They are extremely intelligent. Hell, one Nara by the name of Shikamaru had an IQ well over 200." His face turned serious, "They are a clan to be feared. They are smart, powerful and capable of making plans on the fly. Basically... any mortal that gets on their bad side is fucked."
Nezumi turned his gaze to Mei and smirked under his mask when he felt her nervousness. "Mei-san," he began, "Saru is our team's greatest strategist. You should take whatever he says serious." He felt Saru's gratitude at the kind words. "It could help liberate your country."
Mei nodded, not wanting to argue with the boy's words. She had underestimated the small cell from Konoha once already, and that had proven to be a bad idea.
"What is it you wish to suggest?" She asked him genuinely. She wanted her home out from underneath Yagura's cruel reign more than anything. If she had to play nice with the Leaf then she would. Her ego meant little if her people continued to stain the shores red. Mizu was more than ready to leave war behind and enter the nice long vacation that was peace. Too many innocents had died already.
"I take it back," Poseidon announced as a shit-eating grin spawned on his face, "She's Athena 2.0." He ducked under the spear that was sent flying at him, "Cause there's no way Owl Head would ever play nice with anyone."
Athena growled at him, her eyes set in a ferocious glare. If she ever got her hands on him, she would strangle him to death.
Saru once again glanced at Neko for approval. After seeing Nezumi show her so much respect, he would be damned before he showed her anything but the same. His age didn't matter; the blond boy was Saru's hero. After receiving another movement of his captain's head to continue, the Nara ANBU operative began to explain the plans he had created in the seconds he had heard them bring up the problem they were facing.
He knew it was a good idea to familiarize himself with the geography of Mizu no Kuni before leaving for the mission. That, added to his already brilliant mind, was truly nothing to laugh at. He wondered if this made him what Nezumi called a 'monster.' He sure hoped so.
After his explanation was finished, Neko and Mei were confused when they saw Saru staring at the base's ceiling, obviously lost in his own thought, and Nezumi nodding slowly at said monkey-faced man in an approving manner. Why did the blond have both of his thumbs up? Did they miss something?
Karasu, like always, was watching the happenings with indifference.
The laughter that resounded caused the floor of the artificial dimension to shake. Even the chairs, that were bolted down, looked like they were about to be ripped out of the ground.
Nezumi sighed in content when he fell down on the bed Mei had said he was free to use, both mask and shirt forgotten on the floor. It was the most comfortable thing the young agent had felt in a long time. The ANBU's commendations were meant to be functional and nothing more. Comforting things apparently dulled the senses. Nezumi thought it was such a load of bull. He loved Hokage-jiji, he did, but the man was such a cheapskate.
"Well... Kudos to the guy for having an excuse, especially one that no one can argue against," Apollo grinned. He himself had used such excuses when he was in the mortal world.
Another sigh left his small lips, the bed really was comfortable. He had a whole ten hours to rest his body for tomorrow's assignment, which relied heavily on him and Karasu.
The rest was very welcome. The young blond was a juggernaut in many cases, stamina being one of them, but even he got tired. The small team had only stopped twice in the three day trip to Mizu no Kuni. They didn't even take a boat; Neko had the team run the entire ocean that lay in between Water Country and Hi no Kuni.
Afterwards, he had been sent to singlehandedly take out an entire prison. Yes, he had volunteered to do so, but that was a moot point. The Resistance needed to be shown what they were given. He was the only one who could show them properly.
So when the beautiful woman had accepted Saru's plans and shown them to where they would be sleeping for the majority of the time they were in Mizu – after the small tour of the subterranean base – the blond had been more than thrilled. When she revealed that they had separate rooms, he had been surprised.
The woman must have been really impressed by his actions, because now she was treating them almost like royalty.
Zeus nodded his head, "Power is might! If you have it, you should be respected and treated like a king." He never noticed the rolling eyes of his family, "And young Naruto has it in spades."
He may have been over exaggerating though, because even lower class citizens had their own rooms and beds. But it had been years since he moved into ANBU HQ and the small closet that was considered a room and the paper-thin mat he slept on was beginning to get old.
He willed his eyes open, his ANBU training not letting him fall asleep until he inspected the room he was in. Even though he knew they wouldn't turn against them, the years of training had drilled into his brain that non-Konoha shinobi were always the enemy.
He was in an average-sized room, the same color as the earth it was made from. The bed took up a lot of the space, being four times the size of his mat back home. Now that he thought about it, it was a bit strange. Why did he have a king-sized bed?
He was in an average-sized room, the same color as the earth it was made from. The bed took up a lot of the space, being four times the size of his mat back home. Now that he thought about it, it was a bit strange. Why did he have a king-sized bed?
There were two medium sized nightstands on each side of him, both having random things thrown on them like someone used them regularly; also confusing. The right side of the room had what Nezumi thought to be a walk-in closet. He couldn't tell from his position propped up on his elbows, but he would wager that it was full with someone's clothing.
He didn't know why, but it seemed like he was given someone else's room. It could have been on accident, or maybe the person was gone for the night or was no longer with the Resistance. Whatever the reason may be, he didn't really care at the moment. He was exhausted and ready to drift off into slumber for the remaining time he had left for relaxation. In his tired state, he had forgotten to check on his team's position, like he always did when he was out of the village with comrades.
Not five minutes after he had closed his eyes to try and relax did the door to his temporary room slide open. His eyes opened and he went upright. Of course he had to accidently be given someone else's room, nothing could just be easy, could it?
Before he could sit up completely, he was gently pushed back down into the soft sheets of the bed covers. "Where do you think you're going, cutie?" A female voice purred in his ear. He immediately recognized the voice as Terumi Mei, the leader of the Resistance. If he couldn't feel the emotions of the woman he would already have killed her three times over by now. He'd never been so grateful of his abilities.
"No... you don't think?" Hermes grin was infectious as Apollo soon joined him in grinning, "I mean... he's only six or something right? She's like what, twenty-five?" The two shared a high five, the boy must have been blessed by some sort of luck god.
The goddess of the hearth looked heavily scandalized, he was just a boy. Her opinion of Mei had just dropped so impossibly low that it could have been mistaken for the ground itself.
Aphrodite scowled at the scene, her eyes glowing pink. A handsome lad like Naruto deserved someone far more beautiful than Mei. There were far better catches in the sea... such as herself.
"I was going to go find myself a new room to sleep in." He replied with a perfect poker face. He couldn't afford to show emotion and give her the wrong idea. "This one obviously belongs to you."
Mei tightened her grip on the boys shoulder. "Ah, ah, don't be so quick to leave a woman when she hasn't said what she wants to say." She purred in his ear again. He wondered if she actually thought she trapped him. She had to know by now that he was stronger than her, in every way possible. "It's just rude." She added after he was silent.
"She's good... I'll give her that." Aphrodite grumbled to herself as she crossed her arms under her bust. The way that they bounced caused all the men to hold their noses so that they weren't knocked out by blood loss.
Though... the looks that they were receiving from the women was enough to make them wish that they had let the Titans win.
Her body and warmth did feel good. He may only be ten, but he was still able to admire the female body. It is a wonderful thing after all.
"And what is it you wish to discuss, Mei-san?" He asked politely. He knew how to keep calm and collected, even in a situation like this one. He tried his best to ignore when she pressed her substantial bust against his chest sensually, their faces so close he could feel her breath hit his warm flesh.
"You seem to be a very mature young man, Nezumi-san." She replied, adding the respectable honorific to his codename for the first time since his arrival. "You must've been with a woman by now, even if you are so young." She continued, now rubbing her chest against his. "Am I correct?" She asked, giving off the feeling that she thought she was right.
"You would be wrong, Mei-san." He eventually said. "I am still very much a virgin." He added clinically, talking like he was speaking about the weather or something else just as unimportant.
The woman's purr was absolutely sensational. "Ah, so I'd be the first to taste this incredibly yummy looking flesh then." She licked the boy's bare neck. "Good."
Both Hera and Hestia glared at the love goddess, they knew that she had something to do with Mei turning into a pedophile. It would take time... but they would make sure that she got her punishment. They'd allowed her to run wild for far too long!
Aphrodite, seeing the glares, scoffed, "I don't have anything to do with that. Even if I did... I'd make sure that it ended badly for Mei." In her head... she was kind of hoping that someone would kill or maim the woman. Rape, for her, wasn't out of the question either.
Truth, being all-knowing, couldn't help but be surprised. Aphrodite was reacting far more harshly than he had thought to the auburn haired woman. It made him wonder what would happen if he put the two into one room.
Naruto sighed; he really hated to have to do this. He took her wrist into his hand, gently guiding it away from his body. "I'm sorry Mei-san, but I cannot sleep with you." He sighed again. He really hated his abilities sometimes. "I feel I am too young at this time to have sex." He pulled her other hand off his body. "I hope you can understand." He finished, sighing once more.
Mei pouted. "Don't be like that, cutie, it's normal for shinobi to have sex at young ages. Our lives aren't very long." She tried to reason with the boy. It was true, too, shinobi weren't guaranteed to live long in their line of work, and so releasing some of their tension through sex was a common occurrence.
Still, Nezumi was ten, and most ten year olds didn't even know what sex was, never mind be interested in it. The Uzumaki really hated that he wasn't like most ten year olds at times. Right now being the case in point.
"Are you kidding me?" Apollo gaped at the blond boy, "Don't tell me you're rejecting the bombshell of a woman!" No man, either mortal or divine, could resist such an offer! It didn't matter if he was ten, he was still mentally mature enough to appreciate such an event.
He winced as a hand slapped his head, its owner's silver eyes burning holes into Apollo's head. Times like this made her regret being born. She had to deal with such acts of depravity on a daily basis.
Truth merely smiled as he listened to the thoughts of Artemis. While she thought she had it bad, he'd seen far worse. He'd seen worlds were people ate their own children, where women were nothing more than objets. He'd seen worlds were women were the evilest thing to walk the face of the planet.
He'd seen it all.
It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep with her, because he did, he really did. It wasn't even because he was embarrassed about the size of his… equipment, because he wasn't; he really wasn't. If anything, he was proud of his size actually. For a ten year old, for any age actually, he was more than adequate. He didn't know that he had his Uzumaki blood to thank for that not so small gift from God.
"That's a relief." Apollo blew a sigh of said relief as he wiped the sweat off his forehead, "For a moment, I thought that he was gay." He had no problem with him being gay, actually now that he thought about it... Naruto would be more likely to want to have sex with Apollo if he were gay.
Aphrodite couldn't help but blush at the thought of Naruto having a big 'tool'. Really... she was starting to absolutely want Mei dead.
It really only came down to two things, one being the main reason for his refusal of sleeping with the beautiful woman. The first and less important reason was that she was still a Kiri-nin, even if she was trying to bring the current Mizukage down. That didn't really count though; Yagura was an ass who needed to die. The second and most prominent reason was the obvious one; his age. He had no childish thoughts about the act; he knew exactly what it was and was curious about it ever since he first understood what it was many years ago, which is why he was hating his abilities at the moment. He just didn't really want to lose his virginity at ten. It was just a personal preference, was all.
"I know exactly what you mean Mei." He left the –san part out of her name. They seemed to be very personal at the moment and weren't in the presence of others. "If I was a little older then I would have happily taken you up on your offer." He tried to reassure her. He could feel her disappointment.
"If it's about your size then worry not." Mei started, reaching under the covers and his pants at the waistline. "There are plenty of other ways to pleasure someone, size doesn't matter all that much to me." She was telling the truth, Nezumi could tell. "I won't tease you, I-"
Anything she was about to say was cut off when she had the surprisingly large manhood that belonged to the boy grasped in her hand. 'Okay, that's just not fair…' The auburn-haired woman thought when she recovered from her shock.
Nezumi did chuckle this time. Yup, he really was a monster, through and through.
"Wow..." Aphrodite drooled at the scene... she was totally going to get her hands on that boy and have him screw her silly. She licked her lips in excitement... it was going to be so much fun, for the both of them.
He again grabbed her arm, taking her hand out of his pants and releasing her grip on his member. "That's not what I'm worried about." He said rather smugly. The look and feeling of shock and disbelief on her face was completely worth letting her grab a handful of what was between his legs. "I honestly think that I am too young for sex." When he felt that she finally believed him he was relieved. He didn't want to offend her. She wasn't the reason he didn't want to have sex. He just wanted to wait before he started that chapter in his life.
Her next pout was genuine, after knowing what the boy was packing, he couldn't really blame her. "Such a shame." She sighed, getting out of the bed and walking into the closet for a moment. "I really was looking forward to getting to know you better." She called out from the closet. She walked out a short moment later in a rather revealing nightgown. "Oh well, I guess you can't have everything you want." She said softly, slipping into the covers next to him.
Before he could get out from underneath the covers to leave the room and look for another place to lay his head, slim arms wrapped around his torso, pulling him into their owners embrace.
"Um, Mei…" He began, slightly confused when the woman's legs wrapped around his own. She was successfully spooning him now. "What are you doing?" He didn't mind it too much, he just didn't appreciate being the 'little spoon.'
"You said you didn't want to have sex with me." She began. "And I respect that, I do." She continued. "But if you think I'm going to spend the rest of the night alone after feeling your warmth you're sadly mistaken." She finished with a happy smile.
Nezumi had the same smile on his face. He would be okay with that. Having someone to sleep with, actually sleep, was always the best way to do it. The warmth was a constant reminder that you weren't alone. The blond had only shared a bed once before with a client he spent the night with in a cave three months ago. They had been forced to take shelter for the night and the teenage girl had asked him if she could share a bedroll with him. He could feel that she was scared and was only seeking warmth and company, so he had given the girl what she wanted. He found he rather enjoyed it.
"And in case you decide you want to take my body in the night, feel free to do so." She purred into the back of his neck. "Please." She added in a sensual manner, causing the boy to shiver. Damn, she found a way to get at him. He needed to find a way at her now. He smirked; she really didn't know what she was getting into.
He was a monster, but he was a pranking God as well, and he knew a challenge when he saw one.
Let the games begin.
"If he beats her, I'm making him my champion. The kid really is a monster in everything he does." Hermes joked, his blue eyes sparkling with the mischief that he was well known for, "Maybe he could even take my trickster domain. Gods know I have too many."
"No," Zeus stated, "If anything... I will decide the domains that he will receive, no one else. I don't need you morons giving him something stupid." His glare cowed the two gods.
Apollo and Hermes shivered at the look on their father's face, "Understood."
When Neko had woke up next to both Karasu and Saru in the small room the Resistance gave them for their stay in Mizu no Kuni, she had been slightly sore. The room was very small, just barely able to fit the three of them. She didn't know where Nezumi had spent the night but she wasn't too worried, the boy could take care of himself.
"You have too much faith in Naruto," Hades said in a low voice, his eyes shadowed by his long black hair, "In this matter... he is not prepared for such things." All in all, he looked a lot like Darth Sidious when he was wearing his robe.
Her only real problem was when Saru's hand not so accidently landed on her body during the night, near her chest region. That pervert. She didn't mind sleeping next to Karasu, the young boy she knew to be an Uchiha – everyone knew who he was – was a perfect gentleman, allowing her to take the bedding with the most padding. Saru, however, was a different story altogether. She didn't like sharing a sleeping area with him at all.
She didn't need to be up so early, she had another hour before she needed to get up, but she was always an early bird. She liked to get up and train a little in kenjutsu, just like Hayate-kun had told her she should, even if she was in another country.
When she made it to the training grounds – Mei had shown her and the team the previous night – she wasn't at all surprised to see Nezumi – now clad in full ANBU gear – there before her. What did surprise her was that he wasn't alone. One Terumi Mei was currently sparring with her youngest comrade.
From what she could tell, it was taijutsu only, but like everything else the boy did, he was the dominant one. To the auburn-haired woman's credit, she was holding her own pretty well. She was keeping up at the very least. That just showed that the woman was as powerful as they said she was.
She went blow for blow with the blond, but Neko could tell that he was holding back, quite a lot, too. Mei obviously wasn't going all out either, but she was trying harder than the boy just to keep up. She could see the woman's playful smirk; she was enjoying the spar a little too much. What exactly happened while her kohai was gone during the night? She had the feeling that if he didn't have his mask on, she'd see the same playful look on Nezumi's face. Why were the two so chummy?
Understanding dawned on everyone's faces. It was Ares who voiced it first, though, "I can't believe it! The bitch's actually jealous haha." He wiped a tear from his eyes, "And she says she has someone waiting for her! What a load of bull."
"I don't know what to say either... maybe... she sees him as a little brother?" Hestia suggested though it was obvious she wasn't comfortable with the subject, "I mean there has to be a real reason."
A right jab from Mei was blocked and then used against her to throw the woman to the ground. It was a clean and precise move, executed perfectly. What came after it was not so professional. The boy actually straddled the powerful kunoichi and bent down so that his mask was dangerously close to her face.
Words that Neko couldn't hear were passed between the two, causing the woman to actually blush, and then squirm out of his grasp. It was for naught though, his physical strength far surpassed hers, and she was firmly stuck. The temporary Ro-Han captain could hear the boy laugh before he let her out of his intimate hold.
She coughed to announce her presence, which she knew was not necessary, with the boy's sensory capabilities he knew where everyone in the whole base was, but she did it anyways. She knew he could feel her uncomfortableness with the whole extremely close contact that he was sharing with the leader of the Resistance, but she still thought it best to voice her opinion. He was ten for crying out loud.
Before she could open her mouth to say anything however, he glanced over his shoulder at her, giving her a silent warning that he knew she would receive.
I'll follow your orders, but do not forget who I am.
Message received. Neko's mouth firmly shut, not wanting to risk her command for something she really had no say in.
"Guess we know who holds the leash in this relationship." Dionysus's grin was wickedly sharp as his ever-changing eyes spun with wicked glee. It was times like this that reminded his family why he was a god and that he was no pushover.
"Neko-taicho, Nezumi-senpai!" She heard Saru greet them as he walked into the training room. She had never been so grateful to see the perverted Nara in her life. "Looks like we all got up a little early then." He said, Karasu walking in shortly after the words left the monkey's mouth, giving everyone present a respectful nod of his head in greeting.
Nezumi gave Karasu a nod in greeting of his own. "It would seem so." The blonde replied, now standing at a proper distance from Mei. He had let Neko see their close and friendlier relationship only so that the team's captain knew everything that she needed to know.
He wasn't going to give her any details, not only because there wasn't really anything to give, but even if there was, it was none of her business. What he did in his private time was his and his alone to know. His age aside, he was considered an adult by shinobi standards, having become one the moment he was assigned to the ANBU. He didn't really want the others to know though. Karasu would most likely not care, but that was beside the point. He and the Uchiha liked to keep their private lives private.
Saru was the one he didn't want to find out. The man would never let him live it down, and he was positive the rest of Team Ro would know of his 'conquest,' which wasn't the truth, shortly after the Nara caught wind of it. He had no delusions that his team wouldn't believe he turned down someone like Mei, so he decided to keep it quiet.
"Well." Mei spoke up, picking up a towel and handing it to Nezumi. "I'm going to go wash off." She then took her own towel and wiped off the sweat from her brow. She bent down and whispered into the blond's ear, so that only he could hear her. "If you'd like to join me, you know where my room is." The woman was trying to mess with him again.
Nezumi smirked under his mask. "Sounds wonderful." He whispered back, enjoying her surprised pause. "I'll meet you there in a few minutes." He added, feeling both her shock and excitement. He was looking right at her, but his face mask was blocking his mischievous smirk. It took her a few moments, but she finally realized that he wasn't being serious.
"He is good," Hermes grinned, glad to see that Naruto was also a monster in wordplay. Already his mind was working out how to claim the mortal for himself, to create chaos amongst the mortals!
With Naruto, the famed trickster of the gods would be back in play! It would be nice to get back into shape regarding that domain... he'd been inactive for far too long.
Damn, he had gotten her good that time. He was obviously more skilled in the art of subtle, or maybe not so subtle, teasing. It was a good thing she liked the boy. If any other man tried to speak to her the way he now did she would have melted his face off with her Yoton. Or so she told herself. Denial was something she didn't have much experience with. She, deep down, knew that she could never harm the boy, even if she wanted to. He was on a different level than anyone she had ever seen before.
Mei gave the blonde a look that said he won this round and walked away; making sure to sway her hips more than necessary, which both Nezumi and Neko didn't miss. "That woman is Hot with a capital H." Apparently Saru didn't miss it either.
Karasu chuckled lightly. The Uchiha knew who that little display of provocative walking was for. It didn't surprise him either; Nezumi was just the kind of person that people of all ages liked, in more ways than one.
"Let us spar for the remaining time we have." Neko said, getting the attention of the three males she had under her command at the moment. "We don't want to dull our senses." That little remark forced Nezumi to remember Mei's offer last night. He really wished he was older and more prepared. Ah well, there would always be plenty fish in the sea later. And who knows, when he did age a little more, he might just get the offer for sex from the auburn-haired woman again.
A monster could dream, despite popular beliefs.
Hades snorted, "I wouldn't call them dreams." He still remembered the one time that he had entered the dreams of a monster. Poor thing could only think about killing and eating anything that wasn't a deity.
It was a real shame that he couldn't permanently kill the thing.
After the hour of training, the Konoha ANBU team found themselves in the large room they first entered upon their arrival to Mizu no Kuni. Sitting on one side of the large meeting table was Terumi Mei and Ao, on the other was Neko and Nezumi. Both Karasu and Saru were standing, letting their Senpai's sit as a sign of their seniority. It was strange to most of the Resistance, they all knew that Nezumi was the youngest, yet the boy had seniority over two older operatives.
Word had already spread around the Resistance in the short time Nezumi had returned from Black Harbor of his actions. A lone boy had crushed the Kiri prison with ease, and that very boy was a Konoha-nin sent with three others to assist them with their cause. The people finally had another hero – Mei being their first – to look up to. Hope was slowly returning to the hearts of the Resistance, and it had been no more than sixteen hours since the ANBU arrived.
After Mei had seriously considered Saru's plan, she had concluded that it was brilliant and simple. It wouldn't have worked however if everything he said that needed to fall in place didn't happen, or the super powerful blond wasn't with them. Fortunately, and rather amazingly, everything that the monkey-masked agent had said was necessary, did in fact occur.
Mei was beginning to believe that all of Konoha's shinobi were in some way terrifying. The strategic thought process of the operative who came off as a pervert was absolutely mind blowing. The fact that his plan was incredibly simple and completely ingenious at the same time made the woman's head hurt.
The plan was as follows: have Nezumi and Karasu attack several of Yagura's bases on every island physically possible in the span of a week. And, like Saru knew his Senpai would do at Black Harbor, allow three or four Kiri loyalists return to the Mizukage to report what was happening. Once word had reached Kiri and its forces that children were responsible for the fall of so many outposts, not only would it lower morale, it would get the attention of the man they were sent to kill.
"...It is a good plan," Athena said, although it sounded like it hurt her to admit it. She wasn't the type of person to compliment others, instead, choosing to curse anyone who was better than her at anything.
The reason was very simple. She was a sore loser.
Once Yagura was given so many reports of mere children destroying his forces slowly, he would be forced to intervene personally, falling right into the trap that was laid out for him. Once he was in Nezumi's sight, he would soon be gone from this world.
It was simple. It was elementary. It was, in Saru's words, "untroublesome."
Nezumi said he didn't spam the word, not that it was banned from his vocabulary.
It would also allow the Resistance ample time to prepare for what was to come after the weeklong havoc spree. The destruction of the weapons factory would commence a few days afterward, and with that, added to all of the other chaos caused by the young ANBU agents, the Resistance would take their first real step in winning the war.
Mei was overjoyed. Mizu no Kuni was so close to freedom and equality for all her people she could practically taste it. It was only a matter of time now, and not much of it. She really needed to find a proper way of thanking Konoha for sending her the knight in shining armor that went by the codename Nezumi.
"So, we all know what our assignments are, right?" Mei asked, getting nods from all present. "Good." Her voice was low but everyone could hear her with clarity. "Let's send our enemies straight to hell." She finished with a smirk that Nezumi knew all too well.
She had found her inner monster.
"Trust me... if she'd actually found it... she would have been dead ten times over," Dioynus commented with a smirk, "Inner monsters are not something to be trifled with."
The boy was still too young to see the whole picture. Maybe he would learn one day... but for now... he could keep his naive viewpoint. It was more than enough to deal with the world of mortals.
The following week had gone off without a hitch. Nezumi and Karasu had been going from base to base, razing them all to the ground like it was a holy crusade. They were alone, the rest of the Ro-Han contingent staying with the Resistance, helping to prepare for the raid that was to come.
It never ceased to amaze Nezumi how efficient Karasu was when in battle. The Uchiha was only thirteen and he was the closest to Nezumi out of the four that were with him in strength. The blond realized that he couldn't really say anything when it came to someone's age, him being ten and all, but he was a special case. He was born with a power no one before him possessed.
Yes, there were other Sennin, but none of them were born so closely intertwined with natural energy like he was. So, for Karasu to show such prowess, with only the Sharingan to aid him, was no small feat.
"The two of them are power incarnate." Hermes said with a small frown, "I'd hate to meet the person who gets on their bad sides." It would only be a matter of time before the rest of his family tried to get their greedy hands on Naruto, or even Karasu.
Closing his eyes, the god created a latent blessing that would activate should the boys ever step foot on the Earth. It was his way of preventing anyone from upsetting the balance of the universe.
Nezumi could feel his closest friend's heart; the boy was a pacifist – only taking lives so that he could protect his village. In a way, they were alike. Nezumi only enjoyed being a monster to protect his village. He didn't like to cause the innocent suffering. He was in a country torn by war to stop that very thing right now. He didn't like to hurt the weak or helpless either. He only enjoyed killing when the men and women he killed deserved it. People like Yagura, whom he was planning on adding to his already large and still growing body count.
Where they differed though, was that Karasu never enjoyed killing – ever. He only did so as a means to an end. He knew the act of killing was an important factor in a shinobi's life, and he dealt with it instead of complaining. There were only a handful of shinobi that the Hokage could trust completely to do anything he ordered unconditionally, and Karasu was one of them.
Ares looked torn. On one hand, he liked the fact that Karasu obeyed orders like a good soldier. What he didn't like was the fact that he didn't enjoy killing and didn't attempt to kill more.
Naruto, on the other hand, actually enjoyed killing others. The problem was the fact that he wouldn't abandon his morals or values. That made him both appealing and disgusting to Ares.
So they traversed the islands that made up Mizu no Kuni, bringing down to the ground any Kiri bases they could find. With Nezumi's extremely large sensory field, it was uncomplicated. Actually taking out the bases was like child's play. Without Karasu, Nezumi could have brought them down almost effortlessly. With him, the blond almost felt depressed at the ease they were able to finish their task.
Mei was telling the truth when she described the Mizukage's plan for overwhelming the Resistance.
Team Ro had been told that much of Yagura's armies were made up of very, very green genin. The man with questionable sanity had been promoting unready aspiring shinobi, the kind of people no sane Kage would ever let into their ranks, to genin so that he could fill the empty spots the Resistance made in his forces. He was giving weapons to men and women, boys and girls, who had no business being a shinobi in the first place. They couldn't even use them properly for god's sake. It was sad, and it angered Nezumi to no end.
The kind of person it took to send his people in the slaughterhouse like cattle was the kind of person that the young ANBU agent liked, loved, to kill. His Hokage knew of this as well, and the wrath that was the God of Shinobi was already in Mizu no Kuni, in the form of one nezumi-masked ANBU operative.
The man never should have touched a Hi no Kuni citizen. He would die for that now. Konoha would have her vengeance.
"Good." Hestia's glare made even Hades pause. No one wanted a mad Hestia... that was a nightmare that made even Zeus scared. The last time that such a thing happened... well... it had resulted in the fire that burned down most of London in 1666.
The glow in Hestia's eyes was bright and powerful, "That man needs to pay for using children in his war."
"Nezumi." Karasu suddenly spoke. "This will be our last target before we have to return." He finished, his voice only audible to the blond. Even though they were friends, the two hardly ever shared words. It was like a silent friendship, each knowing what the other thought of them. In Nezumi's case, he actually did know what the Uchiha felt.
"Hn." Nezumi replied. He already knew as much. The week had been a slow one and the blond couldn't wait to return to the Resistance. Mei had told him that when he returned, he was welcomed to sleep in her bed with her again. She had enjoyed his company, too. Nezumi couldn't wait.
They could see their target in the distance. Karasu activated his Sharingan. The walls were a light shade of grey. The exterior was reinforced with metals, three different kinds. The guard's tower had two men inside it. Both were of short stature, no older than twenty if their complexion was anything to go by. Fifteen traps set, they were getting nervous. Good. Inside the fortress, the walls were made up of some kind of hardened clay and wood. Flammable. The ground was nothing but earth. Good. The cobblestone they saw in the markets would have been inconvenient. Conclusion; it's going to be just as easy as the other eighty. All of this happened in the time span of three seconds. Itachi had mastery over the Sharingan most adult Uchiha couldn't hope to accomplish.
Time to work.
Karasu could see Nezumi take off his mask in his peripherals. The vicious smirk on his face told him all he needed to know. Naruto was awake. The monster was off its leash.
Time to play.
Truth smiled as he saw the scene, his red eyes flickering to a shade of blue that was quite strange on his form. This was a very good story. Maybe it was time that he brought someone else to this world?.
"You two were able to take out eighty one bases in a week?!" Ao sputtered unintelligently. He was stricken with shock and awe. That many bases would have taken the Resistance months to complete. These Konoha ANBU were terrifyingly effective.
"Correct, Ao-san." Karasu replied. "Eighty one Kiri controlled outposts are no more." He clarified, the man's facial expression slightly amusing him.
Neko gave a short nod. "Good. Now that we're so close to being ready to hit the factory in Shio, all of this should be finished up within the next week." It couldn't happen too soon either. She really missed her boyfriend.
"Yes." Mei sighed contently. "And Mizu no Kuni will know war no more." The huge, heartwarming smile on the woman's face even made Nezumi smile. He was glad that he could help these people out in their time of suffering; they deserved it. When the blond thought about it, he realized how absurd it all was. A monster was the hero, setting a land free and saving its people. Ah well, nothing about him was normal, might as well live in irony.
"Normal? What does that strange word mean?" Hermes joked. Personally, he thought that the word was cruel. Why should someone be confined to the norms that other mortals set?
He and Truth shared a nod, they both understood the importance of being themselves, no matter what others thought.
"Mei-sama." A woman Nezumi didn't recognize appeared from the entrance of the hideout. "A man is here claiming to be Jiraiya of the Sannin." The woman reported. "He's here to speak with the Konoha ANBU." She finished, giving Mei a deep bow before vanishing again.
Mei raised an eyebrow. "Did Konoha send a Sannin to help me as well?" She asked Neko with an incredulous expression.
Nezumi thought he felt his fellow sage. "It would seem so." The blond replied for his captain, already making his way to the entrance. He hadn't seen his sensei in a long time now.
"Are you sure it's him?" Neko asked, also confused as to why the Hokage would send someone as renowned as the legendary Toad Sage to a place such as this. The man may be the most perverted human being alive, but he was still shown the highest form of respect, even from women – at times. He was a hero, an extremely powerful and, at times, wise man who helped in the last two Great Shinobi World Wars.
"So you may be confused... but he peeps on women, no matter what they're doing," Truth admitted as he looked at all the females in the room. He was able to tell that they were angry, even without his unique status.
Artemis grit her teeth in annoyance... if she ever got her hands on his neck... she'd make sure that he spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
"It's him." Nezumi said excitedly. "I'd recognize my old Ero-sennin anywhere!" Mei giggled. This was the first time she'd seen Nezumi act, even if only a little, childish. It was a welcome sight; it reminded her that he was still human, capable of things besides death and destruction.
The blond disappeared into the small tunnel that led to the hut above, and when he returned, sure enough, the aforementioned Sannin was with him.
Neko, Karasu, and Saru all immediately bowed their heads. "Lord Jiraiya." Neko greeted. She was in the presence of a living legend.
The man gave them a nod, allowing them to rise. "So." The Sannin said, taking a moment to look around the underground base. "What're you up to now, kid?"
"Ah, you know, just a little mission Jiji wants done. What about you?" Everyone present sweatdropped. He was speaking so casually about something so important to someone so legendary like it was the most natural thing in the world, not to mention his completely disrespectful way of addressing the leader of Konoha. "You better not be here for your research Ero-sennin! In case you haven't noticed, we're kind of busy with a war right now." He added, narrowing his eyes at the older man underneath his mask.
Jiraiya waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Nothing like that, kid." He replied, smiling at his godson. "I just thought I'd come and see how you were doing. I haven't seen you in a while you know." He finished, using his large hand to mess up the boy's hair.
Nezumi swatted the hand that was attacking his already messy hair away, mumbling something about old perverts. "Well, since you're here you can help us on our next assignment." The blond said with a smirk. "You can have a hand in freeing Mizu."
Mei took this as a way to enter the conversation. "That would be wonderful, Jiraiya-sama." That was her first mistake. "With the help of both Nezumi and yourself, the Resistance is sure to win." Because now the pervert saw what a beauty she was.
Aphrodite kissed her teeth... she was still far more beautiful than the auburn woman. She shot a glare at everyone that was snickering... this was not funny.
"Oh-ho!" Jiraiya shouted, steam seeming to rush out of his nose. "And what do we have here?!" His voice was now annoying Nezumi. "Such a beautiful woman as you should be sitting on a throne with a crown on her head, not in a place like this!" He used his hands to gesture to the earth-made base. That was his first mistake.
Nezumi was about to say something about him leaving her alone when the auburn-haired woman seemed to glide towards him. "I made this comfortable base, Jiraiya-san." She said in a sickly sweet voice, causing the Sennin to shiver. "Are you trying to say that I am not proficient with Doton?" Jiraiya gulped.
Nezumi chuckled before he rescued his terrified sensei. "Mei-san, we need him alive so that he can help us when it's time for the raid." Mei sighed, but relented.
"Thanks, kid." One Sennin whispered to another.
Nezumi shook his head. When was his sensei ever going to learn?
Apollo shook his head, people like him, Zeus, and Jiraya would never learn. They were lovers and artists... they would not stop with just one woman, even if they wanted to. That was just not who they were.
"So, the crazy bastard sent their heads to sensei then…" Jiraiya repeated with his voice now serious. When he became like this, like the respectable veteran shinobi that he was, everyone paid attention to him. "That sounds like something sensei would send someone like you to retaliate for."
Naruto – his mask was off and he was able to truly be himself in front of the man who had familial feelings for him – nodded his head in agreement. He knew he was the Sandaime's top operative by now, up there with Inu-taicho and Karasu. Whenever there was an important issue that needed to be handled, with a one hundred percent guarantee of success, Naruto was the person to be sent, especially when it came to missions that involved a lot of destruction and mayhem.
"Yagura tried to play games with Jiji, which was not something he should have done." Naruto replied, rubbing the back of his head absentmindedly. "He'll soon know the consequences of his foolish actions." He finished, stretching his back with a resounding pop.
"Death to those who purposely try to harm Konoha or her citizens." Jiraiya finished what his godson was implying.
Naruto nodded, making his way to the door where he paused and looked back at the white-haired man. "Hell hath no fury." He whispered before leaving Jiraiya's personal room.
He was tired, and he couldn't wait so share a bed with the beautiful kunoichi named Terumi Mei again.
The blond's unfinished sentence was left to the breeze inside the base.
Like a woman scorned.
Konoha being the now blood thirsty woman.
"I take offense to that," Artemis muttered as she crossed her below her chest. Sure women could be bitches, but they weren't bloodthirsty monsters. That honor belonged to people without a conscious.
Truth rolled his eyes as he shot the screen of, "And we've just completed chapter four." He got off his seat and stretched his back, a loud pop resonating through the room. He glanced through the room, multiple thoughts running through his mind.
Snapping his fingers, a portal formed. He walked to it and stepped through it, his head is the last thing to follow, "I got to go and take care of something. I'll be back in a few minutes."
So chapter 4.
Let me know what you think of it.
Um... this is a bit weaker than my last few chapters so apologies.
Please check out my other stories, including Awakening of A Hero