Rating: M

Pairing(s): Naruto/Nezuko; Tanjiro/Kanao; Sasuke/Sakura; Shikamaru/Temari; Zenitsu/Ino; Inosuke/Aoi; Neji/Tenten; Giyu/Shinobu; Kakashi/Anko.

Genre: Romance; Horror & Gore; Drama & Some Angst; Shonen Jump Action; Humoresque.

Notes:

Hello everyone! Zancrowe here!

Welcome to the 2nd Act of this little work of fiction. We will be jumping around a little bit here, but rest assured, we'll settle on a spot soon enough. Also, if you did not realize the change, this story is now officially classified as rated "M", since, well, it going to get a bit more descriptive when it comes to some rather unpleasant stuff. I do hope you all enjoy this, and I plan for at least one more Chapter to come out before the end of the year. And don't forget to share your thoughts with me, since it helps motivate me and at the same time catch any mistakes, so I can get them fixed as soon as possible. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto; or, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.


Act Two:

At the Village of Madness


The laugh echoed throughout the entire abandoned mines, giving the already eerie, battle-worn area yet another terrifying touch. The little boy, would-be heir to the entire foundation meant to stop this very horrors from occurring, if they ever saw the light of day again that was, clung onto the kunoichi next to him out of nothing but sheer desperation. His mother, no… his late mother had always taught him to be brave, to be strong, and to always keep his head held up high, and of course, to always treat women and girls with the utmost respect. But…

"…I give it around four minutes or so until that thing finds us again," the pale shinobi, Orochimaru if he remembered their names correctly, informed the four. He looked utterly out of breath and out of strength. They all did frankly. "Any more suggestions?"

"…I-I am out of everything," the young girl he was currently desperately clinging to, and who was holding onto him surprisingly tenderly for how ruthless and strict these ninja were supposed to be, said. Or that's what he had heard at least. "Strength, stamina, tools, chakra, you name it, I'm out."

"Same…" Orochimaru muttered, as his eyes shifted from his teammate to the young ward they were supposed to be saving. The boy stiffened at the look, since the shinobi's eyes seemed to look right through him.

"Stop staring so creepily," Tsunade quickly reprimanded as she fell down, her back to one of the stone walls of this little corridor they had ran into. She held onto him tighter, and he didn't know why, but despite everything he felt oddly safer in her arms. "You're making Kanata here nervous," she voiced, her soft eyes back onto him, trying her best to offer the little boy a reassuring smile, "That's your name right kiddo?"

"…Yea-Yes," he replied, as politely as possible, despite his nerves making him want to outright vomit right then and there. "I'm Kanata Ubuyashiki, future ninety-fifth head of the Demon Slayer Corps… I mean, I-I hope to be."

"You will, relax, we got this," Tsunade affirmed with a confident first bump, but despite her best attempts, she couldn't quite hide how she shook ever-so slightly. "W-We did introduce ourselves to you, right?

"…Hmm, yes, you are Tsunade," the four-year-old replied, pointing at the pretty girl, "He's Orochimaru," he added, pointing at the creepy teen, "and that one's Jiraiya," he then said while pointing to the third member of their group, currently with his ears glued to the walls, his eyes so sharp they looked outright closed.

"That's right!" Tsunade applauded. "And we're a very strong bunch, so don't you worry about a thing, we'll have you out in no time!"

"Didn't you just admit how utterly ill-prepared we all are?" Orochimaru countered, and the snake boy looked outright exhausted. Tsunade still offered him a glare in return, and he just shook his head. "Not saying it to scare the kid. Just to be realistic. Pretty words won't save him, or us. We need a plan, and we need it now."

"I know that," she shot back, before she turned to their third member, who was eerily quiet during all this. That was an ill-omen if Tsunade ever saw one. "Any ideas Jiraiya?"

"…You guys see the size of that guy's dick?"

Tsunade and Orochimaru both paused, staring. Jiraiya still had his face to the wall, eyes closed in deep thought, but those words had been the last thing either of them had believed to be his current concern. Tsunade felt a vein pop.

"How does that help?!" she tried her best to keep her voice down, but she was so done with today to do so properly. "Why are you even taking in that detail out of everything we saw?"

"It's just the demon-guy-thing-whatever looked about our age," Jiraiya said with a defeated tone, and Tsunade wanted to smack him upside the head about the reason as to why he felt so "defeated". "…And yet, it reaches, like, half past his thighs. Life can be so unfair some-Ouch!"

"Shut up!" a red faced Tsunade roared as she threw a rock right onto his head, causing the white-haired twelve-year-old to yelp in response. "We are going to be eaten by that… thing and your train of thoughts is not helping in the slightest, you damn pervert."

"This is not me being a pervert!" he shot back, tears in his eyes, but whether they were out of pain, fear or shame, she did not know or care. "This is how I cope! I got nothing! We hit him with everything we had, and other than stripping him, we didn't even put a dent on the monster!"

"We were warned," Orochimaru interrupted, hoping that their screaming would also echo through the mines and that maybe, just maybe, it would confuse their pursuer just enough for them to think of something. "Only sunlight or being beheaded by a Nichirin blade kills those things. And it had one of its eyes marked, just like they cautioned us about. So… after trial and error, we can safely conclude that, yes, our level of Ninjutsu is simply not enough."

"Maybe we can offer him Jiraiya and we just run while he feeds," Tsunade offered, softly caressing Kanata's little back, as she felt the boy tense under her.

"That's not funny!" Jiraiya cried out.

"It's how I cope!" she shot back, and he felt slapped.

"…Do we have enough chakra between all three of us to try another summoning?" Orochimaru asked the bickering duo, who both paused, examining their own strengths for a moment before they both gave the future Snake Sannin the biggest "meh?" reply he had ever been given.

"Why?" Jiraiya asked, "You think we can make it work this time?"

"Like using all three to summon one of the big guys?" Tsunade added, and Orochimaru's features darkened.

"…Unlikely," he answered earnestly. "It takes too much for that. With what he have, summoning something of that size, regardless of who, would be too much. We'd just deplete what little we have."

"Then, what?" Jiraiya asked, turning around and falling onto the ground, effectively defeated by everything.

"…We can escape," Orochimaru simply stated, and Jiraiya and Tsunade's eyes both widened, realizing what he meant.

"You mean…?" Tsunade asked, even if she had a rough idea of what he wanted to do.

"Rather than summon something here," Orochimaru explained, his eyes on his teammates, "We summon ourselves to their domain and away from here, but…" he paused, as his eyes dropped down to Kanata, and the boy felt his body grown cold, "…I don't think we have enough to summon anyone outside ourselves, and even then-"

"Then no," Tsunade firmly stated, her eyes sharp. "Our mission is to secure Kanata, not leave him behind to save our own skin!"

"…Understood," Orochimaru simply replied, as he joined his teammates on the floor of those mines that were looking more and more like the spot where they would meet their end. "If the boy dies, not only do we fail our mission, but his bloodline effectively ends with him. Or at least, that's how I understood it."

"We won't let that happen," Tsunade shot back, as her eyes shifted towards the little kid. So young, and already with such a burden. And she thought the life of a shinobi was cruel, but this was simply too much. "We'll keep you safe, I promise."

"…Reminds you of Nawaki, doesn't he?" Jiraiya mentioned, and Tsunade gave pause. She didn't think he'd remember that, since she had only introduced her little brother to the two once. They were still a very new team, and other than being a loudmouth and pervert, she never thought much of Jiraiya. Still, there was little she could say.

"…Yeah," she simply stated, rubbing Kanata's little head, just like she did with her brother. How she wished she would live long enough to see him again.

"Then that settles that!" Jiraiya announced, forcing himself onto his feet, his eyes showing the tiniest hint of a spark. "No running away! No leaving anyone behind! They say those things are outright unkillable, let's put that to the test!"

"…Do you have a plan?" Tsunade asked, an almost faint sense of astonishment in her tone.

"Absolutely not!" he replied with the same vigor, and she felt a sweat drop down her neck. Of course this idiot would just suggest the charge in blindly. It failed once before, at their best, surely they'd have better results now that they were tired, drained and hurt. "But sensei's not here," Jiraiya argued, "And we're all this kid has, so if we are to die, we're going down swinging. We wanted to be shinobi, heck, we were thrilled to be out of the Land of Fire and exploring Japan, right, so no use getting cold feet now! We'll die, but Kanata lives, think we can manage that?!"

"…You really are an idiot," Tsunade said with the faintest of smiles.

"…Very well," Orochimaru said with his eyes closed, hiding half a smirk as best he could. "Perhaps the demon will choke trying to swallow us three at once."

"That's the spirit!"

"Yeah, let's not try that…"

"It's just, how was it again… my way to cope?" Orochimaru muttered, and the other two paused, a little surprised at their teammate's attempt at humor, but they smiled nonetheless. If anything it really affirmed that they were indeed about to die. In any other circumstance, they really should have given that escape plan some more consideration, but it mattered not anymore. They would probably just botch it up again, like they did…

"…Hey, wait a minute," Jiraiya muttered, as both Tsunade and Orochimaru turned to him, wondering if he had lost all his bravado. Little Kanata stared, still clinging onto Tsunade, hoping that the young teen wasn't going to suggest something even worse for him. "About your initial plan Orochimaru…"

"…Jiraiya…?"

"…Master Jiraiya?"

The Toad Sannin opened his eyes in a flash, almost surprised at getting caught daydreaming of days long gone. It took him about a second for his eyes to catch a true glimpse of his actual surroundings, which for as frightening as it had been, he was also saddened at not seeing a young Tsunade and a young Orochimaru there with him, ready for the fight of their lives, but a far less familiar face. He still offered the young woman a warm smile, nodding and apologizing for daydreaming as he awaited being called upon.

"There's no need for you to ever apologize to this family Master Jiraiya," Amane Ubuyashiki, wife of the current Head of the Demon Slayer Corps offered, with a polite bow and all. "You and your fellow Leaf Ninja have done a lot, too much for us. And we cannot say the same in turn. And yet, here you are once again, within these walls, offering us assistance. Both my husband and myself are eternally grateful."

"Nonsense," Jiraiya replied, with a little wave, as he stood up. The little wooden structure he found himself in was almost unchanged since he had last been there decades ago, just far less bloodied up. And he'd hope it stayed that way. "It was our job, and in a way, it still is. And your young Slayers are quite the helpful little bunch. I'm sure my brat is keeping them quite busy as is."

Amane just nodded at this, and with another soft bow, she signaled to the legendary shinobi to walk on through the main doors, where he was being called forth to. Jiraiya sighed, as part of him was still not used to all the acclaim and responsibilities that came with the title the late Hanzō had given to him. Or even perhaps, such a reputation had begun to build up even earlier that the Second War itself.

So, when he walked right through the main doors, he was still half unsure of what it was he was doing, doubly so when he noticed he was led right into a very serious looking meeting between the current head of the Corps, one Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and all of his Hashiras. All seven of the Pillars present, the strongest the Demon Slayer Corps had to offer, turned their individual attentions to the man walking in, some more interested than others, but none dared to show him anything than the utmost respect.

"…I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to come and pay us a visit in person Master Jiraiya," Kagaya softly acknowledged, the sickly young man offering his elder a polite bow, or the best he could manage of one. "Our organization would have certainly ceased to be had it not been for your and your team's efforts all those years ago. And to think, all these years later, I'd have the fortune of being able to thank you personally… But, I must apologize for the circumstances behind our meeting, as it seems we have failed at containing our threat and it has begun spilling into your land."

"Like I told your lovely wife," Jiraiya was quick to respond. He was really, really uncomfortable when he was being praised for anything other than his writing ability or prowess in certain other more intimate areas. This is one of the many reasons he had rejected the offer to be Hokage, multiple times at that. "I don't need to be thanked for doing my job. Our job. You know that if you ever need some help, Konoha is just right there across the pond, a little bit hidden, but I'm sure you guys will find your way. The adorable sibling duo sure did."

"And I am ever thankful for you taking such good care of them, they are a special case," Kagaya assured, before he turned to his Hashira, who all sat before them, all awaiting their dismissal or mission assignment, since none of them knew exactly what was occurring, just that it was very, very bad. "Allow me the honor to introduce you to our current lineup that make up the pride of our corps. My Hashira, please, for just a moment, stand up and greet our esteemed guest, the Toad Sannin and legendary shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Master Jiraiya."

All seven Hashira gave pause, but one-by-one, they stood up, all offering the elder man a proper bow and salute. It wasn't just because of his strength, even if that played a part, but even more than that, it was absolutely surreal to hear their Master refer to someone else with such a title. And regardless of it all, even all the way out here, they had all heard tales of Jiraiya the Gallant.

"Allow me to introduce you the Pillars that hold my soldiers, and my family, together," Kagaya introduced, his hand towards the group of seven swordsmen. "The one on the far right is Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira…"

"It is an honor, Master Jiraiya," the imposing man greeted, his tone just as intense as his title would suggest, but there was also a kindness underneath it all that genuinely surprised the Sannin. He wouldn't voice it, less he offend anybody, but out of all the Pillars present, he could easily tell this one was the strongest.

"Next to him is our ever volatile Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, please do be kind," Kagaya continued, and he could sense how Sanemi seemed to tense up at the mention.

"I know how to behave," he muttered under his breath. He offered Jiraiya no words, but he did nod at the elder man. Irritable as he was, Sanemi knew strength when he saw it, and he was certain if he disrespected this shinobi, he'd be smashed into the ground before he could even draw his sword.

"Next to him… dozing off it seems," Kagaya signaled to the young boy who seemed to indeed be in a state of deep sleep. "Is our youngest Hashira, Muichiro Tokito, user of the Breath of Mist techniques."

It took an elbow to the sides from Sanemi to get Muichiro to wake up, who quickly muttered a "Huh? Wha-?" before he caught himself and bowed before Jiraiya, who was utterly puzzled as how that kid had managed to fall asleep while standing.

"And the lovely young lady next to Muichiro is our Love Hashira, Mit-" Kagaya tried, but he never got even close to finishing his introduction, as Jiraiya had outright teleported right next to the Love Hashira herself in a flash so fast all the Hashira except Gyomei were utterly baffled by.

"Such a beautiful woman cannot possibly be involved in such a blood thirsty world," Jiraiya, ever the… gentleman, offered, his hand on hers, as she looked on, her expression one of confusion and joy, surprisingly enough. "What do you say? Want me to show you how such a lovely lady should be-hey!"

Jiraiya had to outright dodge a bending sword that had been swung right at his head, or rather, neck, as these slayers all fancied. He landed safely a few feet from the squad of swordsmen, a little grin on his face, as the Hashira with the bottom half of his face covered gave him a very murderous glare.

"Living legend or not, get your hands Mitsuri!" the Serpent Pillar, Obanai Iguro warned, as his pet snake and faithful companion, Kaburamaru, slithered about and seemed to flash his fangs at Jiraiya, who all but snickered at the sight.

"Iguro, that's too much," Mitsuri Kanroji said, her tone ever-so oblivious, "He was just expressing his love for me! For us all! And it's okay, I love him too!"

"My, what a dangerous thing to say to me young lady," Jiraiya commented, but all it did was cause Obanai to glare even harder at him, sword still aimed at his throat. "Easy there fellah, relax. Even I know not to mess with someone else's girl."

"…She's not…" he tried, his glare shifting into a more embarrassed look, which his mask did a good enough job at hiding.

"What does he mean by that?" she asked, turning to the increasingly nervous Snake Hashira, who just muttered something she did not understand and turned around, his back to them all, annoyed. Mitsuri just stared, still confused.

"You are a man of fine tastes, are you not, Master Jiraiya," the Sound Pillar, Tengen Uzui noted with a very proud smile, which Jiraiya quickly returned.

"You only live once," Jiraiya offered, "Life's too short and tragic to not enjoy the finer details, but like I said, I respect those that are already spoken for."

"Agreed!" Tengen replied. "Were I not married, I would have probably attempted the same!"

"Oh, married are you?" Jiraiya asked, finding the man strangely familiar, for some reason. "Is wedded life as horrible as they make it out to be, or are you one of those rare fellows who actually struck gold?"

"So far, I say gold it is," Tengen answered. "My wives are fantastic."

"Yeah, that's good to… wait… wives? Plural?"

"Yes! I have three!"

"…And they know?"

"Of course," Tengen replied with the biggest smiles. "At times I feel they love each other more than they love me! So maybe it's not as good as one would assume, am I right?!"

"…Yeah," was all Jiraiya could muster to say, feeling utterly defeated for some reason. All he knew was he now had a least favorite Hashira, and he was looking at him. Three wives, and they loved each other, man, how cruel must this world be for the kind of heart? But, that still left…

Shinobu Kocho looked up, as Jiraiya appeared before her, bowing down to her.

"And what of you Milady?" he asked, his hand on hers, moments before placing a kiss on it. "Are you spoken for, or does this gentleman have the fortune of enamoring you still."

"Oh…?" she voiced, and her voice was also lovely, but he felt a bit tense, since it reminded him not in sound, but in tone to a certain blonde woman he knew all too well. "I would be careful, Master Jiraiya, you are crouching down awfully close to my blade."

It was here Jiraiya noticed how the tip of her sword was inches from his groin, and with that he was certain of what her answer was. He nodded, and in a flash, was as far away from her as possible, back on the podium alongside Kagaya, who looked utterly amused at all the excitement going on.

"~Oh my goodbye," Shinobu voiced softly, but the little mischievous smirk on her face did not falter.

"…Mitsuri Kanroji, Love Hashira; Obanai Iguro, Serpent Hashira; Tengen Uzui, Sound Hashira; and Shinobu Kocho, Insect Hashira," Kagaya concluded, signaling to the last four, as if the interruption had never happened. "We sadly lost our Flame Hashira recently, Kyojuro Rengoku, who I'm certain you would have gotten along well with, and… Shinobu…"

"Yes Master?" The Insect Hashira asked, her head titled slightly.

"Any word on the whereabouts of our Water Hashira? One Giyu Tomioka?"

"Now why would I know where he is?" she gleefully responded, and Kagaya just laughed softly.

"Don't be mean my dear," he replied. "His team notified us that you took over his duties after receiving a message from one of a carrier crows. I do hope he is alright."

"I am certain he is," Shinobu voiced, but she then closed her eyes. "I am uncertain of what he would have found when he returned to his old Master's home, but I do hope he was not too late. We've lost much," she admitted, in her eyes the sight of her sister flashing ever so briefly. It wasn't as recent, but it still hurt just as much. "But… For as much as I may tease the man, he is strong. He'll make it back safely, and he'll report his findings to you personally, as he always does."

"…Indeed," Kagaya noted, nodding, before he turned back to Jiraiya. "Now, with those introductions out of the way, please, allow us to get to business. The reason we called you out here to our main estate, is, to put it bluntly, our enemies had never dared cross the oceans before, never once in all these years had any demon set foot outside of Japan," he explained, and Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, as all the Hashira stared, some more surprised than others. "We had wondered if they were even capable, would their powers allow them to? But it seems we have an answer, and it is not the one we desired. Currently, your young ward encountered one such demon, and assisted in its slaying alongside our young Slayer Tanjiro Kamado and his sister Nezuko Kamado."

"Yeah, that he did," Jiraiya responded, hands crossed, nodding. He didn't feel the need to add that the two boys had almost killed each other before they realized they were in the same side, but he felt that information was not needed at the moment.

"Naruto Uzumaki, correct?" Kagaya asked, and Jiraiya nodded, smirking. If only that brat knew that his name had made its way all the way here, officially acknowledged by the highest in the Demon Slayer Corps, he'd be ecstatic. "Quite the marvelous young shinobi, from the accounts we've heard. But, according to a report he himself made," Kagaya explained, and at this Jiraiya was surprised. Naruto had reported to the Demon Slayers directly? What it the world had happened to make a "consulting" shinobi the appropriate rank to even report anything? That did not sound too good. "Well, not so much a report, really, more of a "look at that massive chunk of ice that came out of a stairwell in the middle of the desert" or so the carrier crow told us."

"Sounds like him," Jiraiya noted. "But, ice on a stairwell in the desert… I don't think that's meant to be a code."

"It appears not," Kagaya resumed. "Afterwards, a report from one of our own, little Kanao Tsuyuri," he said, and Shinobu, despite herself, could not help but tense up at hearing the name. "They came across several missing-nin from the Land of Snow," Kagaya continued, and Jiraiya's eyebrow was raised, his confusion evident. "Alongside what they described as possibly the Upper Moon One."

"What?!"

All the Hashira paused, as did Kagaya, who turned to Shinobu, who despite all her poise and control, simply could not help the look of sheer fear in her features and in her tone, her body almost in cold sweat. It took her a few good, long seconds to realize her outburst, as she swallowed, keeping herself back in control.

"Apologies," she offered, "But, is s-they alright?"

"They were injured, but they are still alive," Kagaya told her, his tone soft, as his eyes turned to her specifically. "I understand your concerns, but she's a strong Slayer. They escaped the nameless place they got trapped in, and are now headed towards the Village Hidden in the Sand for assistance, at the behest of Naruto Uzumaki," he told her, and all she could do was nod. She had no idea if that was a good idea or not, so she'd say nothing. "…Worrisome, however, is that not all of them made it out. It seems Nezuko Kamado and, apologies if this is incorrect, but the original Naruto Uzumaki were left trapped behind. They are still alive, as per reports suggest, but," he voiced, turning to Jiraiya, "It is a serious matter."

"He'll be fine," Jiraiya firmly told the head of the Demon Slayers, without a hint of doubt in his voice. "That kid is something else. He'll find a way out, and he'll keep that young girl safe. So don't worry about them," he then paused, blinking for a moment, "Well, not saying don't send help, because he'll chew my ear off if you call off a search on my account, but you all shouldn't worry is what I mean."

"That is good to hear, because I already have a small group in mind to send to their aid," Kagaya noted, before turning to his Hashira. "You will all be receiving new instructions soon. There was something even more frightening in young Kanao's report. The… Necronomicon has been unearthed," he said, and upon the looks his Hashira gave him, which ranged from indifference to confusion, he added, "And while I know that such a name is outright foreign to you all, it cannot be understated how much we need to make sure Muzan does not get his hands on it."

"Does the team currently led by Shinobu's ward possess that object?" Gyomei asked, ready to depart to the Village Hidden in the Sand at a moment's notice is so asked. Kagaya just shook his head.

"I'm afraid not," Kagaya replied. "As per the report, they lost the Necronomicon, the… book, if one were to try and describe it, and it fell onto the possession of the Upper Moon."

The reactions from the Pillars ranged from even more confusion to outright fright, as they all looked at each other briefly, wondering what this all meant. Did they have to storm Muzan's… wherever he was to take that… book back or what?

"Seems we didn't quite keep it away from this Muzan fellow then," Jiraiya noted grimly, but Kagaya gave him a reassuring smile.

"No, I said that that was what the report indicated," he explained, his eyes just as assured as they were from the start. "My belief is that the Upper Moon did not manage to take the book, and if I were to make a wager as to why, well, who else better to deceive a demon that a shinobi, correct?"

"Wait! Are we really gonna risk all of this to just a gut feeling?!" Sanemi barked, his eyes sharp, hands on his katana.

"If that thing's so deadly, shouldn't we…?" Mitsuri added, clearly worried. They all were.

"…Master?" Gyomei voiced, as their Master just lifted his hand, telling them to stand down, to keep calm, and despite themselves, they all just sat back down, nervous, but trusting the man.

"You sure about this?" Jiraiya asked, his eyes on their leader. "They have a point. How can you be so certain Muzan does not have that book in his possession as we speak?"

The answer, honestly, was more worrying than reassuring.

"Because we still breathe, Master Jiraiya."

-0-

"Now where did I store the bowls?" Naruto asked aloud as he scurried all over his kitchen.

"Top shelf," Sakura responded, using her index finger to signal.

"Ah, you know my place better than I do!" he said gleefully, as he took out three bowls and set them all on the table where Sakura sat.

"Well, I have been keeping this place tidy for months, I should know," she replied, eyes on the instant ramen he poured onto the bowl before her, before he poured two more, the happiest dumb smile on his face.

"Time to chow down!" he exclaimed, "Enjoy!"

"Yeah, thanks-Wait a minute!" Sakura quickly blurted out, realizing she'd been too caught up in everything that she had just went along with the tide and before she knew it one moment she had met up with Naruto outside his own apartment, without anybody in the Village having been expecting him back, the next she was having… breakfast(?) with the guy. It was too stupid she had just blanked out. "Why?! How?! What is going on?!"

"…Ah, right, you're probably wondering how I got here," he noted, already stuffing his face with the savory noodles.

"Well, yeah, that's a start," she admitted, before she took a big, long breath. "Last I heard you were on some mission in the Village Hidden in the Sand. How's you get here so fast?"

"Dunno," he replied, and she felt her eye twitch.

"What kind of answer is that?!"

"The only one I can give," he said, twirling his chopsticks in his hand as if they were senbon. "Tell you the truth Sakura, I'm not sure this is even real. Part of me thinks this is one of those dying dreams, and I'm really just choking on sand right now, or that demon guy tore me in two… Oh, or maybe it's a Genjutsu, that would explain why I'm home with you here, like my ultimate dream or some stuff… Though I should be Hokage if that were the case."

"…What are you blabbering about?" she asked, before she noticed how his eyes became extremely focused on her for a moment, or rather, on her chest, and she felt her face flush into an immense red. "Naruto!"

"…Yeah, clearly a dream," he noted, satisfied with the fact he was probably dying somewhere. "It's been months and you haven't grown at all. The real Sakura would have probably at least gotten a bit bi-"

If nothing else, the fist he got on his face was pretty damn real. The blonde was sent flying right out of his own little living room and right back inside his room in a flash. He could be heard groaning in the room, as Sakura was left with her fist still held up, shaking in anger, and she struggled to breathe in, breathe out.

"Calm yourself Sakura," she told herself, as she took another breath. "You promised you'd be nicer to him. He almost died trying to bring Sasuke back, least I can do is let some dumb comments slide… He just makes it… so hard," she then shook her head, standing back up, "Damn it, Naruto, you're not dead… I hope," she noted, her eyes to the side, hoping she had not hit him that hard. "Let me check to see if you're okay."

"Shouldn't… that… be… before… you… hit… me…?" he voiced, his legs still up in the air.

Sakura sighed, walking right up to him and with a firm tug, getting him sitting back properly. Then she saw how his expression seemed to change, from one of joy, to confusion, to one of pure dread. The color in his face drained, and it was her Sakura got a bit worried. "H-Hey, listen, sorry, I didn't mean to hit you like that. Are you okay? I can-"

"No, it's not that," Naruto quickly told her, his blue eyes on hers for a moment. "It… It really is you, Sakura."

"…Yeah."

"…How did I get here…?" he asked, as the realization slowly hit. The fight, the tunnel, the doorway, and then… "The book, it's…" he mouthed, as he flipped around, much to Sakura's confusion, and reached his discarded ninja pouch, which he held onto with such fear on his eyes she felt a shiver go down her spine. "…still here. Was this what did it? But I never… Wait, but Nezuko did!"

"Hey, Naruto, calm down, you're not making any sense," Sakura quickly told him, her hands on his shoulders. But as soon as she touched him, the particles of sand quickly brushed right up, as she realized that he had been indeed been somewhere with lots and lots of sand. She bent down, her eyes examining him. It wasn't just sand. There was also ice particles, which oozed chakra, stuck to his hair and clothes, alongside many torn areas that seemed to have been cut by a blade as thin as the wind itself. And blood. Lots of dried up blood, too much to be all his. "Try and focus, how did you get here?"

"I… I think I came out of the closet."

"…That would explain a lot," she noted. "And you have my full support."

"You're hilarious," he replied with a pout, and she laughed. Yeah, it was still Naruto alright. "I'm serious, we were swallowed up by the sand, ended up in this creepy tunnel that seemed endless, until it wasn't, and then we just… ended up here."

"Wait, who's we?"

"Ah, Nez-wait," he stopped himself, before he scanned his surroundings. "…Hey Sakura, think you can help me close all the windows up? I can't let her touch any sunlight."

'Her?' Sakura voiced inside her head, every word out of his mouth confusing her even more. But, she trusted the idiot, so she just sighed and nodded. The two quickly got to work, and in no time, his room was sunlight free, now lit up entirely by the electricity which Lady Tsunade still paid for him to have, just in case. And it paid off.

Then, to Sakura's ever increasing confusion, Naruto placed the strangest box before her, and actually spoke to it. "Hey, you can come out now. I want you to meet a good friend of mine."

"Do you have a new summon, or some-?" Sakura asked, trying to guess what was in the box, but before she could finish, the box opened up, and this little girl came crawling right out, her big, bright, red eyes scanning her surroundings for a moment before she fully stepped off. Sakura just stared, her eyes wide as plates, her mind no longer even processing anything.

"Nezuko, meet Sakura!" Naruto said cheerfully.

"Hmm?" Nezuko noted, her head turned ever-so slightly, and the pink haired girl before her. Said girl looked about to faint.

"…N-Naruto…?"

"Yeah?"

"The fact that I know for certain that you are a good guy underneath it all," Sakura began, not even sure how to voice this properly, "Is probably the only reason I am not screaming for the ANBU right now. Please, with as few words as possible, can you explain to me why you have a little girl stuffed inside a box hidden away in your apartment?!"

"…Oh, I guess that would look bad…" Naruto noted, hand on his chin, thinking about the implications, and Sakura had to mentally restrain herself from choking him.

"Give me an answer!"

"She's Nezuko Kamado," Naruto introduced, as the demon girl turned from the pink haired kunoichi to the blonde shinobi, before she turned back to the girl. She was also a bit confused by it all. "She has a… condition. Sunlight hurts her. I met her and her older brother during my travels. They're Demon Slayers, and we were in a mission near Suna, and well, now I'm here. Well, we're here."

"She's Nezuko…" Sakura noted, her eyes now on the little girl. Noticing this, Nezuko stretched out, surprising Sakura, as she grew to her actual size and age, roughly the same as the other two. "And-hey! Wow, she grows."

"Yeah, that surprised me too," Naruto admitted with a grin, rubbing the back of his head. "But that's her real age… I think? How old are you Nezuko?"

'Don't ask a girl that,' Sakura wanted to say, but she was also curious, if anything. Nezuko seemed to ponder this for a moment. The correct answer was both twelve and fourteen, she supposed. Mentally, she was fourteen, kinda. Physically, she stopped growing at twelve. So…

"…Thirteen," she settled on, her eyes once more on Naruto.

"So, you're our age Nezuko?" Sakura asked, and the little demon girl nodded, her mouth shut firmly. She did not know who this green-eyed girl was, but it did seem Naruto trusted her plenty. "You actually look a bit younger," Sakura added, before she turned to Naruto, "Hey, at least you grew a bit. Finally found a girl your age who's actually shorter for once."

"Oh, I ain't that short!" Naruto argued, pouting, "Besides, how'd you know I turned thirteen already?"

"Because the tenth of October already passed," Sakura stated matter-of-factly, and Naruto stared, surprised.

"How'd you know that?"

"A good friend knows her friends' birthdays," she informed, before she gave him the biggest shit-eating grin he'd ever seen the girl sport. "When's my birthday?"

"Ah, erm…" Naruto voiced, stammering, "Jaaa-?" he began, stretching out the word, but she softly shook her head, still smirking, "…Feb…?" she laughed, shaking her head again.

"And I'm such a good friend, I won't even hold that against you," she said triumphantly, before she turned back to the still confused Nezuko. "But, back to Nezuko, you said she's one of the Demon Slayers, was it?" Sakura voiced, stepping closer to Nezuko, as the latter turned to her. Naruto was always one to get involved in strange stuff, and Sakura assumed this was just the latest.

"…I am," Nezuko replied, her eyes on the pink haired girl. Sakura was a bit taken aback at hearing her soft, little voice. Utterly cute, but also, she had quite the set of fangs hidden away in that little mouth of hers. "You… are Sakura."

"Yeah-Yes," she corrected herself, and offered the girl a soft bow. "Sakura Haruno. I'm-was-still am sort-of Naruto's teammate… and friend."

"Hmm," Nezuko mused, her eyes half closed for a moment. She then extended her hands, and her long fingernails softly touched the tips of Sakura's hair. "…Very pretty, like flowers."

"Ah, oh, thanks," a blushing Sakura said, avoiding Nezuko's intense stare for a moment. "But what happened to you both?" Sakura added, her eyes on the state the two teens found themselves in. "So much dried up blood. Naruto, you should pass by the hospital, and… Nezuko too. We can there help-"

"No time," Naruto cut in, standing up. "She and I can handle ourselves just fine," Naruto added, as Sakura turned from him to Nezuko, who held out her arm and flexed her muscles at Sakura. There wasn't much there, but hey, she got the message.

Unlike her legs, Sakura noted, as Nezuko had quite the pair of thick thighs that could outright choke any… 'Okay Sakura, stop checking the other girl out…'

"…My brother," Nezuko voiced, oblivious to Sakura's mental struggle.

"Yeah, her brother and their friends are in danger," Naruto added his expression firm. "Sakura, we need to send help. Get there ourselves if we can. They're hurt, and while they're near Suna, I am not sure how close. Is Granny Tsunade available?"

Sakura would normally object. She knew Naruto enough to know when he put up a front. He was hurt, pretty badly at that, but because these other people depended on him, he refused to show it. He refused to even acknowledge it for himself. Sakura was sort of envious in a way, at this Nezuko girl. She had gotten the best ally ever, and she probably was unaware of that. If that girl's brother was in danger, then there was no one better in making sure he was safe that the number-one knuckleheaded ninja for that, come hell or high water. So, rather than uselessly try and stop him, Sakura decided it best to help. Besides…

"Normally, she's busy all day long," Sakura replied, but before Naruto could surely protest, she added, "But if there's anyone she'll make an exception for, it's you. Come on, let's get you there," she told him, but firmly added, "But once we do, you let me check up on you both, deal?"

"Yes ma'am!" he said with the same thumbs up pose he used way back then.

"Yesh!" Nezuko mispronounced as well, imitating his pose and all.

-0-

Tanjiro opened his eyes, and he was in a field of flowers and flowing rivers.

It didn't make any sense, and part of him didn't even remember why he was here, but he felt… at ease. It was a very lovely sight, and he felt unburdened by everything and anything, which was rare. He didn't quite understand it, didn't know why it was happening, but it was alright, it no longer mattered. If he couldn't remember, it must not have been important. But… He felt so tired. He wanted to sleep, and using these flowers as a bed, and that flowing, gentle water as a melody, he could drift right away to-

"Get up!"

He jolted right up, his eyes wide, as he sat up in an instant, reaching out for his blade but finding none. Instead, right before him, was a mask he had not seen for far too long.

"…Ah …S-Sabito…" the boy said, his eyes slowly filling with tears.

"Damn right," Sabito replied, arms crossed, looking down upon Tanjiro. "You better not have forgotten me. I don't care how strong you have gotten by now, where we to fight again, I am sure I can still take you on!"

"…Am I… dead…?" Tanjiro asked, slowly standing up, to meet his sparring partner from those days long gone. But now he knew what he didn't back then, and seeing him again, like this, it meant…

"A great man once asked that very same question!" Sabito replied, signaling to the skies. "He asked "When do you think a person dies? When a bullet from a pistol pierces his heart? No… When he's attacked by an incurable disease? No… When he eats a deadly poisonous mushroom soup?" That last one I admit does not sound as serious as the two before, but the reply was still "No! A man dies when people forget him!""

Sabito raised his katana up in the air, triumphantly.

Tanjiro just stared… and stared…

Silence followed.

"Sabito, I'm quite sure Tanjiro here has no idea who you're talking about," a lovely and familiar voice reached Tanjiro's ears, and he quickly turned to the side, and just like he had hoped, there she was sitting by the flower bed, all smiles as always. "Hey Tanjiro," Makomo greeted, "And no, you're not dead. Yet, at least."

"I was just getting to that!" Sabito shot back, aiming his sword at the girl.

"Quoting the good Doctor is fine and all, but there's just no way Tanjiro would have even heard of him where he is now," Makomo noted. "The world is quite big, maybe someday he'll be able to meet others, like we have up here, but for now, let's stick to the ones he does know, okay?"

"You're no fun," Sabito muttered, and Makomo merely stuck out her tongue at him. Tanjiro just looked on, even more confused than before. "It is as she says," Sabito added, slowly removing his mask, his familiar face coming into view. Tanjiro felt his chest tighten. "You are still among the living, but unless you do something, you will be joining us here. And… pleasant as all this is, I'm afraid you cannot rest yet Tanjiro. If that monster gets that book, not even this place will be safe from his power."

"What? What does that even mean?" Tanjiro asked, his wide eyes on Sabito, before they turned to Makomo, looking for an answer in either of them.

"It means we are all in danger," another familiar voice spoke up, and Tanjiro's already wide eyes widen further, as he turned back, and instead of the endless flower fields, he was back at those mountains, back in that house. And, right by the front door, was…

"Master Urokodaki…"

"I've heard of all the lives you saved aboard that train," his Master told him, the pride evident in every word. "And not just you. Little Nezuko fought valiantly. Even with my spell no longer in effect, she still remains on the side of humanity. Prouder, I cannot be."

"Master…" Tanjiro voiced, even if he felt like the words couldn't come out properly. "T-This can't be real. You are still alive. This must be a dream. Why am I…?"

"This isn't a dream," Urokodaki said solemnly. "But, just as if it were, I need you to wake up. Call out for help, this is your only chance at saving yourself and the others. Do not let your journey end here. Open up your eyes, Tanjiro…"

"And shout!" a smiling Makomo added.

"Shout!" Sabito roared in kind.

"Shout, Tanjiro, shout!" all of them ordered at once, and just as they did, he felt his entire body jolt right awake, as his eyes opened once again, this time for real. Gone were the snowy mountains or the flower fields, replaced by the harsh sunlight and the never-ending desert he had just been fighting in. He gasped, his memory returning, and his body aching intensely. He looked down, and his attire, a brand new one given out just before this mission had started, was shredded, and he was bleeding all over the place. Not even his own controlled breathing could stop that big a wound. He'd die, he was going to die…

But then he remembered those words. To shout. He didn't know why. Had that not been a dream? It must have been. A heat induced hallucination, not helped by the severe blood lost. His team was down, he didn't know if they were alive or not. He knew he was still without Nezuko. He had no idea where she was, or how she was. Or Naruto for that matter. But for reasons he couldn't quite understand, with tears in his eyes, illusions or not, he couldn't fathom any of those three kind people, who taught him how to survive in this harsh world, ever lying to him.

So, in a desert where it was next to impossible for anyone to hear him, yet even more unlikely to come to their aid, despite all the logic stating otherwise, he focused all his remaining strength… and just shouted.

"…H-HELP!"

That one shout, which caused the boy to cough out blood and even blurred his already hazy vision even further echoed throughout the desert. Through the cacti and the sand dunes, the cry for help moved, and against all odds, it reached someone's ears.

"Did you guys just hear that?" Chouji asked, turning to the side, hearing just the faintest of calls. It was so faint he could have sworn it was just the heat getting to him. "Or am I just going crazy?"

"Then that would make two of us," Shikamaru noted, his eyes also to the same direction. "I heard it too."

"It sounded like someone's in trouble!" Ino told the other two, before she began to move, only to be held up by the arm by Shikamaru. "Hey! What gives?"

"We were sent out here to investigate disappearances, remember?" he told her, and all she offered in response was a pout. "I get that your sense of nursing kicks in and all that, but we can't just blindly rush into a situation without knowing what's going on. We can't just disappear ourselves before we even reached Suna."

"You think that was the call of the demon-things you talked about?" Chouji asked, gulping.

"I-I don't know," Ino replied, before she turned to Shikamaru. She knew he had a point. Shinobi were meant to see through deception. It was drilled into their heads since they were kids. There was a reason for this. But… "It could be a trap, or worse," she admitted, and Shikamaru felt his whole mood drop when he saw the way she looked at him. He knew that look. "But it could also be someone in actual danger. In times like this, seconds make all the difference. If you want, you can stay behind, I'll go and see. I rather spring a trap and be proven wrong, than allow an innocent to die out of fear for my own life."

"Damn it, when did you get so mature?" Shikamaru lamented, ignoring how quickly Ino got pissed off at that comment. And as Chouji turned to him with a confused look in his eyes, also wondering what their next move was, all Shikamaru could do was sign. "…What a drag. Fine, Team Ten, let's scout that area quickly. Let's see if there's someone out there that needs saving."

"Alright!" Ino cheered. "You're not that horrible a Chunin, you know?!"

"That… does not sound like praise."

"He's quite good at it," Chouji added, "I mean, discounting how we almost all died during the fight against the Sound guys, he was a fine enough leader."

"And that's… not the defense you think it is buddy."

Regardless of what was being said, the trio moved quickly, scouting the area fast, finding nothingness after nothingness despite their desperate search, but mere moments before they almost called it quits, Chouji spotted something out of place.

"Hey guys!" he called out, using his hand and pointing further… west, he thinks? "There's people there."

"I knew it, civilians!" Ino said, rushing to the scene. She darted across the sands, sliding down one of the bigger dunes before she reached a group in dire need of help. She couldn't help but shiver at the sight, since they all looked horrible, to put it nicely. "Okay, one," she quickly counted softly, her eyes on a girl wielding a sword, standing motionlessly, "…two…" she counted a boy, blonde, on the ground, no blood, "…three…" another boy, near the girl, dark hair, lots of blood, "…four…" and yet another boy, blue hair, no blood or shirt for that matter. "We got four people here!"

She quickly reached the one who looked worse, the bleeding boy with the raven hair, motioning and setting herself right beside him. A surge of chakra quickly filled her palms, and just like Lady Tsunade had drilled it into her head, she began to try and close the wound. He was still actively bleeding, which while bad, meant there was maybe a heart still beating in there somewhere, hopefully.

"Please work, please work-Yes!" she cheered, as her Medical Ninjutsu took effect, and the wound begun to close. Had this boy been dead, it would not have worked, so he was still alive, she could save him still. "We've got a live one here!" she told the two, as Shikamaru and Chouji arrived at the scene, both quickly checking up on the other two boys respectively. "What's the status on-?"

"H-Help," a very soft voice cut her off, causing Ino to turn back to the boy she was healing, who despite his massive wound, had somehow woken up. Wait, had he been the one to call out to them? Quite the set of lungs on this one.

"Hey there, hi! Relax, I've got you, you'll be alright," Ino told Tanjiro, as the boy's eyes searched for a moment before they found hers. Big, bright and blue, so pretty. "You don't have to talk, just rest. I'm a medical kunoichi."

"Ku…noichi…" Tanjiro tried, before he felt his body slowly ache just a little less. He noticed the girl's hands were glowing, and it was making the pain go away, somehow. Was this…? "Are you a…?" then he paused, once he noticed the emblem on her abdomen. He'd never mistake that. "A ninja… of the Leaf…"

"Huh? Oh, you know of us?" Ino asked, smiling. "Yeah, my name's Ino Yamanaka. I'm from Konoha. Here to help!"

"Give him your Ninja Info Card why don't ya," Shikamaru called out, causing Ino to turn to him with a glare. He was already immune to it, though. "We still don't know who any of these guys even are. Wouldn't be the first time someone healed the person who'd be their killer later on, we can't be too careful."

"It helps them if their calm," Ino shot back.

"H-He's right," Tanjiro surprisingly added, surprising the two. He seemed to have stabilized a bit, but Ino was still very worried about him. How she hated to admit to herself she really missed not having Sakura here with her now. "…But, I'm… not an enemy. Not of… you. You are… friends of… N-Naruto."

"Did he just say…?" Chouji asked, as he bent down next to Zenitsu, checking on the poor boy.

Shikamaru frowned, and after checking on Inosuke and noting that while heavily injured, he wasn't dying, he moved towards Tanjiro, his brow furrowed. This would be the deciding factor. "…Can you, if you're able, describe Naruto for me?"

"Shikamaru?!" Ino shot back, glare ever more evident, but Tanjiro knew why he was asking. It made sense, so he'd comply, as best as his body would allow.

"…Naruto Uzumaki," he began. "Ninja of the Leaf. Very… spirited fellow. Great fighter, even greater person. Very loud, but equally brave. Smells like Miso Ramen. He's… going to be your Village's next Hokage."

Ino looked on, eyes wide.

Shikamaru just shut his, before he sighed. "Yep, checks out. They're the real deal," he said, before he turned to Ino, "What do you need me to do?"

Before she could give out an order, or even think of one, Tanjiro quickly took hold of one of her hands. "Pardon me, Miss…" he voiced, and she turned to him, surprised. "…That's enough, I can manage… Tend to me last. Help the others. There are… five of us in total."

"Five?" Ino asked, shocked, as she looked around.

"One of them is not here, Chouji," Shikamaru spoke up, turning to his best friend. "How's your guy? Cause we need to find someone else."

"He's barely breathing," Chouji noted, and it caused Ino to immediately flash from beside Tanjiro to where Zenitsu was. She ignited her chakra at him, but it had no effect. For a moment she panicked, her thoughts picturing the worse scenario, but then it hit her. Chouji had said he was barely breathing, meaning he probably had stopped breathing at that very moment. Meaning…

"Come on now," she voiced, as she pressed her hands down onto his chest, pushing as best she could to restart his heart, knowing that he was most likely going into cardiac arrest. 'So very little chakra in his body, as if it was all drained out,' she examined, wondering how that had even happened. It didn't matter, all that did was saving him. So she moved.

Her lips on his, she began to offer CPR, counting the breaths before she jolted back to apply pressure and chakra into his chest, then back to breathing into him. Again and again. Until…

"…ha…?"

Zenitsu made the faintest of sounds, and Ino felt elated. She was all sweaty, thanks to both the heat and the massive chakra exertion she was undergoing, but it didn't matter. "Hey… welcome back…" she said with the brightest of smiles. It caused Zenitsu to almost go right back into cardiac arrest.

"So… pretty," he voiced, causing the girl to stammer a bit and blush.

"Oh no! He's delirious!" Chouji lamented.

"Oh shut up!" Ino barked. "At least someone can appreciate true beauty!" she added, before she turned to the boy, just to be sure he really wasn't delirious. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Zenitsu…"

"Nice to meet you Zenitsu, I'm Ino," she greeted, still all smiles.

"…Will you marry me Ino?"

The trio of Shinobi all gave pause, their eyes on the boy, before both Shikamaru and Chouji turned their attention to their kunoichi, who looked utterly baffled by the proposal. It wasn't entirely unheard off to be confessed to in dire times, but it was made usually by someone you at least knew.

"Congrats," Shikamaru offered, as Ino just frowned. Chouji was trying not to laugh. She decided it best to ignore them.

"Sure, I'll marry you Zenitsu," she responded with a smile, and the boy felt true bliss.

"Ah… now I can die happy…"

"Wait, no, none of that!" she quickly cut in, using her chakra to try and fill up his own. "We can't get married if you die. I'm way too young to be a widow. So, be a strong groom and get better. Then we can get married and all that."

"…Ah, that's true…" a still woozy Zenitsu noted. "A wedded life, how lovely~"

"Yeah, sure…" Ino noted, turning to Shikamaru. "How's that other guy?"

"Looks to be a concussion, heavily injured," Shikamaru examined. "But I don't think we need to worry about this one for now. Chouji!" Shikamaru called out, as their teammate had quickly gotten to search for the fifth member of this squad after Ino had glared at him enough times. "Any luck?"

"Yeah, found someone," Chouji spoke up. "This… doesn't look good. Dude was luckily left in the shade, but he's burning up. Must be quite the fever."

"Keep him in the shade then," Ino instructed, her attention going towards the last member of the group. The girl. Still just standing there, sword drawn, her eyes lost. "…Is he injured?"

"No," Chouji replied. "He's physically fine."

"…Good," she noted, before she stepped away from a very happy-looking Zenitsu, and moved towards Kanao, with Shikamaru right next to her. "Zenitsu… was it? He's stable now."

"And very happy to be a married man it seems," Shikamaru noted, Ino just scoffed.

"Why wouldn't he be?"

"Yeah," he said with a smirk, "Now then, this young lady. Any thoughts?"

"…I-It was an illusion," Tanjiro called out, causing the two to turn to him for a moment. The boy was resilient, they noted, as they had sworn he had long passed out due to exhaustion alone. "Some sort of looping nightmare."

"Illusion?" Ino asked, her eyes on Shikamaru.

"Genjutsu," Shikamaru noted, his eyes on Kanao. "Really could use Sakura right about now."

"Her life's not in danger then, but," Ino noted, her eyes narrowed. "With five of them and just three of us, it'll be hard to reach Suna with them like this. Tanjiro over there we can't move haphazardly, or we risk that wound reopening. Zenitsu might be able to walk if he clings onto one of us, but the other two we have to also carry. If we also have to carry her…"

"Chouji can carry two of them…"

"Yeah, but if that other one's fever is so strong, we need to keep him away from the sun," Ino countered, "Less we risk him convulsing. I don't have enough chakra for all of them. But, if we undo the Genjutsu on her, maybe she can walk by herself…"

"How good are you at that?"

"No time like the present to find out," Ino noted, as she got closer, her eyes on Kanao's wide, blank ones. Ino sighed, focusing her chakra, and creating a seal. "Release!"

…Nothing happened.

"Is it too advanced?" Shikamaru asked, dreading the reply he'd get. Of course it was. And none of them were that great at dealing with this stuff. "We can't wait any longer, we need to get them out of the sun, or they'll all start to burn up. We can-"

"C-Can you not wake Kanao up?" Tanjiro asked, motioning to sit up, before Shikamaru quickly bent down and held him down.

"Whoa there, easy buddy," Shikamaru told the Slayer. "Your body is being held together by a thread. Don't move at all, because I don't think Ino has the strength to patch you up again if you do."

"…S-Sorry," Tanjiro apologized, easing his body up, focusing on his breathing. But, this was bad. "If… If it's at all like what he did to me, it's a looping dream," he explained. "I killed myself within it, broke free, but she's been in there for too long. I'm… I'm afraid what it could do to her."

"I get it man, but…Ino!" Shikamaru began, before he noticed his partner had switched her hand sign and was aiming it at Kanao. A very familiar looking hand sign. "That's a very bad idea!"

"We need her to wake up, for our sake, and for hers!" Ino declared as she took aim. "So, if I can't wake her up from here, I'll force her to wake up from within! Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

"…Hello there, nice to meet you," a familiar voice she had not heard in such a long time spoke to her. Kanao looked on, her eyes wide as wide could be, looking at what she could only assume was the ghost of her dearest sister. "My name is Kanae Kocho. What's your name?"

Kanao looked on. Please, someone, anyone, just make it stop! She didn't want to be here, she didn't want to see this anymore! Her sisters weren't this cruel. They'd never just abandon her.

Tears in her eyes, Kanao looked down. She still had those filthy rags on once more, and that accursed rope tied to her waist, the same one her parents had sold her with. Please, no more…

"She's got no name alright," the very bad man that had bought her replied, and his voice sounded more demonic to her than any demon she had faced in her life. "Her parents never gave her one. If you want to talk to this kid, pay-!"

"Ah shut up you damn pig!"

Little Kanao's eyes went wide, as she saw the very bad man get a massive punch right across his jaw, knocking him down flat on his ass. His body contorted and froze up on the spot, mangled on the floor in a pose no human should be able to take. Her sisters both stared, frozen in place, much like everyone else. But, someone else was there…

Her savior. A very pretty, albeit very rough blonde girl who had just knocked that man out with quite simply the most satisfying punch Kanao had ever seen.

"Jeez, talk about creepiness overload," Ino noted, her eyes on the crowd before her. "These people don't even have any faces, no wonder the poor girl looks so messed up," she said, before she turned her attention to the only one within that made up world that looked alive, well, kinda. "I'm guessing your Kanao, huh?"

"…I am."

"Good, you remember!" Ino cheered, before she bent down to reach her. "My, aren't you a small little thing? But don't worry, you're already a lot older, a lot stronger, and quite pretty too! So, what do you say, wanna get out of this nightmare?"

"…B-But how?"

"This isn't real," Ino explained. "It's a Genjutsu, an illusion. You are one of the Demon Slayers I imagine, and you've been traveling with someone named Tanjiro, and another one named Zenitsu… who I may now be engaged to but that doesn't matter… plus two other guys who I don't know their names, but-"

"Kaigaku… Inosuke…" Kanao voiced, her mind slowly reshaping itself.

"Sure, that's most likely their names, so," Ino began, her eyes on everyone else. "Who here was real? What really happened here?"

"…I-My sisters, the saved me," little Kanao told Ino. "That bad man was going to… do bad things to me. They bought me. Raised me. Made me… a fighter. A Slayer."

"Atta girl," Ino said with a grin, "Now then, let's wake you up. Can you place your hands like this?"

Kanao looked on, noticing how Ino made a hand sign, and Kanao did her best to imitate it, despite her little hands. Ino's smile grew, before she placed her own hands over Kanao's, and with a surge of her chakra, infusing it with Kanao's own, she shouted:

"Release!"

Ino's consciousness went back to her body in a sudden burst, as Shikamaru held onto her to keep her body from crashing into the sands. It took her a moment, but she slowly regained her senses, just as they both saw Kanao's eyes slowly come back to life. Tanjiro looked on, his consciousness almost faded, but a smile on his face.

"Thanks goodness," he noted, "She's safe… Naruto, thank you. Your friends… they're incredible."

Kanao grasped her own blade, her breathing hoarse as she tried to stabilize herself, her body still quivering. But despite it all, she kept herself on her feet, her eyes looking forwards, her worry slowly replaced with an odd sense of tranquility, the moment she caught sight of a blonde girl she remembered from memories that she knew weren't real, but that they might as well have been.

"…G-Good girl Kanao," Ino said with a proud smile, pretty much all but exhausted. "You did great."

Kanao said nothing at first. She was confused, and admittedly frightened. But she was grateful. She just nodded, before speaking: "…Thank you so much… sis-Ino," she caught herself, blushing a bit. If Ino caught her mistake it only made the kunoichi happier, if her wide smile was any indication.

"Alright then," Shikamaru noted, "Let's try and get all of these guys somewhere safe. Kanao… Are you able to walk?" he asked, and she just nodded. She was half-lying, but she'd manage, somehow. "Good. It won't be that much… Chouji! Cover that other guy with any rags you can, we're moving," he called out, before he placed his hand on Ino's sweat drenched shoulder. "And you did one hell of a job. Chin up, these guys live to fight another day thanks to you."

"Yeah…" a tired Ino replied, all smiles. "I do wonder though," she voiced, just as they begun to try and move out, all the while Kanao slowly regained her footing and moved towards Tanjiro, who was already unconscious by the time she reached him. "…You didn't trust them until Tanjiro over there described Naruto to you. Was that so impressive, honestly? Like, he's not that hard to describe…"

"There is a subtle difference," Shikamaru replied, and Ino looked on, eyes wide with curiosity. "He didn't say Naruto wanted to be the next Hokage, he said he was going to be the next Hokage. And that, to me, is the difference between knowing off Naruto, and knowing Naruto."

-0-

The single musical note of the Biwa created the entry way for them to walk inside, their footing and surrounding utterly replaced by a location that outright defied all logic. Stairways leading to every directions, floors on the ceilings, and walls that covered other walls and then nothing. It was unnerving the three of them, but their youngest, and by power alone, leader, hid it best.

After all, Sasuke was used to nightmarish worlds.

He ignored his two other "teammates", and instead walked right on straight. His Sharingan, activated out of sheer survival instinct upon entering this maze, turned to the demon he presumed had opened the doorway to them. A woman, of sorts, holding a Biwa and sitting down on the floor. Her hair covered most of her face, but he could still tell she saw him perfectly. Her slim, boney finger lifted up and pointed him forwards, and he said nothing, except moved.

Every fiber of his being disagreed with him being here. He hated this. What he had heard this… things did. It was horrific. But another part of him knew he still needed more power. After all, these demons ate because it was their nature, the apex predators of humanity in a way. If that was considered demonic, then under what category would his brother fall, having murdered his entire clan for what? Power? Who was really more demonic?

He passed by another hall, and suddenly, he was where he assumed they expected him to be. He saw Orochimaru on one side, all smiles, and his eyes never leaving the demons. He saw Kabuto, keeping an impressive front but Sasuke could tell the young man was not all that happy to be there either. The two masked members behind Orochimaru, one who Sasuke knew, the other he didn't, just stood there, the young man standing proudly next to Orochimaru, boisterously even, as if edging the demons on. He was going to get them all killed, Sasuke noted with a frown. The girl, annoying as she was, was probably blind as a bat under that mask, which was fortunate… for him at least.

But, on the other side, stood… him.

"Welcome, Sasuke Uchiha," Muzan greeted with a warm smile, and despite himself, Sasuke felt a shiver run right down his spine. He had to bite down on his own tongue to hide it. "We were just talking about you."

Next to this… man, were who Sasuke assumed were the top demons, Upper Moons or something similar. A very big looking fellow, with six eyes and a massive blade hidden away. Another one with a paper fan and almost no expression on his face, almost as if he didn't know how to emote at all. The one Kabuto had described was also there, arms crossed, staring daggers into the medical ninja. There was one hiding behind some stairs, a very small thing at that. And… a genie? This… was an odd group. There was also a woman with a tattooed face, and a very revealing dress, but unlike the others she had her eyes glued on one of those books Kakashi-sensei… No, Kakashi always read.

"~Oh my," the demon woman voiced, her hand to her mouth, before another voice could be heard, but not from any of the demons present there. "Stop imagining yourself as the woman in that story! I'm getting the thoughts and I don't want to imagine you of all things like that!"

"Oh go back to sleep!" she roared back, "It's getting to the good part!"

Sasuke said nothing. His frown was still present. The book's cover showed that actress he had helped saved, back then, when he still fought for the side on the angels. One of his last fights on that side even. Had he remained, he'd probably would have been back there, with that crew, helping Naruto and Sakura in taking these demons down.

'It was just a damn clone,' Sasuke had to remind himself, before he turned his attention to Orochimaru and Muzan, as they both seem to have turned their focus onto him. All of them had at this point, just as Yoroi Akado and Misumi Tsurugi reached his spot. "…They didn't possess the book," Sasuke informed, his eyes on Orochimaru, but he couldn't help but flicker his Sharingan at Muzan every now and then. It felt suffocating. As if he took his eyes off the man, he'd be murdered on the spot.

"My, how disappointing," Muzan noted, turning to Orochimaru, "And here I thought you had said you would bring the Necronomicon to me at once. My subordinate at least brought a book back, wrong one as it was…" he added, still glaring at his Upper Moon One, whose head could not be lower.

"Patience, you will have the Necronomicon soon enough," Orochimaru defended. "My young ward did not fail. He reported his findings. The Demon Slayers do not possess it either, which is a very good sign for you."

"Is it now?"

"…Any idea of where it is… Sasuke?" Orochimaru asked, turning to the boy. Sasuke looked on, his eyes narrowed. Idea? Of course he had one. It must have been Naruto. There was a clone there, but not the real deal. And knowing that idiot, he must have it. But…

"His former teammate probably has it," Yoroi answered for him, and Sasuke could sense the spite in his voice. Anything to get at him it seems. Sasuke said nothing, his eyes still on Orochimaru.

"Is that so…?" Orochimaru noted, smiling. "He is most likely behind the little switch that happened. But, was Naruto Uzumaki not present."

"No," Sasuke said flatly. "He wasn't."

"A clone was," Yoroi added, standing right next to the young Uchiha, causing the teen to turn to him with a glare fully in effect. But they both knew, as long as they stood before Orochimaru, they couldn't outright attack one another, which was what Yoroi was banking on. "Seems Sasuke is a little conflicted, it being his teammate and all-"

"I don't recall asking for you input," Sasuke cut in, and despite it all, Yoroi couldn't help but flinch at the sheer venom the young teen oozed. "I took care of the clone. They were all headed to… Suna, somewhat. If it was Naruto giving directions then it would make sense, since they were off by quite a few miles."

"One of the Slayers was very against "ratting out" Naruto," Misumi added, his tone far calmer than either of his teammates, who looked ready to kill each other.

"I was thorough," Sasuke said, with heavy emphasis on it being just him and him alone. "What's my next objective? Just tell me and I'll get it done."

"No need, you've done plenty," Orochimaru informed, before he turned to Muzan. "I find it very unlikely that Naruto would have perished within the collapse of that nameless place. His clone still being active is proof enough. Now, where would he head next, now that, is the last piece we need to be able to take back the Necronomicon once and for all."

"Do you have any idea where this… Naruto would go to?" Muzan asked, and Sasuke could not, for the life of him, stop himself from flinching at hearing Naruto's name coming out of that monster's mouth. "Who'd he try to report back to?"

"The fool who wrote that book your demoness is currently enjoying would be one," Orochimaru noted, signaling to the Upper Moon Six and her utter fascination with the material in her hands. She was probably the only one amongst them not hearing a single word that was being said. "Or… where he not able to reach him, he'd probably have to report back to her."

"Back to Konoha, you think?" Kabuto asked, with a little knowing smile.

"It's what any good shinobi would do," Orochimaru explained, "But we cannot be reckless yet. I still have people in Konoha. If he gets there, I'll know. And then it'll just be a matter of… time."

"I see, then that will have to work for now, however," Muzan stated, but it was his last word that made them all give pause. Sasuke's eyes went to the Demon Lord instantly, burning bright red, as Yoroi and Misumi both poised themselves. Kabuto frowned, wondering if this meant the fight was really unavoidable. At least they had three more members back, but even so…

"Do you have any suggestions you wish to share?" an unbothered Orochimaru asked nicely.

"Just, my men failed the first time around, and now your men came equally empty-handed, so to speak, so…" Muzan offered, as one of his tendrils slowly ripped itself right out of his skin. "How about we split the difference on this one? Are any of your men capable of handling some of my blood?" the Demon asked with the widest smile.

Orochimaru answered in kind, almost laughing. "Oh, that's… quite the offer. So many possibilities. I'm afraid I simply cannot refuse such a generous offer."

"Then…?" Muzan asked, his eyes shifting to Sasuke, who felt his entire body grow cold. Run, he heard a thousand voices warn him at once, but his body wouldn't even respond. But…

"No, not him," Orochimaru stated firmly, his hand raised. "Not yet at least. However, is there anyone amongst you willing to go above and beyond for my-no, our glory?"

Kabuto knew he didn't count, since Orochimaru had been clear that he was not meant to be sacrificed.

Sasuke just glared, the cold sweat still in his body, but at least he was… safe for the time being.

Misumi looked on, confused, his eyes on his Master, then at the two masked wearers, the young man looking like he was contemplating the suggestion, while the young girl looked like she was shrinking into the shadows. Who in the right mind would just…?

"If no one is willing, Milord, I will not disappoint you," Yoroi offered, bowing before his lord, as Orochimaru turned to him, a proud smile plastered all over his face. "I will prove to you that I need no kekkei genkai to be of use to you. After all my failures, it's the least I could do."

"Nonsense Yoroi," Orochimaru replied, and Yoroi could not help his expression change upon hearing his Master refer to him with such… kindness. "You are valuable, and this just proves it even further. You will become far more powerful than can be comprehended. Thank you for this."

"Of cour-ACK!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as no sooner had Yoroi begun to speak, than had the tendril engulfed itself onto his neck. It was so quick, even his Sharingan could not follow it. But then, it worsened. That… tendril seemed to inject something into him, which caused Yoroi's veins to begin to bulge out, pulsating, as the missing-nin fell to the ground, pained, almost as if dead, yet not at the same time. He was convulsing, and screaming, and contorting, and Muzan still injected him with even more.

"A Shinobi, turned into a demon, that has never been attempted before…" Kabuto noted, his eyes examining every little change.

"Would someone with such a high level of chakra compared to the average human resist the change, or would the powers just destroy each other?" Orochimaru said, the clear thrill evident in his voice. "This is what our experiments were meant to reveal! All signs point to failure, but if he were to survive, what I wonder, will rise in his place?"

"I do hope your subordinate was not all talk," Muzan said, his eyes narrowed, as he removed the tendril. "I could feel the chakra trying to fight off the change. Still, if this fails, you have a few other volunteers, do you not?"

Misumi, the masked girl and even Sasuke all flinched at the comment, while the masked young man just seemed to stare or outright glare at Muzan. Orochimaru and Kabuto said nothing, their eyes fixated on Yoroi. The other demons all stared, wondering if they were getting another brethren to challenge their ranks, or just a failure. Yoroi seemed to just stop soon enough, his body dropping completely, but just before Orochimaru was to comment on it…

…he just rose. Yoroi Akado stood up, and even Sasuke's Sharingan had trouble seeing the moment in-between him lying on the ground and then being on his feet.

"…Yoroi?" Misumi asked, but… that wasn't Yoroi anymore.

What stood before them all had changed. His skin was now gray, markings covering his frame. His hands now seemed to open, the division between each finger now housing… teeth. His mask, discarded away, now left exposed fangs that reached as high as his now pointed ears. His eyes, already dark in nature, were just holes that went right through his skull. You could see right through them. Far more muscular, taller even. In every way imaginable, what stood before them was no longer Yoroi… but something far, far worse.

"Sir…?" Kabuto voiced, turning to Orochimaru, who was grinning with the most gleeful of eyes.

"Yoroi, please tell me, how does it feel?" Orochimaru asked, but the man before him did not speak. The Snake Sannin stared, frowning for a moment, before he voiced: "Yoroi?"

"Yoroi," Muzan interrupted, his smile so calm. "It's rude to ignore your… Master," he said, and his tone was not all that sincere. "He wants to know how you feel."

Then a creature responded.

"HuNgRy."


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The First Shinobi-Demon Is Born!